The Mayor of Amesbury dropped in for breakfast with the Salisbury and Amesbury Armed Forces Veterans Breakfast Club (AFVBC) and found out more about what it means to those who attend.

Some 35 members were present on Sunday, April 24, and spoke to Councillor Andrew Williams about the club and what it means to them as they chatted over breakfast, cooked in the Field Kitchen at Stockport Avenue Trading Estate.

Cllr Williams also presented them with a cheque for £230 to support the club.

“I relate to the military community,” said Andrew. “A lot of my friends are ex-military and I think that this is a wonderful organisation.”

“Leaving the military and integrating with the civilian population is not an easy step and I think that the Club bridges the gap and gives them an opportunity to talk about their experiences, meet people and integrate with the community.”

The Salisbury and Amesbury AFVBC was set up in 2017 by local businessman Andy Heath who settled in Salisbury after leaving the Army as a Warrant Officer Class 1 serving with 1 Mechanised Brigade HQ in Bulford.

“My wife told me about the Breakfast Clubs and I thought what a good idea,” said Andy. “But the nearest one was in Southampton and I was not going that far for breakfast, so I rang up the original club in Hull and they said 'set up your own club' so, with their help, I did.”

“We started in the Victoria and Albert in Netherhampton with just four people and very quickly we grew too big and finally moved to the White Hart in Salisbury which is where we are now.”

The club has now grown to almost 500 members and major functions are held in the Guildhall, the most recent a very successful Burns Night dinner. There is something on every weekend for veterans, either in Salisbury or Amesbury and there is a ‘Brew and Banter’ at Alabarè in Churchfields every Friday which acts as a kind of drop-in centre.

Andy added: “The Breakfast Club’s main aim is to end isolation for those veterans who, for whatever reason, have ended up on their own, it provides an instant community where everyone just gets on.”

Any veteran, or their family, can find out more at https://salisbury-afvbc.co.uk or look on their Facebook page.

 

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