REACT receives Armed Forces Covenant Silver Award

REACT Disaster Response have been awarded the prestigious Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Silver Award for 2023. The award from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is in recognition of the support the charity gives to the Armed Forces community, going above and beyond for its veterans, reservists, cadet force and their families.

The charity first signed the Armed Forces Covenant in 2022. Through a 3 tier approach of bronze, silver and gold awards, the scheme recognises the different levels of commitment provided by employers, rewarding those who align their values with the Covenant – a pledge from the nation that those who serve or who have served and their families are treated fairly.

Due to the nature of REACT’s work, many Responders are veterans or have worked in blue light services, but the charity also welcomes applications from people with other experience.

REACT’s Head of Operations Ben Lampard said “We are extremely proud of our diverse and respected team that stems from armed forces, blue light and civilian backgrounds. With so many high-calibre ex-forces Responders, we naturally want to pledge our commitment to the veterans community and take action to support them whenever we can.”

Pix is a former British army officer who served for 9.5 years in the Royal Logistic Corps. He found out about REACT in 2020 after a friend told him about the charity. Since completing his Responder training, Pix has deployed in response to disasters including the Türkiye earthquake early in 2023.

“Being a REACT Responder is extremely important to me. The people who naturally gravitate towards REACT are just decent human beings and it's the closest camaraderie I have felt since leaving the military. It's not easy and it takes a pretty niche person to be able to do what REACT does. But if you like a challenge and get a buzz from helping others then REACT is for you.”

Responder Lizzy Stileman spent 20 years as part of the Royal Logistic Corps and continues to be an Army Reservist. Lizzy joined REACT in 2017 and has undertaken 9 international deployments, including the recent earthquake in Türkiye (2023), the devastating hurricane in The Bahamas (2019) and the Christmas tsunami in Indonesia (2018).

“Volunteering with REACT is one of the most humbling things that you can do. Seeing people at their worst and knowing you can help and make their life a bit easier is incredible. It allows me to give something back.”

The Silver Employer Recognition Scheme Awards will be presented to successful employers by the Lord Lieutenant of the county later on this year.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer Responder with REACT, visit our Join Us page to find out more.