The Worshipful Company of Tobacco Pipe makers and Tobacco Blenders
Source: gov.uk (2025-12-04)

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 The Worshipful Company of Tobacco Pipe makers and Tobacco Blenders 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 The Worshipful Company of Tobacco Pipe makers and Tobacco Blenders 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
- Reserve Forces Day
- Armed Forces Charities
- UK Wounded, Injured And Sick
- Additional Leave for Reservists
We also pledge the following:

Promoting the Armed Forces: We will seek to maintain strong links with each of our affiliated service units, promoting regular correspondence, and issuing regular invitations for service personnel to attend Company events. We will encourage our affiliated service units to nominate one point of contact and to keep us advised of changes in staffing; the Company in return will encourage correspondence with the Clerk’s office to provide continuity of contact. We will seek to involve a cross section of members in visits to affiliated units, when such opportunities arise. We will seek to raise awareness across our wide network of members of the scope of duties carried out by the Armed Forces and the importance of the Armed Forces Covenant. We will encourage members of our affiliated service units to apply for membership of the Company, to provide friendship and fellowship and increase understanding among members who may be able to offer employment or professional advice to people who have served, or are serving, or to family members. We will seek to ensure that members who are deployed on active service are supported and receive communications from the Company during their period of duty.

Employment support to members of the Armed Forces Community: We will encourage members who are employers to give consideration to employing and supporting veterans, reservists, Cadet Force Adult volunteers and members of military families. We will support any reservists employed by the Company by providing appropriate paid leave for days when they are on deployment or required training and will give leave of absence from Court or Committee business for any members or officers of the Company who are members of the Armed Forces and may be deployed or called to training.

Communications, engagement and outreach: We will publicise our links with affiliated service units, and talk about their work, on a special page on our website. We will engage with social media posts issued by our affiliated service units, reposting, commenting and reacting as most appropriate. We will not publish names and photos of serving personnel without the express consent of the individuals and the CO or Officer Commanding respectively. We will feature the work of the Armed Forces in our printed journals and e-newsletters by inviting a nominated contact within each of our affiliated units to provide appropriate content and photos.

Civic responsibilities: We will encourage our members and those in our core and social media network to support the Poppy Appeal and Remembrance activities. We will participate in, and provide a financial contribution to, the City of London Garden of Remembrance Service each year. The Master will represent the Company in showing respect to the fallen and giving thanks for the service of all in the Armed Forces. We will support our affiliated units when invited to do so by attending any civic function at which their role and contribution to the community are being recognised eg local annual presentations, Freedom of a town or city; achievement of national or royal recognition and awards. We will publicise these commitments through on our website and in communication to members.

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.