Focus firmly on the family as this year's Poppy Appeal is launched in Scotland
This year's poppy fundraising appeal in Scotland has been launched in Edinburgh with the role of forces families highlighted.
Veterans and their families gathered at the Lady Haig Poppy Factory to raise awareness of the work done to help the forces community.
This year's theme – when someone serves in the Armed Forces, their family serves too – aims to show the sacrifices not only made by those in the military, but their loved ones as well.
Poppyscotland raises thousands of pounds every year with money from the annual appeal in the autumn helping to support those in the Armed Forces community across the country.
The charity's head of Scotland, Leanne Bonner, said: "It's vitally important to raise awareness and raise funds for the Scottish veterans and their families within Scotland.
"The vital support that we can offer is through the donations and the support of the Scottish public so we want to thank the Scottish public for everything that they do for us as well, to raise that awareness and honour the Armed Forces community.
"Behind every poppy, there's a veteran trying to rebuild their life, a family that is in need, somebody who served or is currently serving who needs that support, so the opportunity to donate gives us that vital support.
"Behind everybody who is serving there is a family, yet sometimes quite unsung the support that they actually offer, so the service that is sacrificed goes far beyond the frontline.
"It's the families that are frequently relocating, long separations and the anxiety of having someone deployed, so we want to ensure that the family get that support and recognition that they rightly deserve."
Welfare work
Poppy sellers will be out in communities across Scotland in the coming weeks helping to raise much-needed funds for the welfare work carried out by the charity.
Former MP Derek Loughran said: "I first got in touch with Poppyscotland when I was medically discharged from the Military Police.
"I was struggling a wee bit with fitness after various knee injuries and hip injuries. Poppyscotland got me a treadmill for my home and it allowed me to get back, just start walking.
"It was only 15 minutes a day to start with, up to two hours and they're helping me now after a full hip replacement and stuff as well."
Poppyscotland has helped support many veterans in their time of need – whether it is support with disability needs, employment or housing.
Help with accommodation
Former RAF radiographer Syliva Ibie said: "Last year I was away for two-and-a-half years to Nigeria. I needed a bit of a break and mental reset.
"But by the time I came back, I realised that even though I'm British I no longer qualified for any council accommodation or any kind of help at all.
"I have a 16-year-old daughter and I was almost homeless.
"I was at the point where I was going to be on the streets and then the Armed Forces Family Network lady Annette Berry then told me about Poppyscotland and said 'give them a call, they will help'.
"I made a call and one of the first questions he asked me was 'have you eaten? Are you warm? Do you have winter clothes?'.
"And I was thinking, no one has ever cared that much for me.
"Within hours he had sent me vouchers for food, he had sent me vouchers for winter clothing, not just for myself, but also for my daughter, and he had connected me up with my MP, who then wrote a strongly worded letter to the council.
"And within days the same council who had said I didn't qualify for accommodation suddenly provided me accommodation that was my right.
"When I then moved from the temporary accommodation to the permanent accommodation, guess what?
"Poppyscotland made sure that whatever I needed to make the house habitable, they provided every single thing."
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