OUR STORY

HI, I AM ROB POWELL FOUNDER OF GARDEN TROOPS.

There is something fundamentally wrong with the system here in the UK. We have in excess of 1,500 armed forces charities with a collective worth of more than £3 billion, and yet there are more than 10,000 veterans living on the streets, while a further 20,000 are unemployed.

These startling numbers continue to grow, due in part to the large majority of personnel now leaving after serving fewer than four years – a complication which makes them ineligible for retraining, thereby forcing them to take low-paid unskilled work.

I joined the army at 15 as a troubled tearaway with no real direction or qualifications, unable to conform to the routine of school. I went on to enjoy a career in the British Army spanning more than 20 years. Most of that time was spent within the special forces community. I continued to serve my country as a Security Specialist for the UK Commonwealth Office, the UN and US-AID, helping rebuild war-torn countries.

Upon my return to the UK, I began to reconnect with my brothers and sisters that I had served with and, as I did, I began to discover that almost all of them experienced a decline in their mental health. It was an alarming realisation.

This had, in some cases, utterly devastated their lives, with most unable to hold down a 9-to-5 job and, even worse, resulted in them living on the streets. To see these once proud men and women, who had given everything for their country, now unable to even get food and a warm bed for the night was nothing short of heart breaking.

The main issue is simply this:

Once you leave the military there is very little in the way of support to undo the traumas suffered while in service of our country

Speaking to the leading armed forces charities, I discovered that government red tape means it takes a minimum of three months just to check a veteran’s service records. Even after this needless wait you still may not qualify for help.

To give you some context, a battalion of up to 1,000 men when posted in Cyprus are expected to be in the Gulf, boots on the ground, within 24 to 48 hours after receiving the call, that’s saying goodbye to loved ones who you may not see for 6 months. This is something I have had to do several times as all soldiers are, yet it takes 3 months just to check someone’s records?

The driving force behind setting up this company is to stop veterans, that have given so much, slipping through the cracks.

My vision is to ensure we can provide:

EMPLOYMENT

First and foremost stop the extra burden of finding a job, ensure that early service leavers (ESL) know about opportunities within our business, paying them above the minimum wage.