A NEW project to help ex-servicemen and women have been given a funding boost.

Re-Tune, based in Glasgow's East End, helps around 54 veterans a year who are struggling to cope after life in combat by teaching them to create and play guitars.

Many of those who are helped by the charity have come from service in Iraq with others serving in Belize and even, in one case, in the Falklands.

Dennistoun man David McHarg, the scheme's founder, was inspired by his uncle, a former soldier who turned to drink after leaving the field.

David said: "I spent 22 years in social work services, with a lot of working with homeless people or people with addiction issues.

"About 20% of them, mostly guys but some were females, who came through were ex-services.

"They never had priority because they didn't fit in to any remit and many had alcohol problems.

"It took me back to my uncle who left the services and he encountered all of these problems but had no help at all.

"I always had a passion for guitars and stringed instruments, and after taking up a course at Anniesland college I made friends with one of the lecturers and talked to him about my experience.

"He was genuinely interested and helped me when I said I wanted to take forward my idea to this target group of ex servicemen."

"We had run a few pilot groups and our proper launch was at the start of this year.

" We have now agreed to take people from DWP, retirees who are experiencing depression through loneliness, others from prison allocation release and SAMH.

"We have one or two people from each to integrate into the groups and it seems to be working really well at the moment.

"They're basically making a musical instrument from scratch - it hones their focus which a lot of them need."

Many of those who are helped by the charity have come from service in Iraq with others serving in Belize and even, in one case, in the Falklands.

As the project grows, David hopes to employ full-time staff and even create a Re-Tune brand of guitars made by the veterans.

Glasgow Airport's FlightPath fund have donated £2000 to the charity which will be used to buy supplies for instruments including a piece to be exhibited at the Craftex show in Glasgow's Trades House later this year.

A spokesperson for the FlightPath Fund said: "This is an incredibly innovative project which is doing a great deal of work supporting ex-service personnel across the whole city.

"The new funding from the FlightPath Fund will be used to help more former service men and women through the programme, giving them new skills and the confidence they need to go into full time employment.

"I'm sure the funding will be warmly welcomed by the volunteers and participants alike."

hannah.rodger@eveningtimes.co.uk