21 June 2021

Rhia Boyode and Nigel Lee with Group Captain Phil Wadlow, Station Commander RAF Shawbury

The Trust that runs Shropshire’s acute hospitals has reaffirmed its commitment to the fair treatment for current and former members of the Armed Services and their families.

As part of Armed Forces Week, and ahead of Armed Forces Day on Saturday, The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), which runs the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, has re-signed the Armed Forces Covenant.

The Armed Forces Covenant is a pledge that together we acknowledge and understand that those who serve or who have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, should be treated with fairness and respect in the communities, economy and society they serve.

Today (Monday) Nigel Lee, Chief Operating Officer at SaTH and a former RAF helicopter pilot, was joined by Rhia Boyode, Acting Director of People, at the Shirehall in Shrewsbury to re-sign the covenant.

Nigel said: “We are delighted to reaffirm our commitment to all who serve or have served in our Armed Forces and their families. SaTH is a proud signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant and we are also committed to improving the experience of veterans using our services by becoming a ‘Veteran Aware’ organisation.”

Rhia and Nigel sign the Covenant

As part of Armed Forces Week, a flag-raising ceremony was held at Shirehall today.

Reserves Day will take place on Wednesday, which will be marked with an event in the Square in Shrewsbury involving the 8 Rifles and 202 Field Hospital from 10am until 2pm. There will also be a virtual outreach on the same day from 1pm until 3pm giving the wider community a chance to hear from some local reservists about the work they do.

Armed Forces Day will take place on Saturday.

Councillor Ian Nellins, Shropshire councillor responsible for the Armed Forces Covenant, said: “We’re extremely proud to support Shropshire’s Armed Forces community and it is important that we continue to build on the great work we have done to date in partnership with our military partners and local businesses and charities.

“During the past year our Armed Forces have continued to train for, and deploy on, Operations across the world, as well as providing specialist support to many of the essential components in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

“Armed Forces Week offers a great opportunity for us all to show the whole of the Armed Forces community some much deserved recognition.”

To date, over 100 businesses across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin have signed the Armed Forces Covenant, as the council continues to broaden the available support to its military community in partnership with the county’s business sector.