THE number of Royal British Legion branches in Barnsley has halved over the last five years according to a volunteer who wants to try and help reverse the decline.
Barnsley is down to just seven branches with another one ‘very close’ to being lost, according to Jane Townsend, group representative for the Barnsley area. There were 14 branches five years ago, and 19 at the turn of the millennium.
Jane is helping raise funds to send Barnsley representatives of the Royal British Legion to GP90 - a recreation of the original 1928 pilgrimage to Ypres by veterans, war widows and children of the First World War.
She said fund-raising is getting more difficult due to a decline in branches and membership, and said there was an urgent need to recruit more people to get involved with the RBL and to understand it doesn’t just exist around ‘poppy season’.
“We’re losing an average of about one branch every year at the minute,” she said.
“It’s a bit like that saying about a dog being not just for Christmas. The work of the Royal British Legion requires us to fund-raise all year round.
“I think a lot people people still don’t know what the British Legion does.
“It’s not about the Great War and the Second World War veterans any more, it’s about veterans of Northern Ireland, Iraq, Afghanistan and all other conflicts.
“We have respite homes to give care and respite to injured veterans, we support widows and children, and we also have the Battle Back centre, which helps veterans get their lives back on track and to get back into work.
“But our branches are dwindling. We’re desperate for younger members to get involved.”
Jane, of Upper Hoyland Road, Hoyland, said the average age of the people supported by the legion is coming down at a time when the average age of the people running the branches is going up.
“I think people have a misconception that you have to be ex-services to join, but you don’t. Even children can join.”
Jane said one of the immediate priorities was to raise funds for the trip to Belgium this August. It will be the biggest membership event in the history of the legion but so far only one Barnsley branch will be represented.
“We want to get as many Barnsley standards there as possible,” said Jane.
“We’re really hoping it will help raise awareness and encourage people to get involved.
“The original pilgrimage was just ten years after the war and is just an incredible story. In those days there was no war women’s pension. A lot of the women had nothing, no food, very little money. A lot of the children were barefoot, and they walked from their homes to France because they wanted to see where their men had fallen.
“It triggered a lot of social change.”
Goff Griffiths, chairman of Barnsley Churchfield branch, said he would love to see more young people, as well as the more recently retired people getting involved.
“There are probably still some who think we’re just about playing dominoes in the club. There’s a huge amount of activities that go on.
“The trouble is that when branches do dwindle down to just a few members, they stop putting on as many activities that attract people.
“But there are all sorts of things to get involved with and there’s a huge social element to it.”
Goff is among six members of the branch that will attend GP90. About £3,500 would pay for three more branches to attend.
Barnsley’s own ‘poet laureate’ Ian McMillan has written a poem especially for the legion, which Jane has illustrated and turned into a piece of artwork which can be auctioned to raise funds.
n The auction will take place as part of a fund-raising casino night and pie and pea supper to be held on May 26 at Jump Club. For tickets, contact Jane on 07799 412264.
