Cooking up centenary celebrations for the Royal British Legion

The Machynlleth branch to the RBL is one of the oldest in the UK.

To mark the double centenary, Y Plas Machynlleth will be home to numerous events and activities, all organised by the Machynlleth branch of the veterans' charity.

Visitors can enjoy live cooking demonstrations from current serving Armed Forces personnel, stalls selling locally produced goods and raffle tickets, a Machynlleth-based wind band playing the RBL march and many other well-known military tunes and marches. The event runs from 11am until 4pm.

Chairman of the Machynlleth branch, Steve Doyle, a British Army veteran who served in the Royal Regiment of Scotland, organised the free event.

“It’s fantastic that we can come together as one community to celebrate 100 years of the Royal British Legion. Having served in the Armed Forces myself, I know just how much support veterans returning home from service can need, and the RBL is one of the best charities to provide that vital support.

"As our branch in Machynlleth also celebrates its 100th birthday it makes me incredibly proud to be the Chairman of such a dedicated and committed group of brilliant volunteers. "

The cooking demonstrations on the day will be performed by current members of the Royal Air Force as they replicate recipes from RBL’s centenary cookbook.

Cooking With Heroes: Royal British Legion Centenary Cookbook was published earlier this year to celebrate the charity’s 100th birthday. It pulls together recipes contributed by both celebrity chefs as well as members from the Armed Forces, with one third from each of the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy and British Army respectively.

The cookbook also features multiple traditional Welsh recipes.

Corporals Daniel Holt, Chris Scotting and John Jones from the RAF will be cooking various recipes from the cookbook for attendees to enjoy and copies of the book will also be on sale, where £5 from each sale goes to the Royal British Legion.

Also in attendance on the day will be Captain Stephen Blanksy, who pulled together multiple recipes for the cookbook as part of the British Army’s contribution.

Former Squadron Leader Jon Pullen, author of the cookbook, said: "“I’m delighted that we can support the Machynlleth branch’s 100th birthday, as well as continuing the celebrations for the Royal British Legion’s centenary. The cookbook not only features recipes from 100 regions around the world, but also 100 stories of valour and sacrifice."

The Royal British Legion was formed in 1921 and is the UK’s biggest Armed Forces charity, providing care and support to all members of the British Armed Forces past and present and their families. The charity’s founding mission was to stand with, and fight for the rights of, the serving community.

With 100 years of experience, the RBL continues to provide lifelong care and support to all serving and ex-serving personnel and their families. This ranges from expert advice and guidance, to recovery and rehabilitation, through to transitioning to civilian life.