Fundraisers delighted with Poppy Appeal return
POPPY Appeal fundraisers have praised kind-hearted Albion supporters for donating more than £14,000 to last year’s campaign.
The fantastic five-figure sum, which will boost the Royal British Legion's (RBL) coffers, was raised via the auctioning of specially-designed match shirts and a Hawthorns bucket collection.
Baggies fans were encouraged to bid for jerseys, featuring embroidered poppies, worn by Steve Clarke's 18-man squad during November’s Barclays Premier League victories over Southampton and Wigan.
After two ten-day bidding frenzies via www.wba.co.uk, offers totalling more than £13,500 were tabled.
The shirts of Zoltan Gera and Youssouf Mulumbu worn during the 2-0 triumph over the Saints attracted the highest offers, going for £1,000 and £850 respectively.
Baggies fans also handed over more than £800 to RBL bucket collectors at the Southampton game.
The money raised will go towards a variety of local projects which are designed to help ex-servicemen and women and their families.
RBL Community Fundraiser (West Midlands) Alison Bates said: “We were overwhelmed when Albion offered to have the poppies on both the home and away match strips this season.
“The additional money this has generated is a tremendous reflection of the generosity of the fans and the commitment of the club to the generations of service men and women of this country.”
The Poppy Appeal takes place in the two-week period running up to Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day, when the nation pauses for a two-minute silence at 11am to remember those who have died serving their country.
The appeal raises money for the RBL's work in helping British serving and ex-service people and their dependants.
For more details about the Poppy Appeal and the work of the Royal British Legion visit www.poppy.org or www.britishlegion.org.uk.