RJAH Friends sign Covenant to support Armed Forces
The League of Friends to The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) have pledged their support for staff and volunteers who serve in military roles by signing up to the Armed Forces Covenant.
The Covenant, which has also been signed by the Oswestry-based hospital’s Senior Leadership Team, represents a pledge of support by the Friends charity to people who are serving in, or who have served in the Armed Forces.
This includes supporting the employment of both veterans or their partners and any employees who serve with the Reserve forces by accommodating their training and deployment where possible.
The Covenant was signed on behalf of the Friends charity by Chairman Peter David.
Representing the Armed Forces was Lieutenant Colonel Carl Meyer, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and Clinical Lead for the Veterans’ Orthopaedic Service.
Peter David said: “The League of Friends is pleased to support this excellent initiative and to acknowledge and support all those connected with our Armed Forces.
“It reflects the important work of the Trust, and it is right as their partners that we too align with these values.”
A pioneering veterans’ facility is being built onsite at RJAH – the initial fundraising appeal was launched in October 2018 and was kickstarted with a £100,000 donation from the hospital Friends.
RJAH had initially launched a £1.5 million appeal to build a more modest outpatient facility for veterans but is now set to boast a vaster £6 million facility, following a grant from the Headley Court Charity.
Lt Col Carl Meyer said: “The League of Friends have been terrific supporters of all the work we do here for veterans and military personnel.
“Their backing has been essential in driving our new state-of-the-art £6 million dedicated Veterans’ Centre – I cannot thank them enough and whole heartedly commend them for signing this covenant.”
Philip Sinclair, Regional Employer Engagement Director for the Ministry of Defence, said: “I was delighted to be able to support the League of Friends signing of the Armed Forces Covenant, the more organisations that sign the Covenant, the more awareness grows and spreads, and the greater the impact and the likelihood of positive outcomes. Thank you for your support, the Ministry of Defence is truly grateful.”
