THE Accrington branch of the British Legion is finally set to close after members in Church and Oswaldtwistle voted to take it on as a sub-branch.
The group in the town that produced the Accrington Pals has suffered from dwindling membership and a lack of volunteers willing to take on the roles of branch officers - despite repeated appeals for help.
And during a meeting on Wednesday night, members of the Church and Oswaldtwistle British Legion agreed to take responsibility for the day-to-day running of the Accrington branch. Their decision will now go to the County Committee and the British Legion HQ at Pall Mall before it is made official.
Roy Lockwood, vice-chairman of the Church and Oswaldtwistle branch, said: "The members have accepted Accrington as a sub-branch and will take over most of the administration, although Accrington will retain its standard and have its own poppy appeal. The Church and Oswaldtwistle members and the Accrington members will work together for the benefit of the legion. Obviously it is going to cause more work for our branch, so it is not to be taken lightly, but we're hoping it will all work out."
