A wooden pallet manufacturer has created nine jobs for ex-service personnel in the county as Britain prepares for Remembrance Sunday.

Pooling Partners, one of the largest poolers and producers of wooden pallets in Europe, will send reusable stock to the Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI) site in Aylesford.

The items will be repaired and cleaned up ready to be used again by customers across the UK.

It sorts more than 1,500 pallets each day.

It has also taken delivery of a new shredder for waste wood which will then be used for biomass.

The investment will process 20 tonnes per week and save the business £80,000 per year in reduced waste removal costs, as well as cutting the business’s carbon footprint.

RBLI’s social enterprise is dubbed Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company because of the high number of injured veterans in its ranks.

Director Geoff Streetley said nine veterans of people with a disability had been given a “second chance at life” thanks to the relationship with Pooling Partners.

"The whole enterprise operates to very high commercial standards and the new shredder is an example of adding value and taking cost out of the supply chain while at the same time providing a much-needed employment boost to former soldiers and people on other recovery journeys..." - Phil Storer, Pooling Partners

He said: “This is a significant operation that works extremely well because it enables pallets to be re-used and get back into circulation very quickly which is essential in today’s circular economy supply chain.”

Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company employs more than 120 people, many of whom have endured life-changing injuries in the line of duty.

The contract with Coventry-based Pooling Partners is the latest proof of its commercial competitiveness.

Earlier this year, it secured a £5 million deal to be the sole provider of lineside signage for Network Rail.

It also makes road signs for several local councils.

Phil Storer, director at Pooling Partners, said: “The work that goes on at RBLI is critical to our 24/7 operations.

“The whole enterprise operates to very high commercial standards and the new shredder is an example of adding value and taking cost out of the supply chain while at the same time providing a much-needed employment boost to former soldiers and people on other recovery journeys.

“We are really proud to have worked with RBLI for the last 13 years and to be associated with the great work that they do.

"More front line businesses should get involved with this essential front line operation.”