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January 2015 BRANCH SECRETARIES - PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ITEMS IN THIS

NEWSLETTER SHOULD FORM PART OF YOUR REPORT

Come along and support the County at our annual County Conference. Our Guest

Speaker will be Mr. Mark Earp who will be speaking on the WW1 commemorations.

A raffle will be held at Conference to help with the costs. We would be very

grateful for any donations of raffle prizes to be brought along on the day, however,

the Church have said that there should be no alcohol on the premises.

Happy New Year

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Telephone contact – Old RBL offices

Please note that following the phone switchover last autumn, we have now entered the final stage of the

project which means:

As of 15 Dec 2014, any incoming calls to those county office numbers which are currently diverted with

an accompanying message, will receive a message informing the caller that the number is non-

operational and that the caller should ring 0808 802 8080. The call will then be terminated. It will not be

diverted.

On 15 Jan 2015 all the old county numbers will be closed.

Calls to the old Legionline number will continue to be diverted to the Contact Centre until at least

March/April 2015 and at a point when we are satisfied that the old number is no longer being

advertised via old marketing material.

We will look to discontinue any old materials advertising Legionline number. Those branches with online

presence are required to amend information held on their websites.

Membership Services Manager

MEMBERSHIP HANDBOOK UPDATE

The December 2014 version of the Membership Handbook is now available to

download from the Legion website.

Go to www.britishlegion.org.uk click on the membership tab and follow the links.

It is in the members downloads section and you will need the following information

to log in

USER NAME: memhandbook

PASSWORD: TRBLmem£86

A summary of the changes is enclosed with this newsletter.

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‘ Football Remembers’

The Royal British Legion Seaview & Nettlestone Branch were asked to support the football teams playing at Seaview on Saturday 6th December 2014, between Seaview Reserves and Carisbrooke United Reserves at the titled event. Standard Bearers Keith Bradford, Seaview & Nettlestone and Jim Howkins, Bembridge both attended and paraded the standards. ‘Football Remembers’ is the series of programmes and events being delivered jointly by the Premier League, The FA

and the Football League, in partnership with the British Council, to commemorate the First World War. In 2014 most of the activity centres on one of the most iconic moments of

the First World War, the 1914 Christmas Truce football match. ‘Football Remembers’ also features legacy projects that ensure that young people will continue to learn about the First World War for decades to come. The programme will continue through to 2018 highlighting the involvement of footballers and football. Prior to the matches that took place in the Premier League, the Championship and The FA Cup Second Round between 5 and 8 December 2014 a mixed team photograph was taken. All 22 players who started each match posed together with the Match Officials for a group photograph in celebration of the spirit of the Christmas Truce football matches of 1914.

The aim of the website www.footballremembers.com is to act as a moment of national record of football in 2014, a century on from the First World War. The photos will be preserved for future generations in the digital archives of the British Library.

Martyn Heather, Education & Welfare Officer for English Football League (centre) with Keith Bradford (left) and Jim Howkins (right)

We will remember them ……

Mr John Robertson, Ventnor Branch

Our sincere condolences to the family and friends.

Seaview Reserves and Carisbrooke United Reserves posing together before the match with Officials.

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DEDICATION OF NEW STANDARD Newport & Carisbrooke Branch RBL

1st February 2015

Newport & Carisbrooke Branch will be having their new Branch Standard Dedicated on

Sunday 1st February 2015 at Northwood Church. The service will commence at 3pm and the

Branch cordially invite you all to attend.

Standard Bearers are requested to muster at the Church by 2.15pm for briefing.

Following the service, refreshments will be served at C.H.A.R.M. (previously the Military

Museum) Northwood. To assist with catering the branch would be grateful if you could let

them know numbers attending.

Please contact –

Branch Chairman – Mr. Ernie Howard phone: IW 296572 e-mail: erniehow@talktalk.net

OR

Branch Treasurer – Mr. Dave Ramsay phone: IW 526849

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NEW Comradeship Database

As previously reported, the membership computer system is being updated

and this will introduce some changes to the way membership is

administrated. Debbie Kimpton has been holding sessions around the

Country informing members about these changes, which will be in place

from May for new members. However, most of us will not experience the

new system until the membership renewals period in October 2015.

Debbie will be holding a Briefing Session on the Isle

of Wight on 31st January 2015 at Downside

Community and Learning Centre, Furrlongs, Pan

Estate, Newport commencing at 10.30am.

This session is open to all Branch Officers,

Membership Secretaries and anyone else who is

interested in learning more about the new system.

Please come along and find out more about the proposed changes..

A briefing note was circulated with our July Newsletter, and is enclosed

again with this newsletter for information.

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KEY DATES:-

31st December 2014 - Final date for Branch MS1 forms (and any outstanding accounts) to be received by the County Secretary.

1st January 2015 – New membership application forms to be used from this date. The old membership application forms (MS4/12) will no longer be accepted.

5th January 2015 – Last date for receipt of questions from Branches on the County Accounts

17th January 2015 – IW County Conference – Methodist Church, Garfield Road, Ryde. Commences 2pm

31st January 2015 – Comradeship Database Briefing at Downside Learning & Community Centre 10.30am

1st February 2015 – Deadline for return of unissued membership cards.

ALL LEGION ENQUIRIES

(including Welfare Requests)

SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO THE CONTACT CENTRE ON

0808 8028080

________________________

Membership Support Officer – Mrs Stephanie Harris

104 Above Bar Street, Southampton,

Hampshire, SO14 7DT

E-mail: sharris@britishlegion.org.uk

Website: www.britishlegion.org.uk

Registered Charity number 219279

Newsletter Enclosures:-

Membership Handbook amendments

control sheet December 2014

Comradeship Services Project briefing

IT’S YOUR NEWSLETTER !!!

If anyone has any articles they would like to be considered for publication in the monthly newsletter that would

be of interest members please e -mail the newsletter editor at gibsonkiw@outlook.com

Or send to: 2 Hope Mead, Langbridge, Newchurch, IW, PO36 0NP by the 20th of each month.

We are looking for anything from jokes to poems, or hints and tips to remarkable personal achievements and

Branch events. Or even adverts!

Everything will be considered.