Injured military veterans employed by Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI) have celebrated reaching the major milestone of producing 20,000 road signs for one of its national customers.
RBLI’s Aylesford factory, operating under the name of Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company (BBMC), has produced signs worth more than £2.5m for leading infrastructure services and engineering company Amey, in a relationship which stretches back to 2014.
The landmark sign – a large motorway sign giving directions for the M6, Birmingham, Burton A38 – was created by former Gurkha Anil Gurung, who joined BBMC in 2014 after stepping on an IED and losing his leg just 20 days before the end of a tour of Afghanistan in 2009.
The sign was unveiled during an event hosted by RBLI and Amey focusing on the role businesses can have in supporting social enterprises, such as BBMC. It brought together industry leaders from across the road infrastructure sector and public sector procurements to discuss what more could be done to support military veterans and other disadvantaged group through meaningful business practices.
Thanks to Amey’s ongoing work RBLI has been able to support more than 150 military veterans and people with disabilities since the partnership began.
Anil Gurung said: “It was an honour to create the sign which helped us reach the £2.5m figure. I have been at RBLI since we first started making road signs for Amey – I don’t know where I would be without them.”
Peter Anderson, MD Transport Infrastructure at Amey, said: “It was incredible to see first-hand the outstanding support that RBLI is providing to disadvantaged military veterans through their social enterprises. Our relationship with RBLI is a cherished one and a partnership which has continually developed over the last seven years, so I’m delighted today that we can celebrate this milestone and look forward to achieving more milestones together.
“Amey and RBLI are proving that businesses can come together to provide industry-leading products and services whilst also genuinely affecting long-term positive change for those who need it most.”
Steve Sherry CMG OBE, RBLI’s Chief Executive, said: “At RBLI, our mission is to improve the lives of those we support every day by providing the vital employment opportunities they need to lead active, independent lives.
“This cannot be done without the support of committed business partners from across the public, private and third sectors. Amey’s continued support of RBLI is a shining example of the good that can be done by business of all sizes.”
Attending an event to mark the milestone and discuss how public procurement can support social enterprise, Roger Gough, Leader of Kent County Council, said: “Kent County Council is unwavering in its approach to changing lives through our social value procurement practices as well as in our role as a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant.
“The longstanding relationship between ourselves, Amey and RBLI is the perfect marriage for us to deliver on these commitments. It sees Kent’s highways provided with truly leading infrastructure services, whilst also providing key employment opportunities to injured military veterans and people with disabilities.
“We’re incredibly proud of the impact of this relationship and we very much look forward to continuing to provide greater opportunities together in the future.”
For further information on the work of RBLI visit: www.rbli.co.uk