Chavenage hosts The Royal British Legion National Chairman
ON JUNE 16, Air Vice Marshal Ian Corbitt, RBL County President, hosted a Lunch for Legion Branch Presidents at Chavenage, this was made possible by Colonel Lowsley-Williams.
The County was fortunate to have the National Chairman, John Crisford, give the keynote speech.
The aim was to report on work being undertaken on their behalf and to provide an opportunity for questions and comments.
Lively debate provided the National Chairman with an understanding of the issues that concerned the members.
County Vice Presidents and Committee members were also in attendance.
The Keynote speech addressed the Legion’s work over the past year, and highlighted some of the dilemmas and concerns for the future.
Welfare service delivery accounts for 70 per cent of the Legion’s paid staffs work.
Last year’s income was £133.5 million, two thirds of which was in the form of donations, half coming from the Poppy Appeal.
Poppy Appeal income at the end of March stood at £42 million which represents an 18 per cent increase in comparison to last year.
This year 7,414 Immediate Needs and Crisis grants have been awarded; in the last quarter alone the value of our grants totalled £1.9 million.
A further 1,670 individuals are being supported by projects funded through our external grants programme such as the Battle Back Centre.
Members and volunteers are hugely important in getting our work done.
Our staff could not get the work done without our members and volunteers but equally our members and volunteers could not get the work done without our paid staff.
It's a partnership and together the Legion is stronger than the sum of its parts.
The National Chairman appealed to branches to send delegates to the 2016 Royal British Legion Annual Conference in Eastbourne, formulate some substantial Motions to excite the membership, and generate debate on what they want of The Legion in the years ahead.
Such attendance enables the outcome of Charter or General Motions to influence the way that the Legion does business.
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