The chairman of a Suffolk Royal British Legion branch that is believed to be nearly 100 years old has made a plea for a volunteer to step in and become the committee secretary – to save the branch from closure.
Eddy Alcock OBE, chairman of the Debenham Branch of the Royal British Legion (RBL), said without a secretary, the committee, and therefore branch, would not be able to function.
Mr Alcock said the branch is believed to have been founded in 1919, and in the early days of its foundation, it was visited by Lord Kitchener.
Mr Alcock said: “I took on the chairmanship to try and get the branch moving again and try and build up the membership.
“We can manoeuvre without a secretary for a short time but it can go on.
“I want to pull it back from the brink – I don’t want to leave it too long because it’s important to keep the enthusiasm within the committee. Anybody can be a member of the RBL, you don’t have to be a serving or ex-serving member of the armed forces – I am neither, although I was in the army section of the combined cadet force at school.
“Our committee, without a secretary, is only eight members strong and all members have a role to play without spare capacity to take on the duties of the secretary, so we urgently need that ninth member.
“This would best suit a retired person who has organisational and clerical skills and who believes it is important that Debenham should continue to have a branch of the RBL.” Mr Alcock said the committee is enthusiastic and full of ideas that once put into action would “reinvigorate the branch” and “reintroduce pride in membership of such a glorious national institution.”
He added that the secretary would not necessarily have to be from Debenham, but could come from the surrounding area.
He also said: “Please, somebody out there who fits the description, make the effort to be part of the ongoing activity that continues to make the RBL Britain’s foremost veteran serviceman’s support charity.
“What a shame it would be to close the branch only four years short of a century. We are relying on that volunteer coming forward.”
Anyone who is interested in becoming the branch secretary, is asked to contact Mr Alcock by calling 01728 860564 or emailing chairman.debenhamrbl@gmail.com
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