A Welsh veterans’ charity is using a donated Cat 301.5 compact excavator to accelerate the development of a purpose-built site supporting the mental and physical wellbeing of former service personnel.
Valley Veterans, which began 20 years ago as an informal support group for veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder, now has 140 active participants. Its volunteers are creating an equine and horticultural space, including stables, a riding menage, vegetable and memorial gardens, and a cabin used as an office and therapy area.
Machine expands scope of work
The excavator was donated by construction equipment supplier Finning as part of a charity campaign marking 100 years of Caterpillar. It was delivered in June.
Nigel Locke, secretary at Valley Veterans, said: “Finning delivered our Cat 301.5 back in June and since then our site has changed dramatically. Having the machine on-site has allowed us to complete planned work much more quickly than by hand and is responsible for our large new vegetable garden and raised beds where produce grown goes towards feeding the community and veterans that we support.”
He added: “The machine has increased the scope of what we are able to achieve on site. We are looking at adding beehives, building more stables and adding a pond to support the biodiversity of the site—all of which is vastly more achievable with the machine, taking weeks as opposed to months.”
Valley Veterans was founded in the back garden of former Welsh Guardsman Paul Bromwell. The charity received the King’s Award for Voluntary Service last year.
Bromwell, now the charity’s chief executive, said the excavator had reduced the need to hire equipment and allowed more funding to be directed towards supporting veterans and their families.
“The impact of the machine has been invaluable to the work we do, allowing us to continue to make a difference to veterans and their families, as the size, scope and possibilities of the site keep growing,” he said.
“As well as a practical impact, the machine has made a financial one. Not having to rent a machine and having the back-up of local support from the Finning Cardiff branch means we are able to use our funding to support more veterans to combat the challenges resulting from isolation and loneliness.”