THE first Veterans’ Breakfast is to be held in the region at the weekend.

As part of the Scottish Borders response to the Armed Forces Community Covenant, a Veterans’ Breakfast Club is being established in Galashiels with the first meeting due to be held on Saturday, August 20 at the Galashiels Reserve Centre from 10am–12noon.

The club is being established to give all ex-service personnel the opportunity to socialise, provide support for each other and find out more about the services that are available to help them, both locally and nationally.

It is one of a growing network of clubs being set up across Britain and Europe for veterans and serving members of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces.

An initial planning meeting was held earlier in the year, with this first get together the outcome of that meeting.

The intention is to meet monthly and once the Galashiels club is up and running, to look at opening clubs in other parts of the Borders.

Councillor John Greenwell, Scottish Borders Council’s Champion for Armed Forces and Veterans said: "When men and women leave the Armed Forces, despite all the support that is provided to help them resettle into civilian life, it can still be a very difficult and lonely time for them.

"They are used to being part of a team and having the support and camaraderie that comes with that. They may also be dealing with the stress of finding a job and somewhere to live, while coping with the trauma of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and associated complications.

"What a breakfast club can do is give them the opportunity to be with like-minded people again, people who have a similar outlook on life and have gone through comparable life experiences," he added.

"Breakfast clubs can have representatives from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines but they will find that when they come together, there will be many common interests and often a shared sense of humour that will go a long way to helping with their reintegration.

"I would therefore encourage veterans from across the Borders to come along to this first meeting and make the most of this chance to meet new friends or catch up with old ones. There will of course be bacon rolls and a cup of tea provided."

For more information, visit the Veterans’ Breakfast Club, Scottish Borders Facebook page.