Electrical retailer helps Dudley community cafe by donating thousands of pounds' worth of equipment

The café, based within the John Willie Sams Centre in Dudley, near Cramlington, is run by Forward Assist – a charity which supports veterans across the country who are experiencing complex issues due to their experiences in the military.

The café is open daily for veterans and members of the local community to socialise, learn new skills and receive specialised therapies to help them deal with a variety of challenges, from PTSD to loneliness. Members of the local community who are living in fuel and/or food poverty can also receive a food parcel free of charge from the café, and there is a pay-it-forward scheme where customers can pay upfront for a coffee/cake for a veteran who may not have the means to buy their own.

AO.com has supported the charity by donating a brand-new fridge-freezer, under counter freezer and an air fryer to the café to replace some of their existing appliances which were more than 15 years old and falling into disrepair. The retailer also recycled the old appliances at the AO Recycling Centre in Telford.

A suite of brand new top-of-the-range laptops, desktop computers and some noise cancelling headphones were also donated to the charity so that it can continue its operations for many years to come, providing specialised virtual therapy to those who need it most.

Paula Edwards, Veterans Lead of Forward Assist, said: “We are so grateful to AO for their very generous donation. It’s not only going to make a huge difference to our café and serving our veteran and local community, but the new office equipment is also going to enable us to continue providing in-demand therapy to our existing and new service users.”

Founder and CEO of AO, John Roberts, said: “At AO, we’re all about making decisions that our mums would be proud of and there is no doubt helping Forward Assist with the vital support it provides to those who have served our country fits that perfectly.”