On 26th January 2022, Accrington Stanley Community Trust hosted a Veterans Breakfast Club at Carers Link Accrington. It was well received by those who attended and it was decided that this project would continue on a monthly basis. Fast forward 12 months and we have worked with Veterans and various Veterans organisations in providing a whole host of provisions for those from our local community who have served in the armed forces.
Numbers continued to grow at our Breakfast Clubs, held on the last Wednesday of the month from 9.30am. So much so that we have been struggling to fit everyone in to the Carers Link café area! This appetite inspired us to create a wider range of sessions, starting with those who wanted something a bit more active.
Therefore, we introduced our Veterans Social & Football Session which saw veterans and their families come to Stanley Sports Hub in an evening for a good brew and chat followed by a game of football.
Matty P said “My Missus spotted a post on Facebook about this event so I thought I would come along. I’ve been coming for a while now as well as going to an event at Burnley FC on Tuesdays. The group are really supportive and it’s good that we can share stories. I do love having a kick about with them.”
We have also hosted a Summer Fun Day, Christmas Meal and a National Arboretum trip in partnership with Burnley FC In The Community
In the summer we appointed our first armed forces champion Jaqui Collins, who has over 30 years’ service in the Royal Military police serving in Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Bosnia, Germany & UK. Her passion is helping fellow veterans and the new role here is something she is very excited about. She has a wealth of knowledge regarding Military Charities & has been employed as a Project Officer for Veterans In Communities & as the Older Veterans Outreach Worker for Age UK Lancs.
Jaqui Collins, veterans champion commented, “bringing veterans & their families together is very rewarding. Nobody understands a veteran like a fellow veteran. I have organised events such as breakfast clubs, games nights, football sessions, a family fun day & a Christmas meal. We also had a trip to the National Arboretum with Burnley FC. Everything was free. The veterans who attended all enjoyed them & were very grateful. We are slowly building up our numbers & aim to improve this in the future.”
Rhian Sabatino, Head of Community Engagement said, “it’s great that we are able to offer different social opportunities to the veterans allowing them to find and mix with other veterans that although they may be different ages, they have similar experiences. Having Jaqui as our champion has meant that we have been able to reach veterans that we wouldn’t normally have been able to as she is able to relate.”
The beginning of 2023, sees a monthly games night at a local Hyndburn pub, The Acorn every second Wednesday of the month from 6pm to 8pm. The Acorn have kindly provided free dominos, darts and pools for this session.
If you or someone you know would like to know more information, please call Jaqui on 07477234050 or email armedforuces@stanleytrust.co.uk.
