Birmingham City Foundation teams up with veterans to create mental health 'sanctuary' The Foundation is hosting weekly group meetings for people and families with a military background Birmingham City Foundation introduced weekly group sessions for veterans and military families A retired Marine spoke about the new 'sanctuary' which Birmingham City Foundation has created for with veterans. Jeff Williams, a former Royal Marine Commando Sergeant Major, founded Veterans United Against Suicide and is now volunteering at the Foundation of his boyhood club. ‌ First set up by Tony Watt at the Blues Foundation, Jeff spoke to BirminghamLive about the Foundation's weekly meetings to create a safe space for people who served in the military. Article continues below Read More: Birmingham chef 'gobsmacked' for one unlikely reason at Joe Lycett event He said: "We want it to be a place where veterans can come and meet like-minded people. "We want to help the transition from military life back into civilian life, which isn't easy. ‌ Jeff Williams is a retired Marines Sergeant Major who is hoping to build a 'military family' at Birmingham City Football Club (Image: Jeff Williams ) "We're looking at building a family place at Birmingham City where veterans can be in an environment with others who have served. "A place where we can alleviate issues surrounding mental health, talk about problems and offer advice. ‌ "I'm pleased to be involved in this and I've always wanted to do something with Blues. "It's working fantastic so far but we still need to get the message out. "This is about bringing a community together who are struggling and let them know there's a sanctuary they can go to. ‌ The group hopes to organise meetings with current Birmingham City players, but in the meantime, the foundation has included events with ex-players Paul Devlin and Gary Pendrey. As someone who served in the Falklands War, Jeff felt inspired to help others when he noticed an increase in veteran suicides. He added: "When we started Veterans United Against Suicide, we noticed we were losing people. ‌ "I served 22 years and I don't remember hearing about one suicide. "But something has fundamentally changed. "If people come to our meetings, they will open up because they trust who they are talking to. ‌ "They will meet people who have experienced similar things to them and there is a common ground. "When I talk to a veteran, I feel a connection with them after 15 minutes because I'm talking sense and there's no political agenda. "We're all military with a vast amount of experience, male and female, and it's a family environment of people who just want to do good." Article continues below The military family meetings take place every Tuesday from 10am at the Birmingham City Community Hub on Emmeline Street. For more information, including how to join the group online, you can click here.