FACTS ABOUT THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION 

 The Royal British Legion is the leading ex-Service charity protecting the welfare, interests and memory of ex-Service people and their families and dependants.

• The Legion was founded in 1921.
• Some 10.5 million people in the UK are eligible to ask for its help.
• The Legion is the UK's largest membership organisation, with more than 460,000 members (including the Women's Section).  Anyone can be a member, ex-Service or not.
• You don't have to be a Legion member to receive assistance – but you must be an ex-Serviceperson or a dependant. Anyone who has been in the British Armed Forced for seven days or more (and their dependants) is eligible for help.
• People as young as 18 years can be sent on active service, so veterans are often much younger than people realise.
• There has only been one year (1968) since the Second World War when a British Service person hasn't been killed on active service.
• Each year the Legion answers 30,000 calls for help to its helpline, Legionline.
•  It helps with a huge range of issues, including counselling, job retraining, skills assessment, getting the right pensions and benefits, advice and interest free loans for setting up small businesses, welfare grants, Remembrance Travel to war graves, convalescent and nursing care, and home and hospital visits.
• The Legion has close links to many other charities, organisations and trusts, enabling it to draw on the best resources and expertise, and to refer people to those best equipped to help them.
• The Legion will be needed for as long as people continue to be affected by conflict. It doesn't advocate war but is simply there to support those who have been prepared to make a personal sacrifice through serving in the British Armed Forces.
• The Poppy Appeal raised  over £30 million in 2007.
• In  2006  the Legion spent over £75 million on its work. Apart from donations, funds come from legacies, sponsorship, corporate support, fundraising events.
• 70% of the workers at the Poppy Factory are disabled or suffer from chronic illness. The Factory was designed to offer jobs to such people and its remit remains the same today.
• 300,000 staff and volunteers organise the Poppy Appeal each year