Two new grants of £2,500 each, to be awarded by Edinburgh, Lothian and Borders area council, will offer the opportunity to boost local branches and youth groups.

 The Centenary Award will be given to a branch in the area which the council judges decide best meets their charitable aims.

 The Earl Haig Fund grant will be made to a uniformed youth project, which could include Army Cadets, Sea Cadets, Brownies, Scouts, Boys Brigade and Girl Guides.

 “We’re not looking for anything in particular,” explains chairman of Edinburgh, Lothian and Borders area, Brian Kelly. “The grants will go to the applications that impress us most and meets our charitable aims, as described in clause four of our constitution, which is quite broad.

 “We don’t want to narrow applications down, we want to open them up and make people think: ‘What could we actually do that would be innovative, impress the judges and make an impact?’”

 Applications will open online in October with the aim to make the awards before the end of the year, ideally on Remembrance Day. In future years, applications will be invited by mid-March and winners announced at the Founder’s Day event.

 “We see this in terms of a legacy project,” explains Brian. “We’re planning an online branch history project and will add branch histories and local heroes. That’s looking to our past. The grants are forward looking, focusing on who is continuing to put Service Before Self.”