FORMER servicemen and their families will be able to call on the British Legion when they need a hand at home, thanks to a new scheme.

The Royal British Legion will launch its Poppy Calls scheme in Lancashire tomorrow after successful pilot projects in Suffolk and Lincolnshire.

Under the scheme, welfare officers will visit the homes of signed-up veterans to help out with jobs like minor repairs and fitting essential equipment like smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

The Legion's own Lifeline 400 24-hour alarm system can also be fitted through the service, giving users an instant link to community response centres if they are in difficulties at home.

The initiative is part of the Legion's "Poppy Support" service, offered to qualifying veterans, their widows or dependents, and it is expected to be rolled out across the UK within two years.

Research conducted among ex-soldiers in 2006 identified that 18% of the 2.1 million veterans aged 75 and over had difficulty maintaining their homes.

A spokesman for the Royal British Legion said: "We hope the service will be particularly helpful for older people in the county who qualify for Legion assistance and perhaps feel isolated or unable to carry out every day tasks such as changing a light bulb or fixing a broken lock."