***UPDATE - received 21/11/2018

THE mystery over two Poppy Appeal collection tins missing from Oxford appears to have been solved.

Last week, we reported that the Royal British Legion (RBL) collection pots were suspected to have been stolen from The Oxford Mail offices and Dunelm in Botley Road following an unknown collector asking to pick up donations.

Despite the RBL in Oxford suspecting the tins may have been stolen, organisers now say a volunteer representing the RBL in another county mistakenly toured the wrong area.

Both tins are now accounted for, and the police have been informed.

We are happy to set the record straight.

The original article 

A WOMAN is suspected of pretending to be from the Royal British Legion to steal Poppy Appeal donations in Oxford.

The Oxford Mail office in Osney Mead was one of two businesses targeted on Monday, who showed a badge and claimed to be collecting donation tins on behalf for the charity.

Receptionist Kelly Jeffs said: “It was only on Tuesday when a man from the RBL came in asking for our appeal money that we realised what had happened.”

On the same day, donations from the Dunelm store on Botley Road were also taken by the woman.

Beth Wilson, service team supervisor at the store, said: “I think it is absolutely disgusting [if the collector was an impostor] and staff are shocked and disappointed. I know some have family in the military who they have lost.”

She added: “I’m not sure how much we had raised because it was still in the tins but we’d had a lot of donations and they were quite heavy.”

Ms Wilson checked store CCTV after RBL collector Tony Langdon visited the store and said it showed a woman with brown hair and who appeared to be in her 30s wearing a blue Help for Heroes jumper. 

Oxford Mail:

Jess Jenkins, Oxfordshire’s Royal British Legion community fundraiser, confirmed she had been made aware by Mr Langdon of two missing tins.

She said: “It’s absolutely horrible to think that someone would do this. Part of me hopes it was just a volunteer trying to do something good but Tony didn’t recognise her description and it doesn’t seem likely.”

She added: “It’s so disappointing, especially with it being such an important year for the Poppy Appeal.”

Thousands attended Remembrance services across the county on Sunday to mark 100 years since the end of the First World War.

Miss Jenkins said if anyone was concerned about someone claiming to be collecting donation tins on behalf of the RBL, they could contact the name and number written on their poppy appeal tin.

She stressed the two Oxford incidents were the only ones she was aware of in the county.

Police confirmed they had received a report about the incident at the Oxford Mail offices and an ‘investigation is ongoing’ but could not find any record of the Dunelm theft. Call 101 quoting reference 43180347301.