RAF veteran to launch support service for ex-forces

An RAF veteran is setting up accommodation and support services for military veterans who are struggling to cope with the transition to civilian life.

Joe Bishop said he understood the difficulties ex-service personnel faced when leaving the forces, having struggled with drink and drug problems.

Mr Bishop, 37, left the RAF after serving time in a Military Correctional Training Centre in Colchester, Essex, having made threats to kill a member of his squadron.

He has now been clean for three years and has set up a community interest company, which will rent out a terraced house in Buxton, Derbyshire, for former military personnel to live in and receive support.

Mr Bishop lived in supported accommodation after leaving the RAF but found it was "badly done", which inspired him to set up his community interest company, Building Bridges.

"It is life or death - some of these boys are really struggling," he said.

"To be able to offer what we're going to offer, it fills me with pride."

Mr Bishop served in flight operations in Air Traffic Control between 2010 and 2014, with most of his time being spent at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.

He said it was a few years after leaving that he became an alcoholic and addicted to cocaine, but he was successful in giving both up after "hitting rock bottom".

"I think the first 12 months for me were the difficult months," he added.

"Everyone's recovery is different and that's important to understand. In the last 10 months my granddad died and if I am honest, there was never a thought of a drink or a drug.

"For that to happen and that not be a thought process means I have no doubt in my mind that I will never touch a drink again."

He added: "You're lacking a few life skills [when you leave the military], because you've not had to cook, you've not had to budget, you've not had bills.

"So all of a sudden you're out in the big, bad wide world and your money isn't just your money like it is when you're in [the military] - because you've got everything paid for."

Mr Bishop set up Building Bridges with childhood friend James Wild.

Their friend Damien Healey has bought a property in Hardwick Square which he will rent out to them, and from February it will offer five residential places for veterans, who will not have to pay to stay there.

They are also planning to offer a counselling service and are in the process of vetting suitable counsellors.

Residents will also get the chance to do voluntary work at the Zink Foodbank in Buxton, while outdoor activities are also planned as part of a two-year support programme.

High Peak Borough Council awarded Building Bridges a £10,000 grant to get it off the ground, with the Foundation Derbyshire charity also contributing to the project.

Mr Bishop said he regretted the threats he made, which led to him being sent to military prison.

But he added he had changed since this time and his friends had noticed this.

"The only thing I can do is the thing I am doing now, and it is having a positive impact on people going forward," Mr Bishop added.

Mr Wild said during research ahead of setting up the company, he was unable to find similar support services in the area.

"We will start with five people that want to help themselves but once we get the first five through our programme, which should be a two-year programme, it is a case of then we can expand," he added.

"It goes full circle, so the people we help hopefully we can employ to help others and that's how we see it growing."

Fiona Sloman, High Peak Borough Council executive councillor for housing, added: "Building Bridges is a fantastic local organisation which offers much-needed support to veterans recovering from addiction by providing temporary accommodation in a safe and healthy environment and assisting them to develop the skills they need to live independently."

• If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit the BBC Action Line

Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.