A COMMUNITY'S Royal British Legion branch and hall has been saved from closure after new volunteers stepped up to help form a committee.

Membership of the Legion is declining, and the Bridport branch - which also runs a community hall and used to raise tens of thousands of pounds for the RBL for the welfare of ex-servicemen each year - was able to carry on through the commitment of a few members.

However, the Bridport branch was put under county administration after the long-standing office holders wanted to retire - and without volunteers for chairman and treasurer the group said the branch could not legally operate.

This also put the RBL Hall in Victoria Grove, which is used by local groups, organisations and charities for fundraising events, at risk of closure if there was no group to run it.

In one last bid to save the branch, two meetings were organised at the hall with the aim of raising a new committee to prevent the branch's closure.

Bridport and Lyme Regis News: The election of committee members took place at a meeting on July 2. Picture: Dorset RBL The election of committee members took place at a meeting on July 2. Picture: Dorset RBL

At the second meeting the group were luckily able to obtain enough volunteers to form a new committee, however due to the fact some of the volunteers were not already RBL members a committee was unable to form on the day. Another meeting was held this weekend in the hopes that by then the volunteers would be able to be officially elected to the committee.

The official election of committee members took place at the RBL Hall in Victoria Grove at 11am on Saturday, July 2.

Following the meeting on Saturday, Dorset County Chairman of the Royal British Legion, Ian Jarvis, said: "At today's meeting we were able to propose and elect enough Branch officials to save Bridport Branch. Roger Stoodley will be the new Branch Chairman ably supported by Councillor Simon Christopher, the new Branch Vice-Chairman. After the Committee was formed, they then held an EGM and voted not to hand the hall over to the County Committee to arrange sale.

"I would like to thank everyone who came forward to save the branch, enabling it to continue it's long tradition of supporting local veterans. It is now up to the people of Bridport to ensure that it is a success. "

The RBL has approximately 7,000 Legion members across the county, with around 30 branches, which are supported by 15 RBL Clubs.

The charity was formed in the aftermath of the First World War to fight for the rights of those who had given so much and come back to so little. Today, the RBL continues to provide life-changing help and support to the Armed Forces community and challenge injustices on their behalf.