Poppy Appeal total hit by tough times
Almost half a million pounds was raised across the region for the Poppy Appeal – but figures released today by the Royal British Legion reveal that the final total is likely to reveal the effect of the recession
Fundraisers are already predicting there has been a drop on the previous year, which was the appeal's 90th anniversary. The total received by the South Staffordshire branch, which includes most areas of the Black Country, is £447,849, down from £477,891 last year.
In West Bromwich, collections dropped from £8,803 to this year £5,958, in Cannock it dipped from £11,581 to £7,518, in Walsall it fell from £21,746 to £16,251 and Tipton it went from £22,198 to £21,129.
However, in Dudley collections rose from £15,775 to £22,424 from this year's appeal and in Wolverhampton the pot swelled from £9,425 to £12,623.
Dudley fundraiser Malcolm Davies said this year's total was a record amount for the branch.
He said: "All thanks and gratitude must go to the kind people of Dudley and the businesses, shops and schools who were, without doubt, even more generous than usual.
Tripled
"The collection has nearly tripled over the past three years at the Dudley branch but we desperately need younger members to continue with this success."
Alison Bates, community fundraiser for South Staffordshire, said the overall dip in collections reflected the hard economic times.
She said: "We are a charity and are bound by what people give us. If people are struggling and have less cash spare we can't do anything about it.
"We are looking over the next four years to increase the people we help from 165,000 to 500,000.
A national event is being held to mark the 70th anniversary of the Dambusters on May 18.
