Wolverhampton City Council, 27th Wolverhampton (St Jude's) Brownies and 1st Cosford (RAF) Brownies, Coaching for Kids, Albrighton and Donnington with Boscobel Parish Council and St Mary's Nursery in Albrighton have all been awarded funding through the Armed Forces Community Covenant Grant Scheme.
The Armed Forces Community Covenant calls on local people to support the Armed Forces community, recognise and remember the sacrifices made by soldiers, sailors and airmen over the years and encourage activities that help members of the Armed Forces past and present integrate into local life.
It also encourages members of the Armed Forces to help and support the wider community and promote understanding and awareness among the public of some of the issues faced by former members of the Armed Forces as they return to civilian life.
The grants, from the Ministry of Defence, were available to voluntary groups, charities and public bodies to stage special events or complete projects that support the Armed Forces in some way. Wolverhampton is linked to RAF Cosford in Albrighton for the purposes of the Covenant, and as a result, organisations in Shropshire are among those to receive funding.
Wolverhampton City Council has received £3,750 to raise awareness of the community covenant through events and publicity, while 27th Wolverhampton (St Jude's) Brownies and 1st Cosford (RAF) Brownies have been given £5,361 to organise a joint holiday for local Brownies and children from the Armed Forces community this summer.
Coaching for Kids has £4,227 to put on a 5 day football coaching camp for local children, including youngsters from the Armed Forces and civilian communities, St Mary's Nursery, which has a number of Armed Forces children among its pupils, has been given £2,150 to improve its indoor and outdoor facilities, while Albrighton and Donnington with Boscobel Parish Council received £2,370 to organise a summer playscheme for children.
Councillor Elias Mattu, Wolverhampton City Council's Cabinet Member for Leisure and Communities and the council's Armed Forces Community Covenant Champion, said: "I am proud that organisations in Wolverhampton and the surrounding area are committed to making it easier for the men and women of our Armed Forces to integrate into civilian life here in Wolverhampton.
"These grants will help the recipients provide a range of services to help members of the Armed Forces past and present feel a part of their local community."
Community covenants like the one signed in Wolverhampton complement, at a local level, the national Armed Forces Covenant, which outlines the moral obligation between the nation, the government and the armed forces.
For more information about Armed Forces Community Covenant, including information about local support services, please visit Type=articles;Articleid=4568;Title=Help for the Armed Forces community.;.
- released: Wednesday 4 March, 2015