National housebuilder attends Armed Forces Day in Plymouth with former military employees

Vistry Group saluted the UK’s military services by sending a seven-strong team to Plymouth’s Armed Forces Day. The group, from the housebuilder’s Vistry Partnerships arm, included ex-servicemen build manager Sean Fitzgerald and site manager Matt O’Connor.

The team, which was based at the veterans’ village on Saturday, offered advice on career opportunities in the construction industry as well as promoting the various discount schemes aimed to help servicemen and women buy a home, including a discount off property prices.

The South West is a busy area for Vistry and the company employs a large number of ex-service personnel across its various sites in the region. Vistry has more than 100 employees with ex-military backgrounds across various departments.

Plymouth Armed Forces Day was held on Plymouth Hoe, and the event included parades, displays, live music and demonstrations from all branches of the services including the Royal Marines.

Sean said: “Taking part in Plymouth Armed Forces Day was a great opportunity for us to demonstrate our continuing commitment to the military community and those who have served their country.

“As a business we are always committed to support the communities in which we operate and the people who live in those communities, and that includes former military personnel and veterans.

“We are building a number of homes across Plymouth and the surrounding area and a large number of the people who currently work with us come from an ex-Forces background.

“Over many years we have seen how former military personnel can have successful and rewarding careers in the construction sector thanks in a large part to the skills and training they acquired while serving with the Armed Forces.

“There are over 180 different careers in the construction industry, and we are always keen to bring new talent and people into our business.

“An event like this is an opportunity to meet and inspire people who are looking for a change of direction or are planning to embark on a new career path.”

Vistry has a track record when it comes to supporting the military. Bovis Homes – which is part of the company – received a MOD Gold Award recognition in 2019 for a range of initiatives including offering employment to veterans and supporting people from the military community.

Vistry has a proud tradition of backing the military and has publicly pledged to help and support veterans. In October 2021 Vistry re-signed a pledge, known as the Armed Forces Covenant, to actively help members of the armed forces community.