Oakhaven Hospice is proud to have signed the Armed Forces Covenant, reinforcing its commitment to supporting members of the Armed Forces community.

On Friday 25th September, Captain Mark Pedler RN and Commander Stephen Walton RN visited Oakhaven, their local hospice, to present trustees and members of the Oakhaven clinical team with the Armed Forces Covenant Bronze Award.

The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, are treated with fairness and respect. It recognises that service life can bring unique challenges, as well as valuable skills and experience. It applies to anyone in the Armed Forces community, including serving personnel, veterans, reservists, cadet force adult volunteers, and family members.

Vice Chairman of the Board of Oakhaven Trustees, Jeremy Caldwell, said: “Oakhaven is pleased to make this commitment to supporting members of our Armed Forces community. We are developing an action plan and making practical changes to our processes to better support our staff, volunteers, patients and service users who are serving, have served or are part of the Armed Forces family. Many thanks to Captain Pedler and Commander Walton for taking the time to visit Oakhaven; having two serving Royal Naval officers presenting the award made the occasion truly special.”

Commander Stephen Walton, Royal Navy, said, “Thank you very much for inviting Captain Pedler and me to present your Armed Forces Covenant Bronze Award. Your commitment to supporting serving members of the Armed Forces, veterans and their families has been rightly recognised, and it was a privilege to be able to present it in person.

“Oakhaven Hospice is clearly an extraordinary place, providing free care and support to so many families across the New Forest and beyond. We were honoured to visit, to see your exceptional facilities and learn more about the many ways you support the local community. May I wish you and the team all the best for the future.”

Oakhaven Hospice cares for patients and their loved ones across a catchment area of 150,000 adults in the New Forest, Totton and the Waterside. At any time, the specialist team is supporting over 600 people, in the hospice and at home. All hospice care is provided free of charge, however only 14% of costs are covered by the NHS/government. For the remainder, the charity relies on the generosity of its community’s donations, fundraising and gifts in wills, along with income from its shops and home care provider, Oakhaven Care.

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