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Newsletter of the City Centre Branch Issue 2 - December 2013

Message from the Branch President I am Edward Dawes and it is a privilege for me to accept the post of Branch President. My first act is to thank my predecessor, Brigadier Martin Smith, whose drive and vision helped to make our new branch a reality. I hope to continue that good work with you all. I am very committed to The RBL, be it the Poppy Appeal, the enormous amount of beneficial work the Legion delivers or the comradeship it supports through its high street branches. We are very lucky to have a branch that contains so many serving member of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces and their families. My principal aim is to engage with our civic and military leaders to maximise the special energy and commitment of our wonderful membership for the betterment of the Branch and those who need our help: United We Conquer! Lt Col Edward Dawes RA, CO 29 Commando RA

Message from the Branch Chairman

Dear Branch Members,

Welcome to the second edition of the Plymouth City Centre Branch newsletter. Firstly let me say how delighted and proud I am to have your vote of confidence, having been voted in as the new Branch Chairman at the AGM on Thursday 21 November 2013. I can only promise to do my utmost to continue the sterling work Fiona has delivered in getting the branch off the ground in the last two years. I would, on behalf of all branch members, like to thank Fiona for her hard work; quite simply the Branch would not be here today without her leadership and guidance. So, many thanks Fiona; we’re all delighted that you’re staying on board to continue supporting the branch through your new role as Branch Secretary. On another happy note the human dynamo that is the County’s Community Fundraiser, Carole Arnold, was voted in unanimously as our Vice-Chair; again, great news for our up and coming branch.

It has been another busy year for our branch, and the amazing support given on Poppy Saturday and throughout the Remembrance weekend is proof of this. The support from the people of Plymouth, and our Armed Forces, including the Army, , RAF and the , alongside the University of Plymouth team, has been humbling. This, coupled with the Military Wives Choir’s angelic voices in the cold November wind on Plymouth Poppy Day, was awe inspiring. The support received from Plymouth City Bus on Plymouth Poppy Day was outstanding; from uniformed tin rattlers, to exciting abseils from the Treasury roof whilst families and friends watched, gave Plymouth its first ‘Poppy Day’: a fantastic start. O u r C o m m u n i t y Fundraiser, Carole Arnold, has been relentless in her pursuit of collecting: she truly is a force of nature. We’ll take a deep breath before even mentioning next year!!!!

Ÿ The Lord Major of Plymouth - Councillor Mrs Vivien Pengelly (first off the abseil, truly leading from the front). Ÿ Brigadier Stuart Birrell DSO, Commander 3 Commando Brigade RM for kindly releasing his ranks to assist with Plymouth Poppy Day during such a busy schedule. Ÿ Plymouth City Council - for the use of Council House during the counting for Plymouth Poppy Day and the endless supplies of tea, coffee and biscuits. Ÿ Crownhill Royal British Legion - for their fantastic support and the use of their facilities and the buffet (United We Conquer guys: the next one’s on us). Ÿ WO1 (RSM) Barry Gray RM and the Mountain Leaders for their fantastic abseil stance. Ÿ The children from HMS Heroes - yes, we know it was a bit below the belt, but who can resist cute kids. Ÿ CityBus - brilliant support from day one, many many thanks. Ÿ The Treasury Cafe Bar, Catherine Street, Royal Parade, Plymouth - Steve Page and his staff. Ÿ Alan Swift - our piper from Plymouth Pipe Band. Ÿ The Plymouth Military Wives Choir. Ÿ John Martyn, our Standard Bearer, and his wife Gwyn.

Contact the Branch: Tel: 01752 779616 Email: [email protected] www.britishlegion.org.uk/branches/plymouth-city-afs Editor: Fiona Weekes Follow us on facebook.com at Plymouth-City-Centre-RBL - Follow us at twitter.com @PlymouthAFS POPPY APPEAL

Current total £39,221

Exhausting… but worth it! That’s how many of our volunteers might describe the Poppy Appeal this year: including us! 2013 has, so far, been absolutely amazing; we’ve been stunned by the level of support that the people of Plymouth have shown to the military, through the Poppy Appeal.

At the beginning of the Poppy Appeal we were aiming to just do as well as we had done in 2012; we had no idea that people would be so generous as to add £10,000 on to the total from 2012. That is down to the hard work of all our volunteers, whether they give up a couple of hours one day, or every day for the whole two weeks, we would simply not raise any money without them. Standing on a street on a cold, dark, November day is not everyone’s idea of fun, and is certainly not the most attractive prospect, but without those willing to do this for us the Royal British Legion would not be able to help those who rely on us.

We must, firstly, thank two of our volunteers in particular: John & Gwyn Martyn. John gives up all day, everyday during the Poppy Appeal, to man our stand outside Marks and Spencer; he is ably assisted by his wife Gwyn when she is not on call as a nurse. They both do a tremendous job and raised, this year alone, £15,300! Wow: congratulations to you both. W e would also like to thank our volunteers who gave up days at a time to man stands in Sainsbury’s, the City Market and W H Smiths; they all did amazingly well and helped us to reach an amazing total this year: thank you to you all.

We must also thank the shops and businesses who have been so supportive of the Poppy Appeal, whether by allowing us to place a box and tin on their premises, or by giving us space to ‘house’ a volunteer for the two weeks; again, we would not raise the amount that we do without your support: thank you. Every year we are given permission to use space in Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury’s, the City Market and W H Smiths; this gives our volunteers the chance to not only raise lots of money but also to be in a warm environment, and to have a seat occasionally! W e must, again, pay particular attention to Marks and Spencer, who, during the two weeks are so helpful to our volunteers, John and Gwyn; we have run out of superlatives to describe just how helpful the staff are in Marks and Spencer, so we will just say thank you so very much.

The Poppy Appeal has been highly successful this year; we have had more phone calls from volunteers asking for more stock than ever before (mostly from John!): most calls are for extra supplies of the, now famous, enamel Poppy pin badge. Unfortunately this year Fiona, our Poppy Appeal Organiser, actually did run out of everything, and that almost included poppies: we think some of the volunteers may have been eating them!

Poppy Man, some of our Royal Marines, Kat from HMS Heroes and John and Gwyn Martyn outside Marks and Spencer; John Martyn was taking the photograph!

All photos reproduced with permission and are copyright © 2013

LEGIONLINE 0808 802 8080 POPPY APPEAL cont…

Of course, we had assistance from the military again this year on Poppy Saturday. Royal Marines from Bickleigh and Stonehouse came into the city centre to collect for us all day, along with representatives from the Royal Navy; with our regular contingent of vehicles from the Military Vehicles Trust. The reaction from the public was, as it always is in Plymouth, fantastic.

This year we also had our inaugural Plymouth Poppy Day, where Royal Marines, again from Bickleigh and Stonehouse, along with Army from The Royal Citadel flooded the city to raise money for the Poppy Appeal: more of that later in the newsletter.

Poppy Saturday saw children from HMS Heroes, along with their parents, again helping us to collect from Drake Circus. They always do incredibly well and this year was no different with them raising over £600 in the space of an afternoon: incredible.

We’ll be continuing our fundraising efforts for the Poppy Appeal throughout the course of 2014, which is, of course, the centenary of the start of the First World War. The branch will be organising events to commemorate this and to raise money for those who are still facing hardship due to their own service or the service of a loved one: look out for more details.

Members of HMS Heroes raising money for us at Drake Circus

Our Royal Navy representatives from HMS Heroes on Poppy Saturday HMS Ocean and MDHU Derrirord LEGIONLINE: 0808 802 8080 PLYMOUTH POPPY DAY

By Fiona Weekes - Poppy Appeal Organiser for the Branch

Six o’clock in the morning is far too early to be starting anything, but that’s exactly the time I got up to make sure everything was ready for the inaugural Plymouth Poppy Day. Carole Arnold (the Community Fundraiser, who probably got up earlier than me) and I had spent the past few months organising an event that, we hoped, would raise at least £500 for the Poppy Appeal; and today was the day!

I was feeling somewhat nervous, wondering how the day would go, and if things would go according to plan, which, in my experience, they never do: that was the problem!

We also had help from the local military; 3 Commando Brigade were providing assistance in the shape of Royal Marines from Bickleigh and Stonehouse, and Army from The Royal Citadel.

Plymouth City Council had been hugely supportive of our mad idea and were giving us access to Council House for the day so that we could have a ‘headquarters’ for all the volunteers.

Carole and I got ourselves into Council House just after 0800, so that we could set up the room and make sure everything we needed was there. I had already delivered tins and boxes of poppies the evening before, so all we had to do was make sure we knew what we were doing: so simple!!

The security guards at Council House were brilliant; they arranged for Carole and I to leave our cars in the car park outside Council House, so we didn’t need to run around trying to find a parking space. So we were ready, now all we needed was our volunteers.

The military contingent started to arrive shortly after, with our then Branch Vice Chairman (now Chairman) WO1 (RSM) Steph Moran, who is also the Brigade RSM for 3 Commando Brigade, arriving to take charge of our military volunteers.

A couple of our HMS Heroes volunteers, Kat and Laurie, both of whom are also Poppy Appeal Organisers within Plymouth, started to collect at the Railway Station; they were due to come back to Council House once we figured out what we were doing with our other volunteers: Carole and I had no idea! We needn’t worry though, Steph knew what he was doing!

Plymouth Military Wives Choir Poppy Man! A very tired Kat and Laurie!

LEGIONLINE 0808 802 8080 PLYMOUTH POPPY DAY cont… At around 1030, when the streets got busy, Steph gave a briefing to the guys from Stonehouse, Bickleigh and The Royal Citadel, on what they were doing and why they were doing it, telling them that although the Legion raises almost £50 million a year through the Poppy Appeal, it spends £1.6 million a week helping its beneficiaries: current and ex-service personnel and their families. After this stirring brief everyone got cracking and flooded the city with uniforms.

From that moment on the counters were working overtime; we had volunteers coming in to Council House from around 1130, with tins crammed full of donations from the public. Apparently some of the guys got more than donations… they were also very good at collecting phone numbers! By all accounts the female population of Plymouth are quite partial to a man in uniform and were not only donating their cash but also their telephone numbers: well done guys!

One of the focal points of the day was the abseil off the Treasury cafe and restaurant. WO1 (RSM) Barry Gray and his team of Royal Marines were running this all day (no, I did not take part!!) and had plenty of willing victims (I mean participants, of course). This included the Lord Major who was first to go off the Treasury, followed by reporters from the Herald, representatives from City Bus, and our very own Kat and Laurie.

Coming down the abseil The ‘blimp’ with a specially designed banner for the Poppy Appeal

LEGIONLINE 0808 802 8080 PLYMOUTH POPPY DAY cont…

We also had singing courtesy of the Plymouth Military Wives choir who took to an open top bus, kindly provided by City Bus, to sing in the city centre. It did look, for a time, as though the blimp (a balloon - I had no idea what a ‘blimp’ was until it turned up in the city centre!) was going to take the heads off some of the choir, as they had to continually duck to avoid the rope that was keeping the blimp in place.

We also had a lone piper at the abseil, to play the participants down the wall at the Treasury: very good he was too!

At around 1600, when we had just about managed to count all the money we had raised, we decided that our volunteers had worked hard enough and we called everyone back into Council House to tell them how much their hard work had raised. In total, on the day, we managed to count just over £6,000: a far cry from the original £500 we aimed at! We own this all to the military; the Royal Marines and Army who stood on the streets, WO2 (BSM) Alex Cochrane, who arranged for the Army contingent from The Royal Citadel, and WO1 (RSM) Steph Moran, who arranged for the Royal Marine contingent from Stonehouse and Bickleigh and managed them throughout the day. Without the help of the military Plymouth Poppy Day would not have happened, it’s as simple as that.

We also owe our thanks to Plymouth City Council for saying yes to our mad idea, Plymouth City Bus for supporting us, the Plymouth Military Wives choir for entertaining us, and, of course, the people of Plymouth who never fail to support their local military.

Now, I need to sleep for a very long time before anyone starts mentioning 2014!!!

Our RN counters, hard at work

Plymouth City Centre decorated with Poppies

The Treasury, decorated for The Lord Mayor, with Royal Plymouth Poppy Day Marines and staff from the Treasury

LEGIONLINE 0808 802 8080 BRANCH SECRETARY’S COLUMN

Having just been elected as Branch Secretary I’d like to take the opportunity to thank Carole Arnold, who did sterling work in the job; she is the busiest person I know and still managed to find time to take on the role of Branch Secretary.

I would also like to thank our new Chairman, WO1 (RSM) Steph Moran, for taking on the role of Chairman and all the responsibility that entails. Our branch was started with the aim of promoting the work of the Legion so that more people would know why we do what we do, so that more people would donate to the Legion, to help us carry on doing our work; with Steph in charge of the branch I know that we are in a much better position to take our branch in the right direction.

As for me, having started as Chairman when the branch was ‘born’ I now move into being Branch Secretary, a role for which I have a lot of experience, so I intend to use my skills to help to promote the branch, and the Legion, as much as possible. I’ll be dealing with the administration of the branch as well as processing all branch application forms; so please get in touch with me if you have any questions about your membership, or about the Legion as a whole. MEMBERSHIP

This time last year we had 12 members; we now have 39!

In the last year our membership has exceed all expectations and we are gradually becoming a much bigger branch; this will in turn help us to do the fundraising that the branch was started up to do.

Membership costs £19 per year, with £14 of that going to the Legion directly and £5 going to the upkeep of the branch. You can also donate, through your membership, any amount of money that you choose.

The application form to join the branch is online at: www.britishlegion.org.uk/branches/plymouth-city-afs

Or you can contact our Branch Sectetary, Fiona Weekes on 01752 779616 or email [email protected]

Advantages of Royal British Legion membership:

Ÿ Become part of a network of people who care about the British Legion and the work we do. Ÿ Support our campaign work. Ÿ Enjoy friendship and camaraderie. Ÿ Get involved in our work. Ÿ Access special discounts.

LEGIONLINE: 0808 802 8080 A DAY IN THE LIFE…

… of John & Gwyn Martyn, Poppy Appeal Volunteers at Marks & Spencer.

I came to Plymouth in 2006, when Gwyn and I married and became involved in the Poppy Appeal. For the first two years we were selling poppies at Plymouth City Market, after the man who had been doing it told me that he was doing it alone and needed someone to help him. Having sold poppies for many years before coming to Plymouth I offered to help him. Two years later we met Fiona who had just taken on the role of PAO for the City Centre; then I started to collect in Sainsbury’s. Three years ago we gained permission to have a table for the two weeks outside Marks and Spencers in Drake Circus, which Gwyn helped with whilst I continued to man the stand in Sainsbury’s. In 2012 I took over the stall at Marks and Spencer, which I had already been helping Gwyn to run during her days off.

We’ve been amazed by the generosity and friendliness of the people of our great city, and here are a few of the stories I’ve accumulated since starting:

One man in a wheelchair came up and asked Gwyn to pass him a Poppy. When she handed it to him he handed her a rolled up note; he’s ridden off before Gwyn looked into her hand and was amazed to see £70 in rolled up notes!

A few days later a lady came up and handed me £52 having saved up for most of the year with her son; he handed over the bag of money that he’d saved up all year.

At the other end of the scale are the elderly people who come up and put their money in, asking if we’re sure it’s enough, and apologising that they can’t afford to give more.

Some of the most generous are the university student who will come and empty their pockets, giving us their change; one even making his friends do the same!

One of my favourite moments was a little girl of about 3 who came up and asked us how much the “flowers” were. I said they were whatever she wanted to give; so she held out 1p in her hand and asked if she could have one. Her mum tried to stop her saying it wasn’t enough, but I assured the little girl that it was. She walked off with her Poppy and an enormous smile on her face.

We also get some amusing moments, which I’ll share with you:

About 5 yards from the stall there was a poster offering “M&S Meal Deal: dine for £10” one day Gwyn was on her own and had a queue; a man stood patiently waiting his turn and when he reached the table he pointed to the poster and ordered “A £10 meal for two please!”

We also had a little girl come up and ask what the money was used for. As her mum had continued walking Gwyn didn’t want to say too much, so she said “it goes to help people who need it”, to which the little girl then shouted, at the top of her voice, “Mum, this money goes to people who need it: we need money, don’t we”; her poor mum didn’t know where to look.

For me some of the most amusing moments are the banter with security staff, who never miss an opportunity to have a laugh. One of them sometimes suddenly appears from nowhere and shouts “Stand up!”; they definitely help to cheer up what can be a long day.

All of this makes standing there everyday worthwhile. However, none of it would be possible without those who help behind the scenes: M&S, who allow us to have a stand in front of their store and allow us to store everything overnight; our PAOs who keep me supplied with things to sell such as poppy lapel pins (we could have done with more of those though!!); my wife, Gwyn, who comes in to help me almost everyday including when she is on call. Of course, the biggest thank you must go to the people of Plymouth for their wonderful generosity. So, to sum it all up: it’s what a nurse A Standard Bearer do in November!

LEGIONLINE: 0808 802 8080 WELFARE

Since mid October all calls to the Legion, from general enquiries to requests for welfare assistance, have gone through to a new Contact Centre based in Wales, where the call handlers have been able to not only answer general enquiries, but have also been able to take the details of people requiring more indepth assistance so that their details can be passed to the relevant area within the RBL.

This system will work alongside the new pop-in centres, three of which are opening in the Devon/Cornwall area: Plymouth, Exeter and Truro. The pop-in centres in Plymouth is set to open in early 2014 and will offer locals the opportunity to pop-in and personally speak to someone from the Legion.

The Legion website has also undergone an over-haul, with an online knowledge base available 24/7 for anyone, with internet access, so that they can find out information about Legion services.

The aim of all these changes to the way that the Legion delivers its services to its benefactors is make the Legion more accessible so that those who need the services of the Legion can get access to those services easier, by making them available online, over the phone, and on their local high street.

Who can access Legion services?

Anyone who has served for at least 7 days and their dependants, anyone who is currently serving and their dependants, or those with the care of anyone who has, or is, serving in the Armed Forces.

How can the Legion help?

• The Legion can help with compensation and war pensions claims, for example if you have been injured as a result of your service the Legion can assist you with your claim for compensation.

• The Legion can help if you are just about to leave the Armed Forces, or have recently left and are returning to civilian life; you can get advice on getting a job or with starting you own business.

• The Legion can help those who have been bereaved, either through assisting families through the inquest process, giving legal advice or simply providing emotional support.

• The Legion can help you to manage your debts; if you are struggling to make ends meet, pay rent, or purchase items for your home, the Legion can assist financially with essential repairs and purchases.

• The Legion has a dedicated handyman and can assist with tasks around the house.

• The Legion has four Break Centres, located around the country, where families who have been bereaved, or are recovering from illness or other life changing event can go to get away for a short break.

LEGIONLINE: 0808 802 8080 WELFARE cont…

• Through the Personal Recovery Centres, which the Legion part funds, we can assist injured personnel in their recovery; we can also give information and advice regarding making benefits claims and helping you to take a holiday.

New Contact System

The Legions new contact system for welfare has five stages, beginning with a benefactor getting in touch with the Legion via our Contact Centre, Pop-in Centres or through the website:

Stage 1 - Advice & Information Signposting. You contact the Contact Centre on 08457 725 725 and speak to one of the Legions operators. From 16th December the new Legion Line Number is 0808 802 8080. This number is free from land lines and most major mobile networks. The current Legion line Number starting 08457 will continue to stay operative for the forseeable future until people get used to the new number. If your query is simple, such as “where is my nearest RBL branch?” then the operator will give you an answer straight away; if your query is more complicated and the operator can’t give you an answer straight away your enquiry will be directed to an area within the RBL that can help; if you are identified as having a welfare need then your query will be passed to RBL Welfare in the applicable area of the country. Advice & Information Officers will record your query on our system so that the details of your enquiry can be accessed across the Legion. Queries that can be dealt with straight away, such as filling in a holiday application, then this can be done straight away.

Stage 2 - Basic Needs Assessment & Welfare Triage. If the contact centre has not been able to provide you with an answer to your query then you will be asked questions in order to establish what your need(s) are. If your query is a simple one, within our remit, and with one clear need, e.g. assistance with a war pension or poppy calls, then you will be directed to the appropriate area within the Legion. If you have multiple needs that can’t be met by one area of the Legion then your query will be directed to Advice & Information Team Leaders (Susanne Archard) who will assign either a Case Officer or Case Worker to you.

Stage 3 - Intervention & Service Delivery. If your need is determined to be more complex then you will be directed to Intervention & Service Delivery. At this point a Case Worker will be assigned to your case and will carry out a full needs assessment, focusing on the 7 areas of need, by visiting you at an agreed location. The Case Worker will ask to see any relevant documentation that proves you are one of our beneficiaries and, after speaking with you about your need, will make recommendations as to how the Legion can help (this will include any grants up to £250 the Legion can make). These recommendations will form the action plan that is agreed between you and your Case Worker which will include identification of both internal and external providers that can assist you with your need. The Case Worker will then, if necessary, see your case through to completion of the Action Plan and update our system as necessary. If your case is more complex or the grant is more than £250 then a Case Officer will deal with your case.

Stage 4 - Specialists Support Delivery - for example if your query is related to War Pensions, then you will progress to stage 4 for assistance.

Stage 5 - Advice & Information Team Leaders and Area Managers.

The Legion will have both employees and volunteers working within the new system; everyone involved, whether volunteer or employee, will be able to deal with general enquiries and requests for assistance and welfare help. With the introduction of this new system a number of new voluntary roles are being created; details of which are on the next page. When you call the Contact Centre number you will not have to make further selections, as you do with some other call centres, instead you will be told what number you are in the queue; you can, if you prefer not to wait in the queue, press ‘5’ and await a call back. Of course you can still contact the branch and we, with your express permission, can speak to the contact centre on your behalf; they would then make contact with you. You can contact the branch secretary on 01752 779616. Please note that the branch must adhere to all current regulations. LEGIONLINE: 0808 802 8080 WELFARE cont… In addition to existing voluntary roles, such as caseworkers and visitors, the Legion will now have other ways in which people can support our work. If you are interested in getting involved in any of these new areas then please contact the branch.

CASEWORKER • Make contact with and arrange to visit beneficiaries as requested by the Area team. • Draw up a profile of the beneficiary’s circumstances and needs, filling in this record online. • Where possible establish their eligibility for support by examining evidence of their Service record. • Report back to the appropriate Case Officer with recommendations or refer to a regional specialist as appropriate. • Carry out follow up case management tasks as agreed with the supervising welfare staff member. • Develop and maintain a working knowledge of the Legion, its mission, objectives and the services that it provides, along with a basic understanding of the statutory benefits framework.

INFORMATION VOLUNTEER • Welcome visitors to the Legion premises or event and support the Area team in staffing the Area office front desk or outreach location, greeting, answering queries from beneficiaries and members of the public. • Signpost beneficiaries to a range of support options, drawing on the online information platform and published leaflets. This will include information not only on the Legion’s own services but on those of other welfare organisations and statutory services. • Support beneficiaries to utilise the Legion’s digital platform as a source of information and support, encouraging them to register online and develop and understanding of the self-support facilities available via this platform. • Undertake one to one meetings with beneficiaries as required, supporting them to ensure that a full record of their circumstances and needs is completed. Where appropriate, work with individual beneficiaries to support them to identify, plan and follow up actions that they will take and, where necessary, make recommendations for future Legion support. • Develop and maintain a working knowledge of the Legion, its mission, objectives and the services that it provides along with a basic understanding of the statutory benefits framework.

VISITOR VOLUNTEER • Make contact with and arrange to visit beneficiaries as requested by the Area team or local Branch. • Carry out visits to provide companionship to those isolated, unwell or in need of friendly support. • Work with other members of the Area team to research and identify activities and opportunities which may be suitable and of interest to particular beneficiaries. • Refer further domestic needs to the Area team and report back regularly on number and frequency of visits. • Develop and maintain a working knowledge of the Legion, its mission, objectives and operations and the services it provides.

ADMINISTRATION VOLUNTEER • Support the effective operation of the office or department by answering the telephone and assisting with general administrative duties. • Support the effective operation of Legion systems and databases through inputting data and maintaining filing and other office systems. • Support the planning and organising of events through booking locations and facilities and liasing with attendees. • Develop and maintain a working knowledge of the Legion, its mission, objectives and the services that it provides.

OTHER POPPY APPEAL VOLUNTARY ROLES ARE AVAILABLE AND MORE INFORMATION ON THESE WILL BE PUBLISHED IN THE NEXT NEWSLETTER.

LEGIONLINE: 0808 802 8080 WELFARE cont…

COMMUNITY SUPPORT VOLUNTEER • Make contact with and arrange to visit beneficiaries as requested by the Area team or local Branch. • Carry out visits to provide companionship to those isolated, unwell or in need of friendly support. • Work with other members of the Area team to research and identify activities and opportunities which may be suitable and of interest to particular beneficiaries. • Refer further domestic needs to the Area team and report back regularly on number and frequency of visits. • Offer practical support with day to day activities such as shopping or gardening. • Support identified beneficiaries to access community facilities such as libraries, clubs sports and recreation facilities through driving them/accompanying them on visits. • Develop and maintain working knowledge of the Legion, its mission, objectives and operations and the services that it provides.

OTHER NEWS

Amphibious Assault Memorial

The RMA Chairman of the Falkland Islands, CSgt Curly Elstow RM Rtd, assisted 1 AGRM in excavating, moving and exporting 5 tonnes of San Carols rock back to the UK, in order to build the first memorial dedicated to all Amphibious Operations. It is not dedicated to a single operation of war, but to all the lives sacrificed during these types of combined operations. The memorial’s backdrop is the River Tamar, and both capital ships HMS Bulwark and HMS Albion very aptly placed!

It was dedicated by the Groups Commando Trained Padre, Fr Bill Gates, during 1 AGRM’s inaugural Remembrance Parade at Royal Marine Tamar, led by Colonel Garth Manger RM. It poured with rain before the parade, but as soon as the combined RN/RM Squadrons marched on the sun was out and as soon as we concluded the heavens opened again! So, it’s not just Landing Craftsmen who know how to get us wet!!

The Memorial reads:

In memory of the many lives sacrificed during Amphibious Operations. It was dedicated on Sunday 10th November 2013 at RM Tamar. The stone originated from San Carols Bay (Falkland Islands).

‘Per Mare Per Terram’.

LEGIONLINE: 0808 802 8080