Reading Armed Forces Covenant

The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise by the nation that together we acknowledge and understand 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 with their lives. The covenant focusses on helping members of the Armed Forces community to have the same access to government and commercial services and products as any other citizen.

The Reading Armed Forces Covenant encourages support for the Armed Forces community working and living in Reading, including Veterans and Reservists and their families.

The Reading Armed Forces Covenant was first signed in 2012 by the 7th Battalion The Rifles on behalf of the Armed Forces community, Reading Borough Council and a number of statutory and voluntary and community sector partners and businesses in Reading. The Reading Armed Forces Covenant Partnership meets every six months.

Further information can be found on the Armed Forces Covenant website.

Please contact Jill Marston at jill.marston@reading.gov.uk for further information on the Reading Armed Forces Covenant.

Contact details for Armed Forces general support and gateway services can be found here.

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust looks after the Armed Forces Covenant Fund, worth £10M each year, delivering funding programmes that create real change to Armed Forces communities across the UK.

Some of the programmes open to local organisations include:

The Force for Change programme will award grants of up to £10,000 for community projects that reduce isolation and promote integration; supporting post-Covid recovery in local Armed Forces communities affected by isolation.

The Reaching and Supporting Armed Forces Communities programme will award grants of up to £100,000 over a period of up to three year to charities and CICs.

The Sustaining Support for Armed Forces Communities programme will award grants of up to £100,000 for existing charitable projects to help charities to sustain activities and services that people from Armed Forces communities use and value.

The Service Pupil Support programme is open to schools with Service children on roll, awarding grants of up to £80,000 for one year for projects which support Service children along their educational pathway. 

Further details of which funds are currently open and closing dates can be found on the Covenant Fund website.

If you would like to discuss your application or would like further information on the Reading Armed Forces covenant, please contact Jill Marston at jill.marston@reading.gov.uk.

Armed Forces Covenant Duty

As part of the Armed Forces Act 2021, the Government introduced legislation to further strengthen the statutory basis of the Covenant. This introduces a new duty on public service providers to take due regard of the Armed Forces community when writing policy and making decisions in implementing that policy in relation to healthcare, education, and housing.

Statutory guidance on the new legislation can be found on the Government website.

Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme

Reading Borough Council has been awarded the bronze award from the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme, which recognises employers who pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to defence and the Armed Forces community, and align their values with the Armed Forces Covenant.