VISITING military veterans to Ross-on-Wye were shocked by the state of the gravestones when they came to meet a mentor to discuss their embryonic cleaning business.

Many of the gravestones were so overgrown, preventing anyone from reading the discerning the messages engraved by their loved ones.

The veterans were meeting with Malcolm and Bridget Jones, founders of the Veterans Business Base, and decided to clean up the graveyard in readiness of the Victory in Europe commemorations and celebrations after seen the state of the graves.

The veterans, one from Ross and two from Preston, have had to confront difficult times while serving soldiers and following their discharge from the army and cleaning up the churchyard was one of many stepping stones in their recovery.

One overgrown gravestone caught their eye: A young man who died aged 26 from the aftereffects of gassing after the First World War.

This gave them the motivation to start and tidy up our churchyard. On Saturday, April 26, Paul Calvert, Darren Steele and Chis Cadman spent the day attending to the gravestones at the front of St Marys church.

Local residents walking through the churchyard were cheered by what the veterans were undertaking and provided them with drinks and food as a way of thanking them.

The new priest at St Mary’s, Rev’d Kelvin Price, a military veteran himself, was pleased to meet his fellow veterans and thanked them for their sterling efforts in the churchyard.

The veterans plan to return to Ross in the near future and attend to the rest of the graveyard.

Malcolm said that over the years the organisation assists veterans like these guys to start-up businesses and get back into work.

He added: “For the past 16 years Bridget have supported veterans to use all their skills and experience obtained before, during and after their military service to set up in business.

“Some veterans find the ‘corporate culture’ of some workplaces difficult to contend with and instead turn to self-employment.

“In doing so, financial independence can be achieved, and a permanent home obtained, creating a base from which family connections can be re-established. Local businesses also support them by loaning tools and equipment.

“We’ve helped Paul Calvert and Darren Steele set up a business – Pride In Our Place – in Preston which maintains churchyards and provides maintenance services to commercial property owners in and around the Northwest.

“We are still working with Chis Cadman, who lives locally, on his business plan.

Since its inception in 2009, the reputation of Veterans Business Base has spread by word of mouth throughout the veteran community, especially during the first Covid lock-down.

The charitable organisation also works with the Ministry of Justice, advising people in prison who wish to start-up a business once discharged, work with the families of Afghan interpreters and the wider Ukrainian Community in Herefordshire.

The charity is now seeking external funding for the first time to scale up user engagement by developing a network of advisors who can work with many more veterans throughout the UK.