An Army veteran says he hopes his new Nottinghamshire coffee shop will act as a "safe haven" for his fellow ex-soldiers. Spectre Coffee, based on Low Street in Sutton-in-Ashfield, officially opened on March 18 with a large ceremony attended by hundreds.
Despite welcoming members of the public with premium coffees and snacks, those behind the project say the business is far more than just another coffee shop. One of those who has launched Spectre Coffee is Andy Brewster, 35, who joined the Army in 2003 and completed multiple tours of Iraq and Afghanistan during his ten years of service.
Mr Brewster, who is originally from Pinxton but now lives with his wife and children in Mansfield, went on to set up the telecommunications company Unique Positive Solutions after leaving the Army in 2013. The company's primary aim is to recruit ex-service personnel and provide them with skills in the sector.
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Despite the success of the company, Mr Brewster says his mental health hit "rock bottom" last Christmas and when he tried to seek support from established charities, he found they were "overwhelmed." He said: "I had been letting the stress of the business really affect me and all the problems we were having, I was taking very personally.
"I was trying around that time to get help but I was told that I wouldn't get anywhere until at least February, even though all I wanted was just to speak to somebody. I later started my therapy journey but if it wasn't for that, I wouldn't be here now."
The difficulty in being able to speak to someone and get help inspired Mr Brewster to establish a space where other veterans could meet and be encouraged to talk. Since its opening, those working at Spectre Coffee say countless veterans have already been opening up about their experiences.
Andy Jones, the Commercial Director of the business, said: "Just the other week we had a gentleman in who had served in Northern Ireland and he began welling up when talking about the fact that he still suffered from PTSD. Some of these soldiers haven't spoken about what they went through for 40 years.
"One of the aspects of the coffee shop we were really keen on is that it should be a really calm environment where those people who want to talk can do so. It's not a loud greasy spoon, we're offering something really different because nine times out of 10, people just want to offload their experiences and we know how challenging it can be for men especially to talk about these things."
Some of the spaces where veterans are able to open up about their experiences within Spectre Coffee include its handmade seating booths. Two of the booths are named after soldiers who Andy Brewster fought alongside, one of whom was killed by a renegade Taliban solider and the other who took his own life three years ago.
Also providing a nod to Spectre Coffee's strong military focus is the memorabilia which lines the shop's walls, much of which has been donated by customers since its opening. Among those who were taking in the military surroundings of Spectre Coffee when Nottinghamshire Live visited on Wednesday (May 5), were a family with strong military connections themselves.
Sisters Catherine Harding and Elaine Straw's father was part of the Normandy landings, whilst their cousin Marilyn Harper's father fought in the Navy and was on the Russian convoys. Christine said: "We're proud to be British and we're proud of the servicemen so this is lovely for Sutton to have something like this and it's just something a bit different.
"When we saw this open up we knew we wanted to come in and it's all for a good purpose. Our dad never talked about what happened to him initially, he opened up as he got older but it took a long time and this is all about getting people to talk to others."
Andy Brewster says Spectre Coffee's Sutton site will also serve as a recruitment hub for Unique Professional Solutions and that he also wants to launch a 'Spectre Academy' there. The academy will support veterans in terms of employment opportunities, personal development and professional mental health advice.
Under plans to grow the business, which will also be selling its own coffee online, Mr Brewster says he soon hopes to branch out to other locations including Mansfield and Chesterfield. The work of Spectre Coffee even had a recent mention in Parliament, with Ashfield's MP Lee Anderson inviting Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt to visit the business.
One of those who is now employed by Spectre Coffee is Mark Johnson, who served in the Army from 1986 until 1992. Speaking about the need for a business like Spectre Coffee, Mr Johnson said: "The things that you're asked to do in the forces and the duties that you have are very different to civvy street.
"You come out conditioned and trained in a certain way and so that transition is difficult to make. When I Ieft the forces 30 years ago we didn't really have any support available in the community, so the concept of helping veterans to me was something quite unique."
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