Forces Business Net
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-10)

We, the undersigned, commit to honour the Armed Forces Covenant and support the Armed Forces Community. We recognise the value Serving Personnel, both Regular and Reservists, Veterans and military families contribute to our business and our country.

The Armed Forces Covenant

An enduring covenant between the people of the United Kingdom, Her Majesty’s Government and all those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces of the Crown and their families

The first duty of Government is the defence of the realm. Our Armed Forces fulfil that responsibility on behalf of the Government, sacrificing some civilian freedoms, facing danger and, sometimes, suffering serious injury or death as a result of their duty. Families also play a vital role in supporting the operational effectiveness of our Armed Forces. In return, the whole nation has a moral obligation to the members of the Naval Service, the Army and the Royal Air Force, together with their families. They deserve our respect and support, and fair treatment.

Those who serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services. Special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most such as the injured and the bereaved.

This obligation involves the whole of society: it includes voluntary and charitable bodies, private organisations, and the actions of individuals in supporting the Armed Forces. Recognising those who have performed military duty unites the country and demonstrates the value of their contribution. This has no greater expression than in upholding this Covenant.

Section 1: Principles of the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant

1.1 We Forces Business Net will endeavour in our business dealings to uphold the key principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, which are:
- no member of the Armed Forces Community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen;
- and in some circumstances that special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.
Section 2: Demonstrating our commitment

2.1 Forces Business Net recognises the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to our business. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, by pledging to the following:
- Armed Forces Friendly
- UK Service Veterans And Leavers
- UK Service Spouses And Partners
- Flexible Leave For Spouses
- UK Reservists
- UK Cadets
- Armed Forces Day
- Discounts
- Armed Forces Charities
- UK Wounded, Injured And Sick
We also pledge the following:

-promoting the fact that we are an armed forces-friendly organisation. Achieved by: 1. A web site https://forcesbusinessnet.com/ that is dedicated to the Armed Forces family (if this application is approved, also supported by displaying the Armed Forces Covenant Logo). 2. Hosting The Liquid List (London) a monthly networking event that is FREE to attend for both Forces Job Seekers and Ex Forces In-Business; at https://forcesbusinessnet.com/liquid-list/ is the Aim and the structure of these events. Further,; in support of Service-related charities, any such charity is allocated up to 5 minutes to brief the attendees following the main speakers piece. The remit includes the provision of Guest Speakers who have a direct relevance of the Forces community; such speakers have included: Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP (son of the Late Admiral Sir Nicholas Hunt; Stephen Crookbain, Director DRM; the following General Secretaries of the Forces Pension Society: Major Generals Peter Bonnet and James Gordon; Major General James Gordon; Major General Seumas Kerr; Lieutenant General (now General James Everard; and a host of companies seeking to employ Ex Forces such as BT Connect, Bureau Veritas, Capco, Cap Gemini and Barclays. 3. Production and distribution of a FREE publication entitled NET News https://forcesbusinessnet.com/net-news/ which simply aims to offer another avenue that connects Ex Forces Job Seekers to their predecessors, a third of the back page is dedicated to Service-related charities. 4. Offering FREE Job Search campaign advice as and when requested supported by some basic advice on our web site https://forcesbusinessnet.com/job-search-advice/ with additional advice being offered to all Job Seekers Liquid List attendees. -seeking to support the employment of veterans young and old and working with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP), in order to establish a tailored employment pathway for Service Leavers. Achieved by: 1. Focusing exclusively on vacancies that require to be filled by Forces folk (ie, we do not handle civilians other than progeny of Forces people). 2. Posting any such vacancies on: CTP Job Site; Hot Jobs Board at The Liquid List meetings; LinkedIn, Two Twitter accounts and https://vacancies.forcesbusinessnet.com/ -striving to support the employment of Service spouses and partners. Achieved by: We operate an open house for all these categories and encourage all to attend The Liquid List since we regard resettlement/job search as a team effort. - endeavouring to offer a degree of flexibility in granting leave for Service spouses and partners before, during and after a partners deployment; [Not applicable since the Consultancy is a team of one!] - seeking to support our employees who choose to be members of the Reserve forces, including by accommodating their training and deployment where possible. ; [Not applicable since the Consultancy is a team of one!] -offering support to our local cadet units, either in our local community or in local schools, where possible. Achieved by: .As a Member of the Old Boys Committee actively supporting Ex Forces personnel from my school. Options are limited for two reasons. First, as an old man I would have little street cred with the young in schools. Second, since this is a one-man-band time for such activity is limited. -aiming to actively participate in Armed Forces Day; Achieved by: Use of the Internet and Twitter to publicise/support such events. In terms of a physical presence, arthritis hampers any active role other than, for example, wreath laying at our local Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday. -offering a discount to members of the Armed Forces Community; Achieved by: Offering a FREE service for all our major activities including: The Liquid List, NET News and Job Search Campaign advice. -Additional commitments Hazeldene Consultancy Services could make (based on local circumstances) which includes: Achieved by: 1. Through both attendance and publicity supporting other networking activities of The Liquid List franchise in Salisbury and Portsmouth. 2. Regular attendance at the Intelligence Corps Seminars in Worship Street, London. 3. When time and expense budgets allow attendance at Officers Association seminars. 4. Offering PR and a platform for other networking organisations such as Leavers Link. 5. Offering free Vacancies advertisements in NET News to REPUTABLE bodies such as J1, FRS and Sappers Network. 6. Continued involvement in supporting Service-related ventures/charities such as: PTSD Resolution; Row West (Alan Mulkern raising monies for the ABF with his Atlantic row); and Disability Field Trips (converted caravans for disabled veterans).

2.2 We will publicise these commitments through our literature and/or on our website, setting out how we will seek to honour them and inviting feedback from the Service community and our customers on how we are doing.