A CHARITY offering specialised support to 'hard to reach' veterans is due to open its doors in Hereford at the end of January.

Founded in 2012, FirstLight Trust aims to support those veterans who may slip through the cracks, missing out on the help, advice and even medical treatment that they may be in desperate need of through their unique network of cafe hubs.

Trustee Dorinda Wolfe said: "a lot of these veterans are the over fifties. Some are suffering with mental health issues, living in terrible conditions, and finding it near impossible for them to get a job, so they escape from reality with drink and drugs. Others have been missed or have found that no-one else is listening to them.

"The hubs are about people, about seeing the need and spending the time, six days a week, and by that people do start to trust us.

"We have the ability to treat really complex mental health issues with our therapists working out of the hubs, and we are working with a montessori to develop a programme to work with children and families."

Designed to be calm, relaxing spaces, with no public wifi or piped music the hubs, which are open to both veterans and members of the public, offer a space in which to talk, read a book, enjoy a coffee and a slice of homemade cake and, most importantly, to access life-saving support.

"It's also important that it looks like a cafe. Nobody would know if you're going in for support or for an assessment, nobody would know you're not just going for a coffee", Ms Wolfe explained.

Run by a mix of civilians and veterans, the charity works with veterans who may be struggling to adjust to civilian life in a number of ways, working with statutory services including the Citizens Advice Bureau and housing associations to offer advice and assistance on vital issues.

The Trust said: "Many veterans who come to FirstLight Trust have been in a miasma of hopelessness. They are isolated, lonely and feel like no-one understands. The majority of them have been passed around the charitable and service sector and simply do not know where else to go.

"We provide them with whatever it takes to make that tiny bit of difference between life and suicide."