Sedgeford Branch Awards - i.e. Awards to the Branch:
In recent years the branch has been given awards that recognise it's achievements :
1st November 2014 lunch - Gold award to Pamela Austin
At our monthly lunch on 1st November 2014, the branch chairman announced that Pamela Austin had been awarded The Royal British Legion’s Gold Badge in recognition of her outstanding and continued contribution to the revival of the Sedgeford and District Branch. In addition to being the Branch Treasurer she organises the branch’s most successful monthly lunches, continues to publish a regular newsletter and fulfils the duties of Membership Secretary. She also took over as the Branch Poppy Appeal Organiser following the serious illness and death of John Sussex, her predecessor, a role she continues to date.
Photo - Terry Austin 
The badge
The Chairman presented the Gold Badge to Pamela, expressing his regrets that the National Chairman was unable to be present to undertake this pleasant duty. Sincere congratulations were offered to Pamela by all those present.
April 2013 lunch at the Old Coach House, Thornham proved to be a momentous event with two special awards being made. Pamela's Report went as follows:
Subterfuge was rife in advance of the April branch lunch at the Old Coach House in Thornham!
The newsletter editor was there with a camera, in anticipation of the presentation being made to John Crisford by the branch chairman, Terry, who expressed his pleasure in being able to present John with his Royal British Legion Gold Badge, as a mark of appreciation for all that he has done in support of the organisation and its beneficiaries over 32 years. The solid gold badges are individually numbered, and become the personal property of the recipient upon presentation. John is proactive and energetic in finding solutions and providing practical and positive help: he epitomises all that the Legion stands for, and is an outstanding example to others.
However, all was not as it appeared, because when Terry called for the attention of the diners, it was John who rose to his feet and began to relate how he recruited us to the Legion and the committee.
It transpired that the branch treasurer / membership secretary / newsletter editor / lunch organiser / Poppy Appeal Organiser was to be the recipient of a Certificate of Appreciation for outstanding service to the branch, and John called for the camera to be handed over to someone else to record the presentation!
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C W Jex trophy - awarded to the Branch 2012
The Branch secretary, Gary Walker, with the C W Jex trophy, awarded to the branch at the 2012 Norfolk County conference for progress and efficiency over the past year.
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THE LOUIS LEE MEMORIAL TROPHY
'The Louis Lee Memorial Star' which we won in 2010. This Norfolk County Award recognised the Continuous Progress made by the Branch over the previous three years. This Award was first presented to the County, and to a branch in 1977. This year, 2010, our main achievement had been to retain or increase membership numbers when most other branches were losing members, so a big thank you was due to everyone staying with us and recruiting friends. Evidently the number of branches closing was also causing concern – down in Norfolk from around 80 to not much more than 60 in two years.
The Louis Lee Memorial Trophy was on display in the King William IV pub in Sedgeford for a year. It was felt that as Sedgeford is the “spiritual home” of the branch, this was an appropriate place for it to be seen. Landlord Nick Skerritt was very accommodating, and promised that the trophy could remain in situ for as long as the branch held it.
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JOHN CRISFORD
Also in 2010 our Branch Secretary, John Crisford, was appointed National Vice Chairman of The Royal British Legion with effect from last weekend’s National Conference.
We hoped that this didn’t mean we would see him less frequently than we did, and of course we hoped that he would be able and willing to continue in his less than arduous position of branch secretary! His appointment was announced shortly before the May 2010 lunch, and those attending the lunch were able to sign a card to congratulate him and wish him well in his new post.
(Photograph reproduced from “Legion Letter”, April 2010)
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