THE Rotary Club of Swindon Thamesdown has announced the return of the popular Wiltshire Poppy Ball and Gala Evening later this year.

The event, which is part remembrance ceremony part charity fundraiser, will be held for the third year running on November 5 at the Steam Museum and is organised in association with the Royal British Legion.

Guests will take part in a traditional remembrance commemoration ceremony, enjoy a sumptuous three course meal and hold a silent auction to raise money for various military charities.

This year will also see performances from the Band and Corps of Drums of HM Royal Marines CTC Lympstone and the Military Wives Choir of RAF Brize Norton, followed by a flag-waving miniature proms.

Bob Humphries, President of the Rotary Club of Swindon Thamesdown, said: “The Poppy Ball has been a fantastic success.

“The first year we put it on, it wasn’t as well-attended as we would have liked, and we got to the end and wondered if we would be able to do it again.

“But we sold more tickets last year, and this year we sold out and had to start a waiting list as early as June.”

“In Swindon and Wiltshire there is a very high percentage of service people living here and when they return to civilian life they face a mountain to climb, which is why we are trying to raise as much money as we can for military charities.”

The charities who will benefit from the ball include the Poppy Appeal, SSAFA, which has provided lifelong support to soldiers and their families since 1885, and the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund.

Individual tickets or tables for 10 or 12 guests cost £60 each, but are very limited. And many who wish to go but who haven't yet got a ticket are likely to be disappointed.

Last year the event managed to raise more than £14,000 for charity.

The dress code is dinner jacket or uniform and proceedings start from 6:15pm.

Bob said: “This has become Swindon’s primary remembrance event even though it has only been going for a short time, and we are all very much looking forward to it.”

The Royal British Legion is there to give practical help to all men and women who have served in the Forces and to their widows and dependents in a time of need.

It created the Poppy Appeal to help those returning from the First World War and is still helping today's Armed Forces families in much the same way, whether coping with bereavement, living with disability, or finding employment.

The Rotary organisation has over 33,000 clubs in more than 200 countries with over 1.2 million members worldwide, and the Rotary Club of Swindon Thamesdown is one of many in Wiltshire.

For more information email thepoppyball@gmail.com.