In a speech, Prince William told guests: "It is an enormous pleasure to be here at Tedworth House. This place, and what Help for Heroes and its partners have done here, makes Harry and me very, very proud."

He added: "The British public's unprecedented response to the likes of Help for Heroes, The Royal British Legion and countless other Service charities was a heartfelt response to that sense of debt felt by countless tens of thousands of people, in fact the whole nation, who wanted to show support and gratitude."

H4H is the lead charity supporting Tedworth House, while the Legion is both a partner in the facility and H4H's biggest financial contributor. The Legion has pledged £17.5m in support of Personnel Recovery Centres in Catterick, Colchester and Tidworth as part of its £50m commitment to Defence Recovery Capability.

Click here for more information about our Personnel Recovery Centres.

Staff and volunteers planted 11,000 cardboard crests, each with a personal message of tribute and thanks to honour the brave members of the RAF who undertook this treacherous mission. 

Today’s event is designed to show that the men of 617 Squadron, many who made the ultimate sacrifice, are still remembered with deep gratitude for putting their lives on the line in defence of our nation.

The Legion is proud to be undertaking this activity as the nation’s Guardian of Remembrance, and the Arboretum, part of the Legion’s family of charities, is a serene and reflective setting to house this tribute.

Many sent donations along with their crests, which will go towards the £1.6 million spent by the Legion each week providing vital care and support to the Armed Forces community.

The messages will be displayed at the Arboretum today, for one day only.

Veterans were among the 38 riders to take part in the challenge, which began and finished with a Memorial Service to remember those who had given their lives in Service.

Fred Houchill and Mike Power, who both served in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), were riding as part of a team from the Suffolk Wellbeing Service, alongside Paul Lugo and Peter Smith-Howell.

On behalf of the team, Fred said: “The Remembrance Ride gave us an opportunity to work as a team in order to achieve a shared and important goal of supporting the outstanding work carried out by The Royal British Legion. We are hoping to raise at least £2,000 towards the Legion’s work.”

Charles Byrne, Director of National Events and Fundraising at the Legion said:  “We are very grateful to all those who participated in the first ever Remembrance Ride. Apart from the personal endurance that goes into an event like this, the fantastic fundraising undertaken on behalf of the Legion will make a real difference to the lives of those we support.

“We spend £84 million each year on our vital welfare work providing the social, emotional and financial care to the whole Armed Forces community, serving and ex-Service people, and their dependents too.”

Serving and ex-Service people and their dependants are eligible for the Legion’s support which covers a range of services including grants, benefits and money advice, employment and retraining support, and home adaptations.

If you have already participated in a Legion bike ride, you will automatically receive an information pack and registration form.

Click here for more information or contact Graham Akins by email gakins@britishlegion.org.uk or phone 020 3207 2270.

Corporal William Savage, 30 from Irvine, Ayrshire, and Fusilier Samuel Flint, 21 of Blackpool, both of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion and Private Robert Hetherington, 25, of the 51st Highland, 7th Battalion died on Tuesday 30 April 2013.

The plane landed at approximately 1.30pm and the cortege passed the Memorial Garden around at 4.15pm, reaching the John Radcliffe Hospital around 5.15pm.

From 1 September 2011, repatriations ceased passing through Royal Wootton Bassett as they moved from RAF Lyneham to RAF Brize Norton. A memorial garden has been established on the new route on the outskirts of Carterton (on Norton Way, Brize Norton - Google Map).

The memorial garden was designed by a small group of local people including The Royal British Legion, community representatives from Brize Norton and Carterton, and current and retired military personnel. 

The design is intended to provide a focus for the public to pay their respects. At the centre of the garden is a flag pole where the Union Flag from Royal Wootton Bassett is flown on the days repatriations take place. The memorial was constructed using natural stone sourced from a local quarry in the Cotswold area.

The final part of the repatriation route from RAF Brize Norton to the John Radcliffe Hospital does not differ from the route from RAF Lyneham. The tradition of local people and members of The Royal British Legion turning out to pay respects at Headley Way in Oxford is therefore carrying on seamlessly.

For more information visit Oxfordshire County Council or call 01865 816345.

The Legion has signed a three year contract with Connect Assist (CA), based in South Wales, whose dedicated team of seven advisers will take over all calls and emails from our existing Legionline service from Wednesday 8 May, operating from 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday. Calls and emails outside these hours will be logged and picked by CA at the next working day. Later this year, this service will be expanded to handle all enquiries into the Legion from beneficiaries and the public on a 7 day week basis, at which time a new Freephone number will be introduced.

The Contact Centre is one of  the three 'touchpoints' we are currently developing to make it easier for beneficiaries, members, volunteers and the general public to reach us for the advice and information they need. It will support the other two 'touchpoints' – face to face via our Advice and Information centres, community outreach and surgeries, and online via a new web knowledge base.

"We're 'soft-launching' this new service to give us time to test and fine-tune its capability before publicising the new Freephone contact details," explains Director of Operations, Sue Freeth. "From 8 May, when people call the 08457 725 725 number, their first point of contact will be one of a dedicated team of advisers, whose aim will be to resolve their query or to point them in the right direction in order to access the help they need. More complex cases will be logged and forwarded to the appropriate Area Office team, who will then contact the caller to further assess their needs.

"This new service is good news all round. Beneficiaries, members and volunteers will get simple enquiries resolved straight away, leaving our Area and Regional Advice staff more time to concentrate on providing direct help where it is most needed." 

The Veterans' Nomination Scheme (VNS), run by Stoll in partnership with The Royal British Legion, has been housing Veterans in independent accommodation across London and the South-East since 2009.

The VNS is set up to house veterans without dependent children, who are living in either unsuitable or temporary accommodation (hostels, staying with friends and so on), and who are now looking for secure, independent accommodation of their own. Most of the accommodation is one bedroom flats, although some studios are available. The VNS is suitable for veterans who are able to live independently with no support, or perhaps minimal support from an outreach team or Floating Support service.

As a result of the VNS's success since 2009, it is now expanding to cover the whole of the country. There are currently available nominations in London, the Home Counties, the North West and the South West (with particular focus on the area around Plymouth).

Referrals are accepted from any organisation that works with veterans - just fill out the referral form, which asks for information about Service history, any support issues, housing needs and so on.

Veterans' details are forwarded to a housing provider, which will either be a Housing Association or Local Authority. The housing provider then looks for a suitable property, taking account of the veteran's needs, such as any mobility issues. Once a property becomes available, the housing provider will contact the veteran and the referrer directly to inform them of a viewing and/or interview.   

If you would like to refer a veteran to the scheme, or if you are a housing provider who would like to discuss offering nominations to the scheme, please contact the Veterans’ Nomination Scheme Project Manager, Julian Coates on 020 7385 2110 or email julian.coates@stoll.org.uk.

Visit the VNS page on the Stoll website for more information.

The memorial to the Bevin Boys, which was designed by former Bevin Boy, Harry Parkes, is dedicated to the 48,000 young men, many of them conscripts, who joined regular miners down the coal mines in the dangerous but vital work to keep supplies of coal flowing during the Second World War.

Attending the dedication ceremony were the civic heads of 16 of the 22 local authorities across England, Scotland and Wales which donated funds to the memorial, along with former Bevin Boys and their families, many of whom also made individual financial contributions to the memorial.

Situated appropriately alongside memorials to many Army, Navy and Royal Air Force regiments at the Arboretum, the Bevin Boys memorial was sculptured from three blocks of Kilkenny limestone and engraved with the emblem of the Memorial Campaign along with the words: 'We also served 1943 – 1948'.

Hon Alderman Joan Taylor MBE, chair of the Memorial Committee, who campaigned for the tribute said: "We are delighted that at last the efforts of Bevin Boys have been formally acknowledged. Without their efforts Britain would not have won World War 2, as coal was vital for keeping the country's machinery working for the war effort.

"Bevin Boys were conscripted just as those individuals who joined the Armed Forces, but they have never received the same recognition. This memorial puts that right and being joined today by HRH The Countess of Wessex gives further special acknowledgement," she concluded.

Sarah Montgomery, managing director of the Arboretum added: "We are pleased that the Bevin Boys are now represented permanently here, at the UK's centre for Remembrance, and that they have finally been given the recognition they deserve for their vital contribution to the Second World War."

In June 2007 the Government announced that it was to recognise the wartime service of the Bevin Boys. In March 2008 a formal reception was held at 10 Downing Street where the first Bevin Boys Veterans Badges were awarded by the Prime Minister. The Badge is awarded to all those who worked in the mines under the Bevin Boys scheme between 1943 and 1948 and to the widows of those who served as Bevin Boys but who died on or after 19 June 2007, when the Badge was announced. Full details of the Badge, including the application form, can be found at www.gov.uk/apply-for-bevin-boys-veterans-badge

Media contacts:
Kate Habberley, The Royal British Legion, 07943 333362, kate.habberley@talapr.co.uk
Lydia Hayward, The Royal British Legion, 020 3397 3383, lydia.hayward@talapr.co.uk 

Wolgarston is the first school in the whole of the midlands to make this commitment.

Head boy, William Raby and head girl Alex Skitt were joined by Penkridge Branch member Jess Batley and Mr Howard Stemp Chair of the Board of Governors to witness the occasion. Jess is the youngest member of the Penkridge Branch, following on from her Grandfather who was a dedicated Legion member, and who served with the Fire Service for most of his life, including putting out fires from bomb raids during the Second World War.

Local Community Fundraiser Alison Bates said: "This is a historic first for the Midlands area, to affiliate a local branch to a local school. The Branch and school are now working together on an event to be held on 17 July 2013. Branch members and volunteers will be speaking in school on that day, and there will be lessons and displays relating to the Armed Forces and The Royal British Legion, all based around one historic event of the 20th Century."

Click here for more information about Youth Membership and Youth Group Affiliation.

As a special St George's Day treat for customers Stonegate will offer 50% off food across all its pubs in England on Tuesday 23 April. Cask ales will also be available during the day from £1.50 a pint and a pint of John Smiths will be priced at £1.50.

When: Tuesday 23 April

Where: At Stonegate Pubs in England, click here to find one nearest to you.