POPPY APPEAL 2014 FIELD PACK

LIVE ON – TO THE MEMORY OF THE FALLEN AND THE FUTURE OF THE LIVING

A. Message from the Director General

On 23 October we will be updating the charity’s look and feel to give it a fresh, modern and hopeful expression that joins up our Remembrance and welfare work.

‘Live On’ is a simple and memorable way to link our twin commitments to the memory of the fallen and the future of the living. It’s also about presenting our charity in a lighter, cleaner way.

We want people to understand that the poppy is not just about Remembrance, it’s also about providing hope for the Armed Forces community of all ages throughout the year.

We’ll be phasing out our strapline ‘Shoulder to shoulder with all who Serve’ and replacing it with ‘Live On – To the memory of the fallen and the future of the living’ – a process that will take some time. The 2014 Poppy Appeal will be the first phase of the Live On journey, but we are not confining its use to the Poppy Appeal or Remembrance. We’ll be using it as an embedded part of the Legion’s work all year round, and you can join us in watching it expand and evolve.

We hope that you will welcome the new look and embrace it as an improved expression of our valuable work. Please find below examples of this year’s Poppy Appeal posters below, which demonstrate the new visual style.

Chris Simpkins

B. Key Messages

The Poppy Appeal 2014 introduces the Legion’s new position: Live On - To the memory of the fallen and the future of the living. This message provides a clear understanding of what The Royal British Legion does: Remembrance is a hugely significant part of our work, but we also help the living to approach their future with hope. Through our Live On message we aim to capture the public’s imagination and reaffirm the meaning of the poppy as a symbol of both Remembrance and hope.

Key Messages

The Poppy Appeal 2014 has one key message: Live On – to the memory of the fallen and the future of the living.

Live On describes both equally important parts of our work::

- As Custodian of Remembrance we ensure the memories of those who have fought and sacrificed in the British Armed Forces live on through the generations.

- Through our welfare work we help the British Armed Forces, veterans, and their families to live on to a more hopeful future.

The Royal British Legion created the Poppy Appeal to help those returning from the First World War. A century on from the start of that conflict, we‘re still helping today’s Armed Forces families in much the same way, whether coping with bereavement, living with disability, or finding employment.

In a year that marks the Centenary of the conflict which gave birth to the poppy as a symbol of Remembrance and hope, the Legion’s role remains as contemporary and as vital as it has ever been supporting today’s generation of Armed Forces families and veterans.

The money raised through the Poppy Appeal goes directly to The Royal British Legion’s welfare work providing through life care to anyone who is currently serving in the British Armed Forces, who has previously served, and their families.

The poppy is a powerful symbol which is worn to commemorate the sacrifices of our Armed Forces and to show support to those still serving today and their loved ones.

Sound Bites

The Royal British Legion’s vital welfare work is entirely dependent on the the public’s generous support – so please wear your poppy with pride, knowing that you are helping the Armed Forces community to Live On.

The fundraising target for the Poppy Appeal 2014 is a record £40m, an increase on last year’s total of £39m.

As a result of the public’s support in the last year The Royal British Legion answered more than 200,000 calls for help from the Armed Forces community.

When you donate to the Poppy Appeal you help:- bereaved families to Live On- wounded Service men and women to Live On- younger veterans seeking employment and housing to Live On- older veterans needing age-related care to Live On(These sound bites can be amended to apply to all areas of our work and individual case studies)

During the Poppy Appeal 2014 over 45 million poppies will be distributed by 350,000 dedicated collectors.

There is no one right or wrong way to wear a poppy – we only ask you to wear it with pride.

As the Custodian of Remembrance, The Royal British Legion ensures the memories of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country will Live On. As the UK’s leading Services charity, we ensure that today’s Forces families will Live On with hope for a better future.

The symbol of the poppy represents Remembrance of the past and hope for the future.

C. The 2014 Poppy Appeal Single D.

Performed by Grammy award winning Soul Sessions singer Joss Stone featuring guitar legend Jeff Beck, this year’s official Poppy Appeal Single is a cover of a song written in 1976 by Scottish born folk singer-songwriter Eric Bogle called No Man’s Land (Green Fields of France).

Its chorus refers to two famous pieces of military music, ‘The Last Post’ and ‘The Flower of the Forest’. Chosen by Joss Stone and Jeff Beck the song was recorded specifically for this year’s Appeal.

The single is available to download on pre-order from iTunes, Amazon, Play and from Poppy Shop from 13 October 2014. It will be on sale in all good retailers from 23 October 2014 and we are aiming to push it to No.1 in the charts for Remembrance Sunday.