The chairman of a Royal British Legion branch has been awarded a prestigious certificate of appreciation.

Colonel (Retd) Roger Burgess OBE, chairman of Debden’s branch of the Royal British Legion, received the Essex County RBL Certificate of Appreciation for all he has achieved since taking over the branch two years ago.

Last year the Debden branch won two county awards and one national award for recruiting and efficiency.

And it has just been announced that the branch has won a further two county awards for a similar performance over the last 12 months.

“This means that Debden must be rated the top small RBL branch without a club in Essex for consistent success over the last two years,” Col Burgess said.

“The strength of the branch has increased by a staggering 434 per cent over this period and members have been presented with some individual 12 awards.”

This year the branch raised £1,516 for the RBL Poppy Appeal, which Col Burgess said was “a notable achievement for such a small village”.