Singing the blues to help poppies appeal

A LEADING charity for former Services’ personnel hopes to raise thousands of pounds for the Scottish Poppy Appeal with the release of a new single.

The Fight Inside has been penned by Amy Hawthorn for Legion Scotland, which is the Royal British Legion in Scotland.

The Livingston jazz and blues singer’s song is to be made available for download from iTunes, Amazon and other digital music outlets from tomorrow.

Ms Hawthorn agreed to create the single to raise awareness of the work done by the charity and raise funds for the Scottish Poppy Appeal. With more than 31,000 members, Legion Scotland is the largest ex-service membership charity in Scotland.

The singer’s debut single in 2013 reached No 1 on the iTunes jazz chart, and in the last year the 27-year-old singer has performed at various events for the charity.

She said: “The song is about remaining strong and not giving up hope when a loved one is out of sight serving in the Armed Forces.

“I hope the single raises awareness of what veterans have done for this country and inspires people to support the work both Legion Scotland and Poppyscotland undertake to help those who have served our country.”

Last year, Legion Scotland supporters were collectively the single biggest fundraiser for the Scottish Poppy Appeal, raising £881,767 in total.

Lieutenant General Sir Alistair Irwin, president of both Legion Scotland and Poppyscotland, said: “This single is a great example of how two charities can work together for the benefit of veterans. We hope it will spur people on to find out more about the charities’ work.”