Are the Tower of London poppies worth the wait?

I, TOO, received a Tower of London poppy that looked like a child’s first attempt at Plasticine modelling and it still had mud on it. The paint finish was atrocious, having been applied over dust and debris with runs in it and the colour had faded. The edges of the petals were rough and there were a couple of chips. I phoned the customer service line and was told they would replace it. After all, £25 isn’t an insignificant amount for one poppy. I know the money is (mainly) for a good cause and that the Tower of London display was magnificent, but it was known from the start that the poppies would be sold. I expected something fine and beautiful, but received a clumsy, ugly flower.

Mrs SHIRLEY TAYLOR, address supplied. MY POPPY arrived in excellent condition, beautifully packed by Yodel. Lucky? Maybe — but we can hardly expect 888,246 poppy deliveries to go perfectly. I think all concerned from the outset deserve tremendous praise.

JENNIFER YATES, Windermere, Cumbria. WHY the fuss about the Tower poppies, their quality, whether people sell them on or they get stolen when in the postal system? This misses the point. If one is stolen, it will be put somewhere else so others can remember. Broken poppies? People are broken either in limb or mind by war or the madness that bereavement becomes.

GILL RICHARDS, Winchester, Hants. WHEN my poppy arrived, I was prepared for whatever I received. After all, I was having my poppy in remembrance of a grandfather I never knew, who was killed in 1916, aged 27. In the event, I received a perfect poppy — but I was unprepared for my reaction. I sobbed and sobbed. I would willingly have exchanged the few remaining years of my life with my perfect poppy for a few years of my life with a far-from-perfect grandad.

Mrs JANE MOSS, Bridport, Dorset.