Armed Forces Covenant brings Warminster and Army closer together

At the Full Warminster Town Council meeting on 16th January 2012, Members discussed proposals put forward by Lt Col (Retd) Bill Common, the Army liaison officer for Warminster, that an Armed Forces Community Covenant be signed.

The Covenant would be between the serving and former members of the Armed Forces and their families working and residing in the Warminster area, Warminster Town Council, Warminster Area Board and Warminster Villages Community Partnership. This Covenant is a voluntary statement of mutual support between a civilian community and its local Armed Forces community, and is intended to complement the Armed Forces Covenant which outlines the moral obligation between the Nation, the Government and the Armed Forces at the national level.

Col Common requested that the Mayor sign the Covenant on behalf of the Town Council, and outlined the area in which he felt improvements were needed, namely: (1) the area around the military housing estate close to the camps; (2) the facilities for Riding for the Disabled at the Saddle Club; and (3) the sporting links between the military and the town.

For the Warminster organizations involved, the Covenant gives them an opportunity to bring their knowledge, experience and expertise to bear on the provision of help and advice to members of the Armed Forces community. For the Armed Forces community the Covenant promotes integration of service life into civilian life, and encourages members of the Armed Forces to help their local community.

Council Members were in agreement that the Covenant represents "an enormous step forward" in relations between Warminster and its surrounding area and the Armed Services, and were delighted to give the proposal their unanimous support.