The Poppy Appeal is the Legion’s biggest fundraising campaign raising over £50,000,000 last year.

With the Appeal enabling us to make a difference to our Armed Forces community and their families, it is a priority for us every year.

This year will be a tough year, due to COVID-19, so please can I ask you to dig deep and remember to carry some cash, as door to door collections will not take place.

Our priority this year is to ensure that everyone who wants to take part in Remembrance can do so, either by making a donation for our traditional poppy, or by taking part in other activities that we have put in place as part of our contingency plan.

Or you can go online and browse through the many items on sale at the RBL Poppy shop: www.poppyshop.org.uk – for

example, a new WW2 Commemorative Poppy Pin made from a blend of metals, Spitfire,WW2 Army mess tin, and Royal Navy Landing Craft.

Please rest assured, there will be lots of ways you can support us this year. The Legion can confirm that our corporate partners; major supermarkets, banks and other national and regional retail stores will be offering poppies directly to the public in more than 10,000 outlets across the UK.

Also available is a downloadable, printable Poppy that is being developed so that businesses can still donate and show their support.

A small pack of Poppies can be ordered via: rbl.org.uk/poppyappeal. We will also be using more cashless technologies than ever before – we have doubled the number of contactless terminals available and will make Quick Reponse Codes (QR codes) and text-to-donate numbers available to make sure everyone is able to make a donation in a way that they are comfortable with.

There will be Poppy boxes and donation tins in all the usual shops and businesses in Timsbury this year from Saturday, 24th October until Saturday, 7th November.

Organisations, businesses or any resident can lay a wreath if any of your staff, family or relatives died in WWI, WWII, or any conflicts since. If you would like a wreath, the price varies depending on which you choose, (please note, it takes a week to ten days for free delivery). Wooden crosses are also available for a small donation: rbl.org.uk/poppyappeal.

Also, remember to have some cash in your pocket to put in the donation tins and there should also be a (QR code) on our tins or boxes for those who want to donate by phone.

Timsbury Remembrance Service 2020 will be on Sunday, 8th November at 11 a.m. at the village War Memorial. Everyone is welcome, observing the COVID-19 social distancing rules.

We celebrate the contribution of our Armed Forces’ community across generations and while the challenges our Armed Forces face may change, the sense of duty shared by all who serve never fades.

However you support the Appeal this year, thank you for your ongoing commitment that will help the 2020 Poppy Appeal be as successful as possible. Chris Fiddes