A COUNCIL has been recognised for its support it gives to the Armed Forces community.

Richmondshire District Council has been awarded a Silver Employer Recognition Award to recognise its support as an employer for the wider principles of the Armed Forces Covenant.

The recognition scheme awards employers that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to the Armed Forces community. This includes the reserves, service leavers, armed forces veterans, the wounded injured and the sick, cadets, military spouses or partners and their families.

The Silver Award collected by council leader Cllr Yvonne Peacock and deputy leader Cllr Ian Threlfall, demonstrates that Richmondshire District Council tackles service personnel issues and actively communicates its status as an Armed Forces friendly organisation.

The council pledged its commitment to the Armed Forces community due to the importance of the Catterick Garrison army base located within the district.

Cllr Peacock said: "This is excellent news.

"We are very proud to receive this award and it highlights our efforts as a council to go above and beyond when it comes to supporting our Armed Forces.

"We will continue this good work and will do our very best to achieve our Gold Award.”

The council will embark on further training to become more effective in assisting members of the Armed Forces and their families in accessing local public services.

She added: “This really demonstrates that supporting service families is central to the work of this council."