Poppy Appeal in Shrewsbury last month raised £7,000

A one-day Poppy Appeal fundraiser organised by the Royal British Legion in Shrewsbury last month raised more than £7,000.

The Shrewsbury Poppy Appeal Fundraiser, which was held on Tuesday 8 November 2023, saw 120 military personnel from RAF Cosford, RAF Shawbury and The Rifles (a regiment of the British Army) coming together to aid the annual Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.

It was supported by Shropshire Council and its Armed Forces Covenant team, who were in attendance in The Square offering advice and guidance to serving personnel, veterans and their families.

Street collections on the day raised £7,213.96, which was added to the town’s overall street collection total of £23,143.04. Last year Shrewsbury street collections raised £15,149.64.

Kirstie Hurst Knight, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member, and Armed Forces Champion, said:-

“This is an incredible sum to have been collected in just a few hours. It was wonderful to see the military personnel out and about in Shrewsbury collecting for what is such an important cause, and I am delighted they were so well received and appreciated.

“The annual appeal means such a lot to the Armed Forces community, and people who donated can be assured they are supporting the Legion’s outstanding work which goes on all year round. Thank you to everyone who contributed.

“As an Armed Forces Covenant gold award employer, Shropshire Council was proud to lend its support to the appeal and we were pleased to have the stand in The Square where our award-winning Armed Forces Covenant team was able to showcase its outreach programme and the breadth of assistance on offer.”

Jenny Komiatis, Poppy Appeal manager for Shropshire, said:-

“The Shrewsbury town fundraiser was a huge success, and it was amazing to provide the public with an opportunity to not only support our Armed Forces community, but also for them to engage with military personnel. We are so grateful for all the support across the county, and we want to thank everyone who was involved in making this day a success and to those who donated towards the Poppy Appeal.”

Watch this short video to see why Shropshire Council backed the appeal: