Pendle News Room

Key organisations in Pendle got together this week at Nelson Town Hall to sign the Armed Forces Community Covenant.

“It’s our promise to work together to support those who serve or have served in the armed forces in Pendle,” explained Pendle's Armed Forces Champion Janice Taylor.

“We signed the Covenant back in 2012 and it’s time for us to get together and renew our commitment and expand the number of organisations who support this Covenant,” she said.

The Deputy Lieutenant for Lancashire, Dennis Mendoros OBE DL, Chair of the Pendle Vision Board, was one of over a dozen people from a range of organisations who signed the pledge.  He said:

“It’s vital that businesses, organisations and people in our local community understand the moral obligation we have to those who serve or who have served in our armed forces.

“The covenant helps us to support them and properly recognise the sacrifices they make.”

Representatives from Housing Pendle, NHS East Lancashire,  Burnley Football Club in the Community, Pendle Leisure Trust, and Lancashire Adult Learning were amongst the organisations which have signed the pledge.

Pendle’s Mayor, Councillor Rosemary Carroll and  Councillor Mohammed Iqbal, Leader of Pendle Council,

The Royal British Legion and Veterans in Communities also signed the Covenant.

Councillor Iqbal said: “The Covenant helps us to ensure service men and women and their families are treated fairly and get the services they need.”

Mike Sutcliff, Chair of the Royal British Legion (Outreach for Pendle Armed Forces Community Covenant), said: “An essential part of the Covenant is about working with Pendle businesses to match the skills of those leaving the armed forces with local jobs. 

“People leave the armed forces with very specific skills, such as helicopter and jet engine repair, and in Pendle aerospace is a huge industry.”

The commitment Pendle has made already includes:

• A growing multi-agency group that provides a focal point for discussion and action plan to progress the aims of our
        Covenant 

• Pendle Council’s Armed Forces Champion ensures that council service areas take on board the needs of armed
        forces community

• Royal British Legion and Veterans in Communities run regular awareness raising & outreach sessions across the
        area

• Together Housing (Housing Pendle) Be with Us Scheme ensures that anyone who has left the armed forces within
         the last five years will get a level of priority

• Gaining a commitment from The Department of Work and Pensions to have an armed forces champion in every
        Jobcentre Plus District 

• Our colleagues in Pendle Leisure Trust Pendle offer current serving armed forces personnel free gym / swimming
        use at all their centres

• Work with NHS services to ensure priority to armed forces and ex-service personnel including the provision of
        mental health facilities to recognise and treat mental health conditions caused by time in service for serving and
        retired personnel and their families

• Increased awareness of this work through social media and a new website developed by Pendle Council’s
        Communications Team. 

The people signing the Covenant and the organisations they represent:

Councillor Rosemary Carroll, Mayor of Pendle

Janice Taylor, Pendle Council’s Armed Forces Champion

Councillor Mohammed Iqbal, Leader of Pendle Council 

Councillor Tony Greaves, Deputy Leader of Pendle Council

Councillor Joe Cooney, Pendle Council

Bernard Swarbrick, Chairman of Pendle Leisure Trust

Dennis Mendoros OBE, DL, Chair of the Pendle Vision Board & The Deputy Lieutenant for Lancashire

Alan Davies, Board Member for Housing Pendle (part of the Together Housing Association)

Christine Blythe, Chief Officer, Burnley, Pendle & Rossendale Council for Voluntary Service

Mark Youlton, Chief Officer, East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group NHS

Mike Sutcliff, Chairman of Nelson branch of the Royal British Legion

Daniel McBirney Hutchinson, Founder & Chairman of Salute Burnley

Captain Mark Lydiate, Armed Forces Community

Liz Hamilton, Chief Executive, Veterans in Communities

Malcolm Smith MBE, Chairman, Lancashire Branch of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen & Families Association

Leyanne Fitzmaurice, Director of Curriculum – Student Services & Quality for Lancashire Adult Learning

Chris Langhorn, Area Co-ordinator of the Lancashire Wellbeing Service

Paul France, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Burnley FC in the Community