“Quite a few of our veterans say to me, “This has saved my life”,” says Ken Delve, who co-founded charity Veterans Central. It’s in a building that just 3 years ago stood empty for decades. RAF West Raynham originally opened in 1939 and closed in 1994. The station headquarters, near to Fakenham, had been left to ruin.
In 2023, a group of volunteers decided to restore the grade II listed building, and a deal was struck with the landlord. It was falling apart - there were roof leaks, major water damage, rotten windows, it had been lived in by animals - but a determination to provide a centre for veterans fuelled its revival.
One of the toilet blocks in 2023
Window repairs
I walk in and am immediately greeted and offered a hot drink. Today around 30 veterans and volunteers are either busy working, or having a chat.
Ken, who served for 20 years in the RAF as an aircrew navigator, shows me around. What they have achieved here, and continue to achieve, is impressive.
There was no running water or electricity, and 3 floors and a total of 50 rooms to restore. Hard to believe as I walk down a brightly lit corridor, full of RAF memorabilia.
Ken takes me outside, where the 3 acres is now home to 5 gardens, transformed from 12 feet of vegetation.
The gardens now
Volunteers working on the gardens
“Just over 3 years ago we were looking for somewhere as a veterans centre,” he explains, “A building we could work on, do something together as veterans, and get other veterans to come in and socialise.
“We found the building and we thought this is good for what we want to do, but a real challenge because of the size of it. We started it in March 2023, 3 of us, with the hope that other volunteers would come along to help.”
And they did. Now there are more than 140 volunteers. “We’ve done about 70 thousand hours worth of volunteer work, you couldn’t do this kind of thing without that kind of effort.
“We have also spent time sitting down, drinking tea, eating cake, and putting the world to rights, as you’ve got to do,” he smiles.
Ken working on the renovations (above) and by the aircraft he used to navigate, a Canberra
The charity's now served thousands of free breakfasts, countless hot drinks - and most importantly it is engaging with more than a thousand veterans from across the region.
“As a team we’re very impressed with what’s been achieved in a short period of time, on a minute budget. But more importantly, it’s the effect it’s having on the veterans that come in, it gives people a sense of purpose.
“Quite a few of the veterans say; “I’ve lost my long term partner, I’m sitting at home with nothing to do, and I thought what’s the point? But now I’m coming here, I’m given stuff to do, I can achieve things, and have a bit of banter with some other military mates”. And that’s great.”
HQ, 2023, when work commenced
2026
There are no paid people within the charity, and it relies on grants, sponsorships, donations and volunteers. Its success means it’s continuing to expand, work's started on another nearby derelict building.
Inside the station headquarters is a flurry of activity - there’s a bookshop, an archive team, podcasts being recorded, a model railway group that meets, outside there’re even volunteers cleaning a Hawker Hunter. This isn’t your average veterans charity. It’s hands on, in whatever way that works for each individual.
“You can engage when you’re here as much or as little as you want,” Ken continues, “The aircraft and missiles that you see are veteran engagement tools - they can take the missile systems apart again.
“There are veterans that are maybe less able - mobility, fitness whatever - well they can work in the library or in the archive or social media. The breadth of things you can do is phenomenal.”
Ken says all the continued hard work is more than worth it, “Because you see the impact it’s having on people who otherwise may have nowhere to go and nothing to do.
“But there are 40 thousand veterans in Norfolk, there’s got to be a lot more out there who would find either coming along and joining in or coming a long and having a cup of tea - a benefit.”
Tomorrow: Veterans Central Part 2: Funding a Vital Resource for Veterans
Coming later in the week: Veterans Central Part 3: Veterans Describe Charity as a Lifeline
For more information about the charity: https://www.facebook.com/groups/5994602407304548/?locale=en_GB
