THE SUN’S incredibly generous army of readers never stint in their support for our military.
New figures reveal that last year, you contributed to an amazing £51.4million for the Royal British Legion to aid thousands who served their country and now need help.
It is the largest amount since before Covid. And yesterday, seven former servicemen and women came together in London to launch the 2025 Poppy Appeal, which hopes to beat last year’s figure.
They are only a fraction of the 23,000 former soldiers, sailors and RAF personnel who have been helped by the Legion this year to rebuild their lives.
When you read their amazing stories, you will see why a record 50,000 volunteers will be on the streets between now and November 11 selling poppies.
Look out for a collector near you, or make a donation — no matter how large or small — using The Sun’s QR code on this page.
Sgt Steven Ford, who served on one of the bloodiest tours in Afghanistan, knows first-hand how a donation to the Poppy Appeal can help.
The 44-year-old father of three suffers from complex post-traumatic stress disorder, which wrecked his family and saw him end up homeless.
Now, thanks to the Legion, he has a two-bed home in Fleetwood, Lancs, where he can start to rebuild his life.
Steve says: “I was so desperate, I rang the British Legion for help. Two days later, they came back and told me to get a tenancy agreement and they would sort the rest — the deposit, negotiate my rent and get me a bed and a sofa as well as some white goods.
“The lady on the phone said, ‘Don’t worry about ringing us. This is what we’re here for’.
“It was such a weight off my mind.” Steve’s problems began when the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment were sent to Afghanistan’s Helmand Province in 2010, where their six-month posting was hell from day one.
He says: “Two days after we took over, a Mastiff vehicle rolled over and went into the canal and trapped an engineer and he couldn’t get out and he drowned. Then it just continued.”
Seven soldiers from his regiment were killed and more than a dozen injured. As we speak, Steve counts out names on his fingers.
“Corporal Chandler, who was shot and killed, a very good, close friend of Johnny Mercer, the former Veterans minister.
“Corporal Rocco, who passed away. Jordan Bancroft lost his life. Two Fijians who died on the same day. My best mate Rick had his legs blown off on only his second patrol.”
The list continues, as Steve recalls returning home on leave and visiting two of his comrades, Kingsmen Anthony Cooper and David Plant, who lost their legs in IED explosions within seconds of each other.
He says: “I don’t really do cenotaphs because I don’t need to turn up every Remembrance Sunday.
“I remember those lads every day. I see their faces.”
Steve served 19 years and eight months before being medically discharged in 2020.
By then, he was haunted by the events he witnessed in Helmand and he became violent, with his marriage falling apart.
Many veterans are afraid to ask for help — it’s a mixture of pride, guilt and shame — but you have to realise that you’ve done your bit and now it’s time to get something back
Sgt Steven Ford
He says: “I was really struggling with my mental health and I was horrible to my wife — really bad.
“The Afghan memories still affect me today. Sometimes, I’ll get just two hours’ sleep because of nightmares.
“Many veterans are afraid to ask for help — it’s a mixture of pride, guilt and shame — but you have to realise that you’ve done your bit and now it’s time to get something back.”
Rifleman Gavin Sherry, 69, served two tours in Northern Ireland with the 1st Battalion Royal Green Jackets.
He says: “That’s where I first came across the cauldron of death and brutality in an urban war where you didn’t know who was your enemy.
“A woman with a pram could be carrying weapons for the IRA, or you’d walk past a kid who would turn and put a bullet in the back of your head. You were always on edge.”
‘Called a killer’
During a riot in Belfast in 1975, Gavin was hit on the head with a brick that put him in hospital for four months. The scar is still visible 50 years later.
The father of five went on to become a coach driver and is now retired. In 2013, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and PTSD.
He says: “I’ve been on remembrance parades and I’ve been spat on, I’ve been called a killer, I’ve been called a puppet of the government. I say to them, you are living the life you lead because veterans stood in the face of adversity.”
But attending the Legion’s Battle Back recovery centre near his home in Telford, Shrops, has given Gavin a new zest for life.
Royal Military Police sergeant Leanne Walmsley, 33, suffered massive injuries to both knees in a training accident.
Leanne, who got married this summer, had to learn to walk again after surgery.
She recently cycled from London to Paris to thank the Legion for their support and will be selling poppies in Lichfield, Staffs.
The Royal British Legion put me in a hotel and made sure I had money for food until I managed to sort myself out a few weeks later. I will always be grateful because I would have been out on the streets without their support.
Sgt Jason Paul
She says: “The RBL has been there for me. There is kindness and care in the world and the Poppy Appeal highlights it.”
Sgt Jason Paul, 38, from Chester, was serving with the Mercian Regiment when he was deafened by a roadside blast in Afghanistan which ended his ten-year military career.
The father of two says: “Two years later, I started to struggle and life began to unravel.
“I started hanging out with the wrong crowd, had issues with drink and drugs. Cocaine became a massive problem for me.
“I had been employed as live-in security. When I lost my job, not only had I lost my income, but I no longer had anywhere to live.
“The Royal British Legion put me in a hotel and made sure I had money for food until I managed to sort myself out a few weeks later.
“I will always be grateful because I would have been out on the streets without their support.”
Private Nick Bennion, 48, from Fiji, served tours in Iraq in 2004 and 2006, and two tours in Kosovo with the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment.
He left after seven years in 2007 to get his family settled into civilian life.
The RBL helped Nick with rent, a deposit, furniture and household items, as well as supporting him through their benefits, money and debt advice service.
Corporal Richard Davies, 38, had his left foot amputated in 2021 after suffering an accident while serving with the RAF in Cyprus.
Attending an RBL recovery centre re-ignited his passion for sports.
Richard says: “Now, I’m probably fitter than I have been in the past ten years.”
Former RAF medic Bronwyn Wilkinson, from Neath, South Wales, served for ten years before being medically discharged for a neck and shoulder injury in 2020.
Her mental and physical health was at an all-time low.
But the RBL Battle Back centre helped her find her confidence and rediscover joy in her life.
Bronwyn, 33, who now has a therapy dog, Prince, says: “Why should you give to the Poppy Appeal?
“Put bluntly, you are saving lives.”
Donate to the 2025 Poppy Appeal here
THE Sun has joined forces with The Royal British Legion once again so you can donate directly to this year’s Poppy Appeal by scanning the QR code, above.
You can also donate by visiting rbl.org.uk/thesun or by buying a poppy from one of the 50,000 volunteer sellers around the country and wearing it with pride.
Your money helps the RBL – the UK’s largest military charity – support the Armed Forces community with expert advice, practical help and welfare support to cope with the challenges of life after service.
Their work includes recovery programmes for physical or mental injuries or illness, as well as financial support.
They also help with tackling addiction, debt, homelessness, housing and family breakdown.
