A ROYAL British Legion branch which has raised around £10,000 for this year’s Poppy Appeal is appealing for new members to ensure it can keep helping the military community.

Coleford RBL is marking its 36th anniversary this year ater being reformed in 1983, but president Paul McMahon said they needed some younger members to keep fundraising going and to help organise the annual Remembrance events.

“None of us are getting any younger, and we want to ensure the branch keeps going, so we’d like some younger blood to come in and join us,” said the 69-year-old former Welsh Guardsman.

“We’re all of a certain age, with some in their 80s, and we could do with a few more members.

“They don’t have to be ex-military, and if they don’t want to join the RBL, they can just volunteer to help out with the appeal and the Remembrance events.

“The RBL has a massive standing locally and gets lots of support for its appeal from local business and the community, and we want to keep that going,” said Paul, speaking at the town’s war memorial and clock tower after Monday’s Armistice service, which was attended by around 200 people, including councillors, representatives of the military, schools, community groups and businesses.

“We’ve had a big turn out today and massive support from people.

“Remembrance is just getting bigger and bigger, but it takes a lot of organisation.

“We had our Poppy concert at the Baptist church last week which raised around £1,000, the parade and Remembrance service on Sunday and today, and combined with all the fundraising, that’s a lot of work. It’s really important that we remember, and as you can see, all the local schools are involved today.

“We go to the schools and talk about remembrance and the sacrifice that people made so that we can all live in peace. And it’s about promoting peace. The message is as relevant now as it was 98 years ago, in 1921, when the RBL was formed.

“The cash we raise every year supports the Armed Forces community, helping families who have lost loved ones, providing education and training for ex-service personnel, help to the injured to help them get back to a normal life, and mental health and well-being support through our Battle Back Campaign.

Veteran Maurice Lane, who served in the Malayan Emergency with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps and is in his 80s, said: “Remembrance is ongoing – just look at the tens of names on the Coleford War Memorial here, all these people who gave their lives.

“We want to keep the RBL branch going and repaying that debt by continuing to remember and helping others.”

Also at the Armistice Day service was fellow RBL branch member Frank Melhuish, aged 88, who spent 21 years in the Royal Navy on ships such as the aircraft carriers Warrior and Albion, served in Aden and the Borneo jungle, and took part in the hydrogen bomb tests at Christmas Island in 1956.

Frank, who retired from the navy as a chief petty officer, later assisted with the reformation of the Forest of Dean Sea Cadets and became its commanding officer, and today is a member of the Lydney branch of the Royal Naval Association and a member of the Malaya and Borneo Veterans associations.

The Coleford RBL branch meets every second Monday at Berry Hill Rugby Club, and holds social events, including lunches and trips throughout the year.

Anyone who wants more information can contact Paul McMahon on 01594 835919 or by emailing [email protected]