
The signing of a promise to treat Armed Forces personnel fairly in recognition of the sacrifices they make on behalf of the country has taken place in Morecambe.
Morecambe Town Council formally signed the Armed Forces Covenant on Friday August 15, the 80th anniversary of VJ Day.
The signing took place at a reception for members of the Armed Forces community at Morecambe Town Hall, hosted by the Royal British Legion Morecambe and Heysham branch.
Councillor Roger Dennison, the council’s Armed Forces Champion, signed the covenant on behalf of the council, with Lt Adam Lappin RN signing on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.
Dignitaries in attendance included Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire Colonel (Retd) John Davies, Mayor of Lancaster Councillor Margaret Pattison, and elected representatives from the county, city and town councils.
In becoming a signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant, the town council pledged to support the Armed Forces community in a number of ways, including: welcoming and encouraging applications from the community for its vacancies; offering flexibility to employed reservists, cadet volunteers and service spouses and partners around training, mobilisations and deployments; promoting local support networks, awareness-raising schemes and dedicated healthcare services; engaging with local Armed Forces charities and organisations; and promoting the covenant and its support for the Armed Forces community.
"Morecambe Town Council has been a proud supporter of the Armed Forces community in Morecambe for many years, through activity such as providing headline funding support for Armed Forces Day," said Councillor Dennison.
"We’re proud to have formalised this support by signing the covenant and pledging to take it further still.
"There are some fantastic organisations doing great work locally, such as Healthier Heroes, Bay Veterans Association, the local Royal British Legion and Armed Forces Association branches, and Morecambe FC Community Foundation’s veterans project - to name just a few.
"We are looking forward to working with them to promote the good work that they do, while strengthening our own employment practices to make Morecambe Town Council a more appealing and accommodating place to work for members of the Armed Forces."