"These came in yesterday, and we're in the process of sorting," Roger Farmer tells me, opening a box full of donated new books. The ex-RAF intelligence officer is now a trustee of Veterans Central and a librarian.
Where we are standing is unrecognisable from a few years ago, when a handful of volunteers took on the task of transforming the Grade II-listed Station Headquarters (SHQ) at the former RAF West Raynham.
After the base closed in 1994, and the 1930s building left abandoned, it was near-dereliction.
"Ken [Ken Delve, charity co-founder] told me he'd been mad enough to take this building on, when I saw the collection of books, that was the enticement to be honest with you.
"What we have on our shelves, as far as I'm concerned, is millions of hours of research - and there's a value that you can't place on that."
As Roger sorts through the new books, he thinks the charity was fortunate to lease the building in 2023, "It is a very very good building, it's very structurally sound - but we're lucky, another 5-10 years it might have been irredeemable.
"The place was derelict, it was full of dead pigeons, there were 120 broken windows, the only water we had was running down the walls."
The charity is run entirely by volunteers, relying on grants and donations. Selling the books contributes around 5 thousand pounds a year, "The library grew out of one collection given to us originally of about a thousand books, we now have a second-hand bookshop, a children's bookshop, and a new bookshop. We also sell them online, through an app called LibraryThing."
Working on one of the libraries
Veteran Jim Simpson (left) with Roger
He tells me he thinks what's being done here is unique, providing veterans with 'a purpose' in a place that's familiar.
"It's curious because during my 25 year service, I never came to West Raynham, but yes, it's like very familiar territory. That's one of the things that makes this place seem so much at home to people. The vast majority of our veterans here are ex-RAF anyway."
I take a walk around, browse the books (I did buy a few, it's a brilliant collection), say hello to a few volunteers having a chat and piece of cake, I go outside to explore the beautiful gardens, stop to chat to a veteran cleaning a Hawker Hunter.
Everywhere I turn there's either a volunteer with a paintbrush, or people happily chatting - the place is alive with activity, it's warm, it's welcoming - and I can see why the number of volunteers has grown to over a hundred.
Before I leave I ask Roger what Veterans Central means to him, "It means a lot to me, like many veterans it gives me a reason to get up in the morning, gives me a sense of purpose and also a sense of camaraderie because we're all working to the same end.
"What's been done has been done remarkably quickly, in the space of three years we've turned this round into an active, vibrant building."
What was an abandoned, sad place - has become a thriving veterans charity, in a location that couldn't be more fitting. And it's exciting to think what could be achieved in the next 3 years.
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
