It’s all about the poppies this year for Medequip depots in Suffolk and the South West, who have banded together to support the Royal British Legion’s annual Poppy Appeal. This is the Legion’s largest fundraising event, generating money to support British Armed Forces and their families, helping servicemen and women whose lives have been altered forever by wars and conflict.
The Poppy Appeal first began back in 1921 when the Royal British Legion ordered a million poppies from Anna Guérin - originator of the concept and known as ‘The Poppy Lady’ – to be made in France, as well as commissioning eight million more manufactured in UK. That first Appeal raised just over £100,000. In 2022, the annual Poppy Appeal raised an astonishing £124.5 million.
So how is Medequip helping the Appeal? Working closely with Poppy Appeal Coordinators in Suffolk and the South West, Medequip teams have been assisting with logistics and distribution of poppy-related materials. The company’s fleet of vans have been delivering poppies and poppy collection boxes to locations as diverse as supermarkets, garages and sporting venues. As an example, Cefndy-Medequip vans in Newport have delivered collection boxes to every school in the Cardiff area.
It's not just about the poppies and the boxes. Medequip depots have also seconded scores of people to staff collection points in supermarkets across the two regions, including Morrisons and Aldi. Account Manager Andrea Clifton, who has championed expansion of Medequip’s involvement with the poppy appeal, has been amazed and delighted by people’s generosity. “In just three hours in Morrisons, we collected almost £700 - £480 on the card machine and £200 in cash,” she stated. “People have been more than generous – and now they can donate just by tapping a card it’s even easier!”
Andrea began working in Suffolk with the Poppy Appeal Coordinator last year, involving Medequip personnel to help out locally with logistics and collections. This year, working hand in hand with all the resources from Medequip’s South West depots, the team has achieved a step change in how much they can contribute. All the Medequip vans are sporting giant poppies, and many of the depots have created signage in support of the Appeal, as well as having collection boxes for staff and visitors.
“I’m really pleased to be able to get all our depots working together on this, getting stock of poppies and collection boxes out there and manning poppy sales points to generate even more donations,” said Michaela Harris, General Manager for Medequip in the South West and Suffolk. “I’m also extremely proud of our work on the Appeal, especially as Medequip counts amongst our valued employees a number of military veterans and people with family serving in the Forces. Continuing the work, we’ll be helping with collecting the boxes in again once the Appeal has finished.”