Haslingden Branch of The Royal British Legion

14/11/2025

Happy Birthday Your Majesty 👑

Today we join the entire Armed Forces community in wishing His Majesty The King a very happy birthday 🎉

As patron of the Royal British Legion and Commander-in-Chief of the British Armed Forces, we are immensely thankful for his faithful service and unwavering dedication to the Armed Forces.

24/10/2025

🌺 Remembrance 2025 🌺

For those that have enquired about the timings for Remembrance Sunday, there will be a short service at the memorial in Greenfield Gardens at 1pm, followed by a parade, stepping off at approximately 1.30pm. Due to the closure of Higher Deardengate, the route has been changed this year. Details of the parade route will be posted in due course.

23/10/2024

On the 25th October 1924 the War Memorial at Greenfield Memorial Gardens was unveiled by Lord Derby and on Friday we celebrate 100 years since that event.
For the past few months Haslingden Old and New have been working with the Staff and pupils from Haslingden Primary School to commemorate this event and last Friday the 18th October a special assembly was held in the school. Sadly even though we applied a “Royal Visit” was not on the cards but we were joined by the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire who attended the service and was extremely impressed by the whole afternoon.
The children read out poems and sang songs and during the project made lots of wooden crosses which were then taken over to the gardens and placed there ready for Remembrance Sunday.
Not only did the children work on this project but also learnt about the history of the gardens and during the next few weeks I will be creating a new blog on this which will include all the work the children researched.
Super stars all of them.

20/10/2024

REMEMBRANCE EVENTS - CLARIFICATION

The earlier post referring to Remembrance events has provoked a great deal of ill feeling towards Rossendale Borough Council (RBC). This was not the intent. The facts are that RBC voted in 2023 not to include Remembrance events in the civic calendar. This means that RBC do not organise or take ownership of any Remembrance Parade or Service, and events remain the responsibility of community organisers including responsibility for road closure arrangements and Public Liability Insurance for all aspects of an event, whether that be a full parade with a marching element, or a static service and wreath laying parade.
Similarly, Royal British Legion regulations prevent RBL officers from organising Remembrance Parades, and RBL Public Liability Insurance only covers RBL members taking part in official RBL activities.
Remembrance Parades across Rossendale are generally organised by Community Groups, often set up specifically to fund (including Public Liability Insurance) and organise Remembrance Parades, with co-operation and collaboration from Rossendale Borough Council, the Royal British Legion and various other youth, church, community and veteran organisations.
Where Community Groups have organised Remembrance events, including procuring Public Liability Insurance, Rossendale Borough Council have committed to continue to support these groups, and have agreed to meet the costs of any Traffic Management Company commissioned to manage traffic around Parades.
It is hoped that, from next year, Haslingden will be able to follow this example.

19/10/2024

Unfortunately, due to Remembrance activities not being recognised as a civic event by Rossendale Borough Council, which presents Public Liability Insurance issues for the RBL, we are unable to hold a Remembrance Parade in Haslingden in 2024. We are hopeful that a new Community Commitee can be formed to raise funds for, and organise, Remembrance activities in future years. The RBL will support any new Committee and continue to play a full part in any future Remembrance events.

19/09/2024

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM) 📣

Calling all Branch members. Many of you will know that the Branch was brought under County Administration last year, due to us not being able to form a committee. This means that the Branch can continue to operate in a limited way, until such time as a committee can be formed. As a County administered Branch, we must hold an AGM and fulfil a number of administrative functions decreed by RBL regulations.

We intend to hold the AGN for 2024 on Weds 02 October at 7:30pm. The meeting will be held at St Mary’s Community Sports Club, S Shore St, Haslingden, Rossendale BB4 5DX.

All current members are invited to attend the AGM and will be able to vote on any propositions or make proposals of their own under Any Other Business.

An agenda will be provided to all members attending.