Welfare

The Royal British Legion is the UK's leading charity providing financial, social and emotional support to millions of all ages and backgrounds who have served or are currently serving in the Armed Forces, as well as their dependants. 

The Royal British Legion has been providing support for well over 90 years now and while needs have changed over the years, our work is as vital as ever. We spend £1.7 million a week on welfare support, and our services are flexible and wide-ranging.

The range of welfare services offered by the Royal British Legion is wide and varied –  advice on independent living, benefits and money, independent inquests, war pensions and compensation, and grants for immediate needs. They run their own ‘Poppy Break’ centres and care homes and work with Dementia UK to provide a nursing service to support sufferers and carers. They offer help with small household repairs and adaptations and a wide range of advice and practical help for ex-Service personnel to set up their own businesses and adapt generally to life again in “Civvy Street”.

Any man or woman – and their dependants and carers - who is currently serving or has served  as a Regular, Reserve or Auxiliary member of the Royal Navy, Army or Royal Air Force and who is aged 16 years or over and has received seven days' pay is eligible for these services.

Every case is treated individually and in strict confidence.

If you have any questions or if you are not sure if we can assist you, please ring the  Legion Contact Centre on 0808 802 8080. You can also visit our website www.britishlegion.org.uk

Taking the Legion to the Troops

Stamford Branch pioneered a programme of walk-in welfare workshops on neighbouring military bases.

The first workshop was held in the families’ Coffee Shop on RAF Wittering on Wednesday, 2 September 2009 and was gradually extended to St George’s Barracks, North Luffenham in 2011, and Kendrew Barracks, Cottesmore in 2014.

There, with the kind permission of the base Commanding Officers and other senior staff, they literally set out their stall to promote awareness among the Service personnel and their dependants of the wide range of welfare and other services which the Royal British Legion have to offer.  The workshops take place on the Tuesday and Wednesday of the third and fourth weeks of every month (except August and December).

These workshops are a great success and have helped to build close relationships with the local Service community. The Branch representatives meet serving members of all ranks of the Armed Forces, and their families, and are able to offer practical and confidential advice on how the Royal British Legion can help them with problems and other welfare matters during their service, in their eventual transition to Civvy Street, and afterwards. They also meet representatives of other welfare organisations on the bases and work with them for the benefit of all groups but especially that of the Service community.

Helping a Serviceman on RAF Wittering with a welfare enquiry

We had to suspend our welfare workshops during the Covid pandemic but plan to resume them at RAF Wittering in June 2023 and Kendrew Barracks soon afterwards.

Parcels for the Troops

Between 2008 and 2013 the Branch led the programme of sending hundreds of comfort parcels to the troops in Afghanistan.

Job well done and ready for the post

Stamford Branch was in regular touch with the Servicemen and women in Afghanistan by e-mail and letter and was able to respond to whatever their needs were. These generally were simply small items such as 10p packets of sweets they can tuck into a pocket while out on patrol, or wet wipes to combat the dust and sweat.  Crisps, snacks, puzzle books, toiletries, and writing materials were all very popular.

Cadets from the 2071 (Stamford) Squadron Air Training Corps turned out enthusiastically to pack bags in the supermarkets to raise funds to buy the many small items requested by the troops.  Customers joined in the spirit of the occasion and contributed a magnificent £644.76, typical of the generosity of the people of Stamford and a mark of their appreciation of what our Armed Forces were doing

Local businesses and shops readily contributed donations and the Branch held bucket collections for cash at many local shows and festivals. Many of the materials sent were donated, after an appeal through the Stamford Mercury, by members of the public. Each month a team of Branch members, their wives, and other volunteers got together and were soon filling, weighing, wrapping and labelling up to 50 parcels at a time.

Many of the ‘troops’ told us, after their return from Iraq and Afghanistan, how much they appreciated the parcel, not just for the contents but also for the assurance that they enjoyed the support of the public back home.

Our parcels being unwrapped in Afghanistan 

Branch Pop-In Outreach Centre

Alan Patrick at the Outreach Centre

Since 18 August 2015 Legion member, Alan Patrick {Area Volunteer} had been operating a Branch Drop-In Information Centre at the CAB in Stamford High Street. He was there every Wednesday morning from 9.30am to 1.30pm offering advice on all aspects of help and support provided by the Legion.

This Stamford Centre was one of only 96 such facilities funded by RBL in conjunction with CAB and was chosen mainly because of the excellent welfare workshops which our dedicated Branch Welfare Team, led by Area Volunteer Brian Marsden, have conducted over many years at RAF Wittering, St. George's Barracks and Kendrew Barracks.

Volunteers were needed to help at this local facility, and to continue to offer our support for the Serve and ex- Services communities. Volunteers did not have to be a Legion member. Unfortunately, the Pop-In-Centre had to close during Covid.

If you’re based at RAF Wittering, St George’s Barracks or Kendrew Barracks and you’d like to have a chat, then check below for a full list of dates of when we’ll next be dropping in. 

RAF Wittering

The families' Coffee Bar
Tuesday 20th January
Wednesday 21st January
Tuesday 17th February
Wednesday 18th February

St George's Barracks

The Junior Ranks Mess
Thursday 29th January
Thursday 26th February

Kendrew Barracks

Health Day
Tuesday 27th January

HUB Coffee Bar
Wednesday 28th January
Tuesday 24th February

The Junior Ranks Mess
Wednesday 25th February