October saw the official opening of a new log cabin in the garden at Mike Jackson House, an award winning scheme which provides accommodation and support for 25 ex-Service men and women.

Named ‘The Cribb’ in honour of Church Housing Trust trustee and long-time champion of homeless veterans, former naval commander Bob Cribb MBE, the construction was mostly carried out by some of the residents using skills they had acquired whilst serving in the forces.

CHT is proud to have contributed £21,300 to the new facility, which offers a base for community groups to have meetings, as well as being used daily by residents and staff for meetings with mentors, counselling services and case conferences, as well as for therapeutic activities such as art and creative writing, and just as a quiet area where the residents can relax in peace away from the main building.

“Veterans who struggle after coming out of the Armed Forces can feel a real sense of isolation without the camaraderie of their service years so what we are trying to do is to bring in the local community by sharing a really useful resource that is free for them to use and benefits us all,” said Chris Symons, manager at Mike Jackson House.

“The Cribb was funded by the Armed Forces Community Covenant Grant and Church Housing Trust. We are already running therapy sessions there and we are really pleased that agencies such as Probation and Combat Stress have been among the first to make use of its tranquil garden setting. We want to get the message out there that The Cribb is a resource for all the community.”

Mike Jackson House provides residents with specialist support and access to a range of training facilities including an IT suite, life skills cookery kitchen and training gym.