The Penrith branch of the Royal British Legion is “not going to close for the foreseeable future”.
Following a crunch meeting held at the Evergreen Hall in Penrith to discuss and decide its future operation, branch chairman Chris Hallam said: “We have been given a three-year support package at county level to allow us to elect a committee and get ourselves back independent again.
“That will take place over a period of time. We are going to do meetings every other month. The aim of the game is to basically pull the membership in and as and when people come forward we will bring them onto the committee.”
Last month, it was revealed that the future of the branch was in doubt.
A first meeting is being arranged to take place at Penrith’s Conservative Club in at 7pm on Tuesday, April 4.
“It will be more of social event than a formal meeting, but it will be opportunity to say ‘this is what we need to survive as a branch’ and to start the conversation,” said Mr Hallam.
In total, 15 members of the Legion attended the recent meeting which was presided over by the county chairman and county committee members.
It opened with an explanation of the current situation, in so far as the county committee is at present overseeing the branch affairs, and to take the branch forward regular meetings should occur and a committee is required to be elected.
Recruiting new members to the branch was also discussed as new members are vital in sustaining it in the long term, said Mr Hallam.
Funds are still held in branch accounts, however they are currently audited by the county treasurer. It was decided and voted that the branch should continue and meetings will occur on the first Tuesday of the month and every other month.
There are 163 members registered to the branch and it is hoped they can be attracted to attend meetings and become actively involved with the branch’s activities.
A Royal British Legion spokesperson said: “The Penrith branch will be supported by the RBL at county level for the next three years before we conduct a review to see if the branch is viable.
“If it does close, the branch members at that time can determine where any financial holdings are used, so funds can remain in the county.”
