The Bannatyne Group has reinforced its commitment to supporting the Armed Forces by signing the Armed Forces Covenant.
The Covenant states that ‘We recognise the value serving personnel, both regular and reservists, veterans and military families contribute to our business and our country.’
The Bannatyne Group has pledged to uphold the Covenant by:
- Actively supporting the employment of veterans.
- Striving to provide flexibility in granting leave for Service spouses and partners before, during and after a partner’s deployment.
- Supporting employees who are members of the Reserve Forces.
- Supporting employees who are volunteer leaders in military cadet organisations.
- Aiming to support Armed Forces Day, Reserves Day, the Poppy Appeal Day and Remembrance activities.
- Offering a discount to members of the Armed Forces community.
- Promoting the fact that the company is an Armed-forces friendly organisation to staff, customers, suppliers, contractors and the wider public.
Bannatyne’s has offered a discount to members of the Armed Forces community for a number of years, with more than 670 people taking advantage.
In 2019, Duncan Bannatyne offered hundreds of free memberships for veterans with PTSD, with every one of the 72 health clubs taking part.
Duncan Bannatyne, chief executive and chairman of the Bannatyne Group said: “Our Armed Forces are the absolute best in the world. As a business we have always aimed to offer service personnel as much help and support as possible and signing the Armed Forces Covenant is a public declaration of this.”
Duncan’s dad Bill endured three-and-a-half years in a Japanese prisoner of war camp in the Second World War and was starving to death before liberation in 1945.
William, an infantryman in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, had been captured while fighting Japan’s invasion of Malaya and Singapore in 1942.
Duncan said: “My father was somebody who did not really talk about his time as a PoW. However, over the years I did get bits out of him and when I hear what he endured it makes me so proud to have seen how brave he was.”