Royal British legion call on Peterborough public to support Poppy Appeal as Covid restricts collections

Usually, a large number of volunteers can be seen on streets of the city selling poppies to commemorate the sacrifice of Britain’s armed forces and to raise money to help support the serving or ex-serving members of those forces.

However, their efforts have been severely restricted this year by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, with many of their usual volunteers having to shield from the virus.

Organisers are working hard to do what they can to coordinate efforts safely and raise as much money as they can in Peterborough.

The Poppy Appeal has still had a presence in the city with stalls on Bridge Street, outside the Town Hall, and inside Queensgate and these now have the facility to accept card payments and are regularly sanitised.

The stalls are planned to be in place until November 7 but newly announced lockdown restrictions could change that.

They also give details of how people can donate online or via text. As seen on many posters in shop windows, there is a QR code which people can scan on their mobile phone which will then direct them to a donation page. You can also text ‘POPPY2’, ‘POPPY5’ , OR ‘POPPY10’ to donate £2, £5 or £10 respectively or call the fundraising support team on 0845 845 1945. There is also the option to print out a donation form and send it in. More information can be found on the Royal British Legion website.

Organisers have encouraged people to do this, if they feel able, to help support the armed forces in what has been a tough year for many.

Peterborough branch organiser Sandy Foster said: “It’s been slow this year and we’re very limited on what we’re allowed to do.

“Normally, we would have 20 or 30 volunteers and about 10 or 20 drivers but this year we had four.

“We’re doing what we can though and we’re hoping to do something really big next year, especially with it being the 100-year anniversary of when the Poppy Appeal started in 1921.

“There’s still a lot to organise though with ordering enough stock, planning the rounds, organising the volunteers and the wreaths.

“It’s my second year and it’s definitely been a learning curve.

“We will not be laying a wreath personally this year but instead marking the day with two minutes silence on the doorstep at home.

“We would still really appreciate it if people could support us though as our veterans still need us.”

This year’s Remembrance parade in Peterborough has been cancelled and the wreath-laying service and Cathedral service on Remembrance Sunday (November 8) will instead be live streamed across the council and cathedral’s Youtube and Facebook pages. A limited number of tickets are available for the service, which starts at 11:30pm.

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