THE UK’s biggest armed forces charity, the Royal British Legion (RBL), is appealing for new volunteers to help run its annual poppy appeal in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight.

The aim is to raise vital funds to help veterans, current serving personnel, and their families, who have served and sacrificed for their country.

D-Day veteran, Alec Penstone, 99, has been collecting for the poppy appeal in Shanklin since 1939, when he was just 14.

He’s been involved in the poppy appeal ever year, aside from his years in the Royal Navy and during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Alec signed up for the poppy appeal to give thanks to the RBL for supporting his father with a bespoke wheelchair.

The armed forces charity also organised a military funeral for him when he passed away, which Alec was hugely grateful for.

“During the poppy appeal, I love chatting to people about my time in the navy,” said Alec.

“If it wasn’t for the poppy appeal, I wouldn’t be so close to others in my community, and I’d encourage anyone who wants to make new friends to be part of it too.”

The charity, which organises the poppy appeal every October and November, relies on more than 3,500 dedicated volunteers to help deliver the appeal across the UK each year.

This year’s Remembrance poppy has been given a make-over and will now be completely plastic-free and easy to recycle.

The new poppies will be sold alongside stock of the originals.

Volunteers help to distribute poppies within their communities and can take on a range of roles including poppy appeal organisers, who lead a team of dedicated volunteers in their area.

The RBL says all volunteers will be fully trained and the role can help develop skills such as public speaking and confidence building, while giving back to the many people in the armed forces who have served and sacrificed.

Julie Lax, community fundraiser for the RBL on the Isle of Wight, said: “We would encourage anyone who is interested in volunteering to get in touch with us to find out more.”