Message Board for Devon County RBL

HELP SAVE EXETER WHITE ENSIGN CLUB

Exeter White Ensign Club is experiencing hardship in these difficult times and is appealing to all Legion members for their support. The Club has provided support and played a part when the Castle Street Branch of the RBL in Exeter experienced such difficult times not too long ago. The Club also routinely provides a venue for our Poppy Appeal collectors to meet and also provides a secure location in which to store Poppy Appeal material during remembrance tide.

The Club was formed in 1974 when retired and serving members of the Armed Forces and their colleagues got together to create a venue they could call their home from home. They worked together to rebuild the derelict church building that that has now been occupied for over 35 years. The White Ensign Association, like the Legion, takes care of serving members and their families as well as those that have left the forces through age, disability or some other reason, and of course welcomes their families into the fold.

As the Legion cannot provide financial support the Exeter White Ensign Club is looking for support from us in:

Providing new members.
Supporting the Club Saturday night events.
Supporting the 70th Anniversary of HMS EXETER special event to be held later this month.

The Club is well placed for the centre of Exeter and the shops. It makes a good base for visits to the City and, as you would expect, offers competitively priced fare. You can be assure of a warm welcome.

If you are local and feel that you can help please contact the Club Chairman, R Greetham on 01392 875639
or Mrs Marian MacPherson on 01392 431646.

VETERANS ADVISORY AND PENSIONS COMMITTEES

The Minister for Veterans is seeking to make the above voluntary public appointments throughout the UK regional areas.

SUPPORT FOR ARMED FORCES AND VETERANS

I am writing to make you aware that we have vacancies for volunteer Chairmen and members of the Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committees. These committees are a regional network set up to help veterans, serving personnel and their families access vital welfare support in their local area.

The committees ensure that the needs of Veterans and their dependants are championed at every level from central government to the local community. They assist in the implementation of the Military Covenant and work closely with local authorities, primary care trusts and service charities in the delivery of services and benefits.

We have vacancies for a Chairman for the South East of England Committee, the North West of England Committee and Eastern England Committee. There are also vacancies for members throughout the thirteen committees in the UK.

If you are interested in any of these positions or are aware of somebody who might be please read the adverts in these links:-

Appointment of Chairpersons Advert - Appointment of Members Advert

Chris Jones and the Dartmoor Adaptive Marathon

Chris Jones is an ex-soldier who was injured while training and has organised a cross country marathon around Dartmoor.

Every now and then you read a story about a person that leaves you totally humbled and makes you realise how lucky you are to be able to ride bikes... READ MORE

Not the London Marathon 2012!!!

I am an ex-soldier, injured in service and discharged in 1998. Since then I have tried to live as normal a life as I can with my medical conditions, and a lot of my success in that has been thanks to The Royal British Legion.

I decided that it was time that I repay that kindness by doing something to raise money for The Royal British Legion, and so on April 7th 2012 I will be hoping to complete a cross-country marathon on Dartmoor using my hand-cranked bike, in the hope of raising more than £1800.

This blog will chart my thoughts, feelings, progress and setbacks between now and my hopeful completion in 2012... READ MORE

My Guide – A programme to help reduce isolation and build independence for people who are blind and partially sighted

My Guide is a new programme which is promoted and supported through Guide Dogs but delivered through partnership working. The aim of the programme is to support nationally the 180,000 people with sight loss who for various reasons don't get out and about in their community. It works by having a trained volunteer to act as a short-term sighted guiding partner to help achieve specific aims. For example, this might involve going to a local club or leisure activity or using public transport. My Guide has been designed to help reduce the isolation that many blind and partially sighted people experience, helping to rebuild their confidence and to regain their independence so they are able to use other services available to them within their community. We are currently recruiting volunteers in the Mid-Devon and Torbay areas. If you think this is something you would be interested in getting involved with by volunteering you can obtain further information by visiting www.myguide.org.uk, or contact Neil Howe on: T: 01189 830130 E: neil.howe@guidedogs.org.uk

Remembrance

Remember the men that died in war,
Remember the rich, remember the poor,
Remember the poppy in Flanders Field,
Remember the men who tried to shield,
Remember the families of men,
Never to be seen again.
Remember the men who gave their lives,
Killed by guns, bombs and knives.
Remember the poppy, with petals so red,
Worn today, to remember the dead.
Rebecca Chamberlain

1 February 2012

Good Morning. As you can see from my signature, I am Bandmaster of The Yorkshire Band of The Royal British Legion band based in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. We are looking to extend our playing circuit this year and would ideally like to come down to Devon for a couple of days wo play on any bandstands in tourist areas etc to raise the profile of thr RBL. Clearly, we could possibly arrange this ourselves but have found from past experience that working with branches has a far better effect for everyone involved and of course, serves to raise those much needed funds. I wonder of any of your banches would be interested in planning something with us this summer? It would be lovely to hear your thoughts Kindest Regards Louise Louise Lingard-Snape BA (Hons) FTCL LTCL
The Yorkshire Band of The Royal British Legion. Tel: 07903 553496. www.ybrbl.com

Items for sale

JACKET. Beige anorak style with British Legion badge. Man's size 44. Good condition. £5 ONO.

JACKET. Black with British Legion badge. Man's size 46. Light weight. Good condition. £8 ONO.

ROYAL NAVY WALL PLAQUES. Wooden. Approx 5"x7" shield shape. £15 each.

Contact Christine on 01297 203 250 or 07743 499 123 for further details.

Domaine de la Hamberie

Living in Normandy for over five years I have become increasingly aware how much our area is steeped in history, especially the significance that Normandy played in the Allied victory in World War 2. In fact our own farmstead was used as a field hospital for both German and Allied forces during the war.
If anyone from your local branch was thinking of making a return visit to Normandy, or you know any friends or families who wish to find out more about the Normandy landings and the struggles that took place in the first weeks to liberate Europe, I hope you will find our five gites a useful place to consider. We offer self-catering accommodation, including accessible accommodation for people with disabilities, in the Calvados region of France.
Our farmstead has five properties so we are able to offer accommodation for groups stretching from two people to up to 50 people – we can be very flexible! For further details about the facilities that we are able to offer please do look at our website. Within just 60 minutes from our farmstead it is possible to visit a number of the Normandy landing beaches and other key battle sites, such as Pegasus Bridge, La Pointe du Hoc and Arromanches. Other sites nearby include many of the military cemeteries and a number of museums, including an excellent military museum in Caen. For just some idea of the places that can be visited using our gites as a base I hope this section of our website is useful.
Of course there are many other attractions to this area, from châteaux to beautiful gardens, including Monet's Garden at Giverny. Alternatively there is an extensive programme of horse racing in Deauville throughout the year as well as numerous golf courses. Many visitors also enjoy the markets across the whole of Normandy, as well as the great food that the area has to offer. Normandy truly has an extensive range of places to discover at any time of the year.
We are able to provide discounts for many bookings outside July and August. Please do not hesitate to contact us to find out more about the options available throughout the year ahead. We would be delighted to hear from you. You can either email enquiries to myself at this email address, or telephone Caroline McGrother (my mum), on (Rochdale) 01706 845041. www.hamberie.com. Kind regards Robin McGrother.

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