The Shaping Portsmouth team are pleased to announce the expansion of our Armed Forces Covenant programme, which is being renamed the Armed Forces Community programme.
Encouraging Portsmouth businesses to sign up to the Armed Forces Covenant and the Employer Recognition Scheme will still be a core part of the programme but we wanted to do more to support the Armed Forces community themselves. A community that not only includes Veterans, but their families.
To begin with, we have added a new section with relevant articles, which will be updated monthly. The programme team will be meeting regularly to explore ways in which we can better support and provide visibility for the Armed Forces community in Portsmouth.
We are delighted to welcome our two new Armed Forces Community programme Co-Leads, Andy Moss and Kate Mizon.
Andy is a former Regimental Sergeant Major, serving in the British Army for 24 years. He is a seasoned leader with a diverse background across various sectors including Defence, the water industry, and the NHS. With a wealth of experience in leadership roles, Andy has honed his skills as an organisational development specialist, consistently delivering exceptional results and fostering positive cultural change within teams.
Kate is a British Army Veteran, wife and mother, residing in Portsmouth. Having served 22 years herself, and her Husband still serving, she understands the complexities of juggling family life and the services. Currently self-employed as a writer, she is also a voluntary cake-taster who frequents and advises of the best Portsmouth eateries in an unofficial capacity, to anyone that will listen. Kate has a gym membership but her map reading skills are a bit rusty since leaving service and she hasn’t found it so far in 2024. Kate can often be seen being pulled around the walking spots in Portsmouth by her 3 year old Cocker-Spaniel, Mike. Come say hi!
Marian Glover, Shaping Portsmouth’s Business Lead, said “I’m thrilled that we are expanding our Armed Forces Covenant programme into Armed Forces Community. This will allow us to go beyond just raising awareness of the Covenant and encouraging businesses to sign up; we can now truly engage with the AFC and create impactful opportunities for them in Portsmouth. I’m especially grateful to have Kate Mizon and Andrew Moss on board as our joint Programme Leads. Their passion and experience will be invaluable in driving this programme forward and achieving our vision of making Portsmouth the prime city of opportunity for the UK’s Armed Forces communities.”
Kirsty Hill, Shaping Portsmouth’s Education & Community Lead, adds “I feel extremely proud to work within an organisation that has such a passion for this community, and as a female veteran who has strong connections to the Armed Forces, I think it is essential that more work is done, so expanding our Armed Forces work is key to creating a Portsmouth that welcomes this community and we can provide organisations we work closely with, to better understand the needs and requirements of individuals and give back to the men and women who gave so much for us.
“Shaping Portsmouth were awarded the Silver Armed Forces Covenant award in 2023, this was shortly after they recruited their first member of the team from the Armed Forces Community, me. We have since recruited our two new Volunteer programme leads and are now working towards the Gold award. I’m excited to watch this piece of work grow and expand.”
