THE ROYAL British Legion’s Monk Bretton Branch has been forced to close due to lack of active members despite a surge in attendance at remembrance events in recent years.

The ‘entire village’ of Monk Bretton turns out to services on Remembrance Sunday, according to Jean Millington who ran the local British Legion branch virtually single-handedly for years.

But the branch itself has seen numbers dwindle away and, when Jean had to step aside last year due to illness, the branch had to be ‘handed back’ to the Royal British Legion’s head office.

Arrangements have now been made to close the branch permanently.

“It’s a real shame and it is quite upsetting,” Jean told the Chronicle.

Read more in this weeks Barnsley Chronicle