Oct 26 Combined JW - Flipbook - Page 12
Hayling Herald Community update
HAYLING ISLAND ROYAL
BRITISH LEGION
BRANCH & CLUB
Royal British
LegionLegion
Saved
Royal
British
saved
Notice of Annual General Meetings
All Members are invited to attend
Branch and Club AGM’s to be held
on Monday 23rd November 2026
at 19.00 hours at the Royal
British Legion, Legion Road,
Hayling Island PO11 9ES.
All Nominations for Committee
positions or members wishing to
submit motions to Committees
must submit their Nominations or
motions to the Branch or
Club Secretary by: 19.00 hrs
on the 9th November.
Committee Nomination forms are
available by emailing the Branch or
Club Secretary’s as below or shall
be available from the Club
reception area from 2nd
November.
Branch: HaylingIsland
Secretary@rbl.community
Club: haylingrbl@yahoo.com
By Stuart Nagle, Hayling Royal British Legion Branch Secretary
WE’RE still standing, might just
become our theme tune of the
Hayling Island Branch of The Royal British Legion (TRBL).
After a long winter of discontent,
which prior to 2024 left the Hayling
Island Branch without a committee,
meant it was very close to collapse
altogether. Due to the way the organisation and its trust is set-up, it
would have also meant the closure
of the much-loved Royal British Legion Social Club, part of the Island’s
heritage since its first beginnings in
1921, following the First World War.
Thus was the picture in June of
2024, when the Hayling Island RBL
Branch, with no volunteer committee, was faced with the prospect of
closure.
Fortunately, a few good men and
women stepped forward to try and
turn things around. Following a
Special General
12
Meeting, attended by the Hampshire County RBL Committee,
and under whom the decisions on
the Branch had fallen, the volunteers present formed a new Branch
committee, and hence at that point
thought they had prevented any
chance of the Branch being closed
and with it the club.
However, it was not all smooth
sailing. Misunderstandings created
a failure to implement everything
that was required by TRBL. The
Branch was still not in compliance,
and sat under the eagle eye of the
RBL county officers, the Branch
remained as it was, under county
support – although it seems no one
appeared to have told the new committee members, mostly all novices
to the roles.
So, it came as a surprise to learn,
in late 2025, early 2026, that the
Branch was still where it started in
2024, but things were now worse.
It became clear that unless urgent
action was taken to get the Branch
in compliance it was more likely
than ever that TRBL would close the
branch forthwith, and as a result,
the club, without a branch, would be
forced to close too.
Following the Branch Annual
General Meeting in November
2025, the branch committee was
reinforced, and renewed vigour
found. A thorough review was
undertaken to identify exactly the
hoops the committee had to jump
through to sort out and re-establish
the Branch for the benefit of Hayling Island members and beneficiaries, and the operation was put in
motion.
Nothing is ever easy, and this
was a case in point. TRBL today
demands a lot from its volunteers
who sit on Branch committees. Not
just bits of paper to be completed
and signed, but a commitment to
attend meetings, undertake training
in everything from accounts (for
treasurers) to management courses
for Branch Chairs and Secretaries,
and a whole lot more too.
The upshot being, that as we
approach the 2026 Annual General
Meeting of the Branch on November 23rd at 7pm, we now have the
opportunity, after a year of dotting
the i’s and crossing the t’s to once
again attend an AGM.
We can tell our members that the
Branch is safe, and from here on
in, we can plan ahead and only do
better.
But, the future is not set in stone,
we can’t all live forever, and time
and fortunes change. We know as
well as everyone else that we need to
plan and implement for those who
will come after us, and that’s why
its so important now for people to
join the Legion, and particularly to
realise that this is their branch, their
club, their AGM, and to come along
to the AGM and make their voices
heard. We are listening.
