Brighton won't sell poppies on the street this year to commemorate fallen British heroes
Poppies won't be sold on the streets of Brighton this year confirms Royal British Legion
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Poppies to commemorate fallen British heroes will not be sold on the streets of central Brighton this year, the Royal British Legion has confirmed.
The RBL revealed it was unable to replace a long-serving appeal organiser for the Sussex city.
There was subsequently nobody able to co-ordinate the campaign in central Brighton.
Despite the blow, local residents can still purchase poppies at a selection of supermarkets, shops and restaurants.
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Sainsbury's, Tesco, Morrisons, and One Stop have been named as shops where poppies will remain available.
The 2023 poppy appeal will launch on October 26 and continue to raise funds to support the armed forces community in the UK.
The campaign in Brighton last year raised around £10,000.
RBL's South East poppy appeal manager Graham Ferris revealed the role of regional poppy appeal organiser includes delivering materials, money collection and paperwork.
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Lauryn Francis, Poppy Appeal Manager for Sussex at the Royal British Legion, said: "The Poppy Appeal is a volunteer led appeal - without our Poppy Appeal Organisers and their many volunteers, The Royal British Legion could not support those who need us most.
"Locations of Poppy boxes varies from area to area depending on volunteer coverage. In Brighton city centre and Hove, paper poppies will be available in supermarkets including Sainsburys, Tesco, Morrisons, and One Stop, thanks to our partner organisations, whilst our Poppy collectors will still be out and about on the streets in Brighton suburbs, including Patcham and Woodingdean.
"Our volunteers are the lifeblood of the Poppy Appeal, and we would like to extend a big thank you to our dedicated volunteers in Brighton. We would also like to encourage all those who are interested in supporting us to get in touch via our website rbl.org.uk/poppyappeal."
However, other parts of Brighton will still see poppy collectors.
Army veteran Shane Crowhurst pieces together a paper poppy at the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal in Aylesford
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Poppy collectors are expected to be active in several suburbs, including Patcham and Woodingdean.
The RBL raised £42.2million from its Poppy Appeal in 2021.
Around 40,000 RBL volunteers take to the streets to distribute approximately 40,000 poppies.
However, the amount raised has been taking a dip in recent years following the coronavirus pandemic.