Poppy People campaign needs more volunteers for annual Appeal
The Royal British Legion is urging the public in Saintfield and surrounding areas to dedicate some of their spare time and join its band of volunteers during this year’s Poppy Appeal.
This year, the village of Saintfield is particularly short on volunteer help and so the Legion is calling on those in the local area to dedicate a few hours to make a huge difference to the 6.2 million members of the Armed Forces community that are eligible for help from the Legion.
Each year more than 350,000 poppy volunteers are needed across the UK to raise much-needed funds to support serving and former Armed Forces personnel, and their families. The Legion is looking for enthusiastic people of all ages and backgrounds to help run the Poppy Appeal in local communities across Co. Down.
Lyn Palmer, Community Fundraiser, Northern Ireland East, said: “Saintfield, in particular, is struggling to gather enough Poppy Appeal volunteers this year, and so we need as many helping hands as possible to ensure that we can raise those much-needed funds, and maybe even beat the village’s previous record total of over £6,000. Volunteering can provide great opportunities for those involved, especially for young people. It allows the chance to meet new friends, learn new and transferable skills and be part of a team that helps the Armed Forces community and promotes understanding of Remembrance. We’d love all who want to volunteer with us to get in contact right now.”
Claire Rowcliffe, Director of Fundraising, said: “The Poppy Appeal is The Royal British Legion’s main fundraising event of the year. Our volunteers are very much the lifeblood of the Poppy Appeal and contribute enormously to the charity year-round through a variety of roles.
“The best thing about being a volunteer for the Legion is that we welcome all ages and all backgrounds – people don’t have to be associated with the Armed Forces, they just need to be passionate about the cause.”
If you can volunteer to support this year’s Saintfield Poppy Appeal, please contact Community Fundraiser Lyn Palmer on 07827 367447 / lpalmer@britishlegion.org.uk
For further information on the work of The Royal British Legion visit: www.britishlegion.org.uk
