Poppy Appeal 2025-26

We issued over 200 poppy boxes and collecting tins this year, and fully manned three static collecting points in the town - Tesco Superstore, the Town Hall and the Post Office.  Wreath issues so far are 63.

At 30 September 2026 (the end of the appeal year) collections have totaled £20,028, making our annual target of £20,000.

Poppy Volunteers

There is always a need for more Poppy Appeal collectors, who do not need to be Legion members; if you wish to volunteer please contact (01747) 854765, or come to a coffee morning in the Legion Hall on Thursdays between 9am and 11:30am.

Legion Welfare

The Legion Services Contact Centre - 0800 802 80 80 – is open 7 days a week 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. for members with general queries and welfare issues as the first point of contact for RBL.    Members Helpline: 0800 307 7773 - is for issues with payments, renewals, joining and any other membership queries. Enquirers are recommended to ring later in the day, as the lines become overwhelmed earlier. If you are a local serving or ex-Serviceman or Servicewoman or eligible dependant who needs help of any kind, or you know of someone else who does, please ring the General Helpline.  Advice from the Legion helpline can include:

• Physical and Mental Wellbeing
• Financial Support, including advice from a specialist team on benefits, debt and money matters
• Employment
• Housing
• Independent Living
• Social Support

There is a well organised system of professional help for each of these topics for our beneficiaries. It is estimated that up to 6.7 million people fall into the category of a beneficiary - summarised as those serving or who have served in the Armed Forces, their eligible dependants and carers.  Strict confidentiality is always assured.

In Dorset county the average age of those assisted covering all categories is 60 years old - a decrease of 5 years from 65 years in 2019.  The main categories of need in terms of percentage of funds spent are:

Mobility                   35%

Housing                   19%

Household goods     11%

MAGs                      11%  (Maintenance Annuity Grants)

Debt                         10%

Funerals                     6%

Crisis                          5%

Miscellaneous            3%  (including training)

The Royal British Legion administers MAGs on behalf of Regimental Funds and Benevolent Charities.  These are grants awarded for regular financial assistance, designed to help beneficiaries in financial difficulty who need assistance with the cost of living.  As might be expected, the age profile of the people we support reflects the type of grant they need from us.  Our oldest beneficiaries are recipients of MAGs and mobility items, while the youngest are those who come to us in financial crisis or needing help to furnish their homes.  Current trends are increases in financial costs which reduce monetary purchasing power including: rising inflation, soaring energy costs, higher National Insurance contribution levels, salaries and pensions failing to match inflation levels, supply chain difficulties, surging demand, higher production and transport costs, reductions in relief funding, and higher taxes.