A SIX-year-old girl touched by the death of Drummer Lee Rigby is leading the next generation of the Royal British Legion.

Emily-Rose Hughes, a pupil at Peel Park Primary in Accrington, is thought to be the only Legion mascot in the country.

The youngster became the first official RBL Accrington mascot after being recognised by the charity for her commitment to war veterans.

She is now looking forward to attending many of the Remembrance events taking place around East Lancashire.

Mother Catherine said: “We went to lay a wreath at the cenotaph (after Lee Rigby’s death) and she was really interested in the veterans and all the old soldiers.

“She started chatting with them and wanted to get involved with the RBL. She began asking when she could go on marches and things.

“They recognised this and asked her if she wanted to become an official mascot and she was delighted to.

“We haven’t pushed her in this direction at all. She just made a real connection with the stories of the war veterans and the work the RBL does.

“We’ve had to buy her a diary because she’s attending so many events in November but she loves it and is always talking about it.”

Emily-Rose’s father, Mike, is an ex-serviceman and both her grandfather and great-grandfather service in the British armed forces.

Mike Peacock, chairman of the RBL Accrington said: “Emily-Rose is our first ever mascot and I think she may even be the only one in the country.

“Children and young people are the future of the Legion and having a young mascot is a great way of communicating the work that the charity does to younger people.

“Emily-Rose is a very astute little girl who proved to be keenly interested in the RBL, possibly because of the military history in her family.”

This week, she planted poppy seeds with her classmates as part of a Remembrance event attended by the Mayor and Mayoress of Accrington.