Borough's pledge to help armed forces

The council has formally committed itself to doing all it can to help former service personnel in the borough in recognition of the huge sacrifices that the armed forces and their families have made for the country.

At a special ceremony at Rochdale Town Hall, council leaders joined with representatives of the NHS, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing and Link4Life to sign the Armed Forces Community Covenant, a voluntary statement of mutual support between the borough and the services.

The principle behind the covenant is that the armed forces community should not be disadvantaged in society. In some cases, such as the sick, injured or bereaved, this means giving special consideration to allow them access to public or commercial services that civilians receive including healthcare, housing and education.

Representatives of the armed forces at the ceremony included Brigadier Nick Fitzgerald, Commander 42 Northwest Brigade; Lt Col R J P Jordan, Commanding Officer 103rd Regiment Royal Artillery (Volunteers); Lt Cdr M Holmwood, Royal Navy; Sqd Ldr A J Manktelow, RAF and Lt Col Steve Wotherspoon (Rtd), Regional Sabre Campaign Director.

Brigadier Fitzgerald thanked the borough on behalf of the armed forces for its support and praised the, “quiet professionalism and exceptional courage”, of the many men and women from the area who have served their country down the years.