Castle Point MP Rebecca Harris is backing a local campaign by members of the Royal British Legion to formally incorporate the town of Benfleet into a Royal British Legion branch.

The town of Benfleet has never had its own branch and legion members are campaigning to include it into the existing Thundersley and Hadleigh Branch.

Rebecca said:

“Benfleet has never had its‘ own Royal British Legion branch, despite the town having the oldest war memorial in the Borough. The Hadleigh and Thundersley Branch want to formally incorporate Benfleet into their branch. They have my full support in this mission and I will be writing to the Royal British Legion just Head Office to urging them to agree to the change.

“As a longstanding member of the legion I am a big supporter of the fantastic work they do for our brave veterans and their families, all they do to ensure that we remember the sacrifices of those who fought in the service of our nation.

“The legion gets a lot of support in Benfleet just as they do in the other towns around Castle Point. The South Benfleet Social Club allow the branch to use their facilities for meetings for free and the town is always generous during poppy season.”

The Royal British Legion branch Chairman for Hadleigh and Thundersley, former Castle Point Mayor Steve Cole said:

“We are very grateful for the support of Rebecca on this. Benfleet is a town that is very proud of our armed forces and there is a lot of support for the legion locally. With the kind permission of Peter Singleton and Darren Baldwin at the South Benfleet Social Club we hold our meetings there in Benfleet and every year there are bigger crowds that turn out to join the legion in honouring our fallen at the Benfleet War Memorial. Benfleet should be incorporated into a branch and we hope to get the formal process under way soon.”

Additionally, the Government has introduced the new HM Armed Forces Veteran Card is a way to prove that you served in the UK armed forces. The card can make it quicker and easier to apply for support as a veteran. It’s free to apply.

There are many services available to ex-members of the armed forces. To access these services some organisations, including charities, may need to verify that you are a veteran. This is to ensure that only those who are eligible access services specifically for veterans and their families.

As a veteran you can prove your status in many ways, and an HM Armed Forces Veteran Card is a simple way to do this.

You can apply if you were in the regulars or reserves for the:

• - Royal Navy
• - Army
• - Royal Air Force (RAF)
• - Royal Marines

If you served in another group in the UK armed forces, you may still be able to get a card. You can check when you apply online or when you call to request a postal form.

APPLY AT gov.uk/veteran-card or by post.

Contact the Veterans UK Helpline if you cannot apply online. They’ll send you a form that you can return by post.

Email: [email protected] or by Telephone: 0808 1914 218, Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm