A local veteran who needed support with clearing his garden called upon the Hull FC Veteran’s Garden Club to help out with the task.

Former RAF member Dave Batehup comes along to our Veteran’s Coffee Morning at the Hull FC Community Hub every Wednesday morning, where he meets up with members of the Veteran’s Garden Club.

The Coffee Morning and Garden Club is part of the Community Foundation’s ‘Part of the Team’ project, which is run thanks to funding from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust.

The main purpose of the project is to reduce loneliness and improve mental wellbeing, with the Community Foundation providing weekly sessions.

“I needed help with my garden because it was becoming overgrown and I have a bad knee, so I would struggle to take care of it by myself,” Dave said.

“I spoke to the Garden Club at the Coffee Morning and they came down to help tidy up my rose bushes, trees and cut the grass.

“I found out about the Garden Club since I have been coming to the Coffee Mornings, which are great for people who are ex-forces to come and have a chat with one another.”

Dave completed 14 years of service for the RAF having joined at the ripe age of 15.  He worked in communications for the Air Force before going on to become a HGV driver, transporting equipment across airfields.

Throughout his fourteen years of service to the RAF, Dave worked in several countries, including Bahrain, Singapore, Malaysia, Germany and the Maldives.

If you would like more information on our Coffee Morning or Garden Club, please email michael.swainger@hullfc.com.