THE Oxford Mail is supporting this year’s Poppy Appeal by highlighting the good work of the Royal British Legion in supporting our troops.

Each day we will bring you the stories of how the charity is transforming the lives of former and current services personnel.

Last year’s county fundraising raised £492,189.15 and organisers hope to hit £540,000 with the 2012 campaign.

Poppies went on sale this week and can also be bought from official Poppy sellers. To make a donation, call 0845 845 1945 or visit royalbritishlegion.org.uk

MEMBERS of Oxford University Royal Navy Unit (URNU) have joined the legion of committed poppy sellers taking to the county’s streets.

Oxford URNU was founded in 1994 and is based in Falklands House, a purpose-built facility in Oxpens Road it shares with Oxford University Officer Training Corps, and Oxford University Air Squadron.

The unit is made up of up to 51 students taken from Oxford, Oxford Brookes and Reading universities and, during term time, drill nights are held every Thursday evening.

On Thursday, members of the unit visited Oxford railway station to collect money for the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal.

They included law student David Griffith-Jones, 20, from Essex, who said: “We had a really good day, we were there 12 hours, and the response was really positive.

“We have had a lot of smiling Oxford people, and we have off-loaded several boxes of poppies.”

Sub-Lieutenant Patrick Vickers, 23, of the Oxford URNU, said: “We sold the best part of a thousand, we have no boxes left.

“Hopefully, we might have raised as much as £2,000. A lot of people have thrown more than one pound in, some people paid £30 for a poppy.”

OTHER CHARITIES OFFERING HELP

  • Help for Heroes.
  • The British Limbless ex-Servicemen’s Association (BLESMA) supports servicemen and women who lose limbs, the use of limbs or eyes or the sight of an eye in the service of their country.

The charity’s work starts with rehabilitation and involves shared experience, life-long welfare support, and campaigning.

Jerome Church, general secretary of BLESMA, said: “We have had a long and fruitful relationship with The Royal British Legion for over 80 years.

“The legion has always worked closely with us and we with them. They have resources we don’t but we have expertise in areas such as prosthetics and the daily business of living with amputation. We are a good team.

“The Poppy Appeal is at the centre of public life of this country and as ever we will be guests of the British Legion as we march past the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday wearing the poppy that is a symbol of real meaning – for us all” . Tel: 020 8590 1124 or go to blesma.org

  • The Army Benevolent Fund provides financial support and practical advice to soldiers, former soldiers and their families in times of need. Tel: 0845 241 4820 or go to soldiers charity.org
  • The charity Combat Stress provides a dedicated service for veterans including a 24-hour helpline, a community outreach service and a variety of rehabilitation programmes. Tel: 01372 587 000 or go to combatstress.org
  • The Army Families Federation (AFF) is the independent voice of Army families and works hard to improve the quality of life for Army families around the world. The charity is often pivotal in achieving improvements for Army families such as changes to Government and military policy. For details of your regional co-ordinator visit aff.org
  • The Not Forgotten Association is a unique national tri-service charity which provides entertainment, leisure and recreation for the serving wounded, injured or sick and for ex-service men and women with disabilities. Tel: 0207 730 0020 or go to nfassociation.org                   

WHERE THE MONEY GOES

The Royal British Legion spent £90m last year on health and welfare for the Armed Forces community – £1.7m every week.

It committed £50m over 10 years to help serving men and women who are wounded, injured or sick through the Battle Back Centre, an adaptive sports facility in Shropshire, and to fund the operating costs of four Personnel Recovery Centres in the UK and a Personnel Recovery Unit in Germany.

It spent £20m last year running its care homes and break centres and helped 18,000 veterans and their families with immediate needs grants and helped more than 11,000 individuals with benefit and money advice, 25 per cent of whom were serving personnel.

Last year its Independent Inquest Advice Service supported 110 bereaved relatives through the coroner’s inquest.

The RBL’s Benefits and Money Advice made its average customer £3,000 better off. Its pioneering Be the Boss scheme has provided nearly 3,000 service leavers with the tools to expand or set up their own business.

It is investing £5m in blast-injury research at Imperial College London to combat the devastating effects of roadside bombs and IEDs.

Throughout the day, Sub-Lieutenant Vickers said they had between 15 and 20 volunteers collecting money and handing out poppies, and there were at least three people at any time.

“It is very important for all military personnel to be seen actively supporting the Royal British Legion,” he said.

“We should invest in those who have fought for us.”

He added: “I will be very interested to see how much we have raised.”

The group is hoping to beat last year’s collection of £492.189.

Mr Griffith-Jones said: “I feel extremely proud to be taking part in the poppy collection.

“My father was in the Territorial Army for 20 years and the appeal is an important part of British national culture and helps the country never to forget all those who have given their lives in service.”

Legion community fundraiser Laura Laffan added: “All money raised by the appeal will go towards providing vital support for the Armed Forces and their families.”