A COMMUNITY project supporting veterans has renovated the café at its headquarters to give visitors a place to relax and socialise.
The Veterans Hub in Weymouth has installed a new counter and hatch in its café in an effort to make the space more comfortable and relaxing for veterans and their families and for visitors.
The hub, which was set up in 2017 by Andy Price, aims to provide a safe and secure location for veterans and their families to come together in an environment that enables them to socialise in and provide peer to peer support for each other.
Andy said: "The new counter is great and it looks really good in the cafe which is just a safe space for people to come and relax. People can come and chat to each other if they want or just sit quietly by themselves - we will look after them.
"It doesn't matter if you are a veteran or not, you can come here and get a hot meal and we will take care of you."
The Veterans Hub has been a lifeline for many people who have been struggling with their mental health throughout the pandemic.
Andy said: "Before the Covid pandemic hit, we were helping around 130 veterans as well as others within the community. However, now we have more than 250 people using the place regularly and there has been a massive increase in people wanting mental health support after suffering with things like anxiety in the last year.
"We want this to be a place where everyone can come to access support and to know that they are welcome in the community."
Eric Queen, a veteran, was ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work after he was convicted of assault by beating at Weymouth Magistrates' Court. After he approached Andy, Mr Queen, 41, has been able to do his hours at the Veterans Hub by completing jobs, including working in the allotment.
He said: "This has been an absolute lifeline for me getting to do my hours here. It's so good for my mental health to be able to be outside and to be around other veterans who have experienced similar difficulties to me."
Andy said: "It's great that we have been able to support Eric."
For more information about the Veterans Hub, visit www.theveteranshub.co.uk/
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