THE ROYAL British Legion’s 2009 Poppy Appeal in Cheshire will target support for the wounded and bereaved of Afghanistan.
Twenty-two-year-old Lance Corporal Peter Bowker, of the Queens Dragoon Guards, received the first poppy from Sheila Chidlow Chairman of the Royal British Legion Upton Branch.L Cpl Bowker was injured on December 5, 2008, in Afghanistan.
He suffered multiple fractures and lost part of his heel which may still result in amputation.
The Royal British Legion is the leading UK charity providing direct, practical support for our wounded heroes and bereaved armed forces families.
The Legion has been helping our armed forces who are in need, like L Cpl Peter Bowker, since 1921 and, with the generous support of the public during the Poppy Appeal, we shall continue to do so.
The past 12 bloody months of conflict have increased the need for our help both today and for years to come.
The Poppy Appeal will seek to equal last year’s record total of £31m. Despite the current economic hardships, we trust the people of Cheshire will show their sympathy and support for those who have sacrificed on behalf of their country.
Since 2003 the Legion has provided financial help to more than 10,000 service personnel and recent veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families.
The Legion currently spends more than £1m a week in its work helping more than 130,000 other members of the armed forces family – dependents, veterans and the bereaved. This year it hopes to extend its reach to more than 160,000 beneficiaries.
JULIE DOVE
Co-ordinator of the Poppy Appeal in Cheshire and Wirral
