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Thank you for saluting our Forces

212 days ago

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Armed Forces Day (27 June 2020) in the United Kingdom is an annual event which celebrates people who serve or have served in the British Armed Forces. It’s a chance to show support for people in the Armed Forces community - from active service personnel, including Reservists, to military families, Veterans and Cadets.

Sodexo has worked with the British Armed Forces for more than 30 years, making a commitment to improve the quality of life of those currently serving in the military, as well as those who have left service and returned to civilian life.

As an early signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, Sodexo is committed to supporting the employment of ex-armed forces personnel and their families, as well as Reservists. As recognition for this long-standing commitment, Sodexo received the Ministry of Defence Gold Employer Recognition Award in 2017.

This commitment extends to our Public Service Pledge, which includes an annual target to employ 200 ex-service personnel and their families and our strong policies that support colleagues who wish to undertake Reservist duties.

At the beginning of Armed Forces Week, Sodexo announced its support of the Armed Forces Charity, SSAFA's leading mentoring programme, aimed at helping service personnel leaving the Armed Forces transition back to the every day. Two Government & Agencies’ colleagues - Rachel Evans and Marc Vincent - have taken up mentoring positions alongside their day-to-day responsibilities – you can read more about them here.

As part of the week-long celebrations, we published a series of themed features sharing the stories of colleagues who demonstrate our commitment to the military community. Read more on the Sodexo website and Your_Sodexo.

Salute Our Forces GIF

In addition, we saw hundreds of Sodexo colleagues getting involved with Armed Forces Week activities including supporting the #SaluteOurForces campaign, fundraising for SSAFA and recognising the Sodexo Hidden Heroes who have served, or are currently serving as Reserves.

Thank you to everyone who got involved, saluted and showed your support last week. It has been amazing to see so many of you paying tribute to those who protect us – even with your socially-distanced salutes!

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