A NEW breakfast club for ex-servicemen and women has launched at a retirement community.
Chapters, an over 55s independent-living community based off Wilton Road, has created the Armed Forces Veterans Breakfast Club which runs on the third Wednesday morning of each month.
Meetings take place in Chapters’ exclusive onsite bistro enabling homeowners to form new friendships while sharing stories and experiences over breakfast and hot drinks.
During the club’s first meeting, Andy Heath joined the homeowners from the Salisbury and Amesbury Armed Forces Veterans Breakfast Club (Salisbury AFVCB) to talk about how their scheme works.
As a result of Andy’s talk, the Chapters Armed Forces Veteran’s Breakfast Club has now become affiliated with the AFVCB, meaning that their members can attend the Chapters event each month.
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Peter Daykin, one of the Chapters homeowners who attended the club, was in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) from 1946 to 1986. He said: “At the first breakfast club meeting, we had about a dozen veterans come along.
"It was great because we had a real mix of ex-army, Navy and RAF with different people having served in different places, so we could talk about that.
"I always said that if I met someone who served longer than me, I would buy them a bottle of whisky, but I’ve not found anybody yet.”
Chapters benefits from two onsite community managers who help to organise fun activities, as well as provide practical and emotional day-to-day support to the community’s homeowners.
Community manager Jenny Abbott said: “We realised that we have many veterans across our community who would benefit from the companionship of making friends with other ex-servicemen and women. It’s lovely to see them laughing and chatting together as they share stories.
"We’ve already seen many friendships form in the club and these homeowners then enjoy seeing each other at other activities, which is what Chapters is all about – bringing like-minded people together.”
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The Salisbury-based community consists of a range of apartments, houses and cottages featuring a host of onsite communal facilities including a homeowners’ lounge, a dedicated activity room, a treatment room, and a guest suite.
Homeowners also have exclusive access to a terraced area outside the bistro where they enjoy barbecues and afternoon tea events together to make the most of the sunshine.
Work is currently taking place to finalise the restoration of the Grade II-listed 19th-century building, Finch House, which is being converted into 21 bespoke retirement apartments.
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