Live ChatLocal Veterans Club celebrates 4th birthday
07 February 2020
7 February 2020
The SSAFA Southend Veteran’s Club celebrated its 4th Birthday on Thursday 30th January with the branch ambassador and ‘Allo! ‘Allo! star, Vicki Michelle.
SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity hosted a birthday celebration on Thursday 30th January to celebrate the Southend Veteran’s Club’s 4th Birthday.
The local Veteran’s Club takes place every Thursday afternoon and provides local veterans and their families, with a place to relax and socialise. The club is funded purely by vital public donations.
The club started in January 2016 by Divisional Secretary, Chel Turner-Everett, with just fifteen members. Since then, the club has grown massively with over 5,900 meals cooked for local veterans over the last 4 years.
In addition, the club has been on two long weekends away and had week-long trips in France for D-Day commemorations. Members of the club have also been on day-trips to The Royal Hospital Chelsea, Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace.
Celebrating our fourth birthday here surrounded by our veterans and Vicki Michelle has been great fun. I’m incredibly proud of this place and the things we are able to provide for our local veterans. I’m looking forward to celebrating our 5th birthday already!
- Chel Turner-Everett, Divisional Secretary, Southend and Rochford, Essex, SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity
The event was attended by Vicki Michelle who was made an Ambassador of SSAFA Southend Veteran’s Club last year.
It is an absolute honour to be celebrating the Southend Veteran’s Club 4th Birthday. It is such an incredible achievement and they should be very proud of the work they do here for local veterans and their families here in Southend.
The Southend veterans are amazing, and I love my visits here. The camaraderie and banter between the veterans is lovely to see and I’m honoured to be the branch Ambassador.
- Vicki Michell, Actress and SSAFA Ambassador
Local artist, Bruce Revell, also donated an oil painting to the Veteran’s club to celebrate their 4th Birthday titled ‘The Queen and the honeybee’.