HEREFORD veterans are to get specialist support for alcohol or drug problems.

Addaction Hereford, which provides drug and alcohol support in the area, has been awarded a £32,000 grant by The Royal British Legion to fund an outreach worker.

They will work directly with local military services to offer training in alcohol and drugs awareness, and provide help for those who need support, including families and loved ones.

Hereford service manager Alex Crawford said: “We already have more than 20 clients who are either military or ex-Forces and we believe the number of people who would benefit from our service is considerably larger.

"We understand that ex-service personnel often have to deal with both the transition from military to civilian life, and from substance misuse to abstinence or recovery."

Addaction’s Lee Flowers will lead the project. Lee was an engineer in the RAF, toured Afghanistan, and has overcome his own alcohol problem, which led him to study addiction counselling and treatment for veterans.

Addaction Hereford is already working with the Herefordshire Veterans & Families Mental Health Network.