Great Dunmow Primary School becomes first to affiliate with Dunmow & District, The Royal British Legion

Great Dunmow Primary School has made history by officially becoming the first school to affiliate with the Dunmow & District Branch of the Royal British Legion.

The affiliation between Great Dunmow Primary School and the Dunmow & District Branch of the RBL means that the school will have a direct link to the charity, with both organisations looking to work to work together on fundraising projects and to promote mutual community support.

Pupils, staff and representatives of the Royal British Legion gathered at Great Dunmow Primary School for a special assembly, where a Certificate of Affiliation was presented to the Year 6 School Council Representatives by Kevin May, Branch Secretary of Dunmow & District Royal British Legion.

During the assembly, the County Youth Officer for Essex, Gordon Roach, talked about the Standard and its history, whilst also demonstrating a number of Standard Bearer moves. The Branch Secretary, Kevin May, also talked of why the Poppy is used as a symbol of remembrance, and how the money raised is used to support service personnel from past and present, and their dependants.

After the assembly, pupils had an opportunity to talk to Legion Members and to view artefacts from World War 1. The assembly marked hope for the future of the Royal British Legion, with the children further developing an understanding of the sacrifice service personnel have made through the years since World War 1.

“The affiliation is a fantastic opportunity for Great Dunmow Primary School and the Royal British Legion to work together to help local children understand the importance of the legacy left to them by the service personnel. The children were interested in the rare historical artefacts that were shared as part of the assembly and many are still talking about them. We are looking forward to working together in the future on some joint projects,” Mrs Waters, Deputy Headteacher, Great Dunmow Primary School.

The Branch will help the School by:

• Fundraising under the name of the School.
• Offering a wealth of experience on military knowledge, such as providing Members from within the Branch to talk to pupils.
• Providing free educational resources via school learning packs.
• Raising awareness about The Royal British Legion, and encouraging young people to take part in Legion activities.

The School can assist the Branch

• Poppy Appeal awareness and collecting.
• Remembrance services and parades (such as the Remembrance Service held at the War Memorial in town last November).

Any schools that wish to explore the possibility of affiliating with their local Legion branch can call 0808 8028080, or contact Kevin May at dunmow.secretary@rbl.community