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.
Denise Barber
Denise Barber
Denise is a fantastic Advice and Information Officer. Reliable and efficient, she will always go to great lengths to resolve queries, find the solution to a problem and support the rest of the team with their workload. She is passionate about her role and extremely committed to the work of the RBL.
Eric Hewes
Eric Hewes
Eric is a member of Husbands Bosworth & District Branch in Leicestershire and has been nominated for his huge ongoing commitment to the Poppy Appeal. His prowess at fundraising has meant he is responsible for a third or more of the total sum collected each year and he is a superb ambassador for the cause, generating greater awareness among the public of the RBL’s work.
Vicky Kenyon
Vicky Kenyon
Vicky joined the Aldridge Branch in the West Midlands two years ago and has done a superlative job of raising its profile on social media. She set up the Facebook page, which has a large following, and has spent many hours creating video clips of branch activities, as well as organising an online fundraising raffle with live draw. This has kept the branch in the spotlight and highlights its work to the local veteran community.
Georgina Swann
Georgina Swann
Georgina has been on the frontline of Chelmsford Branch since she joined, visiting the elderly and infirm members, arranging branch social events and recruiting new members. She is County Branch Community Support Lead and gives much time as a Case Worker and assisting with welfare at branch level. Over the past four years, she has also organised a social group and a satellite drop-in for veterans to meet like-minded people, RBL members and welfare organisations.
Lucienne Edge
Lucienne Edge
Membership Administration Manager Lucienne joined the RBL in 2018 and took over managing the front-of-house elements of the Annual Conference with energy and enthusiasm. She liaised with multiple stakeholders, including the committee, members and staff; put processes in place to measure KPIs; and solved multiple issues on the day. The event was a great success and feedback was superb.
Rachel Bennett
Rachel Bennett
As a Royal Navy veteran and Caseworker for the RBL, Rachel always goes the extra mile in her work, from helping to resolve IT issues to ensuring staff are up to date with training and systems. This enables her team to provide the best service and support to members of the Armed Forces community.
Chloe Campbell-Hamilton
Chloe Campbell-Hamilton
Chloe is a final-year student who started with the RBL in September 2020 in the new role of Newsletter and Communications volunteer, and has demonstrated great tenacity and enthusiasm. She has had to work remotely, meeting virtually with staff around the UK, interviewing volunteers and contacting area-office teams for stories and features, then design and produce the first national Operations Volunteer Newsletter in December 2020 – all while studying and preparing her dissertation during a pandemic.
Ross Mckee
Ross Mckee
Ross has been a member of the RBL since 1969, holding many branch, group and County positions in Somerset. His strength and passion was welfare; he helped to establish an outstanding County Welfare Committee and made regular contributions at its meetings. In 2015, he joined the House Committee of Dunkirk Memorial House and was instrumental in raising funds for buses, as well as weekly coffee mornings, for which he arranged presentations for residents.
Tom Moran
Tom Moran
Tom was County Secretary for Berkshire before moving to Chepstow, Wales, where he is now Branch Secretary and Poppy Appeal Organiser. His hard work has kept the branch together in difficult times – his newsletters keep members in touch and motivate them to volunteer. He works with schools and youth organisations and has an impressive fundraising record. His liaison with the Town Clerk and council has also improved the RBL’s visibility and involvement in the community.
Sean Ashton
Sean Ashton
Sean became the Poppy Appeal Organiser for Barton-upon-Humber, Lincolnshire, in 2017, and he has since doubled the amount raised. His perseverance and enthusiastic approach have won over the council and businesses, increasing support and sponsorship. He secured funding for two silent soldiers, plus 160 event poppies, which were displayed on lampposts, and he added details of locals who had served on each. This instilled pride in the community and brought welcome publicity for the RBL.
Jim Gore
Jim Gore
Jim took over as Poppy Appeal Organiser for Bangor District in Northern Ireland in 2015 and since then, its income has continued to increase – he has raised more than £310,000 to date. Ably supported by his ‘right-hand woman’, wife Roberta, he is highly dedicated and hardworking, and his impressive organisational skills and excellent relationships with key community figures ensure that fundraising is maximised every year.
Julie Staniforth
Julie Staniforth
Julie has been a Community Fundraiser since 2019 and has transformed the way her Poppy Appeal Organisers work together. She set up a Facebook group where the team could offer advice, post photos and share news, and has encouraged them to meet and exchange ideas. She offers clear guidance and is always on hand with advice and support, staying in contact not just during the Poppy Appeal but all year round.
Sandra Gittus
Sandra Gittus
Sandra is the President of the RBL Women’s Section in Newport, Shropshire, and is a tireless and dedicated member. She is always first to help at any event, whether it is tea-making or selling raffle tickets, and proudly represented her branch at GP90 in Ypres. She works very hard for her local Poppy Appeal, manning a stall in her local Aldi, and has managed to beat her previous year’s fundraising total every time.
Andreas Tausch
Andreas Tausch
Since joining Hannover Branch in 2014, Andreas has worked tirelessly for the successful collaboration of the region’s British and German veteran community, organising many events including shoots and fun days. A former Bundeswehr soldier and Reservist himself, he is an exceptional communicator and has been instrumental in explaining the role of the RBL to people at events, raising money for the Poppy Appeal and recruiting new members from the German Reservists.
Colin Hawkins
Colin Hawkins
In 2009/10, Suffolk County was in disarray, with financial issues and a lack of members in post. When the President requested a Chairman, all those present in the meeting turned to Colin, who agreed. Having held many posts in his 24 years with the RBL, he has a wisdom, insight and wealth of knowledge that ensured the strong leadership that was sorely needed – he turned things around and in 2015, Suffolk won the Maurice Cup.
Arthur Norman
Arthur Norman
When lockdown began, Arthur, from Ilkeston, Derbyshire, recognised that many local veterans and their spouses would be isolated. To help counter this, he started sending them entertaining emails and making regular phone calls. He then set up fortnightly Zoom meetings, helping the less tech-savvy to build their confidence in the technology. In all, he was in touch with almost 100 veterans and told them about the support and comradeship ex-Service organisations could offer.
Catherine Parums
Catherine Parums
Head of Commemorative Events Catherine is a supportive manager, who embodies the RBL’s shared values and shows genuine concern for her staff. She encourages her team to share ideas, champions their development, embraces creativity and treats failure as an opportunity for growth. The impact of her actions is evident from the success of the Commemorative Events Team.
Goff Griffiths
Goff Griffiths
Goff has been an active member of Churchfield (Barnsley) Branch since 1996, serving as Poppy Appeal Organiser for more than 20 years and Chairman since 2000, helping to rebuild the branch when it looked like closing. It's thanks to Goff's RBL stand at events and galas and his networking with businesses, the Mayor's office, schools and churches that the branch flourishes today and the Poppy Appeal and Festival of Remembrance are firm annual fixtures locally.