Two hours is all it takes

Seventy-six-year-old Michael Muddle has been selling poppies for as long as he can remember: “My mother used to do it and I’ve followed her. When I was younger I lived in a village and she used to walk round the village in the snow selling poppies.”

Last year, his team in Cabot Circus raised tens of thousands of pounds for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal, but Michael has lung cancer and is worried how long he can continue collecting and who will replace him.

The average age for the Poppy Appeal sellers in Bristol is 72 and organisers say they desperately need help from younger volunteers.

Michael says he tries to encourage younger people to get involved so they can carry on providing a full range of services from the Bristol office on Union Street in Broadmead, but he’s worried that if they don’t it will have a real impact on collections in the future.

“I don’t want to think about that,” he says.

Bristol poppy sellers: Hugh Harding, Dorothy and Michael Muddle

Michael’s wife Dorothy, who has also sold poppies since childhood, is urging more, and younger, volunteers to come forward to help them: “We are struggling to get youngsters’ time. They are doing their own thing and it’s a different era but we would like some more help even if it’s just for a couple of hours.”

Bristol24/7 met some of the Bristol poppy sellers who last year helped raise more than half a million pounds.

Sue Potepa is the British Legion’s community fundraiser in Bristol.

“The Poppy Appeal is vital in raising funds to help our Armed Forces. It is really hard that we need to rely so heavily on 70- and 80-year-old volunteers, who although being an amazing group of people and work so hard to cover Bristol, they do need some physical and moral support from the younger generations.

“We are looking after people coming back from conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and it’s not just the initial help once they leave the forces – The Royal British Legion helps them for their whole life.”

One of the youngest volunteers is 25-year-old Meda Samdu, who moved to Bristol from her native country of Romania.

Meda started selling poppies last year and this year she is one of the organisers of the appeal.

“My boyfriend is in the Marines and that’s how I got to understanding the needs of the forces. You devote your life to the forces and one event can put a stop to your career. I work in an office. What’s the worst that can happen there?

“It’s a good feeling knowing what I am raising goes towards someone else’s rehabilitation. I don’t see it in terms of ‘I raised this much money’, I see it that I have contributed to someone’s wellbeing. I feel that I am somehow influencing and helping indirectly those people who make a huge sacrifice.

“I spent time in the States where every charity is full of young people because you’re are not going to get hired if you have no experience.

“It is a great opportunity. Everyone is a volunteer and they can be as involved as they want. They can build their CV really nicely if they put enough effort into it.

“It’s a great thing and a great opportunity. You don’t have to be in the military to help the country but you are fighting for the military.”

Bob Sharples served in the Air Force for 24 years and is now chairman of the Whitchurch branch of the Royal British Legion.

“I wanted to put something back to the service community that I left and I get satisfaction knowing I’m helping. The armed forces is like a fraternity and we have to support the youngsters coming through the services now.

“In this area, we directly support Somerset Legion House in Weston-Super-Mare which provides respite care. Our branch also supports the Dunkirk Memorial House near Taunton, which gives a home to veterans who don’t have anywhere to stay and are in need of specialist care.

“Many of the lads who have been to Afghanistan and Iraq have suffered terribly. It’s tragic and we have to do our bit for them. As long as I can, I will.”

Jackie Robertson from Yate has been selling poppies for 15 years.

“I know people who have benefited from the appeal and they wouldn’t have been able to continue with their lives the way they would have liked to without it. It can make all the difference from helping someone decorate their house to providing mobility equipment. It’s vital.

“The more people we can get involved the better. The older generation can’t do long hours any more but the longer we are out there the more money we can raise.

“We need the younger volunteers in. It gives young people a sense of history about what went on and the older generation enjoy having the young people there. If you have younger sellers, younger people are also more likely to come over and donate.”

Septuagenarian John Moloney has been selling poppies for eight years

“It’s very close to my heart. The government was sending all these troops to fight these wars and, in my opinion, wasn’t looking after them when they came home.

“I spent 24 year in the Royal Artillery and I’ve been shot at in northern Ireland – I’ve been where they’ve been, but not in such bad circumstances.

“I get the satisfaction that I know the money is being spent on worthwhile things. The money collected from the members of the public all goes to the poppy appeal.”

Hugh Harding has been selling poppies for 15 years.

“You feel that you are doing something good and helping people – that’s what we do and that’s what the poppy means.

“People fought in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Falklands and the world wars. They didn’t blink an eyelid; they just went. I’m sure that for a fortnight a year people can spare us a couple of hours

“As a collector, we get the odd bits of change but that all mounts up. In Bishopston alone last year, the appeal raised £51,000. If people don’t help that could go missing, but veterans from Iraq, Afghanistan and the Falklands will still be here and in need. We can’t let that happen.”

“I want to do good, I want to help people and this is how I do it now.”

If you would like to get involved with the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal in Bristol email spotepa@britishlegion.org.uk or call 07768 794939