Record year for Poppy Appeal

Pictured with the Mayor of Lisburn, Councillor Andrew Ewing as he buys the first poppy are: (l-r) Anne Hood, President of the RBL Women's Section; John Jamieson, Royal British Legion (Lisburn Branch) and Ivan McCammon, Royal British Legion (Lisburn Branch)

The local branch of the Legion had anticipated this would be a good year for the appeal, which raises money to support servicemen and women, as well as veterans and their families, however, they were overwhelmed by the generosity of the people in Lisburn.

This year (2014) marks the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War and the Legion had hoped that people would dig a little deeper this year out of respect for the fallen.

The Poppy Appeal collection in Lisburn raised a fantastic £50,900.71 for the charity.

The money was raised via street collections, the sale of poppies, including brooches and badges, and collection tins in local shops and businesses.

In the Bow Street Mall, Tesco Bentrim Road and Sainsburys at Sprucefield, a total of £21,134.11 was raised, almost half of the entire total.

A spokesperson for the local branch of the Royal British Legion said this had been the best year ever for the Poppy Appeal in Lisburn.

He also thanked everyone who had contributed to the appeal and all the volunteers who had given their time to help with the collection.

Money raised through the Poppy Appeal goes directly to the welfare work of the Royal British Legion, providing through life care to anyone who is currently serving in the British Armed Forces, who has previously served, and their families.