Britain's Bravest Manufacturing Company (BBMC) is a social enterprise company based in England, which employs Armed Forces veterans and people with disabilities. It aims to produce four things: signs, wooden pallets, print & mail and fulfilment.

History

The company is a division of national charity Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI), which was founded in 1919 as Industrial Settlements Inc. RBLI's mission was to help veterans from the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

during their rehabilitation. The company had taken possession of Preston Hall in Aylesford and was providing care to tuberculous ex-servicemen. Some of the men found that having something to do whilst recuperating, helped not only to pass the time, but also to help engage their brains and bodies. This is how the company's manufacturing division, now Britain's Bravest Manufacturing Company, was born. Britain's Bravest Manufacturing Company currently has two factories, one in Kent and another in

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

which manufactures the same products in the range. Previously known simply as RBLI's social enterprise, the division was rebranded as Britain's Bravest Manufacturing Company in April 2016. The factory in Aylesford operates from a site and its aim is to provide veterans with long-term careers. Some of the workers arrive directly from the forces whilst some have spent some time in the civilian world before going to BBMC.

Ethos

The company is run on a social care ethos with the intent and focus being on the ex-service men and women who work in the manufacturing side. They produce signs, wooden pallets and print & mailing items. In 2015–2016, the company turnover was £5 million, though this a surplus and was re-invested in the company rather being seen as profit. The signs that the company produce have mostly been used on the UK railway network with

Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and railway infrastructure manager, infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. ...

being the most numerous consumer (with

Railtrack Railtrack was a group of companies that owned the railroad, track, railway signalling, signalling, tunnels, bridges, level crossings and all but a handful of the railway station, stations of the Transport in England#Rail, British railway syste ...

and

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Comm ...

before it) in a relationship that spans 25 years. In the financial year 2015–2016, BBMC supplied 110 signs and made £493,000 from Network Rail. The market for signs has changed in recent years with 60% of signs manufactured used by the railway industry and 40% for the road industry. The main aim of Britain's Bravest Manufacturing Company is to provide work to ex-service personnel and disabled people, however they also promote other causes of the main RBLI charity including LifeWorks, an employment support programme which helps veterans around the UK to find work in various industries.

References

{{reflist, 30em British veterans' organisations Veterans' affairs in the United Kingdom