The Royal British Legion, which operates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has this week voted to merge with the Scottish armed forces charity Poppyscotland. The move will create the largest armed forces charity in the United Kingdom.
Last month, Poppyscotland's membership voted in favour of the merger at an extraordinary general meeting.
Under the terms of the merger, substantial additional investment will be committed to Scotland to make significant improvements to the support services for veterans and their families living north of the Border.
Poppyscotland will however, continue to operate as a distinct, separate charity within the Royal British Legion group of charities. The Poppyscotland brand will not change and the Scottish poppy and Scottish Poppy Appeal will remain in place, with funds raised from the campaign being used exclusively to support the armed Forces and veterans’ community in Scotland. The manufacture of Scottish poppies at Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory in Edinburgh will also continue.
Poppyscotland chief executive Ian McGregor said: “By joining together with the Royal British Legion, a charity that fully shares our aims and values, we can provide life-changing support to more veterans in more ways for years to come. This is an historic occasion for the armed forces community in Scotland and will bring tremendous benefit to thousands of serving and ex-service people, and their families.”
The director general of the Royal British Legion, Chris Simpkins, added: "The public's support for its British armed forces is matched only by their concern for the welfare of our service personnel past and present and their families. In our 90th anniversary year, it makes sense for us to be able to provide a consistent standard of welfare and assistance across the UK. We have always enjoyed good relations with the Poppy in Scotland and look forward to working even more closely together."
While Poppyscotland has seen a 50% increase in income from fundraising and a corresponding increase in the support it has been able to provide, there is still a disparity in the level of services available to veterans north and south of the Border. Under the terms of the merger ex-Servicemen, women and their families in Scotland will be able to access many of the Royal British Legion’s services, helping to address the current imbalance.
