THE Beacon has received high-profile support from the likes of actor Brian Blessed and TV chef Rosemary Shrager since it opened as a refuge for vulnerable ex-servicemen and women at risk of being homeless offering a lifeline to help them get back on their feet.

It has provided help, support and housing for hundreds of single former forces staff, many with mental and physical health problems, some with alcohol and drug issues.

A website for the centre, which has a motto 'Stronger Together', states its team understands the unique needs of veterans transitioning into civilian life.

It adds: "A friendly, warm, safe supportive base, it offers a beacon of hope to veterans of all ages.”

It is based on the doorstep of the biggest army garrison in Britain, at Catterick Garrison, which has more than 13,000 personnel plus civilians and dependents. The Beacon was set up specifically to help ex-servicemen and women struggling to adjust to civilian life who were at risk of being on the streets.

A Veterans' Artisan Bakery, backed by celebrity chefs Rosemary Shrager and Marco Pierre White, and initially run by the Darlington-based Clervaux Trust, was launched in 2012, but three years later it was announced it was to be overhauled after closing its commercial arm.

Councillor Helen Grant, the ward member for Richmondshire District and North Yorkshire County councils, said: “The Beacon is an organisation which I am proud to engage with as a member of The Friends of the Beacon. They do great work with some of the most vulnerable of veterans in difficult times, especially when funding is hard to come by.”

It is managed by Riverside Housing Group with veterans referred by the Single Persons’ Accommodation Centre for the Ex-Services, a national helpline. Support focuses on health and wellbeing, with help in training and employment, housing and debt management, and setting realistic goals.

The group’s website adds: "Your risks and needs will be assessed and if appropriate, you’ll be offered short term accommodation until you’re confident to move on to independent living.

The centre has 31 self-contained flats, and staff on-site round the clock. There are landscaping services and an on site bakery where residents can learn a new trade and gain qualifications, a gym and a multi-media suite.

In 2012, The Beacon was opened by former Richmond MP William Hague and assistant chief of the defence staff, Air Vice-Marshal David Murray, who said: “The vast majority of people leaving the Services each year make a successful transition to civilian life. For the small minority who struggle to successfully reintegrate into society, places like the Beacon are a lifeline offering the right mix of accommodation, training and employment opportunities to get veterans back on their feet.”