Overview
- The Royal British Legion reports 54,000 people volunteering this year, with about 30 million poppies distributed so far.
- Local coordinators say recruiting younger street collectors is getting harder as long‑serving volunteers age and work commitments limit availability.
- Volunteers describe recurring verbal abuse while fundraising, including incidents reported in Penarth, though organizers say such cases involve a minority of encounters.
- Last year’s appeal raised more than £51 million, with 40,000 volunteers handing out 40 million poppies, while the 2018 centenary year remains the record at £55 million.
- A Derby community group, Greener Littleover, created its own poppy displays after perceiving insufficient official decorations, and an RBL spokesman thanked donors and encouraged people to wear poppies as a personal message of thanks.