MILITARY veterans in Teesdale are being invited to join a new social breakfast club.
An Armed Forces and Veterans Breakfast Club (AFVBC) has been launched in Staindrop, with the inaugural get together taking place on Saturday, October 14, at the village’s Masonic Hall.
AFVBCs aim to combat loneliness and provide an opportunity for veterans to meet face-to-face in a relaxed, safe and social environment to enjoy breakfast and banter.
The dale club is a combined initiative of retired colonel Jo Ferguson, formerly of the Royal Medical Corps, and Les Blair, who served as a sergeant in the RAF.
Dr Ferguson said: “The original club was started by a guy called Dereck Hardman, who served in the Royal Engineers, and like a lot of blokes in the services he missed the team cohesion, camaraderie and tribal spirit when he left, and through the magic of thought came up with the idea of the Armed Forces and Veterans Breakfast Club.
“It is about the idea of using a communal breakfast to get people together again and give them an opportunity to chat and to listen.”
She added that returning to civilian life and not wearing a uniform can be quite difficult after years in the armed services.
Dr Ferguson said: “You have to work people out because you haven’t got the cap badge that tells you what kind of work they do, you haven’t got a name badge, you haven’t got a rank, because you read people when they are in uniform.”
Mr Blair said there had already been considerable interest in the club.
He added: “It has gone from word of mouth. The number of people who are interested just seems to be mushrooming and it is incredible how many ex-servicemen and women there are – and you just didn’t know they were in [the armed services].”
The catering for the club is being provided by Shelagh Stewart and Sandra May.
Dr Ferguson said: “I am sure once word gets out about Shelagh and Sandra’s amazing breakfasts, we will just be inundated.
“We know there are a lot of veterans up the dale and there are clubs in Darlington and Richmond, but if you are dependant on public transport that is a bit tricky to get to, whereas we are sat right on the main bus route up and down the dale and the bus stop is right in front of the door.”
For more information about the club veterans can email teesdaleafvbc@gmail. com or search for AFVBC on Facebook.
The club will meet on the second Saturday of each month.
The inaugural club meeting will be “egg banjo down range at 0900” on Saturday, October 14.
