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Delegate
from Newcastle & Chesterton Branch Bob Rankin speaks against
motion!
 Conference
News from the Royal British Legion National
Conference 2006'.
Newcastle & Chesterton Branch delegate Bob Rankin's
impassioned speech helps to defeat eBay motion 4¹.
Bob Rankin stated after the vote "that if this motion
although good in principal had been carried it could
have precluded North Staffordshire's plans for the
setting-up of an eBay store to help raise funds for The
Poppy Appeal".
This year's National Conference held at The Opera House
Theatre Blackpool was a well attended affair with over
500 branch delegates from around the country and a
number of overseas branch's as well. Of particular
interest to those in passing was a delegate from No.1
Post San Francisco Branch USA and Southern Spain in
attendance.
 The
Sunday session finished early to enable the Memorial
Parade and Service to take place. 85 Legion standards
took post and were paraded from the Blackpool's
Winter Gardens down to The Princess Parade War Memorial.
Service was given by The Right Reverend Nigel McCulloch
National Chaplin The Royal British Legion. Despite the
high winds and a mention of "Accession Week" the service
went off without a hitch. Those taking part in the
parade apart from Derek Bunting our County Standard
Bearer and representing the County within the West
Midlands Phalanx where; Andy James Branch Secretary and
Delegate Rolleston on Dove Branch, George Godfrey
Burton-upon-Trent Branch and Bob Rankin Newcastle &
Chesterton Branch.
 Martyn
Tighe former North Staffordshire County Chairman and now
National Board of Trustees Member for the West
Midlands spoke in support of Motion 9 and said:
"The Armed Forces Memorial is a government initiative
put forward by Geoff Hoon when he was Secretary of State
for Defence. The Trust set up as a result, has raised to
date £1.2m of the £6m required to build and maintain the
Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum.
The Treasury has promised £1.5m from the sale of the
Trafalgar 2005 commemorative coins. The Ministry of
Defence has been pressed, by the Trust, to underwrite
the balance of £33.3m so that contracts can be let and
the Memorial completed by October 2007 for a Royal
unveiling. The process to achieve this underwriting
guarantee is underway.
Conference should consider supporting this Motion in
order to put additional pressure on government to honour
it's pledges".
To finish off the proceedings The Director General Ian
Townsend CBE, gave his last report to conference
as he will be retiring on the 31st August this year. On
the serious side he talked of his successes during his 10
years "on his watch". .. and on a lighter note, there was
something mentioned regarding "about brothers and dead
ringers"!!
As at the close of conference The Poppy Appeal 2005
stood at £24,556,279.18, a new record! "Well down
everyone" said John Hawthornthwaite, The Royal British
Legion’s National Chairman to conference.
Conference Gallery
References:
¹ Click this link to the main
Royal British Legion web site for the
full conference results.
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