The Yorkshire Agricultural Society has strengthened its support for the military by signing the Armed Forces Covenant.
The Covenant guarantees that the Society will aim to uphold the key principles that no member of the Armed Forces Community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen and that in some circumstances special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.
Support for the military
Show Director Charles Mills, pictured, said: “The military has provided an important element of the Great Yorkshire Show for many years now and we are delighted to support their presence here not least because our visitors enjoy looking around their stands.
“But this year, more than ever, we wanted to extend our support still further and highlight our appreciation for the role the military have played in tackling the pandemic and we couldn’t think of a better way of doing that than signing up to the Armed Forces Covenant.”
Working closely
The Reserve Forces and Cadets Association for Yorkshire and the Humber promotes the Armed Forces Covenant in the region.
Its chief executive Jason Wright said: “The Armed Forces Covenant is an important way in which organisations can show their support for the military and pledge their commitment to treat fairly veterans and those who currently serve, as well as their families.
“In this region, more than 400 organisations have signed up and we’re delighted that the Yorkshire Agricultural Society has been inspired by the role the military played in the Covid-testing and vaccination effort to sign up too.
“The Yorkshire Agricultural Society has long been a major supporter of the Armed Forces in the region and we look forward to working closely with them for many years to come.”
Signing the Armed Forces Covenant
Organisations interested in signing up to the Armed Forces Covenant can get more information at the RFCA’s stand in the military village.
The Society has ‘adopted’ the Yorkshire Regiment as its own and awards the YAS Cup to the Best Soldier annually at the Show, as well as partnering with the Army Foundation College at Harrogate, which provides Junior Soldiers to assist in the running of the Show.
Best Soldier Awards
This year sees another first for the show when two Best Soldier awards will be made, recognising the cancellation of last year’s event due to the pandemic.
The 2020 Yorkshire Agricultural Society trophy will go to Private Harridence, aged 22, who shone during the pandemic by helping improve fellow soldiers within the team. Throughout lockdown, he mentored another soldier seeking to lose weight and improve his fitness, training with him every day and helping him to build his self-esteem.