Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Being the prolific crocheter that I am, I started making poppies back on the 22^nd August 2019 in readiness for Remembrance Day. I tried a gazillion different patterns until I found one I really liked the look of.

My aim was to make 100 which I achieved on the19^th September 2019 with only a few inches of red yarn to spare. Just under a month for 100, not too bad going on top of a full time job. For 2019, I ended up selling around 300 poppies and collecting £960 for the RBL. 2020 didn't do quite so well, I'd just moved jobs and didn't know anyone and with Covid being very much around, there weren't many people about where I worked to sell them to. I did manage to round the total up to £1000 which is a nice starting point for my 2021 campaign and thankfully there are a few more warm bodies where I work for me to tout my wares to.

This year, 2021, to add a bit of variety I have made a handful in other colours. 

Red poppy: Memorial to World War One and following conflicts
Purple poppy: To remember animal victims of war
Black poppy: Remembering African, black and Caribbean communities' contribution
White poppy: Remembers people who died in conflict with a focus on an end to war

I'm selling them at work (and also via friends who had offered to sell some to their friends and colleagues) with all proceeds to the Royal British Legion. £2.50 minimum donation for the standard and slightly smaller sized ones, £10 minimum donation for the giant kilt pin and teeny stick pin ones. 

This JustGiving page is set up for anyone who would prefer to pay by card/PayPal for their poppies (or just donate) and for me to pay in any cash donations so that there is visibility of how well the project is doing and that the money is going where it is intended.

This is just a short list of where your money could go:

£5 could:

• supply and fit grab rails for someone who has been injured
• help with travel costs to allow a family to visit a loved one in hospital
• help with travel costs to get to employment related training

£25 could help with:

• emergency accommodation in a hotel or bed-and-breakfast
• tuition fees for an online learning course for a veteran

£45 could provide:

• business attire for a job interview or new career

£50 could help with:

• food vouchers for a family facing financial hardship
• travel costs for a family to attend a break centre
• installation of a care phone, enabling vital telephone support for a vulnerable beneficiary

£135 could provide:

• temporary accommodation and food vouchers for a family facing financial hardship

£150 could provide:

• a household starter pack to help a family in a new home

£250 could provide:

• a veteran's license fee for Security Industry Authority (SIA) registration
• emergency funding to assist a Gurkha settling in the UK

I've made some little card hangers to display them on showing my Facebook page (just on the off chance that someone also needs a matching shawl or a woolly hat to pin their poppy to), other than me using the cards to advertise, there are absolutely no costs at all to the charity for my materials, it's all coming from my unfeasibly large stash of craft supplies.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.