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'Wearing a poppy shows you care'

BBC Peter Saunders looks at the camera, wearing a grey suit with blue tie and shirt, wearing a poppy and Royal British Legion badge. He has ginger hair and beard and is in a field of remembrance with people and wooden crosses.BBC
Peter Saunders, the Poppy Appeal manager for Wiltshire, says about £700,000 a year is raised in the county

The manager of the Royal British Legion poppy appeal in Wiltshire, which is home to thousands of armed forces families, says wearing a poppy "shows that you care".

The county is home to several large Army bases and the Salisbury Plain training area.

Peter Saunders explained the £700,000 raised by the Royal British Legion in the county each year goes directly to help the armed forces community.

"The poppy shows that you care. Shows them that you've taken the time out to remember what they're doing," he told the BBC.

Mr Saunders said the poppy appeal volunteers did "incredible work".

"We're hoping for a bit more this year" he added.

Entrain Space The Entrain building - a three-storey red-brick building with grey cladding and glass doors.Entrain Space
There are 44 apartments at Entrain Space in Wilton, which helps military leavers transition to civilian life

The Royal British Legion helps with funding several different projects - often related to bereavement, mental health and recovery from injuries.

It also gives support for daily living, as veterans transition to civilian life.

One project saw a number of washer-dryers installed for military leavers living in apartments at Entrain Space, in Wilton, Salisbury.

The apartments are designed to help veterans, including families, adapt to the challenges of leaving the Army.

Appliances worth £17,000 were donated because it was found having to use a shared laundry area did not not help with independent living.

'I didn't know what council tax was'

The Royal British Legion has also funded smaller things for veterans at the apartments, such as food vouchers.

Carl Brown, who left the military at 36, has spent about two years there and is preparing to leave soon.

He said: "I didn't know what council tax was - I never had to pay it I'd always been behind that military wire. It's been a great transition."

Kenny Brown, from Entrain Space, said: "Remembrance is about the men and women who came before us.

"If we forget about what the RBL stands for and we don't donate, the chances are that some will slip through the cracks and not have the future they deserve after military service."

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