Remembrance Day: Where does the money you spend on Poppy Appeal actually go?

Ellen Manning
Updated ·3 min read
Shallow depth of field.
Where does the money raised by the Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal go? (Getty)

The Royal British Legion has launched its 2023 appeal - complete with a new poppy that is plastic free.

The annual campaign urges people to wear poppies in support of the Armed Forces in the run-up to Remembrance Sunday, which falls on 12 November this year.

For the first time in a generation, the poppies that are sold have been redesigned so there are made from 100% paper.

Unlike previous years, they no longer have plastic stems or centres, and can be fastened with a pin in the stem, worn in a buttonhole, or stick-on versions are also available.

People will also be able to buy them from thousands of volunteers across the UK or from major supermarkets.

It is also possible to buy existing poppies with plastic, which can be recycled at Sainsbury’s supermarkets, as the Royal British Legion clears out its remaining stock.

But where do the funds raised by the appeal go and what are they used for?

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Where does the money go?

Donations from the sale of poppies go directly towards helping the Armed Forces community, the Royal British Legion says.

In information on its website it says: "Money raised during the Poppy Appeal helps us support the Armed Forces community in lots of different ways".

This includes providing financial advice to veterans, as well as other support, it adds.

Here is some of the support the Legion was able to organise in 2022:

  • £124.5 million in total was raised through all fundraising activities.

  • 22,126 people who were in need of help in the UK or one of 39 other countries across the world received assistance from the RBL.

  • 13,399 grants were awarded, totalling £10.9 million. This includes crisis and energy grants, as well as grants to provide practical solutions that help individuals with mobility, housing, and household items.

  • £6,645,585 in backdated benefits, benefits appeals, and debt write-offs was negotiated by the RBL for members of the Armed Forces community in need.

  • The RBL’s Branch Community Support programme arranged 59,560 calls to 17,990 members of the Armed Forces community.

  • 2,084 people received home visits as part of the RBL’s Branch Community Support programme

  • The RBL’s Benefits, Debt and Money Advice service helped 2,000 people, securing a total of £10m worth of debt relief

  • 1,170 people received guidance from the RBL’s War and Armed Forces Compensation service

Maisie Mead, 12, a Poppy Appeal collector from Plymouth, holding the new plastic-free paper poppy, the first redesign of the poppy for 28 years, at the Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal Warehouse in Aylesford, for the launch of the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal 2023. Picture date: Thursday October 26, 2023. (Photo by Jordan Pettitt/PA Images via Getty Images)
Maisie Mead, 12, a Poppy Appeal collector from Plymouth, holding the new plastic-free paper poppy, the first redesign of the poppy for 28 years, at the Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal Warehouse in Aylesford. (Getty)

Scottish Poppy Appeal

The Scottish Poppy Appeal also raises money - with anything raised in Scotland spent in Scotland.

According to the Scottish Poppy Appeal, it has previously raised over £2m, but costs of services are increasing, meaning it needs to raise more.

It says: "We use the money raised to provide support to the Armed Forces community in six key areas: Financial Support, Advice, Employment, Mobility, Housing and Mental Health."

Its website adds: "We provide support for current and former members of the Armed Forces as well as their families. This support, in recognition of their sacrifices and service, is holistic and bespoke, never cookie cutter.

"We have helped countless men, women and families with issues linked to their time in the Armed Forces or with struggles adjusting from military to civilian life.

"We even help with needs that have arisen long after someone has left the Armed Forces. Whenever, wherever support is needed, we are here."