North Norfolk Veteran Group - Sheringham
It doesn’t seem like it but it is now nearly 3 years since I was approached by Steve Roberts & Rod Cowen asking if it was possible to set up a group in Sheringham for veterans and serving military personnel, where they can ”pull up a sandbag, swing the tilly lamp” and enjoy some light hearted banter with like-minded people, so with the support of Outside the Wire, the group was formed.
A venue was found, advertising was sent out and now it was a case to see who would turn up. As expected it was a slow burner at first with one or two veterans turning up on a Thursday evening, but gradually the word got round and more and more veterans turned up, and today there is approximately 20 names on the register.
The members are from a mixture of backgrounds, Army, Royal Marines, and Royal Air Force and me, the token Rockape!, which has all the ingredients for some great banter!
Since the group has been formed, various activities have taken place, such as a trip to the battlefields of Ypres in Belgium, coastal wartime defences walks, military museum visit and a weekly trip to the local rifle range near Holt. This year another trip is planned to the Somme in France, and in the future, a sponsored fundraising event which involves walking the 75 miles of the Normandy beach landings of D Day.
The group has proven to be a great success, and it is appreciated by all who attend, and this success is down to Steve & Rod, their enthusiasm and dedication has been second to none, without their help the group would have never existed. Steve & Rod, possibly unknowingly, have helped some of the members to regain a sense of purpose, enjoy social integration again and feel part of something special.
I personally would like to say a huge thank you to Steve & Rod for creating this success story, and to all the members for their continual support. Per Ardua .
Manager, Outside the Wire
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