It’s approaching a year since the Macclesfield Armed Forces and Veterans Breakfast Club was founded (the first meeting was held on Saturday 17th June 2017) and the club is continuing to go from strength to strength.
The club was started after more than 300 people attended the funeral of Royal Marine Harry Wheeler to pay their respects at Macclesfield Crematorium, as it emerged that he had no known family and it was feared that nobody would attend the memorial service.
The club aims to combat loneliness among others in the Macclesfield area who used to be in the country’s armed forces.
Mark Lomas and Walter Freudenau planned the initiative in May 2017 as an opportunity for veterans from all of the armed forces – including the Army, Navy and RAF – to get together over breakfast where they can socialise, share stories and make friends.
The club meets on the third Saturday of each month at the Pack Horse Bowling and Social Club, and members have additionally organised a Mess Night, Summer Ball, Curry Day in aid of the Army Benevolent Fund, and a family day.
Membership of the breakfast club is free of charge and open to all serving armed services personnel and veterans. The only thing members have to pay for is their breakfast.
Veterans range in age from 21 to 92, and in rank from private to brigadier. The club’s veterans have seen action in WWII, Korea, Cyprus, Malaya, Aden, Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Bosnia, Gulf 1 and 2, Iraq and Afghanistan.
The current membership is over 200 veterans, with around 85 members in attendance, on average, each month.
Members say that MAFVBC provides an essential peer support network where veterans are able to express themselves, share stories and feel strengthened by being amongst people who understand them, their experiences and their memories.
As well as this, MAFVBC has been instrumental in identifying members in need of support and has provided essential, discreet sign-posting to key organisations including Age UK Cheshire East’s Joining Forces project, SSAFA and the Royal British Legion.
Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire David Briggs, Her Majesty’s representative in the county, visited the club to speak to members and hear their stories recently.
In a speech to the veterans in attendance, he said: “It gives me great pleasure to join you all today at Macclesfield Armed Forces and Veterans Breakfast Club.
“I have heard great things about this breakfast club and the benefits that coming here, re-connecting with your peers and sharing experiences has on you.”
He continued: “I am delighted to hear that you are also being recognised by funders and that as a result, will be soon be visiting the National Memorial Arboretum, attending as a group and supporting each other through what will be an emotional visit for many of you.”
Members of the breakfast club recently secured funding to visit the National Memorial Arboretum in September, which includes a grant provided by Macclesfield Town Council was successful and we are now seeking match-funding for the remainder of the costs.
