London Poppy Day: Hundreds of military personnel take part in Royal British Legion fundraiser

Hundreds of Armed Forces personnel have been out in force at London's train stations to hand out poppies and collect donations.

It comes as part of London Poppy Day, now in its 15th year and the largest street collection of its kind in Europe.

The fundraiser is also much needed for the Royal British Legion (RBL) – whose help has been in high demand during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Actor and presenter Ross Kemp, a Royal British Legion ambassador, told Forces News the need to support the charity is "probably just as great as it was 100 years ago".

"We've just been through a pandemic, there were 37,000 requests for support that came into the RBL this year and the RBL managed to help with £12m worth of support to the people that needed it," he said.

Jenny Sherrif, Head of Community Fundraising and the Poppy Appeal at the Royal British Legion, told Forces News the money raised helps personnel "who are still here now".

Watch: Scotland marks its own Poppy Day in Edinburgh.

"Sometimes people think of the old guys in the beret on the beaches, but actually, serving and ex-serving personnel who are around now are the people that we support," she said.

"And there are millions of them who need our help."

The Band of the Coldstream Guards provided background music for the personnel at Liverpool Street Station, with their presence also giving the public a chance to meet and chat to members of the military.

Leo Docherty, Minister for Defence People and Veterans, told Forces News he thought the interaction between personnel and the public is "absolutely magic".

"The best thing about the military is its people, and it's brilliant to see the way that the public really love engaging with our Armed Forces," he said.

"That's timeless and I love seeing that and that's the secret to the great success and longevity of the Armed Forces."

Poppy days are also taking place in other cities in the run-up to Remembrance Sunday.