First Choice Homes in Oldham pledges support to the Armed Forces community

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First Choice Homes, a leading housing provider with headquarters in Oldham, has pledged its support to the Armed Forces community by signing the Armed Forces Covenant.

The Armed Forces Covenant is a pledge that together everyone acknowledges and understands that those who serve, or who have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, should be treated with fairness and respect in the communities, economy and society they serve.

The Covenant was signed on behalf of First Choice Homes by Chief Executive Vinny Roche and Board Chair Ged Lucas, with Colonel Dr P A Irvine PHD, Commander J Evans RN MBE DL and Wing Commander D Archibald RAFAC on behalf of Defence.

First Choice Homes has developed a series of pledges which include supporting the employment of veterans, supporting employees who have a serving person in the family or are themselves reservists, offering support to veterans when setting up their home, supporting their customers to engage with their local cadet unit and offering their facilities to organisations offering support to Veterans.

First Choice Homes will be outlining their pledges in more detail on their website in the coming weeks.

Mr Roche said: “We’ve signed the Covenant because we feel it’s right and proper to support those who have served in the Armed Forces.

"It’s about the wider community for us too, as we see the Covenant as part of our work to improve lives in Oldham."

Col Paul Irvine, Commandant Greater Manchester Army Cadets, said: “We’re delighted to see First Choice Homes pledge its support to both the Cadet organisations in Greater Manchester and the wider Armed Forces Community.

"The help and support of local businesses enables us as a voluntary organisation to go even further in extending opportunity and experience to local young people from all walks of life.

"We look forward to working together.”

At the Covenant signing, First Choice Homes assistant director for health and housing need, Kelly Webb, spoke passionately about just what it means to her, that her company is to offer its support in this way.

Kelly, herself a former member of the Army Logistics Corp with experience of two operational tours, said: "Basically this was simply the right thing to do.

"We work with a lot of customers who are veterans or current members of the armed forces community, and we wanted to show our commitment.

"After signing the Armed Forces Covenant we can now develop a series of pledges detailing exactly what we'll be doing to help our customers."

Watch Kelly Webb speaking to the Chronicle at First Choice Homes' Covenant signing (below).