A new breakfast club for Armed Forces personnel and veterans is now up and running in Exmouth.

It offers regular weekly and monthly meetings, with a Full English breakfast and a cup of tea or coffee for just £5 at Franklins Café and Bar on the Strand.

It's open to serving Armed Forces members and veterans alike, with some having served in Afghanistan and during the Troubles.

'I thought it was my duty'

The Exmouth chapter of the international Armed Forces and Veterans Breakfast Clubs network was founded in November 2021 by Navy veteran Peter Round.

Peter initially moved down to be a grandparent. Having previously attended an Armed Forces breakfast club in Rochdale, he looked for one nearby - but the options were too far away.

He said: "I knew intuitively there was a need to reach out to veterans. There was a survey done recently and it said a lot of people, especially veterans over 65, were isolated.

"I thought it was my duty, then, to reach out to these people, bring them in here, put them with like-minded people so they can just enjoy the banter over a good discounted breakfast.

"There were several [possible locations for the club], but Franklin's was the only one to offer a very good price for a breakfast and also a dedicated room for veterans."

Inspiration

Speaking about his time in the Armed Forces, Peter added: "I was a marine engineer in the Navy for nearly 10 years. I joined as a boy in 1964, when I was 15 and went to HMS Ganges.

"The captain at the time was [Rear Admiral Godfrey] Place VC ... who [during WW2] went into Norwegian fjords hunting the [German Battleship] Tirpitz.

"When you come across people like that, who inspire you, it gives you an incentive to go out and do things."

'I've yet to come across any veteran who says they don't miss the banter'

Peter said that he was initially apprehensive about joining the club in Rochdale.

"I was in the breakfast club ... in Rochdale [which] was founded by my next-door-but-one neighbour ... who got an MBE for his service to veterans.

"He set up the veterans breakfast club, and he invited me to come down, and I thought 'oh no! I don't want to be sitting around with a load of old fogies'.

"I had the complete wrong impression of what it was all about.

"Before I even reached the café, I could hear the noise, the banter ... everybody made me welcome.

"I've yet to come across any veteran who says they don't miss the banter."

How can I join?

The club is free to join for all serving Armed Forces personnel and veterans, and has no dress code.

You can find out more on its website here, find the group on Facebook here, or get in touch via email [email protected].