RETFORD & DISTRICT ROYAL BRITISH LEGION
MARCH 2018 NEWSLETTER
Dear Members,
I start this newsletter with the sad news that Denis Scaife has stepped down from the role of Chairman for personal reasons. Denis worked very hard for the Branch both as Chairman and Standard Bearer. He attended veterans’ funerals and always went the extra mile for them. His attendance was much appreciated by the families. He also worked hard for the Poppy Appeal and last year he and John Winterburn collected £6000 on the trains. Barbara Scaife has also stepped down; Barbara was a very busy member of the Legion, always working on stalls and at events. She was responsible for the refreshments at meetings. They will both be missed and we give them many thanks - we are always there for them if they need us.
As is the protocol on these occasions, Tony Goodall has stepped in as Chairman until the AGM and Glenn White will act as Vice Chairman, again until the AGM. Please give them your support. We have a very busy year ahead of us and we need us all working hard together during it.
February was a relatively quiet month. `We had a meeting of about the Poppy Appeal and what we need for this year, with those who run the supermarkets and Blyth Service Station. This was a very positive meeting. We need lots and lots of knitted poppies, so if you can knit/crochet or know someone who can, please let me know and I will send you a pattern. The main event of the month was the Coffee Morning at the Edinburgh Wool Mill shop in Carolgate. Our thanks go to June Espin and her team for making this a success. Here is her report.
After a very enjoyable coffee morning yesterday at the Retford branch of Edinburgh Woollen Mills I would like to inform you all we made a total of £48.51 this was achieved with the generosity of the local people of Retford.
Cath & I would like to pass on our heartfelt thanks to the staff for their help and hospitality without which the event would not have taken place so many thanks to them.
It was a fun filled wonderful morning so thank you to all who attended, we look forward to the next one!!!!
Welfare Report - Cath Richardson - We are due to visit Ranby Prison on March 16th and we need any available veterans who could come with us to chat to the lads in there. If you can help please contact myself or Ann. Ron and Elsie Farthing have moved to live with their daughter, if you would like to write to him I have his address and he would love to hear from you. Ron has been a member of Retford Branch for a long time and always loved doing the raffle. We shall miss him and Elsie and wish them well. Sadly Retford has lost another of our wonderful 2nd World War veterans. Henry Chappell flew in Lancaster bombers and on being shot down over France he was rescued by the French and continued to fight with them until he came home. Fly high again Henry and thank you.
STANDARD BEARER - Scott Harrison - On Monday 26th of February I attended the funeral of Henry Chappell (RAF) at All Hallows' Church at Ordsall. I was joined there by Standard Bearer Graham Holland from R.A.F.A. After the short church service, we had to go to the The Sherwood Pines Crematorium at Ollerton. Both parts of the funeral were very well attended by family, friends, veterans and members of the Royal British Legion (Retford and District Branch). Many thanks go to Mr Carl Jenkin for taking me to the Church and the Crematorium.
This was my first funeral since the resignation of our Ex Chairman - Denis Scaife, I felt that I was quite nervous, and believed it showed during the service at times, but with more training, and having more confidence in myself, I believe that I will 'get there' but I promise that I always give 100% to my post of Standard Bearer.
LAMBING - March will be a busy month as we have our first stall, which is at the Lambing event at Pusto Hill Farm, Everton on Sunday 11 March. If you have not been before and have grandchildren, this is the place to take them. it is very hands on. In fact it is lovely for us all. Jean and Martin are very hospitable and lovely homemade cakes and tea is served. It starts at 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. See you there.
QUIZ - for the second year we are holding our QUIZ, which this year will be at Babworth Sports & Leisure Club - 7.00 p.m. for 7.30 p.m. Teams of up to 6 people, £3.00 per person. Please come along and bring a team, or just come along and we will find a team for you to join. There is a bar this year and also there will be nibbles to keep your brains active. This is a fund raiser for us, so we need your support. Please phone Judith Goodall on 01777 707152 to confirm that you will be there.
COMMONWEALTH DAY - Monday 12 March - 9.45 a.m. - Market Square, Retford. We have been asked if we will attend this and Scott will be taking the Standard. It is a short event and the Choir from Ordsall School will be singing. Also in attendance will be the Deputy Lieutenant for Nottinghamshire, Mrs Jan Richardson, who is always at the Poppy event at the Oaks and representatives of Bassetlaw District Council. As always there will be refreshments in the Town Hall afterwards. Please come and support this event.
GREAT PILGRIMAGE - I am delighted to say that two of our members, Carl Jenkin and Scott Harrison, are representing us on the GP90 in August in France. Scott will be carrying the Standard and Carl will lay the wreath on behalf of us and Retford. We have asked the Oaks Academy to design a centre for one of our poppy wreaths. A decade after the end of WW1, veterans and war widows visited the battlefields of the Somme and Ypres before marching to the Menin Gate in Ypres on 8 August 1928. Exactly 90 years later, thousands of Legion members will recreate The 1928 Great Pilgrimage to visit the same battlefields and then, on 8 August 2018, carry their standards along the same route to the Menin Gate, to commemorate the last 100 days of WW1 and represent an entire generation that served while defending their country. It is worth going onto the Great Pilgrimage site and seeing the newsreel taken at the time, very poignant.
DOCTOR’S SURGERIES - as part of trying to get the amazing amount of help we can give Veterans and their dependants more widely known, we have written to all the local Doctors’ surgeries detailing the help we can give, enclosing leaflets and saying we are very willing to go in to talk to them about what we can do to help. It is very sad that so few people do know how much we are able to assist when needed.
BAKE A POPPY SEED CAKE - We are in the process of writing to horticultural societies asking if they would be willing to include in their show schedule this year a class for a poppy seed cake for which the Legion will give a prize. We will also be asking if we can leave a collection box beside the entires so that people have the opportunity to contribute. If you have a local society, please let me know the contact details.
STALLS - You will see on the calendar that we have the list of stalls for this year. Help please for an hour or two would be very valued. It is always a fun time and it is very important that people see that we are about and out in the community.
FISH & CHIP SUPPER - Wednesday 13th June at J&Ms in West Street, 6.00 for 6.30 p.m. £6.00 per person. This is the third year we have held this event which is always a good social occasion. We are limited to 50 places, so please phone me on 01777 818993 to book.
Well I think that is about all - the next newsletter is in April, so if you have something that I can put in it, please let me have it. I always seem to ramble on and it would be good to have other content.
Yours
Ann
