A group of military veterans has completed work to refurbish a dry stone wall beside a memorial to the Charfield Railway Disaster of 1928.
The restoration took place at St James’ Church at Churchend in Charfield. The memorial commemorates people who died in the railway disaster, and the wall stands next to the Charfield Railway Memorial.
Work completed over three weekends
The Friends of St James worked with Veterans on the Edge to renovate part of the churchyard. The project was carried out over three weekends and ended with a final session last week, according to the report published by Stroud Times.
Photographs accompanying the report show volunteer Lauren Clark with Andy Docherty and Jenny Naylor. Naylor is from the Friends of St James and is herself an army veteran.
Support for veterans in the justice system
This year, the church group has also worked with Armed Forces veterans in the justice system at HMP Leyhill. Some participants joined the churchyard project while on licence, alongside other veterans involved with the work.
Naylor said the partnership had grown beyond the renovation project to include a veterans’ breakfast at the group’s café. She said people who had joined the work found it enjoyable.
“This year we have teamed up with the Armed Forces Veterans in the justice system at HMP Leyhill – we now do a lot of work with them including their own Vets breakfast as their lovely café, and we have had many of them out on licence join in the work which they enjoy,”
The work was funded again by the Veterans Foundation. Professional instruction and management were provided by Army veteran Andy Docherty from Walling2Recovery.
The completed project forms part of the ongoing care of the churchyard and the setting around the memorial. St James’ Church, the Friends of St James, Veterans on the Edge, HMP Leyhill and Walling2Recovery were all named in the report.