The legendary musician meets Britain’s Bravest

TOMMY CLUB INSPIRES JOOLS HOLLAND

It was our pleasure to welcome Tommy Club Founding Patron and musician, Jools Holland OBE DL, to RBLI’s village in Aylesford to discuss the Queen’s Green Canopy campaign and provide further insight into the fantastic work veterans and people with disabilities achieve at Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company.

Jools Holland OBE DL, was left inspired after visiting RBLI’s social enterprise, Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company. The famed musician collected plaques made by the charity’s beneficiaries for the Queen’s Green Canopy treeplanting initiative.

Jools, along with councillors from his home village of Cooling, visited to pick up four plaques which will signify the planting of 70 trees as part of the nationwide campaign launched in line with Her Majesty’s platinum Jubilee. The famed pianist toured Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company, where he met the veterans and people with disabilities, who are proud to have been commissioned to produce official plaques for the Jubilee project.

The team, along with veterans of RBLI’s other social enterprise, Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company, have together produced more than 2,000 plaques raising over £250,000 for RBLI’s lifechanging services.

Jools said: “To be able to mark the Jubilee in some way, it’s a great honour to be able to do that.

“I think it’s great that we can put trees in and the sign will be there.

“Small children running around our village now will see them and then when we’re all gone and they’re grown up, they’ll still be there.”

Speaking of the charity’s work, Jools added: “I hadn’t seen the work they were doing here and I’m just so amazed with the signs and the amount made.” Jools first became associated with RBLI back in 2020, when he agreed to become a Founding Patron of RBLI’s national veteran supporters club, the Tommy Club.

RBLI’s Chief Executive said:

“The Queen’s Green Canopy initiative is a wonderful legacy. As we plant trees today, they’ll be here for 100s of years. We’re so proud to take part as the official organisation that is producing the plaques – it means so much to us all. We cannot thank Jools and representatives of Cooling Parish Council enough for taking the time to visit us.”

I had no idea how much they were doing – all the signs for Network Rail, the M25, signs for villages. The way they’re doing it is so great.