Beneficiaries and Disbursements

Transcription

1 The Legacy The Newsletter of the Shaftesbury & District Branch Royal British Legion The Legacy The Newsletter of the Shaftesbury & District Branch Royal British Legion Edition 1/2017 April 2017 Your 2017 Committee President Commodore R AY Bridges (also RBL Dorset County President) Vice-PresidentBrigadier A Hughes Chairman/Welfare Lieutenant Colonel Robin Miller Vice-Chairman Sue Minshaw Hon Treasurer Don Curry Hon Secretary Barry Brown Minute Secretary Barry Brown Poppy Appeal Organiser (PAO) Barry Brown Assistant PAO Janet Brown Membership Secretary (MS) Elf Jones Assistant MS Lisa Jones PR/Publicity Pam Curry Hall Bookings OfficerMichael Hill Standard Bearer Patrick Sharpe Deputy Standard Bearer Don Curry Parade Marshal Don Curry Hall Maintenance Manager Peter Burr Webmaster Joe Guppy Committee Members E N Bowman, Ms C DiMarino, Ms J Loader, Mrs B Skull, William Sherriff Branch Chaplain Reverend Helen Dawes Assistant Branch Chaplain Edred Bowman 2016 Christmas Raffle The raffle made a record 532 for the Poppy Appeal. Thanks to all the prize contributors, and especially Virginia Hayward Ltd for donating the star prize. The support from members, volunteers, businesses and the public was outstanding. Christmas 2016 Honey Sales Honeycomb and honey jar sales made for the Poppy Appeal. Our supplier in West Moors (Robin Oliver) kindly let us have the stock at wholesale prices and we sold them at retail prices. He has 100 hives and his bees cover a wide area with different crops, including heather and/or wild flowers. Farmers encourage him to keep his hives adjacent to their crops to encourage pollination. This year he was kind enough to provide us with extra stock, for which he did not charge. Welfare - Regional Manager s Report (Hampshire, Dorset and Isle of Wight) The Area Office, and Pop-In and Outreach centres have continued to act as focal points for the Armed

2 Forces Community, and face-to-face contacts by the Welfare Team increased from just over 2,000 in 2015 to nearly 4,000 in A team from Combat Stress moved in to the Southampton office and now gives us a vital direct link to enable us to support those with mental health problems. The Area Team is undertaking specialist training to enable it better to deal with the increasing number of beneficiaries with such conditions. Eight new welfare caseworkers and four new Information Volunteers have been recruited and trained, taking our volunteer workforce up to thirty five in the region. Our links with Local Authorities have been strengthened and we are represented on all 3 Civil/Military Partnership Boards within the area. Our working relationships with the military bases have been strengthened across the area, and our activities have been increased by holding regular outreach surgeries, supporting Unit Welfare Officers and attending deployment briefings. Finally our External Grants programme has been developed with the support of the team in Haig House and has awarded over 175,000 to various organisations which provide support to the Armed Forces Community. Those organisations within Dorset that have benefited include Alabare, a charity which provides supported housing; Active Plus which provides employment support for wounded, injured and sick (WIS) personnel; Relate which provides family counselling services; and the Weymouth Community Transport Scheme for elderly ex-service personnel and family members/carers in Weymouth area. Beneficiaries and Disbursements In an astonishing year in Operations more than 100,000 enquiries were answered by our Contact Centre, over 17,000 of which were transferred to our Area Teams; almost 12,000 beneficiaries have taken Poppy Breaks; 457 serving men and women were supported by our adaptive sports programmes at the Battleback Centre; 300 family members were supported at the Invictus Games in Orlando, Florida; 6,450 home and hospital visits were carried out by our members across the country; and nearly 35,000 beneficiaries have been supported through our external grants programme. The RBL was awarded the MOD Veterans Gateway contract by prevailing over the competition with a consortium bid, developing a unique collaborative service that will make our and many other partner organisations services much quicker, easier and more accessible for the Armed Forces community. During 2015/16, the Dorset and Hampshire area team was assigned to over 1,200 incidents from the Contact Centre. These contacts resulted in 814 grants being awarded across the area, with a value of almost 450,000. In Dorset 255 grants were awarded with a value of just over 130,000. As in previous years, our major expenditure was on housing and mobility, a trend that is reflected across the country. If you are a serving or ex-serviceman or Servicewoman or eligible dependant who needs help of any kind, or you know of someone else who does, please ring the Chairman on (01747) Do leave a contact telephone number if he is not in. The Branch arranges hospital and/or home visits for those needing them. Poppy Appeal Last year s total Poppy Appeal was 22,136. For this year so far, and with more time until 30 September before the total closes, we have forwarded 19,646, not including Gift Aid, towards the Poppy Appeal. We are grateful to the following shops for their Remembrance window displays last November: Blackfoot at 21 High Street; The Dorset Store at 43 High Street; Fork and Flowers 37 High Street; Jeans Sweetshop at 1 The Commons; Natwest Bank at The Commons; Oxfam at 19 High Street; Paws and Claws at 2 Bell Street; Santander at 53 High Street; Shirley Allum at 30 High Street; Thorntons at 46 High Street; Toy Box at High Street. Membership The branch is always looking to recruit more members. Serving or retired Servicemen and women, and their dependants are eligible to join, as is anyone (even those with no Service connections) who subscribes to the aims and objectives of the Legion. Anyone wishing to join should contact Elf Jones the Membership Secretary on (01747) We have 131 members, and every existing member is asked to support the permanent recruitment drive.

3 For the 34% of our membership paying subscriptions by cash (rather than by Direct Debit) there are three methods to pay:- By cheque in the post, sending it to the address nominated in your reminder letter: RBL Membership Applications and Payments, PO Box 1402, 9 The Lakes, Northampton NN1 9EX By credit card or debit card by ringing and ask for membership payments. You need to quote your membership, number. Paying cash at any one of the four Pay Points in the town, taking the reminder letter (containing your individual bar code):- The Shaftesbury Tourist Information Centre at 8 Bell Street; Co-Op Supermarket, Beaufoy Close; Central Stores Ivy Cross (behind the Service Station); Ivy Cross Service Station. New members may join: Online at <britishlegion.org.uk/membership>, By telephone and credit or debit card on , Or with a paper application provided by the branch. By far the simplest way to pay is by Direct Debit, and the membership department will send you a DD form to fill in if you request it by telephone on the 0808 number above. In the event of further problems, members should ring the Branch Membership Secretary on for advice or assistance. Morning Coffee Every Thursday The Branch has a regular coffee morning in the Coppice Street Legion Hall every Thursday morning from 1000 to 1130 except Christmas Day or New Year s Day. Anyone, including non-members, is welcome to attend for some warm company and refreshment. Current events are publicised at the meetings. We have special presentation events, followed by a free lunch five times a season, which runs from September to March (that is, excluding summer holidays) see the presentation programme in the Diary Dates below. Gold Hill Fair As in past years, the Branch has booked a stall at the one-day Gold Hill Fair on Sunday 2 July All members and friends are encouraged to come along and support us, so do put the event in your diaries. This year we are in our new 15ft by 10ft gazebo, and there will be an armoured Ferret Scout Car alongside us. Legion Hall Bookings The Legion Hall was designed to hold 60 seated and 70 standing, and has full disabled access. Our present rate of donation remains 25 per session (a session is a morning, afternoon or evening). Its monthly rate of occupancy in November 2016 reached a record peak of 62.2%, a testament to the sterling efforts of Michael Hill, our Hall Bookings Officer. For all booking enquiries please contact Michael Hill on The Legion Hall Over the last three years the Legion Hall has been systematically refurbished. This has included a programme of repainting, repair and replacement for most if not all parts of the building, inside and out. It has also meant the installation of a solar panel system. We received the Legion HQ Trustees approval on 8 February 2017 for the first tranche of funding to pay for a 16-year upgrading programme. This includes four major works this year, followed by a complete toilet refurbishment in 2018,

4 and finally with a regular maintenance schedule thereafter. The four immediate works this year include: The repositioning of the car park entrance to be central in the fence; The installation of a public address system in the main hall; The replacement of all double-glazed windows throughout the building; The installation of a completely new kitchen and appliances. As the kitchen and windows replacements cannot be achieved without major disruption for our Users, we have therefore decided to close the Hall for a one week period from Monday to Sunday 7th to 13th August 2017 so that these works can be carried out efficiently. It will mean inconvenience for our patrons, but will be worth it in the long term. ANZAC Day Allied casualties in this First World War campaign included 21,255 from the United Kingdom, an estimated 10,000 dead from France, 8,709 from Australia, 2,721 from New Zealand, and 1,358 from British India. This year the Shaftesbury and District Branch of the Royal British Legion has again arranged a brief and informal ceremony at 11 a.m. to commemorate the 102nd anniversary of ANZAC Day on Tuesday 25 April at the Town Memorial on Park Walk, Shaftesbury. Shaftesbury Town Councillors, the Town Clerk and Town Hall Staff have been invited. There will be no parade or church service as at Remembrance, but anyone who wishes to attend, including members of local organisations and the public are invited to assemble at the Town Memorial on Park Walk at a.m. for the short service by the Assistant Branch Chaplain, Edred Bowman, followed by a simple wreath-laying by the Shaftesbury and District Branch of the Royal British Legion. Medals and decorations may be worn. The Branch Website The Branch website is well populated with information, frequently updated event forecasts and photos. If you type Shaftesbury Legion on your web browser (e.g. Google) you will gain entry to the Branch section of the national website. Many thanks to Joe Guppy for continuing to act as our Webmaster. Youth Affiliations Shaftesbury Town Silver Band recently signed an Affiliation Certificate to join the Shaftesbury Detachment ACF, 1st Shaftesbury Scouts, and Shaftesbury Guides, which are already part of the successful branch Affiliation Group. The Band was established in 1869 originally as a Penny Whistle Band, and today participates in carnivals, fetes and festivals, Gold Hill Fair and the Remembrance parade annually. The group holds a seminar each year in October to exchange ideas and experiences, and provides mutual support throughout the year. First World War Battlefield Tour The 3rd Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) - a chance to be in Ypres during the 100th anniversary commemoration, August For the soldiers who fought there it was known as the Battle of Mud. The attack at Passchendaele was Sir Douglas Haig s attempt to break through Flanders. His main aim was a breakthrough to the coast of Belgium so that German submarine pens could be destroyed. Admiral Jellicoe had already advised both Haig and the British government that the loss of shipping could not be sustained, and that Britain would face severe shortages in 1918 if such losses continued. Haig s plan, to sweep through Flanders to the coast, did not receive support from David Lloyd George, but as the Allies had no other credible plan he gave his agreement for Haig to carry it out. Haig also had another reason for going ahead with this plan - he believed, incorrectly as it turned out, that the morale of the German army was very low, especially after the success of the Allies at the Battle of Messines. Contact: Peter Gasgoyne- Lockwood on (01747) , or oldcount@aol.com to attend the battlefield tour. See his website at St Peter s Church Sunday Access When there is a street market which closes the High Street on a Sunday (usually the fourth in the month), there will be a wheelchair facility available, either at the Legion tent taking part (outside Hambledon Estate Agents) or outside the Grosvenor Hotel. Members who have difficulty walking long distances should avail

5 themselves of the facility. Stella Renel can vouch for the speed of transit, as she overtook a slow moving car in February! Diary Dates (watch notice boards, the Branch Website and local Press for details) Tuesday 25 April nd Anniversary of Gallipoli ANZAC Day. Short service on Park Walk Memorial at Branch Standard. Assistant Branch Chaplain Edred Bowman officiating. Wednesday 10 May VE Day Celebration Party 6-9 p.m. American Supper. Please book in on (01747) Saturday 24 June Armed Forces Day. Thursday 29 June 2017 Armed Forces Day BBQ at Gears Mill in lieu of coffee morning Sunday 2 July Branch and RAFA stands at Gold Hill Fair Sunday 2 July p.m. Branch Standard at Fovant Badges Ceremony. Mon-Sun 7-13 August Hall closed for refurbishment (new kitchen and windows). Wednesday 15 August VJ Day (no party, VE/VJ Days on alternate years). 31 August - 4 September London to Paris Cycle Ride (Elf Jones our Membership Secretary participating). Sunday 10 September Battle of Britain Service/Parade, 3 p.m. Bell St Church. Thursday 21 September Presentation on Georgia and the Caucasus by Alastair Watson, followed by fish and chips. Starts sharp after coffee. Thursday 19 October Presentation on A Brief History of the Victoria Cross by Barry Brown, followed by Quiche and coleslaw lunch. Starts sharp after coffee.