To the memory of the fallen and the future of the living
As you read this magazine you will notice that The Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal has started for 2016 and poppies are available to you to wear in return for a donation towards the funds of the Legion. This year as usual I will have distributed over 70 collecting tins to my House to House and Street Collectors, and to local shops and businesses. The Poppy Appeal started in 1921 and has continued ever since raising monies to care for our service community.
The Poppy Appeal for last year currently stands at just over £42.6 million and this provides about a third of monies the Legion raises each year. I am often asked where this money goes to, and I hope that the information which follows will give you a brief idea of how the Legion helps our service personnel and their families.
The Royal British Legion provides lifelong support for the Armed Forces community. They spend around £1.6 million every week providing information, advice and support to our beneficiaries. Whether it's families coping with the loss of a loved one, handy-van services for veterans, money and careers advice for service leavers or residential care, they are there to help.
The RBL provided £27 million to help set up the Battle Back Centre at Lilleshall, as part of its commitment to support wounded, injured and sick service personnel. Part of the Ministry of Defence aid recovery programme, it provides sport and adventurous activities for these personnel across the forces to aid their recovery. In Brighton Bravo 22 Company has been set up to provide recovery and wellbeing through the arts, including model making, sculpture and collage.
For families they give well deserved breaks (for example, bucket and spade adventure holidays for service children), breaks for the elderly and most importantly, rest and recuperation for our service personnel and their families on returning from war zones.
Service men often find it difficult to adjust to civy street when they leave the Armed Forces and the Legion are there to help them as they prepare for this new life and to kick start a new career. The Legion also provides specialist compensation advice, help with debt and emergency situations, benefit advice and support through grants and loans.
Their Handy Van service in operates in 21 counties, giving help for those small jobs around the house from changing light bulbs and providing ramps and sheds to house Legion-provided Electrically Propelled Vehicles.
There are six Legion care homes throughout the country proving short and long term care for serving and ex-servicemen and their families, including four that help with specialist dementia care. Maise House at Bexhill, one of these homes has recently received £31,000 to refurbish their communal lounge, install overhead hoists for ten bedrooms and provide a new storage area.
The list of help that the RBL has recently provided goes on: Emergency funding to assist a Gurkha settling in the UK; a set of speakers for the communal area in one of the residential homes; blinds for the life-limiting conditions care unit at another of their homes; helping someone secure a Disabled Facilities Grant to live independently; training and licencing for a veteran to become an HGV driver; a mobility scooter for an isolated beneficiary, allowing them to engage with their local community; purchase of a minibus to transport residents at one of their care homes; and home adaptations to enable an elderly couple to stay in their own home.
I could go on, but I hope this information gives you an idea of where your money goes when you donate in our collecting tins, and will enable you to wear your poppy with pride. The Henfield District last year raised £5,318.53 in the two weeks of Remembrance-tide and I hope you will be as generous again this year.
Thank you all.
Mike Morgan, Poppy Appeal Organiser for the Henfield District
