Reward and Recognition | Our Centenary

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 100^th 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.

Stephen Scarborough

Stevie became organised the Poppy Appeal for Cregagh Wandsworth in Belfast in 2019, helping to raise £73,000. Over the past three years they have steadily increased the amount raised. He is a hard-working, dedicated and innovative Poppy Appeal Organiser who is committed to fundraising and upholding the reputation of the RBL. Stevie has been involved with the Poppy Appeal for over 20 years, dedicating time to it all year, including two weeks off work each year, dedicated to the Appeal.

Darrin Stevens

In addition to excelling as Poppy Appeal Organiser for Duston Branch in Northampton, Darrin has instigated many branch initiatives. He has worked with the parish council and pastoral team to arrange community support during the pandemic; built relationships with local schools and youth groups; helped to design a local Poppy Walk and organise signposting; and won council funding to provide veterans with a VE Day cream tea and VJ Day lunch plus commemorative tanker.

Michael Mcnicholas

Widnes Branch Secretary Mike always goes the extra mile for the RBL. He has worked with the council, MP and businesses to build the organisation’s reputation locally and get their support in putting on events such as the First World War anniversary commemoration, Widnes Remembers. He also has a great relationship with local schools, helping them to learn about Remembrance and contribute to the Poppy Appeal.

Lynne White

Lynne has volunteered at RBL care home Galanos House for about 11 years and is devoted to supporting staff and enriching the lives of the residents, providing them with care and companionship. She has helped to raise money for the amenity fund, raised the profile of the home in local media and enhanced the provision of residents’ wellbeing activities, from bingo to social outings and wonderful craft sessions.

Kerrie McCann

Kerrie champions the RBL at any opportunity and has been key to the longevity of the partnership between Coventry Building Society and the charity. She has been instrumental in driving fundraising initiatives forward and an integral part of their success, with nearly £20 million raised to date. She also leads on Remembrance education and awareness internally, once distributing 2,600 packs of poppy seeds to colleagues.

Sue Elliot

Sue worked for the National Memorial Arboretum for 10 years and has been a weekend volunteer since its creation. As well as supporting front of house, she has enriched the visits of all those who have benefited from her in-depth knowledge on VIP tours, guided walks and in presentations. She was also instrumental in the creation of the grounds volunteers and remains an active team member, ensuring the surroundings are maintained to the highest standards.

Andy Stephenson

Andy sees collaboration as key to success for the RBL and his branch in Aldbury, Hertfordshire. He has built up many contacts in the parish council and community to ensure the charity is front-of-mind during fundraising and Remembrance. He currently works as Volunteer Caseworker, is Chair of the CCSC, and has been publicly appointed onto the Veterans Advisory & Pensions Committee. He also works with many organisations and individuals to support welfare and campaigning.

Mark Harrington

In 2008, Mark, a New Product Developer at Coventry Building Society, established the Poppy Savings Account. Every year, the Society makes a donation to the RBL based on how much members have saved, an innovation that has since raised nearly £19 million for the charity.

Passionate about the cause, Mark has also given his time and expertise to develop fundraising ideas with the corporate team, and is a vital advocate of the RBL at the Society.

Ann Wilkes

Ann joined the RBL in 1961, but she has been involved since she was five years old, helping her mother make poppies. She joined the Coningsby and Tattershall & District Branch in 2004 and became Secretary and Welfare Officer. She set up popular coffee mornings for local people, veterans and families – combatting loneliness and raising funds for, and awareness of, the RBL. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she has shopped for many regular attendees who were unable to go out.

Ian MacFarlane

As the Learning and Organisational Development Partner, Ian provided invaluable support during the closure of the Break Centres and the Handy Vans Service. He helped formulate the comms approach and the redundancy support package for directly affected staff, developing personalised solutions and stepping in to assist HR with individual consultations when necessary. He was determined to provide the best off-boarding experience possible to the affected staff and worked hard to deliver this.

Donna Armstrong

Donna and her team recorded the highest supermarket-fundraising total in Scotland for 2020’s Poppy Appeal, collecting £13,861.22 at Morrisons Johnstone. This is a remarkable achievement in itself – Johnstone’s population is 16,000 – but even more so during a pandemic, without the usual Cadet collectors, merchandise or even a credit-card machine. Donna shows passion and commitment to the RBL, and her ability to motivate volunteers and work collaboratively has been key to her success. Donna is also a proud member of Irvine Branch.

Andrea Airey

An experienced social worker with a wide circle of contacts, Andrea has been supporting the Armed Forces community as the backbone of Sturminster Newton Branch in Dorset for 27 years, and has been instrumental in fundraising activities. With her understanding of social services, she has been able to put people in touch with the correct assistance quickly, and has helped numerous sick or convalescing members with invaluable emotional support.

The Greyhound Inn

John and Brenda’s pub, The Greyhound Inn has provided a ‘century of support’ during the RBL’s lifetime, welcoming and facilitating comradeship among its Armed Forces community. It continues to bring the village together to celebrate service homecomings, weddings and births, and commemorate key events such as D-Day, VE Day and Remembrance. It has also raised thousands for the Poppy Appeal since its inception.

Paul Hughes

Paul has been with the National Memorial Arboretum for 12 years, working with Visitor Services and Events. He has developed an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Arboretum and memorials, and shares this in an engaging manner with visitors. His extensive knowledge of the First World War was invaluable to support the Battle of the Somme programme: he helped write guided walks, attended events and fulfilled media duties, including an unexpected live TV broadcast.

David Glover

David has been involved in supporting the veteran community in West Berkshire since he retired some five years ago. In this time, he has organised a breakfast club, providing weekly hot breakfasts and company for homeless veterans in Newbury, and a bi-monthly outing for lonely and disabled members. He also calls up to 50 veterans a week – something that became even more vital during Covid-19, when social isolation increased further.

David Millington

David has worked at the National Memorial Arboretum as Building Services Officer for nearly 10 years, having previously been a volunteer. He supports the whole Arboretum selflessly, often arriving early to set up for events, staying late to solve problems and covering others’ work while they are on holiday. He is passionate about producing a great visitor experience and regularly posts photographs to Facebook for those who are unable to visit.

Darren Maltby

As a Case Officer, Darren has a reputation for going the extra mile to help those at the centre of the RBL’s work, and he is equally supportive of his team. During lockdown, he regularly checked in with staff via phone and video calls, offering emotional support, encouragement and help with areas where they were struggling. In turn, this enabled staff to continue providing an effective service to all those whom the RBL supports.

Alan McNamara

Alan, who is a veteran himself, is passionate about supporting the Armed Forces community in Scotland. Despite tough Covid-19 restrictions, reduced numbers of volunteers, fewer collection options and several personal challenges, he showed great determination to raise as much money as possible for his local Poppy Appeal in the Cardonald and Govan area – and succeeded in bringing in more than £13,000.

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Reward & Recognition