Comedian and actor John Bishop has joined forces with The Royal British Legion to urge the great British public to volunteer their spare time during this year’s Poppy Appeal campaign.
The Liverpool-born comedian, who has raised millions of pounds for UK charities, returned to his birthplace to launch the Legion’s Poppy People campaign – a national recruitment drive for Poppy Appeal volunteers.
Supporting our Armed Forces is a cause close to John’s heart as his cousins currently serve. To launch the campaign, John met veterans and current members of the Armed Forces while urging the nation to give their time to the Poppy Appeal 2013.
He said: “It gives me a great sense of pride to launch The Royal British Legion’s Poppy People campaign in Liverpool. Having family in the Forces, I know the sacrifices that are made on our behalf and, by volunteering for the Legion to help the charity raise vital funds, you’ll be giving something back to Service personnel, past and present, and their families.”
The Poppy Appeal is the Legion’s principal way of raising money during the year, and thousands of volunteers are needed to do a variety of roles such as distributing poppies and collecting on streets, in shops and workplaces.
The Legion’s Director of Fundraising, Charles Byrne, said: “During this year’s Poppy Appeal, the Legion aims to raise £37 million to help care for our Armed Forces families, but we cannot achieve this goal without the fantastic support from our 350,000 volunteers who help to collect donations.
“Volunteers are the lifeblood of our Poppy Appeal so I urge everyone to stand shoulder to shoulder with all those who serve and their families by giving anything from two hours to two weeks of their time for this truly fantastic cause.”
To find out how to get involved please visit The Royal British Legion’s website at www.britishlegion.org.uk/support-us/volunteering
