Gold Armed Forces Covenant Award presented to Heywood Veterans’ charity

Darren Wright Veterans into Logistics Founder

Veterans into Logistics has received the prestigious Gold Award from the Ministry of Defence Employment Recognition Scheme.

Founder, Darren Wright, was presented the award by Major General Marc Overton, the Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff at a special ceremony held in the Concorde Centre at Manchester Airport on Thursday 3 November.

He said: “It was an honour to receive the Ministry of Defence’s Employment Recognition Scheme Gold Award and I thank the MoD for recognising our commitment to the veteran community.

“I founded the charity in 2020 after realising action was needed to support ex-military into new careers, following the death of a close, ex-army friend Sergeant Jamie Doyle.

“We are proud of all that we have achieved in our first two-years, successfully training or supporting hundreds of ex-military personnel into new HGV driving careers.

“We have been able to place many into driving roles with respected logistics companies including Asda, Muller Dairies and XPO Logistics who we thank for partnering with us and appreciating the commitment and dedication that employing veterans brings.

“This year, we’ve received high profile visits from the Cabinet Office and a donation of £100,000 from the Office for Veterans’ Affairs. We’ve also featured in an inspiring BBC documentary following the emotional stories of two former British Army soldiers who we trained up and placed in new careers within the logistic industry. (BBC One - We Are England, Series 1, Veterans Road to Recovery – Manchester).

“We are delighted to end 2022 with the recognition of the prestigious Gold Armed Forces Covenant Award. We ensure our partners have signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant and enable our veterans to wear a Veterans into Logistics recognition badge on their shoulder within the workplace, that identifies they have served their country.”

The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham said: “I was so pleased to hear about Veterans Into Logistics Gold Award under the MOD Recognition Scheme. They join a partnership of organisations that strive to make GM the best place for veterans to live and work in the country and I believe they will continue to go from strength to strength.”

Chris Clarkson MP for Heywood and Middleton said: It's fantastic to see the amazing work of Veterans into Logistics being recognised with a Gold Award. Darren and the VIL team are changing lives for the better with their work and giving our fighting men and women a fighting chance back in civvy street."

To receive the Gold Award, employers must proactively demonstrate their forces-friendly credentials. This includes signing the Armed Forces Covenant which is a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly.