The Sandbag Times Issue No: 49

Bristol Armed Forces and Veterans
Breakfast Club provides a hearty meal
and a haven for veterans
Once a month, a group of friends get together
for a hearty breakfast and to chat about
everything from the football to what their family
have been up to.
But it is more than just a chance for old mates
to catch up.
The Sunday morning meeting at the
Kingswood Colliers pub in Bristol is actually a
lifeline for former soldiers, without which
many would be left struggling with isolation.
The Bristol Armed Forces & Veterans
Breakfast Club provides a place where ex-servicemen
can meet others, share experiences
and find the comradeship so many miss after
leaving the military.
The group of around 15 meets once a month
at the pub in Kingswood, which provides free
tea and coffee and a room decorated with
regimental flags for the morning.
Jane Ager, who organises the meetings, said
that many of the men arrive struggling to
cope with civilian life.
She said: “We have people of all different
ages, men who served in Iraq and
Afghanistan, and old boys from World War II,
but they all have one thing in common.
“They find a place where there are like-minded
people who understand and support them,
and that can make a huge difference.
“A man came in who suffers from serious
post-traumatic stress disorder. He was visibly
anxious and worried about fitting it, but soon
relaxed when the squaddie banter began and
he realised he wasn’t on his own any more.”
The Bristol breakfast club is one of several in
the southwest, and one of over 270 around
the UK, which bring together ex-servicemen,
from World War II veterans to young men who
have recently left the Army after tours of Iraq
and Afghanistan.
The clubs aim to tackle the isolation many former
soldiers feel once they leave service, giving
them back a sense of belonging which
many feel they lost once they returned to
civvy street.
Jane said: “Most soldiers go in to the armed
forces when they are teenagers, and when
they come to the end of their service have
never been a civilian.
“They’ve never made the transition from child
to civilian adult, or learned how to live independently.
They end up feeling isolated,
struggling with depression and unable to
cope with normal life.
“Breakfast clubs help just by putting them
together with people who know how they feel,
and who support each other.
“It’s such a simple thing but for many of those
who attend it has made the vital difference to
their lives.”
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