Veterans' charity starts work on rural retreat in Mow Cop

Geoff Harriman said the project had been planned for a long time

A charity which helps veterans is creating a rural retreat in Staffordshire.

Geoff Harriman, who set up the Tri Services and Veterans Support Centre in Newcastle-under-Lyme seven years ago, said it was a long-awaited dream.

The project called Operation R and R [rest and recuperation] will offer ex-service personnel, their families and the community a peaceful place.

Centre staff hope to open the retreat in Mow Cop in a year's time.

The group is raising funds for the project which includes plans for four eco-friendly cabins and activities such as bushcraft, archery and Tai Chi.

"We've had veterans who want to come up here and camp out and stay here and do their own little bit and if they want to do that, that's fine," said Mr Harriman.

"If it's helping them on the road to recovery, no matter what that therapy is, if we can do one slight thing to help them recover, we will do it."

Plans include building four cabins which have solar power

Mick Vaughan, who served with the Staffordshire Regiment, has become a bushcraft instructor and said being at the retreat had helped him following a cancer diagnosis.

He did bushcraft training through the Veterans Support Centre and has been doing activities at the retreat since work began three months ago.

"I'm stage four cancer, even though I'm not terminally ill, I do have stage four. So once I'm in the woods and I'm doing my bushcraft, I'm teaching, I'm helping others, I don't even think about it anymore," he said.

"When you're away from it for a few hours, you're away from it and that gives you the positivity."

Veteran Mick Vaughan said he felt positive doing activities at the retreat

Veteran Brian Painter said he had stage three heart failure and also found being at the retreat helped him.

"You can do as much or as little as you're able to, but you also feel part of a larger family," he said.