One of the first events of the World War Two weekend was an afternoon concert at Cartref, by the Surrey Police Band on Friday.
The band set up on one side of the garden, with chairs set out for the audience on the other side. There were also several residents in wheelchairs near the door to Cartref, and we were among the audience sitting along the garden wall. There was a little flurry of excitement when the lady sitting in front of us realised that her foot was right next to the exit to an ant's nest, and the flying ants were coming out, but she managed to move a little way further on to avoid them.
There was a dual Welsh and Forties theme to the concert, ranging through a Welsh lullaby to Shirley Bassey and Tom Jones medleys, and from Cole Porter to the Dambusters, and Blue Birds over the White Cliffs of Dover. The soloist was Lauren Williams, and there was a bugler playing Evening Prayer alongside the band.
The concert finished with God Save the Queen and Land of My Fathers.
There was also a speaker from the charity Change Step - we saw him the following day at the Change Step stand on Cae Mawr, and he admitted that he hadn't been expecting to speak about the charity. There were no microphones, either, so I didn't catch everything he said. However, he was very helpful with leaflets on the Saturday.
The charity was set up to provide support to military veterans in Wales, including help for those in crisis, older veterans (they work with trained dementia nurses) and people with mental health and substance misuse needs. We didn't meet the Admiral Nurse who had come for the weekend, because she'd managed to slip and hurt her wrist the day before!
They help soldiers who have just come out of the army to adapt to civilian life, and have started a drop in centre at the British Legion Club in Hay. One of the leaflets they were giving out gives information on a variety of support groups that are available to help. They also help with claiming benefits and debt advice.
They also have a booklet called Stories of Service: Human stories from military conflict, where people who have benefited from the help of Change Step tell their stories.
They have a website at www.changestepwales.co.uk
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