Waddington area poppy appeal

14/11/2025

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Thank you for delivering Poppy Appeal 2025

Dear Lady S Leightley

What an incredible Appeal it's been! You once again pulled together and organised collections across the nations, bringing poppies to communities, enabling them to remember. None of this could happen without you, and once again we are overwhelmed with your passion and dedication to delivering such a brilliant Appeal.

The Appeal achieved amazing media coverage across local and national, and we hope you caught the Festival of Remembrance on the TV on Saturday night too. Many celebrities came out to volunteer and support, from Rob Rinder, Al Murray, David Beckham, and Jason Fox to name but a few. Although as you know it will take while to count and announce our total, we do know that we had a positive London Poppy Day raising £1.478 million, which is a fantastic achievement from just 12 hours of collecting.

We do know that when the campaign ends that the hard work doesn't stop, and that many of you are still working hard counting the cash ahead of your Statement of Account submissions. Do reach out to your Relationship Manager if you need support with this.

We do want to say a massive thank you, and please find below a video of thanks from all at the Poppy Appeal to our incredible volunteers, for all that you do to support the Armed Forces community. We'd encourage you to share this email and video with all of your volunteers to say THANK YOU to them too - you really are the heart and soul of the Poppy Appeal.

We encouraged the use of contactless this year, offering the new Toucan Collect smartphone app in addition to our contactless terminals and QR codes.

We are delighted to be able to tell you now that contactless giving was up over 20% from the previous year thanks to a record number of volunteers embracing digital tools and making it easier than ever for supporters to tap to give.

Thank you to all who embraced these tools, and for those wanting to get ahead for 2026, we'd encourage you to have early conversations with your Relationship Manager.

Please do remember these important dates.

1st December - Statement of Account forms need to be returned.5th December deadline - Contactless devices need to be returned before this date. We are charged for any not returned, so we'd be really grateful if you can make best efforts to meet this deadline. 1st week of December - PAO survey will go live. Watch out for your email. Your voice on all elements of the Poppy Appeal is so important to us as we consider the improvements we need to make for the appeal in future years.

Once again, thank you for your continued support of the Armed Forces community.

Warmest wishes

Tamsin Fraser

Head of Poppy Appeal

09/11/2025

Our wonderful church remembering those that gave their all. Lest we forget.

07/11/2025

28/10/2025

Just to let you all know, this will be my last year as the poppy appeal organiser for the area. This is due to my ongoing spinal problems, and not being able to drive at the moment.

Before i contact my boss, i would like to know if anyone local would like to take it on. I dont feel right passing it on to a stranger. I will help with transition and go through everything.

Regards

Sonia Leightley

23/10/2025

Poppy Appeal 2025 Launch Day

The Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal for 2025 officially launches today (Thursday 23 October) and this year is highlighting how the RBL is helping to rebuild lives across the Armed Forces community.

Thanks to your commitment, the money raised during this year’s appeal will enable RBL’s vital work supporting serving personnel, veterans and their families throughout their lives with whatever the need, whenever it’s needed. At any given moment, the RBL is helping over 7,000 members of the Armed Forces community with expert advice and practical support. For some in the Armed Forces community, issues from service can affect them later in life, often with swift and devastating consequences. There are many reasons that could cause a veteran’s life to fall apart – the lasting impact of a training accident, the loss of a friend, or battlefield trauma. The RBL’s support is made possible thanks to you and your volunteers.

On the day the 2025 Poppy Appeal launches we wanted to share with you an early peak of the advert which from today will be running across TV, video-on-demand, cinema, radio and digital advertising.



You'll be able to see the advert live on television from 6am today including ITV, Sky, Channel 4, Channel 5 and catch-up services.

This is a powerful, image-led video, narrated by actor Martin Freeman, illustrating when a veteran’s life falls apart, RBL helps to rebuild it, and how important it is to wear a poppy - all within 60 seconds.

Your dedication and support for the Poppy Appeal mean the Royal British Legion can continue its vital work of supporting our Armed Forces community across the United Kingdom.

Click on the video below to see the advert.

Naomi's Story

During the Appeal you will see a number of our beneficiaries sharing personal accounts of the struggles they faced after Service and how the RBL has been there for them. Veterans like Naomi.

RAF veteran Naomi Hall from Manchester had a 16-year career in the military as a Senior Aircraftwoman, but her experiences in Afghanistan, coupled with a life-threatening car crash, saw her turn to the Royal British Legion for help and support as she adjusted to life on Civvy Street.

To find out more about how the Royal British Legion were able to support Naomi, click the button below.

Naomi's Story

Naomi's Story

Every day, ex-service and serving personnel and their families come to the Royal British Legion for support when they become overwhelmed with issues including addiction, debt, homelessness, PTSD and relationship breakdowns.



When something goes wrong, the RBL is there to help rebuild lives and provide members of the Armed Forces community with the support they need to create a better future. This help is made possible thanks to your time, and the donations you will collect over the Appeal. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Please do pass on this email to your volunteers in thanks of all their time.



Best of luck with the Appeal,

Tamsin Fraser

Head of Poppy Appeal

Follow the Legion

21/09/2025

Fabulous harvest festival service this morning, down at Burgess Farm Waddington . Thank you sue, sarah and james.

02/09/2025

RBL meeting this evening,
Three Horseshoes pub waddington.
7pm
All welcome.

08/08/2025

Grand total for 1st 6 months of 2024/5 poppy appeal. Well done everyone.

04/08/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/178jEkvK8u/

🎄 Get creative and help us say thank you this Christmas! 🎨

Every year, the Royal British Legion sends a Christmas or Advent card to our amazing supporters to thank them for their generosity. This year, we want your artwork to be part of that message.

We’re looking for two original pieces of art – whether it’s a drawing, painting or sculpture – to feature on the front of our cards. You can share:

What Christmas means to you now that you’ve received support from RBL
Or a festive image that captures the spirit of the season
Our supporters feel proud knowing their donations make a real difference – and your story could be the one that inspires them this year.

📝 Alongside your artwork, include a short paragraph about your journey with RBL, what inspired your piece, and what you’d say to those who support us.

📏 Artwork will be photographed or scanned to fit:

A4 (folded to A5)
Or 140mm x 140mm square
🕔 Deadline: 5pm, Friday 29th August
📬 Send your original artwork to:
Battle Back Centre
Lilleshall National Sports Centre
Lilleshall, Newport, Shropshire
TF10 9AT

📧 For more info, contact: [email protected]

Let your creativity shine and help us celebrate the power of support, recovery and community this Christmas. 💙