LegionLive

Great bit of news today! The first injured personnel are preparing to stay in Tedworth House, the newest of the Army’s Personnel Recovery and Assessment Centres! Tedworth House is just one centre in the network of five Personnel Recovery Centres that form part of the Army Recovery Capability, a Tri-Service MoD venture supported by The Royal British Legion.

Key facilities include temporary residential accommodation, classrooms, catering facilities and a gymnasium, which allow up to 26 recovering Armed Forces personnel to move in during July.  These centres will deliver co-ordinated support to recovering personnel from across the Armed Forces.

Renovation work at Tedworth House is due to be completed in Spring next year and, when fully open, the centre will be able to provide comprehensive support and residential accommodation for up to 50 wounded, injured and sick personnel from all three Services in the south of England.

The Legion’s Board of Trustees has committed £3.5 million over ten years towards the operating costs of the Centre and will also provide welfare support and advice to residents. Chris Simpkins, Director General of The Royal British Legion, said ‘We support the men and women who have given so much for our country – whether they return to duty or move into civilian life. That is what the Legion has been doing for 90 years.’

The Royal British Legion has committed £50millon overall to support the Army Recovery Capability programme, the largest single donation in its history. The funding will be used to establish and run the Defence Adaptive Sport and Adventurous Training Centre, to be known as The Royal British Legion Battle Back Centre. The remainder will fund the operating costs of the Personnel Recovery Centres in Edinburgh and Colchester, the other Personnel Recovery and Assessment Centre which will be in Catterick and contribute to the operating costs of Tedworth House. The Legion will also fund a Personnel Recovery Facility in Germany in its totality at an additional cost of £500,000.

Private Josh Campbell, who is 21 and from the 23 Pioneer Regiment Royal Logistic Corps, was injured in Afghanistan when the vehicle he was travelling in struck an Improvised Explosive Device. He said ‘The support I get from the Personnel Recovery Unit has been fantastic.’

I love a good party, and guess what? The Ramsbury Royal British Legion Club is organising a ‘Party on the Hill’ at Liddington Warren Farm (which some of you might know better as the site for the Sugarhill festival), near Swindon.

Things kick off on Saturday 23 July 2011, and attendees will be able to enjoy performances by The Wurzels, The Nashville Teens, the Apple Bee Theatre Company and the Wilton Royal British Legion Band. There’s also a Spitfire aerial display to watch and fairground rides for the thrill-seekers among you.

And if you missed out on this year’s Glastonbury festival, the Party on the Hill offers a fun alternative, providing space for camping and a hog roast for hungry revelers.

Sound right up your street? To get hold of tickets, just call: 01793 524 481.

See you there!

London is really starting to heat up, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who doesn’t relish Tube journeys in these temperatures! So, what better way to get around than put one foot in front of the other and walk!

This year’s Poppywalk is taking place on Sunday 18th July, and has been carefully plotted to include plenty of places of interest that can only be discovered while walking the route. You can enter on your own, as a family or part of a team, and there will be prizes (now there’s an incentive!) to win in each entry category.

Support The Royal British Legion, have a fun day out and get some exercise! It’s a winner all round!

What a weekend! Hundreds of thousands of people all over the country have done us proud by showing their appreciation for the Armed Forces last weekend.

On Saturday, around 100,000 people turned out in Edinburgh, this year’s host city, to watch a parade of over 2,000 military personnel, past and present, marching down the Royal Mile. The salute was taken by HRH Prince Charles, and was rounded off by a Red Arrows flypast. You can check out the video here.

Elsewhere around the country, Royal British Legion branches held parades and fetes to celebrate. There was a great event at Beamish Open Air Museum in County Durham where over 150 cadets, veterans and First World War re- took part in a parade along Beamish’s Edwardian Town taking onlookers back to the Legion’s early days. Check out the pic above!

Meanwhile, the Legion’s National President Lt General Sir John Kiszely attended a VIP Reception on board HMS Portland in Edinburgh.

And it’s good news for the Plymouth crowd as it was announced that that the city would host the flagship national event in 2012. Well done guys, fantastic stuff!

Between the 5th and 12th July, 15 volunteers will face dizzying heights as they hike across the Pyrenees in Spain. They will be pushing themselves to cover 50 miles in over four days and will reach heights of 2600m, all whilst battling with extreme temperatures and heavy backpacks.

The volunteers will be following the escape route taken by the British and Allied forces during WWII, a route that is notoriously treacherous. Have they lost their minds, I hear you ask? Of course not. They are testing their strength, stamina and survival skills in taking on this tough challenge to raise money for The Royal British Legion.

If you’d like to support the team and make a donation, please visit their Virgin Money Giving page. Or for more information, contact Fiona Lyons on 020 3207 2268 or by email at flyons@britishlegion.org.uk.

Eight Royal British Legion volunteers met HM The Queen during her royal visit to Northumberland this week.

The Queen, who is Patron of The Royal British Legion, accompanied by Prince Phillip, The Duke of Edinburgh, shook hands and chatted with eight Legion volunteers at a garden party in Alnwick held to celebrate the role of the county’s carers and community volunteers.

Former WREN and Warkworth and Amble branch secretary June Watson was among the first people to meet The Queen. She said meeting The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh had been ‘absolutely wonderful’.

“My husband Jeff and I were the first couple they met,” she said. “They both shook my hand and Prince Phillip asked me how many members were in our branch. I am so grateful The Royal British Legion gave me this opportunity and I’m delighted that everyone was rewarded for their voluntary efforts this way.”

Northumbria County Committee member Keith Laws said The Queen had shown interest in his role as a volunteer.

“We were standing just inside the gates of Alnwick Castle when the car carrying The Queen and Prince Phillip pulled up. The Queen was very interested in our role as volunteers and asked us what we did for the Legion. It was a memorable occasion and a day I will never forget.”

The eight representatives from the Legion were the first party to be introduced to The Queen by The Vice Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland and Royal British Legion Northumbria President, Captain Ian Moffatt.

Around 8,000 guests attended the event which was hosted by The Duchess of Northumberland, Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland in her family home Alnwick Castle and afterwards in The Alnwick Garden, adjacent to the Castle. The Duchess was accompanied by footballer Alan Shearer, Deputy Lord Lieutenant.

Service men and women across the country were recognised as heroes yesterday as they took part in Uniform to Work Day. The day is designed to encourage public affirmation, recognition and understanding of the remarkable work that Reservists undertake as volunteers.

Uniform to Work Day is part of a week-long series of events culminating in Armed Forces Day on Saturday 25^th June. The staff said they felt very proud wearing their uniforms, despite some strange looks on the way into work!

Wear your stripes with pride that’s what we say! Good on our boys and girls for their exceptional volunteer work.

Some great news out of Oxfordshire this week! They are the first of only two areas in the UK to introduce the new Armed Forces Community Covenant which safeguards the welfare of soldiers and their families.

Linda Flecknell, Oxfordshire County Manager for The Royal British Legion said it is a huge step in the right direction for our very special Armed Forces family.

“This new community covenant will mean so much to our soldiers and their families. The Legion has worked tirelessly on the Honour the Covenant campaign and we are very pleased with this incredible outcome for Oxfordshire.”

The covenant was recently introduced as part of a Covenant support package when Prime Minister David Cameron agreed with The Royal British Legion to enshrine the principles of the Covenant in law.

Local authorities, businesses and individuals in Oxfordshire will offer their services and work together to help servicemen and their families.

The covenant encompasses many new initiatives including a Veteran’s Card, offering discounts and other privileges and an increase in council tax relief.

Hampshire is the only other county launching the scheme ahead of the national Armed Forces Day on Saturday.

As I’m sure you’re all aware, The Royal British Legion is 90 this year, and what better way to celebrate than to have two musical greats perform for your enjoyment! Who, I hear you ask? Could it be none other than Dame Shirley Bassey and Sir Tom Jones?

Well, sort of.  Performing will be Paula Randell and Billy Lee, two of the UK’s leading tribute acts. Billy Lee made his television debut on ‘Stars in Their Eyes,’ boasting not only an incredible singing voice but an uncanny resemblance to the Welsh singer. Paula Randell has gained a reputation with her incredible range and vocal talent along with outfits that are the exact replicas of those worn by the Girl from Tiger Bay. Both are so impressive that I’m sure you won’t be able to tell the difference!

The Legends concert will be held at the Hall for Cornwall on Wednesday 29th June at 7.00pm.

Tickets are £20.00 (plus £1 Theatre Fund) and you can call 01872 262466 or go here to book. All proceeds go to The Royal British Legion, so there’s really no excuse to go along  and enjoy a bit of glitz, glamour and grandeur while celebrating the Legion’s epic milestone.

Morning everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your weekends.

I thought I’d let you know that there is still time to get your tickets for the Inter Services Twenty20 (IST20) Cricket match held at Lord’s‬‪ Cricket Ground on Tuesday 28th June in support of charities including The Royal British Legion.

With England’s recent success in the Ashes, the Inter Services Twenty Twenty cricket promises to attract a bigger crowd than ever this year.

There will be the opportunity to see some top class cricket for affordable prices plus plans for activities around coaching for schools, celebrity appearances and a great chance for people from across the Services and charity community to meet.‬‪ ‬‪

Royal British Legion volunteers will be at the ground collecting money, and as it is our 90th anniversary year we hope to raise as much money as possible!

Tickets are now available from the website.