Marco cooks up support for vulnerable veterans
CELEBRITY chef Marco Pierre White has joined forces with two North East social enterprises to support a project aimed at reintegrating ex-servicemen back into society.
The “Godfather of Modern Cookery” is backing plans to set up an artisan bakery, kitchen and coffee point at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire which will be staffed by veterans who are struggling to adjust to life back in Civvy Street.
The project is the brainchild of Darlington-based The Clervaux Trust and the housing association, Riverside-ECHG.
The bakery idea closely follows the model of the Clervaux Trust’s existing artisan bakery in Coniscliffe Road, Darlington, which takes young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and teaches them life and business skills.
Grim statistics suggest that around half of the 17,000 personnel who leave the military each year, will develop mental health problems.
Mr Rick McCordall, Commercial Manager of The Clervaux Trust said: “We’ve seen how our existing students find bread-making fulfilling and therapeutic and we believe that the bakery at Catterick will have a similar impact in helping veterans with their self-esteem and self-worth.
“We’re grateful to Marco Pierre White for getting involved. He’s someone who is clearly passionate about good food and about the well-being of those who serve in the armed forces,” he said.
The bakery is expected to be open by the end of 2011 and will be sited at The Beacon, a flagship accommodation, training and social enterprise centre run by Riverside-ECHG at Catterick. The bakery will provide veterans with vocational training and accredited qualifications.
Marco Pierre White launched the project in Leeds, home of Hesco Bastion, the company which has pledged much of the initial funding to get the bakery off the ground.
Marco said: “I’ve flown to Iraq and Afghanistan to cook for the troops and it’s always a privilege. I strongly believe that we have a duty to support our soldiers and that duty of care shouldn’t stop when they return home.
“In the past I’ve done projects working with troubled youths who turn their lives around. The veterans deserve this opportunity. I have nothing but respect for the soldiers who have served on the front line. So let’s break bread and salute these great people,” he said.
Riverside helps ex-service personnel suffering with combat stress or who are at risk of homelessness.
The organisation’s MoD Area Manager Trevor Morris said: “When people leave the Armed Forces they often find that while they have lots of very useful team and project-management skills, they need to develop trades that will find them jobs in civilian life.
“We consulted with a lot of veterans about what trades would interest them and active trades such as baking and landscaping came out very high.
“Learning these hands-on skills taps into a traditional trade and offers a simple but effective therapy as well as equipping them for new careers,” he said.
Funding for the enterprise has come from several sources including a major grant from the Hesco Bastion Fund, a fund set up by the late entrepreneur Jimi Heselden, managed by the Leeds Community Foundation.
Commenting on the donation, Jimi’s wife Julie said: “Much of our business is linked with making and supplying protective equipment to support our armed forces in areas such as Afghanistan. Jimi was always very keen to support charities that were helping army personnel when they returned from active duty so this project being based in Yorkshire seemed an ideal link to our fund.”
Further financial supports will be required in the future, however. Anyone wishing to donate to the Catterick artisan bakery project should contact Clair@cause.uk.com, telephone 07531948014 or donate online at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charities/clervaux.
Editor’s Notes:
- The Clervaux Trust, which will manage the bakery and provide the appropriate expertise, runs an artisan bakery, café and shop in Darlington together with an eco-farm at Croft on Tees in North Yorkshire. The Trust uses methods inspired by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner to help disenfranchised, troubled young people in the North make better lives for themselves. Their methods have proven to be highly effective.
- Riverside-ECHG provides support to more than 3,000 homeless men and women around the country. The Riverside Group, which is one of the leading social housing and regeneration organisations in the UK, owns or manages around 50,000 properties from Carlisle to Kent. The Beacon at Catterick will have accommodation for 31 ex-servicemen and, apart from the bakery and kitchen, will feature an allotment and remembrance garden.
- Hesco Bastion Ltd is a Leeds-based company famous for its innovative Concertainer units used for military and flood protection. These units have become the most popular means of protecting personnel against secondary fragmentation, saving countless lives and used by the US Army, the MOD, NATO and the UN in every major conflict since the first Gulf War. The founder of Hesco Bastion, Jimi Heselden, set up a special charitable fund with the Leeds Community Foundation in 2010, contributing a total of £23m before his death in a tragic accident in October 2010.
- Marco Pierre White has a strong affiliation for Yorkshire, having been born and raised in Leeds. He trained at the St George Hotel in Harrogate and The Box Tree in Ilkley, of which he is now a partner, before moving to London and becoming the youngest chef ever, at the time, to achieve three Michelin Stars.
Marco Pierre White 
