Poppy Collection Record Broken Again

Thanks to our determined Poppy Collectors braving the downpours of the past fortnight, we are on target to break last year's record for Poppy donations. Presently (Nov 18th 2008) our total stands at £9306.95. The majority of this amount being raised in the past fortnight by:
Collectors going from door to door
Static collection boxes in shops, offices, hotels etc
Collectors outside our Tesco, Co-op and Summerfield stores
Street Collection
The Poppy Appeal year end is 31 May. By this time we will usually have collected another £1000 or so from:::

Further Sources of Income
Our Club raises a considerable amount from the Poppy Bottle on the bar, which when full will be the subject of a guess the total competition to raise a bit more!
Individual donations
Our Womens Section hold 2 Coffee Mornings every year and other smaller events, from which they donate to the Poppy Appeal.

Yearly Totals
2002 £4467.47
2003 £4712.81
2004 £4858.11
2005 £6300.37
2006 £6887.49
2007 £9428.61
2008 £9306.95 so far.

Keith Hanks our Chairman has done an admirable job as Poppy Organiser for longer than he cares to remember!
He welcomes help of any sort, including filling the Poppy boxes and delivering them to Collectors, as well as being on the front line. Beginners imagine all sorts of hassle on the doorstep, this is very true for many Charitable collections, but is almost non existant for us privileged Poppy Collectors.
Talking of this, I have been a door to door Poppy Collector for about 40 years in Surrey and Sussex, and can count the number of rebuffs I have received on my fingers!
You need not have any connection with 'The Forces' to be a member or a helper of The Royal British Legion, just a desire to thank those that have defended this Country over the years. We have only a very small Branch comittee with about equal numbers of ex and non servicepersons and we all try to do our bit.
Kim Pickstock (Branch Treasurer)

Updated 18/11/2008