Findhorn and Kinloss Community Council (FKCC) was presented with the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Bronze Award on 16 November.
The presentation took place at Kinloss Barracks with the Commanding Officer of 39 Engineer Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Walker, handing over the certificate on behalf of the Ministry of Defence to Shaun Moat, Vice Chair of the Community Council (pictured, above).
Findhorn and Kinloss Community Council had previously signed the Armed Forces Covenant in June 2023. In doing so it joined the 10,000+ organisations to have already signed the Armed Forces Covenant, and became the first Community Council in Moray to sign.
Signing the Covenant made the Community Council eligible for the Employer Recognition Scheme.
The ERS Awards encourage employers to support Defence and inspire others to do the same. The prestigious Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards are for employer organisations that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to Defence and the Armed Forces community, and align their values with the Armed Forces Covenant.
The Bronze Award was presented in recognition of the work undertaken by the Community Council in its annual preparations and organisation of Remembrance services at Kinloss Abbey and Findhorn Village.
The Community Council acts as the voice for Findhorn and Kinloss and meets monthly to discuss issues affecting the area, including planning and licensing applications and is consulted regularly by Moray Council on a range of matters. All its meetings are public and it encourages local residents to attend and participate.
Moray Council is also an Armed Forces Covenant signatory and was awarded the Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award in 2023.
Mr Moat spearheaded Covenant discussions with his fellow Community Councillors, drawing from his personal experience of serving in the Royal Air Force for eight years. His business, Donut Pig Digital Media, has also signed the Covenant and was a recent recipient of the Gold Award. All Community Councillors were in favour of signing the Covenant.
Mr Moat said: “Moray has a long history with the Armed Forces and many Veterans choose to settle here. The Community Council considers Armed Forces personnel from Kinloss Barracks to be very much part of the local community, so having the Commanding Officer of 39 Engineer Regiment present the Bronze Award as a representative of the Armed Forces community was very fitting.”
Lieutenant Colonel Walker said: “I would like to extend my thanks to the Community Council for the work it does on behalf of local people. It has signed the Covenant in recognition of the long-standing history of the Armed Forces as part of the Moray community and I was pleased to present the Bronze Award today.”
Highland RFCA’s Regional Employer Engagement Director Ray Watt facilitated the presentation.
He said: “I was delighted to travel to Kinloss and present the Bronze Award alongside Lieutenant Colonel Walker. My thanks to both 39 Engineer Regiment for hosting the presentation and to the Community Council for previously signing the Covenant. It is reassuring that it has chosen to demonstrate its support for Armed Forces families in Moray.”
To find out how you can support the Armed Forces, contact HRFCA’s Regional Employer Engagement Directors Ray Watt at [email protected] or Roy McLellan at [email protected].
Find out more about the Armed Forces Covenant.
Find out more about the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.
Find out more about Findhorn and Kinloss Community Council.
