IT’S been a year of progress for the Garelochhead Station Trust (GST) but the best is yet to come, according to organisers.

The project was officially launched at the end of 2018 with the aim of taking over the running of the village’s disused railway station building and offering support services to armed forces veterans in the Helensburgh and Lomond area.

While work continues to renovate the station facility, the group is currently operating out of the Gibson Hall in the village, with weekly brunch club meetings and sessions in mental health and food hygiene training among the activities available.

Reflecting on an encouraging first 12 months, project coordinator Morevain Martin spoke to Helensburgh Community Council recently about the plans moving forward.

She said: “What came out when we did a needs analysis for the area was that even though Garelochhead is the closest village to Faslane, there was actually nothing within the village that was delivering services to veterans, within that community and the wider community.

READ MORE: Trust chief outlines veteran support plan for Garelochhead

“One of the first things we did was commission an architect to draw up plans for the station building with a briefing of wanting to make the project self-sustaining.

“A section of the building will be dedicated to Airbnb accommodation, with office and meeting space as well.

“We visited other projects and cherry-picked the best parts: we were impressed with the relaxation and meditation room at the Erskine veterans’ home, for example.

“We asked the architect to design the old switch room which is removed from the main station building into some kind of one-to-one consultation and relaxation room, so that has been developed and costed in our plans.

“We have raised over half of the £7,000 to purchase the lease.

“We have now started talking to big funders, securing £117,000 of the £350,000 needed for the project.

“That is a worst-case scenario, as the architect has assumed there is asbestos in the building as well as other things, which will cost a lot of money.”

Using the findings of two reports - highlighting a lack of suitable service provision for veterans in the UK after they leave the military - published in 2018 as their impetus, the trust has attempted to address problem areas in the local community.

READ MORE: Burst main leaves Rhu and Garelochhead residents without water for days

Last year, more than 160 training opportunities were delivered, including suicide prevention talks, food hygiene courses and one-to-one sessions.

A large D-Day event attracted 260 guests, while almost 700 brunches have been put on and 110 volunteering opportunities have been taken up.

Morevain said: “A lot of people have said when I’ve talked about this project, ‘why veterans?’.

“It was really pertinent that when this project was actually getting off the ground a number of documents were released; one from a House of Commons defence committee looking at services delivered to veterans once they’ve left the military or about to leave, especially mental health facilities.

“Another document was done for Mike Russell MSP [who represents Argyll and Bute, with the exception of the Helensburgh and Lomond area], specifically looking at mental health services and health provision within Argyll and Bute, and it doesn’t make good reading.

“In 2018, 71 service personnel or veterans took their own lives, and that is probably an underestimation because it’s not always recorded whether the person who took their own life was a veteran.

“The Care Commission rated two of the four MoD mental health facilities as adequate or needing improvement and that really shocked us.

“Veterans described the service they received in Scotland as ‘bearable’, and our veterans shouldn’t be saying things like that.

READ MORE: Credit union's help for Garelochhead station veterans' hub project

“One of the reports says veterans and their families believe they have been abandoned, which also concerned us.

“We need to raise the profile of veterans within the community, showing what an enormous asset they are.”

Further monthly events are already being planned, such as a curry and bingo night on Saturday, March 21 at the Gibson Hall, plus an Easter egg hunt and a 75th anniversary celebration of VE Day in May.

A new lift could also be installed at the upgraded station building to improve access.

Morevain added: “We are not resting on our laurels, we want to become bigger and better and make sure that we target all of the veterans within our communities.

“You’ve got to remember that you can be a veteran as long as you have taken the Queen’s shilling.

“We’ve got some with young families and also others who are in their 80s and 90s. We’ve got the whole breadth.

“One of the things we are trying to do is raise the profile of the skills that veterans have.

“Very often someone will come out of the military and not actually acknowledge the skills and experiences they have got and we are encouraging the community to access those skills and use them for the good of the community.”

Click here for all the latest headlines from across Helensburgh and Lomond