Dedication to veterans recognised through award nomination

The Ramsgate Armed Forces and Veterans Breakfast Club is dedicated to supporting veterans in the Thanet community.

Led by Kevin Hobbs, the club meets on the last Saturday of each month and has recently added a mid-month weekday meeting due to popular demand. Kevin’s hard work to the ex-military community has led to a nomination for the Kent Mental Wellbeing Awards.

With around 160 members, the free club offers the opportunity for veterans to stay connected with their military psyche, as well as a vital support network, providing camaraderie, advice, and a sense of belonging to those who have served in the armed forces.

In addition to the regular meetings, the club maintains a private Facebook group where members can exchange Armed Forces related humor, organize wellbeing activities, and find job vacancies. Additionally, for all members, including the ones who are not on social media, the club offers access to a private organizational internet portal serving as a centralized resource hub for various agencies.

The Ramsgate Armed Forces and Veterans Breakfast Club recently celebrated their sixth anniversary with a significant breakfast on Armed Forces Day, June 29th, at Wetherspoons. The event, organized by the Ramsgate Mayor, Patricia Moore, was held to express gratitude to the venue for their continued support.

Members who don’t attend meetings are not excluded from the group; they retain the same rights and benefits as all other members, if they wish to use them. Kevin regularly keeps in touch with those who can’t attend due to physical or mental health issues. When Kevin and the team make gentle progress and help these members build confidence and resilience, it’s especially rewarding for Kevin to see them begin to smile and engage in conversation.

The club’s commitment to supporting veterans extends beyond hosting breakfast meetings, they have the ability to signpost and collaborate to connect veterans with local organizations like SSAFA (Soldiers’, Sailors’ and Airmen’s Families Association), DWP (Department for Work and Pensions), and Armed Forces Champions at Thanet District Council. This ensures veterans receive comprehensive support tailored to their needs.

In the two years since Kevin became the Lead Administrator, the club’s membership has grown from 68 to 162 members. As the membership continues to grow, Kevin Hobbs is committed to expanding the club’s reach and impact. His vision includes mentoring other veterans within the group to help monitor the welfare of our members and increasing the numbers at our standalone Female Veterans and Spouses/Widows Hub, ensuring better representation for female veterans in veterans’ welfare.

According to the latest census, there are roughly 5000 veterans in the Thanet district, Kevin Hobbs has said, “My ambition is to get enough publicity to reach out and encourage all veterans locally to engage with us, so we can catch and hopefully prevent them from any downward spiral to their mental health and wellbeing.”

The Kent Mental Wellbeing awards is an annual event designed to showcase the people, organisations and initiatives that help us cope with life. The event’s three themes are: kindness and compassion; wellbeing; mental health.

Whether it is in school, business, community or family, so many of us have been lucky to have people and organisations with ideas, tips and tactics to help us cope. It is time to celebrate those mental health and well-being champions in our community and share this best practice.

The awards will be staged in October by the mental health charity Mind in Bexley and East Kent in collaboration with a range of wellbeing and mental health organisations.

Nominations can be linked to a simple act of kindness that lifted the spirits, a business that has improved staff wellbeing, through to a targeted initiative delivered by a charity or statutory organisation to support a mental health issue.

The event is sponsored by Kent County Council, Kent Community Foundation, ADM Computing, GrainLNG – National Grid, Medway Council, Optyma Security, Ble Global, Wave Community Bank, Cactus Graphics and CommunityAid.

Submit nominations at www.kentmentalwellbeingawards.org.uk  For awards news follow @KentMWAwards on Facebook and X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.