SIR - The Poppy Appeal began on Saturday and runs to Remembrance Sunday, November 14.

Collectors will, as usual, be visiting most parts of Sidbury, Sidford and Newton Poppleford and Poppies will also be offered for sale in the usual business premises. Please give as generously as you can, as the welfare work of the Royal British Legion continues to expand and, in June of this year, no less than 125 new cases were recorded in Devon, which is a record for any one month.

If you are donating in multiples of �1 please consider ‘gift aiding’ your donation, your collector will have the necessary envelope and will ask you to complete a simple declaration. It will not cost you anything and all that is required is that you pay sufficient UK income tax or capital gains tax to cover the tax on your donation.

The total amount collected by this Branch in the year ended September 30 2010 was �8303, of which �6864 was collected in Sidbury and Sidford and the balance of �1439 in Newton Poppleford.

I am very grateful to all of you who donated to the Appeal and to those who gave their time by collecting.

Colin Kingman

Poppy Appeal Organiser

Sidbury and Sidford Royal British Legion