It was a very proud night for Cadent and its Military Community as it picked up the Armed Forces Covenant Employers Recognition Gold Award at a ceremony in Lilleshall Hall, Shropshire, on Thursday 23 November.
It was announced back in July that Cadent had been awarded the prestigious honour and although it could be seen as the pinnacle for the business, it does not mean that we will be resting on our laurels as we continue to support members of the Armed Forces and their families.
The Employer Recognition Scheme was launched in 2013 and Cadent has been a strong advocate of it, picking up the Bronze and Silver Awards in recent years.
“To say that we are over the moon to receive this award would be an understatement,” said Cadent Military Community chairman Dave Mounfield.
“The Cadent Military Community was created in 2018, but we had the very clear aim of achieving this award and to do so in such a short space of time is a huge achievement that everyone should be proud of.”
The award caps of a fine tenure for Dave who will be passing over the chairman baton to Daniel Mills who is returning to the business following an 11-month operational placement in Eastern Europe with NATO.
Daniel said: “Despite being away from the business, I’ve been in regular contact with Dave and the community, and it has been a pleasure to see the hard work pay off. I certainly have some big shoes to fill with Dave moving on, but it is an honour and a privilege to take on the chairmanship of the community and continue its great work.
“We have some big plans for the new year, and we really want to increase the size of our committee and membership as well as host further events across 2024 to go hand-in-hand with Armed Forces Day and Remembrance Day.”
Also attending the event was East Midlands Network Director Richard Samson who served in the British Army as an engineering technician before his career in the gas industry. Richard has been a huge supporter of the Cadent Military Community and was delighted to be the senior sponsor.
“I’m extremely proud of what the Cadent Military Community has achieved since its inception,” said Richard.
“We are proud signatories to the Armed Forces Covenant and it is important that we demonstrate that Cadent is an Armed Forces friendly employer. We actively support service leavers entering the business, our current reservists and those that have previously served.
“To have this recognised at the highest level is a truly remarkable achievement. Congratulations to everyone who has contributed.”
Dave added: “The standouts from day one have really been the members of the community. All the stories, the humour and the echo of comradeship make it such a special place and I’m proud to collect the award on everyone's behalf.”
The Armed Forces Covenant represents a promise by the nation to ensure that those who serve, or have served, and their families, are treated fairly. Its key principles are that the Armed Forces community should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services; and that special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given the most, such as the injured and the bereaved.
The Gold Employer Recognition Award is presented to employers that:
- Proactively advocate and support Defence, communicating their commitment both internally to employees and externally to the wider community, through established policies and examples of support;
- Employ at least one individual from the Armed Forces community category that the nomination emphasises;
- Demonstrate significant support for Reservists, enabling them to fulfil their annual training and mobilisation commitments. They must provide at least ten days additional leave for training, fully paid, to the Reservist employee
Colonel Richard Maybery, Chief Executive at West Midland Reserve Forces & Cadets Association, said: “It was such a pleasure to be at the National Sports Centre, which encompasses the iconic Battle Back Centre, a place which embodies the spirit of the Armed Forces Covenant. A truly fitting place in which to mark the selfless commitment and huge enthusiasm of our Gold Award winners. All of them are exemplars in going above and beyond in their support for the Armed Forces community.
“I’d like to publicly thank all the winners once again on behalf of Defence, and to say how much, as an Association, that we look forward to continuing to build on our relationship with them.”