We are proud to support our men and women serving in the armed forces, their families and veterans in our communities.
The Armed Forces Covenant
The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise by the nation ensuring that those who serve or who have served in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly.
Harlow Council are proud signatories of the covenant (pdf).
We will uphold the principles of the covenant by:
- providing employment support to members of the armed forces community
- supporting staff who are members of the Reserve Forces, granting additional leave for annual Reserve Forces training and supporting any mobilisations
- supporting the employment of service spouses and partners, providing flexibility in granting leave for service spouses and partners before, during and after a partner's deployment
- supporting national events such as Armed Forces Day, Reserves Day, the Poppy Appeal Day and Remembrance activities
- supporting armed forces charities with fundraising and supporting staff who volunteer to assist
The Essex Armed Forces Community Covenant
In 2012, Essex made its own pledge to support the armed forces, one of the largest ever made by public, private and voluntary sectors. The aims of the covenant include:
- raising public awareness of issues affecting the armed forces community
- reducing any disadvantages suffered by armed forces personnel as a result of their service
- recognising sacrifices made by the armed forces
- encouraging activities which help to integrate the armed forces community with the wider community
To find out more, visit the Essex County Council website.
Support
Veterans' Gateway is a first point of contact for veterans who need support. They put veterans and their families in touch with the organisations that can best help provide the kind of information, advice and support they need – includes health, housing, jobs, finances, personal relationships and more.
You can also get support from Veterans UK and The Royal British Legion
During this cost of living crisis, the British Legion are providing Cost of Living Grants to help people with everyday essentials such as kitchen appliances, clothes, and energy costs.
War memorials
The main war memorials in Harlow are:
- Netteswell and Burnt Mill Memorial Cross (CM20 2QD)
- Great Parndon Memorial Cross (CM19 4HB)
- Potter Street Memorial Cross (CM17 9NG)
- Old Harlow Memorial Cross (CM17 0JT)
However, there are also many other war memorial sites in Harlow. For details of these, look at our war memorials and graves in Harlow map (pdf)
Remembrance events
We hold remembrance events each November at war memorial sites.
WW1 Centenary Project
The WW1 Centenary Project was a collaboration between The Royal British Legion, Heart 4 Harlow, Harlow Civic Society, The Western Front Association, members of the local community and Harlow Council, which featured events and exhibitions to commemorate key dates of the war.
The project, which ran from 2014 to 2018, included exhibitions on the Battle of the Somme and the Battle of Passchendaele to commemorate the men from Harlow who died in these battles.
The project also featured the ‘There but not There’ campaign which saw 6-foot tall aluminium silhouettes of 'Tommies' installed around the town.
You can read more about the project in our WW1 Centenary Project illustrated book (pdf)