Royal British Legion, Sedbergh & District Branch
Minutes for the monthly meeting held in the White Hart Club
On Tuesday 14th July 2026
Those Present:
David Parratt, Tony Reed Screen, Rupert Follett, John Pease and Rose Pease, Stephen Moore, Peter Seymour
Apologies:
Martin Gray, Myles Ripley, Keith Birbeck
Minutes of the last meeting:
The minutes of the meeting held on 12th May, having been circulated by email, were approved as a true record.
Matters Arising:
· Membership / Recruitment - Adult membership remains at 56. RF will encourage other members of Sedbergh School CCF staff to join.
· Training – DP emphasised the opportunity to register on “DISCOVER”, the RBL Learning Management system which is available to all members where they can self-enrol on various courses online. An email will be sent out to members with guidelines on how to register. DP has recently completed the online Branch Management Course on 9th & 10th June. This was a useful refresher since the last course completed by the committee in November 2022. The next online course is on 6th September. Details to be confirmed.
Treasure’s Report:
· Martin reported that the Branch balance as of 2nd July was £1333.55 which included £212.70 raised at the recent coffee morning. Expenditure included a new Counting Machine at £249.99, leaving a balance of £1083.56.
· Branch Accounts need to be submitted to the County MEO by 30th September. Accounts will be presented for approval by the Committee at the 8th September meeting and adopted at the AGM in November.
Branch Community Support:
It has been confirmed sadly that the Sedbergh veteran that the Branch are supporting, has lost the sight in his left eye following a cataract operation and subsequent infection. However, he has been allowed to drive as his remaining eye meets the necessary legal vision standards.
Social Events:
· A Coffee Morning was held on 10th June for Branch Funds which raised £211.70. Many thanks to all those who helped including baking contributions and donations for raffle prizes. Thank you also to Sandra Longlands for running the raffle.
· The next Coffee Morning will be held on 5th August to raise funds for the Rawthey Project.
· Morecambe Bay Walk – Beth Woodhouse, the contact link with the Rawthey Project, has provided limited ticket availability for the Branch to participate in the Morecambe Bay Walk on Saturday 8th August. A percentage of the ticket price, 25 per cent will go to the Rawthey Project and veterans in need. On this occasion, RP, JP & DP will join the walk but there will be further opportunities later on in the year for other members to take part. The walk will be from Arnside to Grange, led by Michael Wilson, the official King’s Guide to the Sands.
Poppy Appeal:
· The Poppy Appeal National Launch date is Thursday 22nd October.
· The order for items has been submitted and delivery is expected on 16th July.
· Additional Items have also been ordered for Sedbergh School for their annual pilgrimage trip to Normandy in September. DP will liaise with Reverend Paul Streeting on delivery.
· DP will liaise with SM with regard to the arrangements for Killington this year.
· A new coin counting machine has been ordered. It will provide batch functions for preparing bank bags and is easy to operate.
· The Sedbergh Young Farmers are happy to help with the Poppy Appeal Campaign this year and the Sedbergh Scouts Group will also be involved.
· Closure of Sedbergh Barbers – their window space is no longer available for displaying items from the History Society regarding the First & Second World War and Sedbergh’s involvement and there are no other alternatives at the moment despite various investigations. The Dentist Window will be booked as usual during the campaign and it is hoped that the normal display can be extended.
Any Other Business:
· Lister House – financial donation. A reminder that Lister House, based at Ripon, North Yorkshire, is a residential and nursing care home operated by the RBL. It exclusively serves the Armed Forces community, including ex-servicemen and women, veterans and their spouses. The Branch has provided financial donations in the past and the committee agreed to a £400 donation for this year.
· Adult Social Care in the Armed Forces. In the June 2026 edition of the RBL’s Membership E’ – newsletter, RBL’s new report highlighted the reality of accessing social care across the UK and sets out practical steps to improve support for those requiring and providing care in the Armed Forces Community. The report contains a long list of ambitious targets and it is considered that execution will not be straightforward.
· ‘Services Dashboard’ – Quarterly Statistics. Highlights as follows:
Grants awarded – value £2,338,029
Casework – 2,341 new clients given assistance
Urgent support team – 222 new clients helped
Admiral Nursing – 364 new clients helped
· RBL Contact Centre Helpline – interesting feedback and insights from ‘behind the headsets’ recently sent out to members.
· Membership Fees – from 4th September 2026, membership fees will increase by £2 to £24pa. This fee increase follows the motion passed at the Annual Conference.
There being no other business, the meeting closed with the Kohima Epitaph at 7:40 pm. The next meeting will be held on 8th September 2026 at 7:15 pm in the White Hart Social Club.
