A Lifetime of Service: My Mums Dedication to the Poppy Appeal

This heartfelt story has been shared by a member of our Cavendish Health Care team in Waterlooville, in honour of their Mum’s remarkable dedication to the Poppy Appeal.

Discovering Dads Role in the War

12 months before my Dad passed away, we found out he had served throughout the war in the SOE. Mum had been a land girl, and she felt she had to help Veterans as much as she could and choose to join the Poppy Appeal.

Joining the Poppy Appeal

Mum joined the Poppy Appeal whilst she still lived in Knowle Birmingham, simply walking around the shopping Precinct in Solihull selling as much as she could. As the years progressed, she got more involved with the Poppy Appeal ordering Wreaths and Bouquets that Shops and Businesses had requested and approaching businesses to encourage them to have Poppy tins on the counters. Mum finally moved to Fareham to be closer to where I was living, as my husband was in the Navy, and we lived down South, also to carry on the good work for the Poppy Appeal here.

Preparing for Poppy Season

I always knew when Poppy work was starting up, she would begin her ordering in July/August at the latest. I would go round to her flat and have to go through an obstacle course of Poppy wreaths, Bouquets, Boxes of loose Poppies and collection tins. Mum was always excited to show me the new stock for that year wrist bands, metal badges and rubber bracelets, just some of the new stuff being produce back then. She loved doing her bit with the Appeal.

One Memory I'll Never Forget

One day I will remember most was when I went to visit Mum and she asked me to join her in Fareham at a cafe. She had been going around gathering all the collection tins in her shopping trolley that were full of change, from the Shops and Businesses that had filled them. As we went to leave the cafe I attempted to pull the shopping trolley, and I could hardly move it as it was so heavy full of collection tins bursting with money. I did say Mum how are you even pulling this trolley with all the weight in it Mum grabbed the trolley and gave it a hard tug and walked out the cafe like it was as light as a feather saying I was a land girl darling, I drove tractors and moved bales of hay with a pitch fork, once a land girl always a land girl. At this point she was well into her 80s and I laughed so much.

Over 20 Years of Service

Mum worked for the Poppy Appeal for over 20 years and helped to raise thousands of pounds with all her hard work. Mum finally retired from the Poppy Appeal (she had turned 90 and felt it was time to stop) she received a certificate and a lovely heartfelt letter of gratitude from Head Office in London Pall Mall.

Cherishing Her Legacy

When mum Passed away I was looking through all her paperwork and found loads of letters she had received over the years from lovely people that wrote to her thanking her for all her help, I have kept everyone and I proudly display her certificate at home.

Supporting Remembrance in Our Community

This year, to honour the spirit of service and community that stories like this represent, Mobility at Sea has kindly donated a small number of manual wheelchairs for use over the Remembrance weekend. These are available free of charge for anyone who may need a little extra support to attend local parades or services.

All chairs must be pre-booked, collected from our Waterlooville showroom on Saturday, and returned on Monday.

We encourage those who book to make a voluntary donation to either The Poppy Appeal or Help for Heroes.

Please note that not all mobility products are suitable for every individual. We’ll chat through your requirements to ensure the wheelchair is appropriate and meets your needs safely.

To enquire about availability, please contact our team

Date published: 11/05/2025

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