This week saw a huge step towards growing the UK’s largest development of homes for veterans.

A turf-cutting ceremony on Tuesday signalled the start of construction of the next phase of the Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI) Centenary Village in Aylesford.

The KM Media Group is proud to have supported the village with its Homes for Heroes campaign, run over the past nine weeks, which has brought in thousands of pounds towards funding a community centre and more homes for ex-service personnel off Hermitage Lane.

The first turf was cut by Barney Haugh, the director of grants and welfare at ABF the Soldiers Charity, which is a major supporter of the project.

Mr Haugh used a spade that had previously been used by Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, when she visited RBLI in November 2019.

The ceremony was attended by Lisa Farmer, chief executive of RBLI;Chris Blundell, an RBLI trustee,Nick Baveystock, of the RBLI Centenary Village Development Committee, and by veterans from the village, Callum McCloskey, Ashley Morgan and Steve Hammond.

Also present were Bob Garlinge, Richard Allwood and Will Dean of Jenner, the company that will build the extension.

The new community centre will become the central welfare hub of the village, with a state-of-the-art accessible gym, café, and IT learning suite.

The building will also provide a base where RBLI’s welfare staff will work with veterans and their families.

Meeting rooms there will provide a central space for RBLI’s training staff to deliver its award-winning Lifeworks employment support programme that helps veterans and their families into meaningful employment.

The turf-cutting also marked the start of construction on a house of multiple occupancy and more move-on apartments for homeless veterans.

Mrs Farmer said: “We’re delighted to mark this exciting step in the construction of our Centenary Village and would like to thank the organisations that so generously donated to make this latest stage of construction a reality.

“Our Centenary Village is already a thriving community, but the ABF Community Centre will provide a central hub and welfare base to bring everyone together for support, health, and fitness.

“RBLI’s founding principle is to provide practical help to veterans who have served their country and are in need, and the Centenary Village supports that belief.”

The organisations that made donations for the construction of RBLI’s Centenary Village include Kent-based The Lawson Trust, the Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust, and Crabtree.

Donations also came from national organisations: ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, Michael Uren, Veterans’ Foundation, and The Gosling Foundation, and internationally from Oak Foundation.

Falklands veteran and RBLI ambassador, Steve Hammond said, “RBLI’s Centenary Village is so much more than bricks and mortar, it provides veterans and their families with a home and a second chance.”

“When you leave the Armed Forces, it can be hard to find your way, and some veterans may feel it’s easier to navigate their way through a combat zone than civvy street.

“RBLI has been on the ground helping veterans and their families to transform their lives for more than 100 years.

“The facilities at Centenary Village will enable us to help even more veterans to deal with the daily challenges they experience as they make the transition to a new and unknown life after service.”

The KM Media Group is supporting the project with its own Homes for Heroes appeal. We know that more homes – particularly for those who like Mr Hammond are overcoming injury and other challenges – are desperately needed.

This is the largest development of homes for veterans in the UK at this time and every donation will help.

If you would like to make a donation to our Homes for Heroes campaign, you can do so here.

Alternatively, donate by text message – text 5RBLI to 70085 to donate £5; text 10RBLI to 70085 to donate £10, or or text 20RBLI to 70085 to donate £20.

Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message, and you’ll be opting into hearing more from the RBLI.

If you would like to donate but not be contacted further, please add NOINFO to your text message.