A café owner in Abergavenny is throwing open his doors to support veterans in the local area. Bryan Harris is hosting dedicated Help for Heroes drop-in events at The Coffee Pot in Nevill Street on the second Thursday of every month, to provide a space for former service men and women to get together.

Bryan, whose father served in the Royal Engineers in the 1970s, knows how difficult it can be for veterans once they return to civvy-street. “My dad found it hard to talk about his experiences. There is a better understanding now of the challenges that can affect people after service. There are lots of people in the local area who have been in the armed forces and I know they can feel cut off and isolated, which has an impact on their mental health. It’s a fairly simple thing to do, but wanted to do something to help the community.”

The monthly sessions at The Coffee Pot are open to all former service men and women, from any branch of the UK military – regulars or reserves – irrespective of length or place of service; and will provide an opportunity for veterans in the local area to connect, find out what other support is available, but just as importantly, to support each other.

Some 82 per cent of the veterans who responded to a Help for Heroes survey reported feeling down, depressed, or hopeless either nearly every day, more than half the days or several days over a two-week period. Chris Hoad has recently joined Help for Heroes to help expand community support in the South Wales area.

He said: “We know that over a third of former service men and women feel unprepared for civilian life and those who are disabled or discharged on medical grounds are more affected by this**. However, we also know that veterans hold a huge amount of skills, knowledge and experience and are valuable members of their local communities.

“It’s amazing that Bryan has decided to do something practical, by offering to host a Help for Heroes Café – we can’t thank him enough. There are over 4,000 veterans living in the local area and as a charity we want to reach out to more of them.

“My message to veterans in the area is to come along and try it out – meet some new people who understand you and connect with local opportunities. And if you are struggling, find out how Help for Heroes can support you.”

If you want to go along, the next Help for Heroes café is on Thursday 13 February, 1-3pm at The Coffee Pot, Nevill Street, Abergavenny. If you want more information go to www.helpforheroes.org.uk/get-help/sports-social-activities/community-taster-sessions/ If you want to find out more about the support available from Help for Heroes go to www.helpforheroes.org.uk/get-help

Abergavenny also has a thriving Royal British Legion branch which holds regular events for veterans across the town.