BFBS recognised by the MOD for its support of the Armed Forces

BFBS’ commitment and support to the Armed Forces community has been recognised under the Ministry of Defence’s Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS).   

Simon Bucks, BFBS CEO, received the award from Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire, Mr Nigel Atkinson, at a ceremony held at HMS King Alfred, HMNB Portsmouth.

He said: "As a military charity and media organisation, supporting the UK Armed Forces worldwide is at the core of what we do, so BFBS is delighted to receive this ERS Silver Award.  

"We also strive to provide employment and training opportunities for those in the military community and value the many ways that their knowledge, experience and skills enrich our workplace."

In his speech, the Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire, Mr Nigel Atkinson, reinforced the importance of the award scheme, which encourages all recipients to align their values with the Armed Forces Covenant.

He said: "Defence is extremely grateful to you all as our Reservists simply would not be able to train or deploy without your support.

"This silver award recognises you as employers who have demonstrated positive and tangible support to the armed forces family.

"The south-east now has 82 gold award winners, 151 silver, 557 bronze.

"What is wonderful for me is that all those organisations are having that closer, positive relationship with Defence.

"In addition, over 1,000 organisations have signed the Covenant in the south-east, but we do understand this is a two-way deal – it's not all our way and it's not all your way – and we must as both sides see that added value to our two businesses.

"As an employer myself, I’m delighted to see how the defence and employer relationship has developed so positively in the last few years."

Edward Macfarlane, Divisional Director for Women, Children and Sexual Health at Buckinghamshire NHS, received a silver award on behalf of the Trust.

He served with the Coldstream Guards from 1989 to 1996 and talked about the importance of supporting the Armed Forces Covenant:

He said: "I think it’s really good that we have a veterans minister and the Covenant, now with over 9,000 organisations in the UK who are working on their journey.

"Veterans have a huge amount to offer the workforce and I think are often misunderstood and I think they have a very wide skill base that if you can translate what their skills are, actually they have enormous transferable skills – the workplace needs veterans.

"The Reservist bit is really important because you’re allowing people to not only do their day job but also to help our country deployed on operations on a regular basis."

The awards ceremony concluded with a waterfront performance by the Band of the Royal Marines Portsmouth.

The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme has bronze, silver and gold awards for employer organisations that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to defence and the armed forces community, and align their values with the Armed Forces Covenant.