Still here for heroes
Today, they do similar work and lots more, including giving individual grants to get people back to work, or help them make small adaptations to their home if they have been left with injuries following their service.
During the pandemic, the Legion even stepped in to provide food vouchers for local supermarkets to make sure struggling ex-service personnel would not go hungry at such a difficult time when those on the breadline potentially couldn’t access other services.
The support from the Legion is lifelong, too, from their residential care homes to the Admiral Nurses who help veterans affected by dementia and needing practical and emotional support, no matter how long ago they served in the forces.
Take Reggie and Betty. Reggie served under the Royal Norfolk Regiment during the Second World War and met his wife Betty on a blind date. During their marriage, Reggie loved to tend to his garden, planting beautiful flowers he knew Betty would enjoy. Then one day, following a fall, Reggie found he couldn’t get down the step from his house to his garden anymore and suddenly felt like a prisoner in his own home. Betty called the Legion and a team helped install a new step and handrail so Reggie could get out and plant flowers once again.
All of this incredible work, though, would not be possible without funds, a huge amount of which comes from the annual Poppy Appeal. As the world’s largest street cash collection, raising more than £50 million annually, this enormous feat comes down to the
‘The more money we raise, the more people we can help’
dedication of the thousands of poppy sellers who brave all weathers to raise money.
Last year was the first in the Legion’s history that sellers could not take to the streets because of Covid-19, but this year they are all ecstatic to be back, including one of the Legion’s youngest sellers, Maisie Mead (10) and one of its oldest, Vera Parnaby (82).
Maisie has been fundraising for the Poppy Appeal since the age of four because her dad James was injured during his service in the Army Forces. Having previously transformed her entire neighbourhood into Poppy Street for November, Maisie says: “The poppy means you take some time for yourself and remember those who serve.” Meanwhile, Vera has been a dedicated poppy seller for more than seven decades and raised in excess of £1 million for the Poppy Appeal.
No wonder then that she’s earned the nickname Mrs Poppy! “My Mam sold poppies all her life and now I do it with my family, sometimes even with my great-grandson,” says Vera. “And the more money we can raise, the more people we can help.”
Indeed, that’s the mission for the future, to keep championing the needs of the people who give so much for the sake of our peace and safety. Thank you, British Legion, for your 100 years of helping our heroes.