A TRAFFORD Veterans' Breakfast Club has been launched at the John Alker Ex-servicemen's Club in Flixton.

The event was organised and run by the volunteers of the charity Trafford Veterans @ The MESS, who are dedicated to providing long term peer support for armed forces and emergency service veterans and their families when they are finding life difficult.

The inaugural event was hailed a great success as more than 40 diners attended including the Mayor of Trafford, Cllr Judith Lloyd, who is herself an armed forces veteran, and Stretford and Urmston MP Kate Green.

Cllr Lloyd said of the breakfast club: "Breakfast was excellent. It is a good way to get people together.

"It is really good value too, plus a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere."

Other diners included veterans of both the armed forces and emergency services along with family members, serving members of army reserve unit 207 Field Hospital, Greater Manchester Police, and North West Ambulance Service.

Andy Graham, who co-founded the club with Claire Wright, said: "Our armed forces and emergency service personnel face many challenges when serving our country and communities, and even more when they transition back to civilian life.

"One of these challenges is the feeling of social isolation, and the breakfast club is a great way to get our veterans out of the house and feeling like they belong again."

The breakfast club, which was launched on December 10, will be held on a monthly basis to begin with, and will become more frequent as demand increases.

The next event will be held on Saturday, January 14 at the John Alker Ex-servicemen's Club, Flixton Road, Flixton, M41 6QY with breakfast being served from 10am to 12 noon.

Further details at info@the-mess.org.uk