Rave reviews for veteran's hub at Bognor Regis' Crimsham Farm

Attendants at a monthly breakfast club, held on the farm premises, said the hub has helped them adjust to life outside the forces, bridging the gap between a regimented life in the military and a very different existence on civvy street.

"When I first came out of the army, I found it really difficult,” said Tony Nelson, who joined the army at 15 and served in Borneo before leaving in 1969. “I had good mates in the army, and civilians aren’t the same, so I found it very different. I wouldn’t mix, I wouldn’t go anywhere, I wouldn’t do anything – until this."

Mr Nelson said that, at first, he had to be ‘dragged, kicking and screaming’ to the hub’s monthly meet-ups, but now comes every month for a bacon sarnie, a warm brew and a chat round the campfire.

“It’s helped because I can talk to people who have been through the same sort of things I’ve been through – whether that’s in Afghanistan or Iraq. I found that, because we have that shared background, we can talk about things.”

Since many members bring their families along to the monthly meet-ups, organisers say the veteran's hub has also helped former servicemen reconnect with their loved ones.

"He’s so much more relaxed now, it’s like I’ve got my dad back,” said Tony Nelson’s daughter Lucy.

"It’s so nice to see him coming up here and smiling and making friends. But they’re not just here for the veterans, they’re here for the families as well. I suffer with my mental health and Matt (The Veterans Hub coordinator) is there for me no matter what. I’ve messaged him at god knows what time in the morning before and he’s there.”

For Matt Cole himself, that comprehensive approach is key to what makes the Veterans Hub such a success. “If you’ve been away – whether it's Afghanistan or Northern Ireland or whatever – when you get home, you suddenly have to be daddy and husband again,” Mr Cole, a veteran himself, said. “The families need as much help as the veterans do, because we put them through hell when we come back.”

The rave reviews come alongside plans to expand the Veterans Hub with adventure training opportunities provided by the veterans themselves. Earlier this year, the team spent £15,000 on the equipment needed to run a range of activities, including a canoe, kayaks, paddle boards, mountain bikes and camping gear.

It's hoped the adventure training weekends, which may soon be provided to members of the wider community, give veterans and their families a chance to connect in much the same way as the breakfast club.

The veterans will act as activities coordinators, organising each adventure as it comes and leveraging their unique skills to make the experience as safe and exciting as possible. Not only will this provide that vital link between military and home life Mr Cole described, it’s hoped the set-up will give service people the kind of structure they need after leaving the military.

To find out more about Crimsham Farm, which also runs enrichment programmes for young people with special educational needs, visit crimsham-farm.co.uk