Poppy Appeal Plea

Due to the recent Coronavirus updates that were discussed earlier this week on BBC news, the town of Barnsley located in South Yorkshire, have raised an issue surrounding the annual poppy appeal that is due to commence in November as usual.

However, due to the social distancing restrictions in the south and west of Yorkshire, a large number of veterans and volunteers are faced with the risk of either collecting a very limited amount of fundraising this year for the chosen charity; or possibly having to rearrange or cancel the event altogether.

The remembrance Day fundraising is a significant and well-deserved tradition, that is unfortunately one of the many campaigns that have been affected by the pandemic this fall, due to the current restrictions placed over a number of towns in the north of England. Members of the great British legion have joined together to urge their local community to volunteer for the poppy appeal this year despite the Coronavirus restrictions, as a number of precautions are set to be put in place across the country; in order to protect both the veterans and the general public.

The protective measures that will be put in place include the wearing of masks, using sanitizer and social distancing whenever possible; as many volunteers will be separated by a table approximately two metres apart from the public. However, it is understandable that a large amount of veterans aged 70 or over will be shielding during this appeal, for the protection of their safety and will therefore not have the opportunity to contribute or support the charity this year. In 2018, the national poppy appeal raised approximately ‘50 million pounds’.

The majority of the money that is raised each year is donated to the charity itself, which is used to help soldiers and veterans in need all over Britain, whilst funding recovery centres that help to support soldiers mentally and physically throughout the use of treatment or counselling.

Additionally, the remainder of the money is donated to a number of other festivals and fundraisers across the UK, such as The Royal Albert Hall and the National Memorial Arboretum. The charities’ organiser Veronica Hanson has delivered a statement ‘’asking everyone to back the Poppy Appeal in a new way’’ this November and reassuring the public that ‘’there will be more ways than ever before for people to support, including collections in supermarkets and a new range of fundraising and donation tools online.”

Because of the popularity of the event, Barnsley council have decided that the public will still be able to place commemorative wreaths in front of the war memorial as usual in spite of the restrictions, providing that families continue to socially distance wherever necessary.