ARRC NEWS
London Poppy Day 2023
WO2 Kelvin Ngoma – G8 Branch Procurements and Contracts
On Thursday 2nd November 23 , members of HQ Allied Rapid Reaction Corps ( ARRC ) and Gurkha ARRC Support Battalion ( GARRC Sp Bn ) descended on London as part of the military contingent for the Royal British Legion ’ s ( RBL ) London Poppy Day ( LPD ) – with the aim of raising funds for its annual Poppy Appeal .
The RBL was formed on 15 May 1921 ; bringing together four national organisations of Ex-Servicemen that had established themselves after the First World War . The organisaiton has grown over the last one hundred years into one of the most recognised and trusted charities in the country . It is also the UK ’ s largest Armed Forces Charity - with 180,000 members and 110,000 volunteers . The RBL has an average annual revenue of £ 154.9 Million 1 of which the Poppy Appeal raises an average of £ 55 Million per year with LPD being the largest single event .
Members of HQ ARRC at London Temple Station 2023
Initially organised by veteran volunteers from the RBL ’ s Lloyds of London Branch , the first LPD was held in 2006 and started with just 10 volunteers who raised £ 500 . This grew to 500 volunteers in 2011 - raising £ 450,000 - to the current model which sees around 1,600-2,000 volunteers ( comprising of military , civilian and veteran volunteers ) aiming for a target of £ 1 Million in a single day .
LPD 23 was a brilliant day involving myriad activities across London including ; military bands , military wives choirs and combat display teams in addition to the hundreds of collectors from across all services , working alongside 1400 civilian volunteers . Even the adverse weather conditions as a result of Storm Cairon did not have an adverse effect on morale or collection efforts .
Ever an elusive target , the aspirational sum of £ 1M has often evaded the collectors however on 2 November 23 those collecting hit their target - for the second successive year - raising an impressive amount of £ 1,017,000 .
As service personnel we live by the values of respect for others , loyalty and selfless commitment and many of us firmly believe in the significance of giving back to society . Two endeavours hold immense value to me on a personal level . Firstly is RBL ’ s role in the support for the veteran community that continues to this day and aligns with my own beliefs of helping others .
The second is Forces Trust Zambia ( forcestrustzambia . org ), a non-governmental organisation I founded in Lusaka , Zambia , which looks after the welfare of Ex-Servicemen and their families .
Cpl Jallow and LCpl Rai interacting with commuters at London Temple Station 2023
Throughout my career , I have actively participated in various fundraising activities for the RBL , and this year I was privileged to be appointed as a Station Commander covering the Temple Underground Station during London Poppy Day . As Stn Comd , my primary responsibilities were to use my extensive network to recruit additional volunteers from the tri-service community , plan activity on the day , manage and coordinate collections and motivate my small team over the 13-hour collection period .
The day was both challenging and rewarding in equal measure . With the partial effects Storm Ciaron tearing through London and located on the bank of the Thames , Temple Station seemed more like a wind tunnel at times ; making the task arduous to say the least . However , this did not deter my team or hinder their enthusiasm which was further uplifted by the unwavering and immense hospitality of the commuters . I must offer special praise to staff of the Pot and Piadina Coffee shop who were extremely generous and provided free coffee throughout the day – their kindness was inspiring .
On completion of the event my team and I were genuinely shattered but felt an immense sense of pride and satisfaction at participating in this year ’ s LPD . To know that our work was contributing to the support of our veteran community is fulfilling . Having been informed that we had raised £ 8,400 and exceeded the previous total amount raised for London Temple Station made the entire day worthwhile and my team are already looking to supporting the event in 2024 .
1
RBL 2022 Annual Report and Accounts reported a revenue of £ 153.5 M . Average taken over last 4 years .
10 WINTER 2023 the imjin @ HQARRC
Allied Rapid Reaction Corps