Our new year has started with an excellent response from our community for the 2007 Poppy Appeal collection. Once again we have beaten the previous year but this time with an even bigger margin. A magnificent total of £3,005.43 was donated by the two villages, which included static box donations and the house-to-house collections. We also congratulate the Crown at Powick in achieving the highest static collection this year and they will be presented with the Challenge Cup.

The main subject of discussion at our meeting was to define the manner in which we will be changing our monthly pattern of branch meetings.

It was resolved at the annual meeting that we would have a business meeting by-monthly and alternate with a social gathering in the hope that apart from the pleasurable experience we anticipate that this will generate, we hope to encourage new members to join us.

Our next business meeting will be in March on Tuesday, March 11, at Madresfield Club as usual.

Future social events will follow on or near the appropriate meeting dates but in the meantime we will continue to hold our bi-monthly business meetings at Madresfield Club. We will continue to monitor the needs of ex-servicemen and their families in our community whether or not a business or social meeting has been convened.

JOHN MASON