Since the Royal British Legion was founded in 1921, our members, staff, volunteers and partners have dedicated their time and effort to supporting the Armed Forces community and remembering their sacrifice.
To mark our 100th birthday, we launched the Reward and Recognition scheme where everyone across the RBL family was invited to nominate people who deserved to be recognised for their significant contributions to our work.
The awards recognise the outstanding actions of individuals in five categories; service, collaboration, passion, excellence and valuing our people.
From the moment we launched the scheme, the nominations came flooding in and after a robust check on the quality and standard of submissions, we were left with over 400 tales of inspiration and determination from groups and individuals across the organisation, all of whom are equally deserving of recognition in our Centenary year.
Here we celebrate the contributions of our amazing RBL People who have helped to make our organisation the fantastic place that it is. Search by name or use the filters below to explore the nominees.
Mary Wade
Mary Wade
Mary has been a volunteer for more than 12 years at RBL care home Maurice House in Kent. The residents, relatives and staff love her – she visits most days and is the source of much fun and laughter, often bringing in homemade cakes and putting on events. She also works hard to raise funds and recruit new volunteers. During the pandemic, she continued to visit safely to provide company for residents who were missing relatives.
Tony Fearne
Tony Fearne
Tony has volunteered at the National Memorial Arboretum since 2013, operating in the visitor services, grounds and events teams, and quickly builds positive relationships with all of his colleagues. He leads guided walks and bespoke premium buggy tours and shares his expert knowledge of the site, memorials and grounds with enthusiasm, passion and great humour. He actively seeks ways to engage with visitors and leads by example by thanking them for their support.
Hilary Meredith
Hilary Meredith
Chair of the RBL Solicitors Group, Hilary has dedicated her entire career to providing legal advice and representation, often free of charge, to members of the RBL and their families. The Group has now represented more than 4,000 injured Armed Forces personnel, ensuring they can access rehabilitation and a pathway back to civilian life. Recently, she has also represented members accused of war crimes in Iraq and has provided evidence to Parliamentary enquiries.
Teresa Greener
Teresa Greener
As the Head of Special Events and Celebrity Liason, Teresa has made an enormous impact in her 21 years with the RBL. She is a champion for collaboration, whether she’s working with PR on Remembrance, helping Bravo 22 Company deliver a new support service or assisting HR with job evaluations. She is also a fantastic role model, readily volunteering for everything from driving vans for Pedal to Paris to manning reception desks at Legacy events.
Lisa Wintour
Lisa Wintour
Lisa has volunteered at the Plymouth Pop In Centre since it opened five years ago and is a real asset to the organisation. Despite having caring responsibilities at home and health issues of her own, she has maintained her commitment, attending almost every week to organise paperwork and computers, and ensure the Centre is ready to open. With her quietly cheerful and helpful nature, she makes clients feel at ease and encourages them to talk.
Nobby Clarke
Nobby Clarke
The Chairman of the Husbands Bosworth & District Branch in Leicestershire calls Standard Bearer John 'Nobby' Clarke a 'vital secret weapon' for the organisational skills that he contributes to Remembrance events and the Poppy Appeal, the encouragement he gives to younger people to get involved and the professionalism with which he maintains his public-facing RBL role.
Coventry Building Society
Coventry Building Society
This year is the RBL’s 10th year as ‘charity of the year’ for Coventry Building Society. Raising awareness through communications, and supporting their 2,700 colleagues with time and incentives, the amazing Community team encourage involvement in individual fundraising challenges, volunteering and Remembrance acts for the RBL. To date, they have donated £345,000 and over 4,000 hours of volunteering time.
John Tivnan
John Tivnan
A member of Torpoint Branch in Cornwall, John has made a huge impact. As Poppy Appeal Organiser, he has managed to steadily increase the sums raised in the area. He also worked for several years with the town council, Torpoint Archives and volunteers to fundraise for a town war memorial, which is now a focal point for Remembrance. In 2020, he again raised money to create a raised garden to mark the RBL’s centenary.
Agnes Teape
Agnes Teape
Poppy Appeal Administrator Agnes has worked hard to ensure the Glasgow office remained logistically operational during the pandemic, travelling in on a weekly basis in all weathers. She has dealt with contractors, ensuring they complied with necessary safety measures; handled all the banking; posted out certificates and more. With Agnes managing all tasks and queries related to the office, other staff have been able to work safely from home.
Vera Dunning
Vera Dunning
Vera has been a Poppy Appeal Organiser for Moreton District in the Wirral for six years. Her son was helped by the RBL after suffering life-changing injuries while serving with the Royal Marines, so Vera wanted to give back to the charity. Her dedication has made Moreton one of West Cheshire’s highest-grossing districts, having raised more than £100,000, and she has been a powerful ambassador for the RBL in media and among the community.
Jason Todd
Jason Todd
Jason is Head of Catering at Maurice House. During the pandemic, the management team provided Covid-secure lifts for staff who usually caught public transport to work. Jason supported the team by giving lifts himself, which meant the management team could be redeployed to look after residents. He also updated menus to fit the changing needs of the residents and provided the staff with meals to ensure they kept well while working long hours.
Bob Gamble
Bob Gamble
As the Assistant Director for Commemorative Events, Bob delivers complex, once-in-a-lifetime experiences that allow participants to come together and remember the sacrifice of others in a meaningful way. His brainchild, the GP90 pilgrimage, was the largest membership event in living memory, with Bob and his team arranging transport, accommodation, a parade and battlefield tours for more than 2,000 people. It is thanks to his work that the RBL has remained on the international stage as a leader of Remembrance.
Angela Treadgold
Angela Treadgold
Angela is a Senior Carer who provides a very high standard of care at all times. She recently completed the CHAPS course and has already put her new clinical skills to good use. She was an enormous support to the nurses during the Covid-19 outbreak, assisting with medications and end-of-life care. Before the pandemic, she often gave up her own time to work with volunteers to provide entertainment for residents and their families.
Henry Okello
Henry Okello
Design Officer Henry’s work is second to none: he can turn his hand to anything and he has made a huge contribution to the RBL’s visual impact over the past decade. He is passionate about the RBL and regularly volunteers outside of work hours, even doing a stint dressed as a giant poppy at running events. After ten years of service, he is still as enthusiastic and committed as ever.
Grewelthorpe Group
Grewelthorpe Group
Fourteen members of the Grewelthorpe Branch, North Yorkshire, have been engaged in an extensive five-year project. They have installed quality-of-life facilities, including a wheelchair-height pool table, nesting boxes and a birdcam, at the Lister House Poppy Care Home in Ripon; improved an area of Sharow Churchyard gifted to the RBL; and restored a Wayside Cross erected in Grewelthrope during the First World War, all of which have strengthened bonds with the local community.
Rosie Carter
Rosie Carter
Prior to joining the RBL, Rosie took the lead in preparing professional and memorable Remembrance Sunday services in Wrentham, Suffolk, with a different theme each year. When she heard in 2018 that the local RBL branch was on the point of closing, she and a friend stepped in as Treasurer and Secretary to ensure it could go on. Rosie brings fresh fundraising and event ideas, helps increase membership and motivates others to volunteer.
Jo Ashley
Jo Ashley
Jo has been an avid supporter and helper of the Poppy Appeal in Shipston-on-Stour for many years; with her husband Mike, she ran the administration of the poppy boxes and collection tins from their house, known as Poppy HQ by the local volunteers. Following the Mike’s death, Jo and her daughters Rebecca and Justine have continued this role and even set up a coffee and cake facility to support volunteers and raise more funds.
Mike Errington
Mike Errington
The success that the St Columb Branch in Cornwall is today is due almost entirely to Mike's outstanding leadership and effort over the past 10 years. Mike became Chairman in 2011, recognising that the branch had to move with the times, and has built productive relationships with public, private and third-sector organisations to make the RBL's work more widely known, and increased membership with fun fundraising events through the year.