UCLan has held a special ceremony to renew its 2017 support pledge to the Armed Forces Covenant.

Colonel Darren Doherty, Commander North West Region, and UCLan’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Graham Baldwin, attended the ceremony to sign the covenant.

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UCLan said the covenant is a written voluntary pledge from businesses and charitable organisations who wish to demonstrate their support, recognising the value that serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families offer the community.

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Colonel Doherty said: “Serving in the Armed Forces can be very different and pose different challenges for serving personnel and their families.

“Making sure that these people aren’t disadvantaged by providing that service in which they give everything to the country means that sometimes they need different treatment to resettle back into society, hence the importance of the Armed Forces Covenant.”

The pledge commits signatories to ensure members of the Armed Forces community are treated fairly and not disadvantaged in their day-to-day lives compared to their peers, especially those who have given the most, such as the
injured or the bereaved.

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UCLan Vice-Chancellor Graham Baldwin said: “I am delighted to reaffirm our pledge to support students and staff from the Armed Forces community.

“Reservists, veterans and their families have a great deal to contribute to our university but may also need additional support or special consideration to ensure they reach their potential.

“This re-signing really underlines our commitment to helping all those who have given so much for their country.”

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Fewer children from Armed Forces families progress to higher education than their peers due to mobility, separation and caring responsibilities.

Adopting the covenant principles ensures students and staff from military backgrounds get the necessary support, including flexibility in granting leave for service parents, spouses and partners and accommodating reservist training and deployment where possible.

For more information, visit – https://www.uclan.ac.uk/values-and-initiatives/armed-forces

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