Thank you for your interest in this story

To continue reading this article, sign up today to unlock exclusive content and be part of our community discussions

Exclusive discounts
Enjoy commenting on local issues

Already a subscriber? Log in here.

Nov 2021

Community

'Embarrassing' shortage of poppies to buy in Ripon

Published: 9 Nov 2021, 17:21 GMT

Updated: 9 Nov 2021, 18:36 GMT

by Tim Flanagan

With Remembrance Sunday just a few days away, there are only a handful of places in Ripon where poppies can be purchased. The Mayor of Ripon says the situation is embarrassing.

Supporters of the Annual Poppy Appeal in Ripon are finding only limited places in the City to buy their poppies this year.

As Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday approach, there was an expectation that poppies would be available in more than 250 shops, pubs, cafes, restaurants and businesses across the city, but that has not materialised.

At the time of publication, poppies could only be purchased in the city's Morrisons, Booths and Sainsbury's supermarkets.

Jeet Bahadur Sahi, chairman of the Royal British Legion Ripon Branch, told the Stray Ferret:

“We used to have an in-branch Poppy Appeal organiser, but arrangements were taken over by the Regional office and we were advised only recently that the person allocated to organise the distribution in Ripon had been called away on military duties.

“Despite offers of help from the Mayor of Ripon, city council leader Andrew Williams and myself, to deliver poppies and collecting tins, we were told this is not possible due to the short timescale.

"This is extremely disappointing. In previous years people have been supporting the Poppy Appeal at more than 250 outlets in Ripon and thousands of pounds have been raised."

The Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Eamon Parkin, said:

"The situation is both embarrassing and disappointing for Ripon, a city with military connections going back over many years.

"In this, the 100th anniversary year of the Royal British Legion, there are thousands of hand-knitted poppies on display across the city, but there are only a handful of places where people can buy one to wear and show their support for the Poppy Appeal."

A Royal British Legion spokesperson said:

“The exact location of Poppy boxes is going to vary from area to area depending on volunteer coverage.

"However, through our collectors and partner organisations, poppies have been distributed to all major UK supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons, Aldi and Asda stores as well as via online retailers including the Poppy Shop, Amazon and eBay, so poppies are readily available in Ripon.

"They are available at every point-of-sale in the large Morrisons, including customer services, and on the tills at Booths Supermarket in the town.

The spokesperson added that there are no issues with poppy distribution in any other areas of North Yorkshire.