THE Royal British Legion (RBL) is still on the look-out for new committee members and Poppy Appeal volunteers in Westbury as there are concerns that if no new members are found, the Westbury branch could be forced to close.
The Westbury branch has been without a RBL committee for the last three years and it now needs two points of contact (POC) to help communicate with the local RBL membership as well as more Poppy Appeal volunteers who could spare an hour or two in the lead up to Remembrance Day in November.
The Chippenham RBL secretary Kevin Swift says that new members are needed locally to keep the Westbury branch alive. He said, “Westbury RBL, with its strong military history in the town, is likely to close if we do not have anyone to keep this strong tradition going and it would be a shame if there was no representation at events such as Remembrance Sunday.
“We need just two POCs but if we have more then we can rebuild a committee – they need to be RBL members to stand for a branch committee position. I have been informed that if we can just get two people willing to engage and communicate then we should be good in the short term but they will need support which will be provided.
“Men and women of all ages are welcome to become a member, whether they have served or not. Our members play a vital role in ensuring that the RBL can continue to provide lifelong support to the armed forces to the Westbury community, as well as upholding the importance of Remembrance.”
The RBL supports serving and ex-serving personnel of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Army, Royal Air Force, reservists, veterans, and their families through life. A RBL branch is a group of Legion members and must have a committee of at least seven members, elected and appointed.
The role of a point of contact would be to act as a go-between with the county committee, staff, membership council and board of trustees, arrange the annual general meeting, liaise with local authorities/other organisations about local Remembrance activities, and encourage members to arrange and take part in activities to promote the RBL in the local area.
As well as Poppy Appeal volunteers and POCs, Westbury is also in need of people to fill committee roles such as chair, vice-chair, treasurer, branch secretary, branch membership secretary, branch community support representative, branch recruiting officer, committee member, branch parade marshal and webmaster.
If this is of interest you can call 0800 307 7773, email membershipservices@britishlegion.org.uk. Membership is £18 a year. Email Kevin Swift at Chippenham.secretary@rbl.community if you have any questions.
