Veterans Garage - Creating A Hub For Ex-Service Personnel - Pathfinder International Magazine - the leading UK Military Resettlement Magazine

Veterans garage is a unique approach to fundraising for Military Veterans across the North West to have a stable social hub, to learn new skills and receive the support and advice that is available to them…

Creating a hub for ex-servicemen and the local community to come together and use the facility to orchestrate some great community events to raise funds and awareness for some very worthy local causes. Now we need your help to get it off the ground.

The project was initiated by Jayson Redshaw a 27 year old Manchester born veteran who lost his best friend Elijah Bond on the front line in Afghanistan has vowed to help others deal with the anxiety he faced upon leaving active duty and dealing with his grief. Jayson later wrote a song which was released in iTunes singing about how he has been affected by the death of his best friend on the front line to help deal with his grief, the track was released and ‘Transition’ struck a chord with other Army personnel.

Jayson has chosen to now take on this project as an outlet to raise not only money and awareness but a place for ex servicemen to reach out, be part of a family and get the advice and help channels that are needed.

In December 2015 Jayson was recognised for his achievements by the Armed Forces Charity SSAFA in the Heroes at Home Christmas campaign.

Jayson started this project with his brother Dan Redshaw who is active helping within the local veteran community and currently holds the position of Vice Chairman of the Salford Armed Forces Veterans Network.

Operation Veterans Garage

The community project is to restore a grade 2 listed WWII airport terminal building into a base for a classic car & motorcycle restoration garage to support North West veterans suffering from combat stress but at the same time tackling the problem of loneliness and isolation of the older generation.

With the generosity of the Peel Group’s donation of the building situated a City Airport, together we can now create a welcoming environment for Veterans of all ages to come together as a team, restoring run down classic cars and motorcycles to raise money, awareness, a returning sense of camaraderie and family to former servicemen and victims of combat stress.

At the same time this project will restore this grade 2 listed building to house a vibrant and buzzing community club house for car, motorcycle, scooter and aviation enthusiast. A central hub for people of all ages and genders to enjoy with cool lounges, club meeting facilities and plan to serve up incrediblefood and beverages while at the same time raising money for Military Veterans.

Attached to the Veterans Garage we will create a community car club, which will give us the freedom to raise money for other causes across the Northwest and provide ex-servicemen with jobs.

There are hundreds of Automotive clubs dotted around the Northwest which don’t have a central hub when it comes to somewhere to hold meets with facilities attached. Super car, Classic car, motorcycle, scooter, motor home, American the list goes on. Imagine if these clubs had a dedicated community facility with lounges, games rooms, great food and drink in the grounds of a private airport…plus the added attraction of the Veterans Garage on site where they can support the Veterans working on their latest project or potentially even buy cars from them adding additional support.

We would like to go on to say that the appeal of the Terminal building doesn’t only stop with its heritage (being one of the first commercial airport terminals in the country) but also the collaboration with City Airport in creating some show stopping family fun days/weekends and events together the possibilities are quite frankly endless giving us the freedom to create huge events dedicated to many different causes, here are just some of the fundraising events we will bring to the venue and your company as a sponsor can be part of it all:

Automotive meets and festivals
Motorcycle rally’s
Scooter club meets
Aviation shows
Military festivals & demonstrations
Community picnics and BBQ’S
Christmas festivals/markets
Vintage revival 40s/50s weekends
Food festivals
Community workshops
Halloween parties kids day & adults night
Music festivals
Family fun days
Community health awareness days (NHS)
Private functions/conferencing/fundraisers

Why Cars & Motorcycles?

Tying charity in with the Automotive world allows us to activate the entirety of the North West, historically automotive and aviation shows/meets/festivals have always brought people together. The beauty of cars and motorcycles is they are loved by all regardless of age, gender, race or religion.

The people who use the facility also can have the comfort of knowing profit made from the site go to great local causes, not only to Veteran causes but we will be holding fundraisers for many different charities once up and running including local medical and children-based causes.

Becoming a stand alone charity once funded, creating an automotive workshop for veterans to restore cars and have a sense of community and team work. We aim to make the facility good enough that the Veterans who don’t even have a love of cars or bikes will be able to come and socialise together. There is also an issue of loneliness and isolation in the Northwest elderly who could also benefit from this facility.

Welfare & Help

In house welfare and administrative areas will be created for outside help to come in and work from, such as government help, social workers, mental health care workers, housing officers, therapists and mindfulness therapists funded by the work of the Veterans projects and on site event fundraising, becoming the core of the establishment helping veterans from across the North West not only creating a social base but generating a place to seek the help and advice available to them. Localised teams will be able to use the facility to give Veterans advice on: