FROME and surrounding areas have been very generous again this year, raising around £30,000 for The Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal for the third year in a row.
To celebrate, organisers held an event at the cricket club last month to say thank you to all the volunteers that made the collection possible.
Poppy Appeal organiser Maggy Daniell said, “I’ve run the Poppy Appeal in Frome for five years now, and have a great team of volunteers. Together we have built it up and for the third year running have collected around £30,000.
“As you can appreciate, that involves a lot of effort, so over the years I’ve been trying to make it sustainable by devolving. Nowadays, we have a lot of people doing a bit of the work, rather than too few doing a lot, and that makes for a lovely team spirit – as evinced at the party, where there was plenty of good-natured help.”
At the event, volunteer Charles Daniell was awarded a cup, donated by the Royal Naval Association, in recognition of his work behind the scenes. “Charles has been a de facto deputy for the last five years, even if he started not so much a volunteer as a conscript!” joked Maggy. “He has done a lot of the donkey work, filled in where gaps in supply or delivery occurred, and generally been a great support to us all.”
Looking ahead to the next fundraising year, Maggy said, “For 2018 there is a change at the top. I will still be there, but now sharing the job with Richard Fry. As he lives in Frome, his is the face that volunteers will see during the Poppy Appeal fortnight, topping up supplies and generally making sure it runs well. He has been a member of the management group for several years, and we are very glad that he has offered to take on this new role after he retires.
“Our volunteers have tended to be on the ‘senior’ side, so we are pleased to have been joined by some younger people in recent years. A younger cohort is needed to keep the appeal going well into the 21st century, and to contribute fresh ideas to keep it relevant, so we hope more will keep coming.
“One area we are short of help is on the IT side, and if anyone with admin and IT skills – whatever their age – would be able to help, please get in contact. It isn’t an onerous task, providing the person doing it knows how to do it!”
To enquire about volunteering, contact Maggy by email: maggydaniell@ yahoo.co.uk
Above: Paul Truscott, Maggy Daniell, Ann Hart, Barbara and Alan Peto, Charles Daniell, Jean Fraser, Richard Fry, with Mary Lynch-Staunton, Margaret Croud and Tony Dyer in front.
