A lot depends on local councils, and how long [and where] they allow collecting. Some permits cover just one week, others allow two.
Even more depends on the local RBL Branch, and how many people are willing to get off their bums and help

Some of us are lucky ... we have loads of volunteers and a 1st Class organisation.
www.facebook.com/album...amp;ref=mf

When Poppy 09 is all over, Sgt Braille will be submitting a full report, just to give people an idea of how much work, and organisation, and helpers are needed to run Poppy Appeal. Some jobs take an hour, others take a day, or a week.
But they ALL need people, of all ages

Poppy stands dotted all around the Centre MK today, manned by the stalwart Legion blokes and the Air Cadets. Brilliant, and nice to see that a HUGE age-range were approaching to donate.

Just had my phone call, licence starts 2nd of November,, going to drag Mini Willow along for the sympathy vote!

Gave my cash to the two Green Jacket guys near the Post office

Did get a little bit of a funny look when he saw why I didn't need to take a pin

The interesting thing here on Saturday at the launch of our Poppy Appeal [with a stall on the High Street] was the age range, and the generosity.

I try not to look and see how much folks donate [it's rude, for a start] but you can't help noticing the number of people who drop £10 [or even £20] for a Poppy. A bloke in his early 20s wandered up, extracted all his wad of £1 notes [we have them here], dropped them in the bucket and walked away [without even picking up a Poppy!]. Or dropping every loose coin in their pocket - and NOT counting, just shovelling it all in. And kids [6-12] pouring coins ... and girls in their early teens, who you would imagine would use text-speak for Foxtrot Oscar, chucking money for their Poppy. And old ladies, in their 80s, scratching in the purse for all they dared spend that day.

It was amazing, and really humbling.

Talking to a few who loitered, many had relatives serving in the sh1t places.
"My brother's an RN medic, just finished his second tour in 'Stan".
"My son's been there twice, still in one piece, Thank God."

The problem the RBL exists to address is widespread, and is recognised, IMO. There is MUCH greater Public awareness; it may not exist on your street/town, but it IS out there. The real tragedy is the number of our people who have had to fall, or suffer, to get that level of public recognition.

Neat! I spotted a guy who had done the same with a White Ensign pin.

I wear a pin [as per my avatar] to annoy soldiers

I'm off in a minute to do my first stint poppy selling since I was about 11, its only taken them 3 years to get back to my offer of help via the poppy people required button on the RBL website, looking forward to it

Belfast two weekends ago and despite a long trawl around the city centre shopping with the missus not one poppy seller, yet many people were wearing them. I even took a detour to the city council building and nothing.

Just ran into a nice bloke outside the office, ex 1st Bn RRF. Dropped him £50, made his day.

Oh, and he was selling poppies (for those of a smutty disposition).

drop in at asda,,morrisons..cheshire oaks,,, shopping center.. in ellesmere port.. you will get one..DONT ask for poppy lapel pins..we are sold out within an hour of getting them...

Re: my earlier post about Morrisons in chatham not having poppy boxes, I did send an email to the person responsible for this side of life with them, and oddly enough, no reply.

The email was read, but no reply, after how ever many days, so have sent another, hoping for a better response.

Still have not seen one seller on the streets of medway yet though, but B&Q are selling them, and Boots, but not seen anywhere else yet.

Obviously local circumstances differ, but the core issues are:

1. Having a list of people willing to have a tin on a counter.
2. Having people willing to man fixed selling points where permitted.
3. Having people at the local RBL Poppy Depot to organise stock and collecting boxed.
4. Having people to distribute all the materials, and collect afterwards.
5. Having people to count the money, account for it and bank it.
6. Having people to make it all happen from Planning through Implementation, and make it all happen again the next year.

Here we probably have 70+ directly involved in the various aspects.

No volunteers = no people = no Poppies.

That is great to hear. I recently joined my local RBL branch, (and brought the average age down by a few decades!!) and volunteered to collect on a door to door basis. It was great to meet people and see those who had been 'waiting for me to come round' with notes at the ready. However, I had to bite my tongue on too many an occasion when people would reply with, 'sorry, no money in the house'. It makes me wonder if people actually know what the Legion is and its raison d'etre. There has got to be a case for the national curriculum to include a teaching to educate/remind all of us that the world would be a very different place were it not for the sacrifices of our servicemen.

1. We must not be judgmental ... at least, not in Public.
2. We must try to educate ... there's a mega push here getting the young ones and schools aware that Poppy is not a WW1/WW2 thing, it is a NOW. At least 15 schools are having 'special assemblies' with RBL Standard, Chelsea Pensioner and local TA guys in attendance.

It all takes time and effort and people - well done for being part of it!

I'd agree. Jeremy Vine on R2 today. Some self abuser claiming BBC presenters didnt buy their own poppies?

Spare me.

I'd put that against the two old boys in the horrible Morrisons shopping centre in Killingworth where I found myself this morning, without a poppy. Because I had been raped on my way out of the house this morning, and the Chechnyans had stolen my poppy. And my pocket money.

When I picked up the tin to put me quid in, it weighed a ton.

Some people are giving. And that'll do.

Some people will do.

Well, ULOTC has been all over King's Cross, St. Pancras and Euston for the last week and a day (not sure about weekends though) and the response has generally been excellent. Excepting this evening (when there were something like twenty of us out due to a scheduling mix-up) people have been filling our tins pretty quickly.

I was outside King's Cross last week and had four or five twenties go into my tin in the space of about an hour, and other sums from all kinds of people you wouldn't normally expect. All ages, all kinds of lifestyles (from what we could see - ranging from old chaps in barbours and tweeds to teenagers with a dozen piercings), all kinds of budgets.

On of our guys at Euston this evening (covering the tube) filled three tins in about two hours.

Response seems to be pretty damn good.

Mind you, this morning at Euston I was amazed at the number of people commuting in who hadn't seen a seller anywhere at home.

Maybe they want people to sell poppies and not poppoes? Just a thought....

Having travelled through Kings X twice today, I was most impressed by the presence of the OTC. Not only were they well turned out, and professional, but they were also engaging with the public (trust me I know, we missed our second train and had an hour wait, watching a very competent team).

What was most impressive was watching several individuals moving "posts" to be in the most prominent positions for passengers disembarking from arriving trains..... (Mrs Arclight999 typing this bit as MrA is on the wine mission!!)

I was out last Thursday in Widnes (Morrisons) and again this Thurs,Fri and Saturday selling Poppies.
The people of Widnes have been most generous and we were filling tins by the hour.

Just a simple question - slightly 'off track' but needed to possibly increase RBL financial cash flows tomorrow when I stand in the rain selling the Poppy outside the Coop.
To increase the sympathy vote do I
(a) wear a beret/hackle
(b) wear my Vets badge and medals
(c) tell all and sundry that 'Jnr' is currently due back from Afghanistan next week.

or as usual do I just chat up the ladies ?