Scottish Borders Council receives highly-coveted Ministry of Defence award

Councillor John Greenwell, who is the council’s Armed Forces Champion, and his colleague Vicky Cashmore received the award during a stunning ceremony in the Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle, alongside 16 other organisations from across the Lowlands of Scotland.

The ERS Gold Award is the highest badge of honour available to civilian businesses and organisations that employ and support Reservists, service leavers, veterans and their families.

The Gold Awards were presented to each recipient on behalf of the Defence Secretary by Major General Bob Bruce CBE DSO, who also serves as the Governor of Edinburgh Castle.

The evening’s festivities included musical accompaniment by the Band of HM Royal Marines, and a spectacular performance by the Pipes & Drums of the Army Cadet Force and Air Training Corps.

Addressing the awardees and other distinguished guests, Major General Bruce said: “We in the Ministry of Defence are enormously grateful to everybody who supports this scheme, but we particularly recognise you who have achieved the Gold Award.

“Gold doesn’t indicate an end-point, of course – in many ways, it’s a challenge. It recognises what you have achieved, but it challenges you to keep going and to keep advocating so that what you have built spreads beyond your own organisations.”

Each Gold Award holder begins the ERS journey by signing the Armed Forces Covenant, a commitment to supporting Defence through services, policy and advocacy. One distinguishing feature of a Gold standard employer is giving any Reservist employees within their team ten days of paid or unpaid leave to ensure they can meet their annual training requirements.

Each of the employers attending the event at Edinburgh Castle have gone above and beyond with their support through initiatives such as actively employing veterans, supporting individuals transitioning out of the Armed Forces into a new career, and providing flexibility for serving Reservists to complete training or mobilise for military operations both at home and abroad.

On the announcement of this year’s Gold awardees Minister for Veterans and People, Calvin Bailey MBE MP, said: “For a veteran starting a new chapter, or a Reservist balancing two demanding roles, having an employer in your corner makes an enormous difference.

“These 162 organisations have gone out of their way to make veterans, Reservists and military families feel genuinely welcome and supported. I’m incredibly proud to recognise them today, and I hope their example inspires many more.”

David Robertson, chief executive of Scottish Borders Council, said of the achievement: “We are absolutely delighted to receive Gold Employer Recognition Scheme status. This award reflects the Council’s ongoing commitment to supporting veterans, Reservists, Cadet Force Adult Volunteers and the wider Armed Forces Community across the Scottish Borders.”