Skipton Building Society becomes 700th Yorkshire firm to sign pledge aimed at helping former military personnel

At an event at Skipton Castle, colleagues with links to the armed forces were joined by Skipton Group CEO Stuart Haire, Skipton Building Society chair Gwyn Burr and Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hill as the building society formally signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant.

The Covenant is described as “the nation’s commitment” to those who serve or have served in the armed forces, and focuses on helping those people ensure they have the same access to government and commercial services as any other services – including opportunities to start a new career.

Stuart Haire, chief executive of Skipton Group, said: “It’s a proud moment to be recommitting to the Armed Forces Covenant, and even more so to be the organisation that takes the count of Yorkshire signatories to a landmark 700.

“We’re lucky to already have many colleagues from the armed forces community, but this is our bugle call; when it comes to a career after or alongside your military service, we want to turn members of the armed forces into members of our workforce.”

An average of 15,000 people leave the armed forces each year, and by taking steps such as signing up to the Armed Forces Covenant, organisations commit to being “forces-friendly”.

Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hill, Commanding Officer of 4th Battalion, The Royal Yorkshire Regiment, said: "We are thrilled that Skipton Building Society has become the 700th business to sign the Armed Forces Covenant. This is a real milestone for the Yorkshire and Humber region.

“We are very grateful to all Armed Forces Covenant signatories for their support to our serving personnel, reservists, veterans, and cadet force adult volunteers, and the fact that there are now 700 such businesses makes it clear what a great place Yorkshire and the Humber is to be part of the military family.

Armed Forces Week takes place between 19-24 June, and is a celebration of the Armed Forces which culminates with Armed Forces Day on Saturday 24 June.