Leader: Rallying call to save Royal British Legion clubs

The sun has set on the generation of Great War heroes, and the ravages of time mean that the number of heroes from World War Two is continually dwindling.

Ludlow Royal British Legion is not alone in facing difficulties arising from the fact that the traditional, core membership of RBLs is literally dying out.

Over the past decade membership has halved and now there is a possibility that the club could close.

This is not just a problem affecting clubs for ex-service personnel – it should be added in passing that they cast their net wider these days than just people from the services.

Sports and social clubs are also being hit and there have been sad closures as they see the writing on the wall and call it a day.

The decline of pubs is another symptom of a less sociable society, in which people are less inclined to go out and mix and chat with others.

The way things are shaping up, we shall all soon work all day on computers – those who are in work, that is – before returning home and staying home for the evening, watching television and surfing on the internet. Human interaction will be lost and that cannot be a good thing.

A journalistic cliche about communities used to be that they were "close knit".

You do not hear that often any more. In reality, folk may not even know who their neighbours are.

There is a magic solution which will save clubs like Ludlow RBL. And that is for people to hear the call and to get stuck in.

Happily, such people do exist. How things unfold from here will tell us if there are enough people willing to make an effort to make a difference.