A new record total of more than £28,000 has been raised in Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge for the Royal British Legion during the town’s annual Poppy Appeal.
Generous residents have dug deep to donate to the appeal and buy poppies in recent weeks during a year when the country has been marking the centenary of the First World War.
Burnham Poppy Appeal collectors, pictured, have this week thanked all those who gave and supported the appeal.
Organiser Gaynor Brown said: “The total for this year’s appeal has reached an astonishing £28,222.04. We were all in shock when we totalled it up.”
“None of this happens without a wonderful team working flat out for six weeks and it can’t happen without the wonderful army of collectors who man the supermarkets for us either.”
“They manned over 400 two-hour slots in the supermarkets and we sent out 180 collection boxes to shops, schools and homes throughout Burnham-On-Sea, Berrow, Brean and Highbridge.”
“The top shop collector is usually GW Hurleys who make a tremendous effort for us each year, however this year they were pipped at the post by the Co-Op Funeral Care in Adam Street.”
“This incredible collection shows how the size of the collection is often due to the efforts of one member of staff in a shop. Sarah at the Co-Op not only used the box we provided but organised an army of knitters to make the lovely poppies that have been seen so often in our High Street.”
“Individual collectors who broke all records this year were Jane Fisher and Val Flack and the tam who collected the most were Mike and June who spent 4 hours a day in Asda.”
She added: “We have been totally overwhelmed by this year’s response, especially the way the younger generation have taken it onboard this year. The history of the two World Wars was restored to the curriculum and the schools all marked the anniversary of the start of WWI with events in the schools.”
“St Andrew’s School planted poppies in our field of remembrance, as well as collecting a huge amount. The Army Cadet Force mounted a master class in how to obstruct shoppers in both Asda and Tesco and collected a fantastic £1,335.00.”
“In addition to organising the appeal we have had to spend time reforming the Royal British Legion’s Burnham branch. Burnham-On-Sea.com has been so helpful in covering this story. The latest is that having been told by County that we needed 20 signatures of existing members to re-open, we now have 50 existing members signed up, in addition to 24 new members and there are still over 20 people who have taken application forms intending to join.”
“We are all on tenterhooks waiting to hear when the trust meeting is that should give us back our building. The money to buy the shop in Victoria Street was raised by the members of the Legion and all the expenses since have been paid by funds raised in the branch and through generous legacies left by local people.”
“We have a new acting committee ready and willing to breath life back into the branch and with plans for all sorts of new events, welfare support groups and social life. All it needs is for county to give the go ahead, hopefully sooner rather than later, so all this enthusiasm can be used before it dissipates.”
“The team would like to thank everyone who made both the record-breaking total possible and also the very real possibility of giving Burnham back its RBL. I wish to issue a personal thanks to the team who came in day after day to help. I broke my shoulder two days before we started so you can understand that absolutely none of this would have been possible without them.”
