Updated on
Veterans across the Colchester area are invited to attend drop-in sessions to share their experiences and ideas for how to make the City a welcoming place for former service members and their families.
The regular monthly sessions, at five locations across the City, are organised by Katy Murray, who is the new Community Builder for Help for Heroes. Katy is originally from Colchester herself, so knows the area well. She said: “We’re aiming to create a welcoming environment for men and women who have served, and their families, somewhere they can get together with other veterans and the wider community, for friendly conversation and support.
“Former service members have a wide range of skills and experience and I’m hoping to be able to connect people, in order to build a range of initiatives that benefit the local area.”
It’s estimated that there are more than 7,000 veterans living in the Colchester area. The Community Builder role is new and aims to strengthen communities by building on existing strengths and skills of the veteran community.
Katy added: “The drop-in sessions launched in November and we’ve seen fantastic engagement from local people already. You don’t need to sign up for anything, you can just pop in for a brew, say hello, and learn more about our services and what’s available locally to support veterans."
I’m hoping to find more people who have great ideas about how we can make our veteran community even stronger.”
Community Builder - Colchester
“Collaboration is at the heart of my role, so I’m developing links with other local partners, in order to support our veterans, for example introducing them to the local Veterans’ Choir, SSAFA craft evenings and the Greenpath Venture gardening project at Yarra Farm. I’m also hoping to find more people who have great ideas about how we can make our veteran community even stronger.”
The drop-in sessions are held at the following venues, who have all opened their doors and helped to create a welcoming atmosphere for veterans.
- First Wednesday of the month, 10:00 - 12:30, Level Best Enterprise Cafe, St John's Street, CO2 7HB
- Second Wednesday of the month, 10:00 - 12:30, Kingsland Community Cafe, Kingsland Church, 86 London Road, CO3 9DW
- Second Thursday of the month, 9:00 - 12:00, Harpers Community Cafe, Boxted Community Hub, CO4 5RE
- Second Friday of the month, 10:30 - 12:00, Delta by Marriott Colchester Hotel, London Road, Marks Tey, C06 1DU
- Last Wednesday of the month, 10:00 - 12:30, CESSAC Community Cafe, Fallowfield Road, CO2 9ND
For more information and updates, visit https://www.facebook.com/peopl...
Our Community Builders work with amazing people and places to help make communities even more welcoming and inclusive, helping connect the Armed Forces community with local opportunities, activities, and support.