Tenby Town Council are looking to stamp the seaside town’s longstanding association with the UK Armed Forces and Allies over many decades, by becoming the first in Pembrokeshire to sign a notable covenant.

Pembrokeshire County Council was recently awarded the UK Government’s highest badge of honour for supporting the Armed Forces Community, with the Local Authority achieving the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award.

At this month’s meeting of Tenby Town Council, Cllr Colonel James Phillips (who back in 2022 was appointed as Veterans’ Commissioner for Wales) told members that all 22 County Councils in Wales had signed the Armed Forces Covenant but no Town or Community Council in Pembrokeshire had yet signed it.

The Armed Forces Covenant is a statement of the moral obligation which exists between the nation, the government, and the armed forces which is founded on the unique principles that those who serve, or have served, and their families should be treated fairly.

“Tenby would be the first which would be fitting given our longstanding association with the UK Armed Forces and our Allies over many decades,” Cllr Phillips told his fellow councillors.

He explained that one in 20 people in Pembrokeshire is an Armed Forces veteran. “This is the seventh highest concentration out of all the counties in the UK,” he said.

“It is estimated that there are about 250 veterans in Tenby, with about 500 associated residents across the Armed Forces community (family etc).”

Cllr. Phillips said there were three main focus areas - health, housing and education and training; and that housing was certainly an issue currently.

The Mayor, Cllr Dai Morgan said he felt it was a ‘brilliant proposal’ given Tenby’s historic links with the military.

Cllr. Laurence Blackhall said that he too would support the proposal and wondered if the South East Pembrokeshire Community Health Network organisation could also get involved to look at community mental health in relation to veterans.

He felt it was also good to recognise that Tenby Art Events was already working with the VC Gallery in supporting veterans.

It was suggested that the Town Council could tie in the signing of the Covenant with Remembrance Day events for the town in November.

Cllr. Phillips said that a senior military officer usually attended to sign the Covenant on behalf of the Armed Forces, and he would do his best to try and arrange this.