REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION were guests of honour in the Mayor’s Parlour this week.
The Mayor of Sunderland, Councillor Doris MacKnight, welcomed regional officers from the national charity with their special guest former Sunderland AFC footballer and appeal supporter, Bobby Kerr, into the Mayor’s Parlour to promote this year’s national annual Poppy Appeal (27 Oct – 12 November).
The annual visit has become a Mayoral tradition to help demonstrate Sunderland City Council and the community’s support for the charity.
The Mayor of Sunderland, Councillor Doris MacKnight said:
“Sunderland has a strong military tradition and we are always keen to demonstrate support for all the servicemen and women past and present from our community who have served this country with such distinction and honour over many generations.
“More than 26,000 people with service records and their families live in Sunderland, who are all deserving of our continued help and support.
“The money spent on every Poppy sold in the city goes toward providing just that, and I’d invite everyone to buy one and wear it with pride when they become available as Remembrance weekend approaches.”
Branch Chair (Sunderland), Royal British Legion, Vince Harris said:
“Thanks to people’s generosity we raised just over £100,000 last year from Poppy sales, which is a fantastic amount, and we’d like to thank everyone for their continuing support.
“Every penny raised is used to help those people and their families who have served and are serving in our armed forces, as a reminder that we will never forget their sacrifices made on all our behalf.”
“As always, the Sunderland branch of the British Legion is looking for volunteers during the Poppy Appeal in any capacity, and thanks to the continued support of our local supermarkets, there is a need for people to look after the indoor stalls during the two weeks leading up to Remembrance day.”
Mr Harris added: “This would suit someone with a bit of free time, even a morning or an afternoon during Poppy fortnight would be a great help so anyone who’d like to help please call 0191 567 0112 or 0785 552 2218 for more details.”