New technology helps Lymm Poppy Appeal raise £22,600

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THE annual Lymm Poppy Appeal co-ordinated by a team of volunteers helped raise £22,600 as technology changed the way people donated money.

During the two-week Remembrance period during 2024 the community in Lymm and High Legh raised a phenomenal amount of money for the Royal British Legion. The final total might even be more once all QR payments and electronic payments have been included.

One of the organisers Linda Monk, who along with her fellow volunteers June Gittins and Neville, have announced they are standing down this year, said: “Probably one of the biggest changes over the 9 years that June and myself have seen whilst being involved in our local Poppy Appeal is how technology has changed the way people are able to donate. Today it’s not just cash which is donated, people also give using our dedicated card machines, via internet banking and also using QR codes. “What hasn’t changed, however, is that ever since the formation of the RBL Remembrance has been part of the fabric of society reminding us all of our shared history and today, as ever, it continues to unite people across all backgrounds, communities and generations.
“We’re often asked where does the money raised from the Appeal go. We’re delighted to be able to tell you that all donations received during the Poppy Appeal help the RBL provide lifelong support to serving and ex-serving members of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependents through any hardships, injuries, illness and bereavement they may incur. Every poppy sold helps the RBL to make a significant difference. Sadly, with conflicts still raging around the world, the work of the Legion is as relevant and vital today as it was in the aftermath of the First World War when the Charity was founded. Today The Royal British Legion is still there every step of the way for those ex-service personnel and their families who are struggling to cope with life in whatever way.”

Linda added: “The Poppy is and has been for very many years an enduring symbol of Remembrance, Respect and Hope for a peaceful future. The origin of why the Poppy became that symbol dates back to the First World War when a Canadian doctor who was also a soldier was moved to write his poem ‘ In Flanders Field’. He had witnessed the death of one of his close friends on the field of combat at Ypres. His inspiration for the poem came from seeing how the simple red poppy grew in abundance in what were only a short while previously battle-scarred fields where many thousands had lost their lives.
“On a personal note, 2024 was the 9th Poppy Appeal that June and I have organised in our district. We were very grateful to Neville Davies when he came on board a few years later. Over those nine years, we’ve been humbled by the generosity of our community, by your kindness, by the way you’ve come forward to volunteer and to support not just us but the work of the RBL. Along the way we’ve also met many veterans at various RBL Poppy Appeal meetings and also when they’ve made themselves known to us at our manned outlets, most especially at the Lymm Services – always referred to us as The Truck Stop. So many of the drivers are ex-service personnel. We’ve heard stories not of where, when or in what capacity they served, but rather stories about life for them or one of their comrades when they came home, often ‘damaged’ in some way by what they’d seen and having been pushed to their personal limits of endurance. We heard how for many of them they came home to somewhere which no longer felt warm and secure and in many instances to a family that couldn’t understand the night terrors, the flashbacks, the panic attacks all of which they might be suffering from. It’s a very humbling experience to hear those stories, their experiences were something that we couldn’t begin to imagine.
“That’s why it is so important that people of all ages understand the importance of remembering those who have made sacrifices defending the freedoms we enjoy today and also recognise the importance and relevance of the support that the Royal British Legion gives on the financial, the welfare front and the medical front, whether that aid is physical or mental. We need to remember those who have given and continue to give so much.
“We would like to thank all of those who have helped to raise an amazing amount of money over the last few years, including our wonderful team of volunteers, our schools, churches, shops, restaurants, pubs and hotels. We’d also like to thank the staff at High Legh Garden Centre, at our two local Sainsbury stores and the management at The Truck Stop and Lymm Truck Wash as well as Tim and Janet at Abbey Leys, Lymm Parish Council and Paul and Ian at Cheshire Mix 56 for all their help and support.
“But, now it’s time for June, Neville and myself to step down and to let another team come forward to hopefully build on what we have done. We came to Lymm and High Legh’s Poppy Appeal following on from some inspirational people including Ray Massey, Margaret and Len Woodward and Albert Priestner. We hope we’ve done them proud over the last few years. We know that all of you in our community have most certainly done that, and we know that working together we’ve contributed in a significant way to support the Armed Forces community past and present. If you’d be interested in becoming involved with the Poppy Appeal in the future here in Lymm please do contact [email protected]


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Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.

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