Two veterans with a dream to build a support hub for ex-servicemen can’t wait to break ground on their new venture.

Former Royal Marine Commando Stewart “Twiggy” Roberts and Royal Engineer and double amputee Adam “Legless” Francis won a victory over planning officers last September when they persuaded Maidstone council’s planning committee to grant permission for the centre in Lenham Road, Headcorn, against the planners’ advice.

The Veterans Operating Base, as it will be known, will provide a garage workshop, where ex-servicemen and women will be able to learn a new trade, and meeting rooms where veterans will be able to socialise and to access counselling and support services.

The workshop will be especially adapted to suit disabled veterans.

The pair already operate an informal veterans’ hub around Mr Roberts’ existing motor business, HX Motors in East Sutton Road, but their drop-in service has become so well used by veterans seeking the camaraderie and support of fellow servicemen as they struggle to make the transition to Civvy life, that the pair realised there was a need for a much larger, purpose-built centre.

Since gaining planning permission, the veterans have gradually been ticking off the various building conditions imposed before work can begin.

Mr Roberts said: “It has been slow, but we wanted to do everything properly, and we are getting there. One of the surveys was just completed this month.”

To raise awareness of the project, the pair have organsied a veterans’ charity cricket match and fun day at the Maidstone Cricket Club grounds at Mote Park off Willow Way on Sunday, June 23, starting at 1.30pm.

There will be a hog roast, entertainment for children and a chance to view a team of veterans take on the Kent Women’s softball finalists of 2023.

But Mr Roberts was not hopeful of his team’s chances. He joked: “None of us really play cricket, so basically we are going to get beaten by a bunch of girls. But it should be good fun!”

The event is free and all are welcome.

The deputy mayor of Maidstone, Cllr Martin Round, who as a ward councllor for Headcorn has been a strong supporter of the hub, is expected to be in attendance.

Mr Roberts is a former Royal Marine Commando with five foreign tours under his belt, including service in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ten years after his service ended, he was struck down with PTSD and spent six months in therapy.

Mr Francis is a former Royal Engineer, who had both his legs blown off by an IED while serving in Afghanistan.

They say the support they can give veterans struggling to deal with physical or mental trauma is invaluable because they can speak from their own experiences.

Suicide among veterans is high. In 2022, 86 ex-service personnel took their own lives – 12 of them in Kent.