Three dads who liked to meet up for a breakfast on a Saturday have formed their own club that not only helps small businesses but it combats loneliness in men too.

Aptly named Dad Breakfast Club, it now sees around 16 men meet up with their kids once a week to enjoy the most important meal of the day around the Deal and Dover areas.

It was founded by pals Brendon Melles, 38, Rob Gutsell, 32, and Arron Blythe, 31 after the first lockdown, and has grown in both concept and numbers ever since.

Mr Melles, a plumber living in Deal, said: "Our aim it to get dads together. There's not a lot for dads and we want to try and change that.

"The kids love to socialise together as well and we want to support local businesses that have struggled through the pandemic."

Helping blokes stay socially included is a big part of the ethos.

All of the founding trio have lost male friends or relatives to suicide and they appreciate the need to help dads and men in general get things off their chests and stay happy.

Mr Gutsell, also a plumber, said: "It's good for dads who suffer from loneliness, they can come out and talk, meet up with other people and talk about general stuff.

"It's a really friendly atmosphere. Everyone gets on really well, the kids get on really well. We have a laugh, a joke about, we can talk about problems, or just day to day life.

"All the cafes love it as well. We have great feedback from them."

In recent months they have streamlined the offering utilising their business management skills and social media networking mastery.

Now the dads have membership cards that entitle them to agreed discounts with local retailers and they have set up branded social media accounts to help their members interact with each other.

"It's a really friendly atmosphere. Everyone gets on really well, the kids get on really well. We have a laugh, a joke about, we can talk about problems, or just day to day life..."

They're also rewarding the food businesses - not just with en masse custom - but with a trophy for the one they think is the all round best.

Mr Blythe, 31, a sales director explained: "Every weekend once we've eaten there we post in a private group and we rate them from zero to 10 on how they've performed with the breakfast, also if they've got high chairs, for instance, for the kids and then at the end of the season we present them with a trophy.

"So far there are 27 businesses involved, some in Deal, some in Dover. That's growing. We've now got businesses coming to us asking to join and we've got about 16 dads so far that have joined so they bring their kids along as well so it's growing week in week out."

When it grows too big for one cafe to hold them all, they will book two cafes, or three depending on numbers.

Last season's winners were the Waterfront restaurant in Beach Street, Deal run by Geoffrey and Mark Stallard.

Geoffrey, who was not even aware they were being rated for their breakfasts, service and facilities, told us. "It was a surprise. The first I knew of it was when they came in to book a table and they said they had a trophy to give us."

He added that his chef Stephen Fagg and waiting staff Maria and Luke deserve recognition for the award.

It's not just dads, kids and businesses who benefit, Mr Gutsell said it's the mums and wives who do too, getting much deserved time to please themselves with a bit of time off.

Subscription to Dad Breakfast Club is £20 a year. That money pays for a Dad Club T-shirt, the membership cards which offer discounts to cardholders, any organisational costs, the trophy, and the rest goes to the group's charity of the year.

This year they are supporting The Mental Health Foundation via FightTrain Clothing which Mr Melles is an ambassador for.

It is for dads whose wives are at work, stay at home dads, single dads, foster dads or dads who suffer with ill mental health and want to go out for a couple hours.

Each Saturday they go to a different cafe, keeping away from big chains. There is no obligation to attend every week.

• To find out more visit: dadbreakfastclub.wixsite.com, email dadsbreakfastclub@gmail.com or seek them out on social media: Facebook: @dadbreakfastclub, Twitter: @DadBreakfast, Instagram: dadbreakfastclub

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