UK Government Scotland Office Minister Kirsty McNeill visited Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company – which produces high-quality road, rail, and commercial signs – in Renfrewshire to hear more about its work and meet veterans.
UK Government Scotland Office Minister Kirsty McNeill said:
Ahead of Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day, it was a privilege to visit Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company to meet veterans working there and hear about their successful military to civilian career transitions at this King’s Award-winning social enterprise. It is clear that veterans truly enrich our economy and our communities and our support is vital when they leave service.
Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company (SBMC) is a division of Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI) and operates as a social enterprise based in Bishopton, Renfrewshire. Established in 2018 in response to a 2015 Forces in Mind Trust study highlighting significant deprivation among Scottish veterans, SBMC won the King’s Award for Enterprise in April 2023 for Promoting Opportunity through Social Mobility.
SBMC empowers veterans and individuals with disabilities to regain independence through employment and personal development. As Scotland’s only signage social enterprise, it supplies road, rail and commercial signs to the public and private sectors.
The team has grown significantly and is primarily veterans and veteran family members. SBMC is the principal signage supplier to Bear Scotland and several local authorities, holding contracts with public bodies including Forestry and Land Scotland, Scottish Canals, and Scottish Water. It also supplies Tier 1 contractors such as Amey, Balfour Beatty, and RJ MacLeod.
RBLI has supported thousands of veterans over its 106-year history, and more than 70% of its social enterprise workforce are veterans or people with disabilities. SBMC provides nationally recognised training and development opportunities, helping employees regain independence through skills and qualifications. All profits are reinvested to support mental health and accommodation services for vulnerable veterans and their families.
Robert Lappin, Assistant Director of SBMC and a military veteran himself, said:
We were pleased to welcome Minister McNeill to our Bishopton factory. The visit offered a valuable opportunity to highlight our work and the meaningful social impact we deliver in Scotland. As we approach Remembrance, appreciation of our work, led by veterans, is especially poignant.
Among those the Minister met last Thursday was Anton Docherty, 35, a Royal Artillery Army veteran from Paisley who joined SBMC through its traineeship programme. After overcoming significant challenges with his mental health, Anton has become a valued member of the team as a Manufacturing Operative. Reflecting on his experience,
Anton said:
An opportunity came up to work at Scotland’s Bravest with RBLI, and I grabbed it with both hands. It’s been really good here. I feel part of the team; it’s given me routine, structure, and the chance to be around people from similar backgrounds with different stories. We work hard in this place, and while it’s a workplace, it feels like a family too. I see the benefits it brings to others as well.
The previous evening (Wednesday) Minister McNeill hosted a Remembrance Reception at the UK Government’s Queen Elizabeth House HQ in Edinburgh, bringing together Scotland’s Armed Forces community, including Scottish MPs with constituency guests, cadets, Scouts, veteran organisations and Armed Forces representatives.
