IT is always a special privilege to visit the Royal British Legion, and I was delighted to drop in on the Okehampton branch in the lead-up to Remembrance Sunday.

I received a very warm welcome, and it was a real pleasure to spend time with the members and volunteers who give so much to our Armed Forces community throughout the year.

Many people associate the Legion mainly with the poppies we wear each November, but its work goes far beyond that.

Branches like Okehampton are a lifeline for veterans and their families, offering friendship, practical help and a listening ear. They organise Remembrance events, support those facing difficult times and make sure that nobody who has served our country is ever forgotten.

The scale of the Legion's work nationally is remarkable. There are more than two million Armed Forces veterans living in the UK, and at any given time the Royal British Legion is supporting nearly 8,000 members of the Armed Forces community.

In 2025 alone it helped more than 20,000 households, secured £25 million in compensation and benefits for veterans and awarded £9 million in grants to families for accommodation, food, clothing and other essentials.

Its Admiral Nurses provided dementia support to more than 1,400 households, and its call centre responded to over 115,000 calls, webchats and emails.

None of this would be possible without the generosity of the public. The 2025 Poppy Appeal raised £57 million, the highest total since before the pandemic.

Some 32 million poppies and 135,000 wreaths were distributed across the country by a record 59,000 volunteers.

That is a wonderful testament to the respect and affection in which our Armed Forces are held.

Behind those national figures sit roughly 2,500 local branches, each one rooted in its own community. Here in Central Devon, our towns and villages have a long and proud tradition of service, and the Okehampton branch plays a vital role in keeping that tradition alive.

Its members give their time freely, often standing in all weathers with collection tins or quietly checking in on a veteran who may be living alone. That kind of dedication rarely makes the headlines, but it makes an enormous difference.

Remembrance is not only about the past. It is also about recognising those who serve today and the families who support them, often at considerable personal cost. Wearing a poppy is a simple but powerful way of showing that we value that service and sacrifice, from the First World War to the present day.

I would encourage everyone to support the Poppy Appeal this year, whether by buying a poppy, volunteering or making a donation. Every contribution helps.

I look forward to joining the Okehampton branch for the service of Remembrance, and my sincere thanks go to everyone involved for all they do, all year round, for our veterans and their families.