A WAR veteran from Portland who has been helped back into life on civvy street gave a cheeky smile as he met royalty.

Ashley Gordon, 27, was among a privileged group of ex-service personnel who met The Duchess of Cornwall at a celebration to mark an organisation’s milestone of enabling 500 disabled veterans back into employment.

Ashley, a former Rifleman with the Devon and Dorset Regiment (later 1 Rifles), has been supported by The Poppy Factory which works with ex-forces personnel and helps them into employment.

Ashley suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after serving in the Army.

He did two tours of Iraq before leaving the service in 2008.

Before getting help from The Poppy Factory, he had a history of sporadic work with little direction including security and window cleaning.

With the organisation’s help he now works as a trainer both in fitness and hopes to run sessions to help other veterans cope with stress.

Ashley said he felt ‘very proud’ to be at the ceremony – and revealed his cheeky encounter was due to ‘banter’ exchanged with the Duchess.

“We were discussing which Rifles battalion was 
the best,” he said.

Ashley added: “It was lovely to meet her. She’s very down to earth.” 

The Duchess, Patron of The Poppy Factory met ex-service men and women who have successfully found new careers on civvy street thanks to The Poppy Factory, together with their Volunteer Mentors, Poppy Factory staff, and some of the employers that are leading the way in recruiting disabled veterans. 

The Poppy Factory’s individual approach with disabled veterans of all ages around the country really helps them to sustain work – with 75 per cent of Poppy Factory veterans sustaining employment for 12 months or longer. 

A recent independent report also found that The Poppy Factory’s ‘Getting You Back to Work’ programme returned £2.23 in social value for every £1 that was invested.

Chief Executive, Melanie Waters, said: “The purpose of this event was to show our thanks to all the employers, mentors, staff, and indeed our disabled veterans, for contributing towards the success of our ‘Getting You Back to Work’ programme.