OCTOGENARIAN celebrations will be taking place in Evesham this weekend.

On Sunday the Royal British Legion celebrates its 80th birthday and that means a birthday too for the founder member branches in Evesham, Pershore and Offenham.

The Legion is known for its annual poppy appeal. However, there are fears that its image is also of a boozy old local where members sit and reminisce about the war.

County chairman Ken Draper agrees that it's a problem.

"Unfortunately, the Legion is too often seen as a bunch of old codgers sitting round in a smoky club discussing the last war.

"Jack Duckworth in Coronation Street is always going down the legion for a pint. While the social side is very important, however, the Legion does much, much more.

"It has been on active service for 80 years and over that time has helped many hundreds of thousands of people, many of them in this country.

"It's a bit like a swan. On the surface everything seems quiet and calm, but down below, it's a hive of activity."

The British Legion was actually founded in 1921, when Tom Lister, a lance bombardier from the First World War, got together with some of his unemployed friends in Lancashire to raise funds for their fellow ex-servicemen who, far from living in a land fit for heroes, found themselves out of work existing in poverty on the streets.

Eighty years on, nearly 15 million people - a quarter of the UK's population - are eligible for the Legion's help, which ranges from advice about benefits to grants for household appliances. It is estimated that demand for the Legion's services will continue to rise for the next 10 to 15 years.

In 2000, the Legion spent more than £40 million providing welfare services and relieving distress. The annual poppy appeal raised about half of that amount. The rest came from other fund-raising activities including legacies, direct mail, special events, corporate donations, sponsorship and trading.

To commemorate the 80th anniversary Evesham's branch will be taking part in a parade, which will assemble in the Market Square at 2pm.

The parade will be led by The Celebration Reed and Brass Band down Bridge Street.

This will be followed by a service in Abbey Park at 3pm, which will see the laying of wreaths before the parade returns to the Market Square.

Evesham clergymen, the Rev Barry Collins and the Rev Richard Armitage will take part.

The RBL's county President, Brigadier Rolph James CBE, and county chairman, Ken Draper, will also be in attendance.

Evesham's president Cyril Pulham said: "All branches from Worcestershire and Warwickshire have been invited. There should be quite a crowd and a good parade."

While Pershore's branch doesn't officially celebrate its 80th until next year, 10 of the members will join the Evesham parade.

Offenham's branch has had to put a hold on its events due to the foot-and-mouth crisis.

Members had planned to hold a two-day fair in July, which was to feature a dog show and a horticultural show. However, branch secretary Fred Young said that members would attend the parade in Evesham.

The parade in Evesham will be followed three weeks later by a Three Counties Rally, on July 22 in Tewkesbury, at 2pm.

Members of the Worcestershire branches will join forces with branches from Gloucestershire and Herefordshire as they march through the town to Tewkesbury Abbey led by the band of the West Midlands regiment and the Royal British Legion's Wyre Forest youth band. To find out more about the Royal British Legion write to 48 Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5JY or visit www.britishlegion.org.uk