Becketts paves the way for Armed Forces support with recent award and encourages other businesses to do the same

Restaurant and B&B, Becketts in Southsea has just been awarded with the Armed Forces Covenant Bronze Award.

The Bellevue Terrace venue is the first in the city to sign up to the Armed Forces Covenant, which demonstrates that it is devoted to supporting people who have or are currently serving in the Armed Forces.

Off the back of the support that it has shown to personnel since signing the pledge, it was presented with the award.

This is a cause close to owner, Jason Parker’s heart, having served as a Royal Navy officer in the Fleet Air arm for three years from age 17 until 20.

He said: ‘It’s extremely important to us at Becketts to support people of all walks of life that are heroes in what they do, whether it's Armed Forces personnel, NHS workers or otherwise.

General manager Terence Carvalho also feels passionate about giving back, with his dad having served in the Royal Navy for 26 years.

He said: ‘Knowing how hard my dad and his colleagues worked, it’s very important to us to support Armed Forces personnel of all backgrounds, and to receive this award is an honour.

‘Becoming the first hospitality venue in our city to do so is a source of immense pride for us, and a sign of our commitment to our Armed Forces.

Terence is urging others to follow suit and said: ‘We would like to encourage other venues in the city to sign up to the covenant and show their support for this important cause, too.’

The scheme allows businesses, charities and other organisations to sign up to show their support, which enables them to become eligible for awards.

The awards have three tiers – bronze, silver and gold – which are indicative of the level of support shown by the business or organisation.

As well as offering a 10 per cent discount for Armed Forces personnel, Becketts has continued its support for NHS staff by continuing its discount for them after showing support during the lockdowns.

For more information and to sign up, visit armedforcescovenant.gov.uk/get-involved/.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

Subscribe here for unlimited access to all our coverage, including Pompey, for just 26p a day.