This year the Royal British Poppy Appeal will be like no other. Covid-19 will see to that.
Remembrancetide is likely to be similarly disrupted, depending on local circumstances and restrictions.
For some it may almost be “business as usual” whereas others will find their activities severely curtailed. We will all undoubtedly feel the impact of the situation not only on our Poppy Appeal collecting activity but also on our Remembrance commemorations themselves.
Fund-raising for the Poppy Appeal will be particularly challenging and as The RBL does not have permission to conduct street collections in Spain we have to rely on access to local bars and restaurants where poppies and donation boxes are left for the convenience of donors and clients.
We would normally set up poppy tables manned by our volunteers in the entrances and foyers of supermarkets, but that too will most certainly be curtailed as our fundraisers and the general public are put at NIL risk as Covid 19 legislation is complied with. However, poppies will still be available at the cash tills in those same supermarkets, for which we are extremely grateful.
Back in the United Kingdom Legion chiefs have launched a host of new and innovative ways to donate safely online through their website rbl.org.uk/poppyappeal.
And neither here in Spain have RBL organisers been standing still. All the restrictions mentioned have made it necessary, this year, to take a slightly different approach, and with that in mind Spain District North, the Orihuela Costa Branch and the Alicante Branch, have all opened pages with GoFundMe, the world’s largest social fundraising platform,
Simply select the area to which you wish to donate, District North, The Orihuela Costa and District or Alicante and search for that page at www.gofundme.com
Millions of people already know how GoFundMe works and they trust the platform for being the most expert in raising funds thanks to the Internet. Indeed it is the platform used by the inspirational Captain Tom Moore who raised £35m for the NHS as he celebrated his 100th birthday.
GoFundMe is a secure site that uses the most secure payment encryption technology. Donations made online are safe and funds are withdrawn direct into the RBL Spain accounts by electronic bank transfer.
Even Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been calling on caring Brits to make sure brave service personnel do not face even greater hardship as we battle our invisible enemy.
The PM said: “While the circumstances in which this year’s Poppy Appeal takes place are unlike anything we have seen before, the need for it is greater than ever.
And nowhere does that apply more so than here in Spain, where calls for assistance have increased significantly.
All monies raised here in Spain support our beneficiaries in Spain at a rate of about €20k a month and you can rest assured that every euro donated will make a huge difference to someone’s quality of life so whether you wish to buy a poppy in your local bar or make a donation through one of the three GoFundMe pages mentioned above it has never been more important that we all find a way to make our contribution.”
Without you, more than ever before, we cannot provide the life-changing support that our Armed Forces community needs and deserves. Your Poppy Appeal needs you.
And, in the words of Boris Johnson, “just as those famous flowers burst forth from the mud and devastation of Flanders fields a century ago, so let us ensure that even in this most difficult of autumns our nation is ablaze with red and green as we wear our poppies with pride.”
