In Cheshire, a charity that aids veterans of the military plans to open a café.
The goal, according to the Listening Out Loud Foundation, is to assist those who have left the military or are nearing the end of their careers.
The Congleton café will also offer opportunities to pick up new skills, like cooking. Morrisons is a nearby supermarket.
The organization was founded in the community in 2012 to help veterans who were experiencing homelessness and mental health problems.
Since then, it claimed to have assisted nearly 100 veterans in finding housing.
The goal, according to foundation representative Andrew Dolman-Bayley, is to involve veterans and let them share their experiences after leaving the military.
"Wherever possible, we also want serving [personnel] to attend so they can learn from our struggles after we've left, especially those who are nearing the end of their service. ".
It follows a Ministry of Defence report from last year that revealed one in eight members of the armed forces received professional mental healthcare support between 2021 and 2022.
In the meantime, Combat Stress, a national organization that supports veterans' mental health, receives 15,000 calls per year to its helpline and refers about 2,000 people.
We want to create wellness, Mr. Dolman-Bayley said, but he added that their work would also include acclimating to civilian life and not just focus on mental health.
"We can also teach things like healthy eating, new trades, people who want to learn how to cook, and other people who want to learn new skills.
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