Lamppost poppies net £1,000 for Chatteris RBL Poppy Appeal
The proceeds of the 2021 'Poppies on a lamp post' scheme have been officially handed over to the Chatteris Royal British Legion branch.
Scheme organiser, Chatteris town councillor James Carney, presented the cheque for £1,010 to Lynda Behagg, who is standing down as the branch fundraising officer after a number of years in the role.
James said: "The initial total raised was £930 and I posted this fantastic result on Facebook pages. The a few days later a local businessman contacted me to say he wished to take the total over a thousand pounds and donated another £80. It was an incredible gesture, and once again the local community has shown massive support for the Poppy Appeal so a big 'thank you' to all those who contributed.
"I'd also like to thank Ian Benney for his help with the poppy installation as time was tight between collecting all the sponsors, printing then fixing the messages to the poppies ahead of Remembrance Day."
A total of 43 poppies were sponsored this year by various local families and business, which were attached to lamppost columns around the town centre.
James began the scheme in 2018 with 18 poppies to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War One.
Since then a total of £3,280 has been raised for the Poppy Appeal and he plans to run it again next year with a total of 40 poppies to mark the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War.