Dame Barbara Windsor has joined forces with The Royal British Legion in a national recruitment drive for Poppy Appeal volunteers.

Each year more than 350,000 poppy volunteers are needed across the country to raise much-needed funds to support current and former Armed Forces personnel, and their families.

Crickhowell is just one of the area’s seeking volunteers to join Bob Doak, Retired Major in the Royal Welch Fusiliers, and his army of collectors covering the town and surrounding villages.

Bob (pictured) first started selling poppies for the Royal British Legion in 1983 when he was still serving.

When he retired from the army in 1994 he became more involved in the Legion’s work and has been Poppy Appeal organiser for 15 years.

In that time Bob, 74, and his band of 110 collectors in Crickhowell and the 13 outlying villages have raised approximately £150,000. Every year Bob travels 200 miles during the Poppy Appeal as he delivers 40 boxes of poppies to his volunteers, schools and local businesses in the town plus 70 more to the outlying villages. They raise an average of £10,000 each year.

Bob said, “I served in the Royal Welch Fusiliers from 1967 to 1994 and spent six and a half years in Northern Ireland.

“During that time I had friends who were killed in action and in recent years my former Regiment has lost men and women in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

“The money we raise every year through the Poppy Appeal is so important to help those service men and women who are in need.”

“We don’t have any large supermarkets in our area, so we rely on people driving around the villages and going door to door to farms and homes in the area.

“None of our volunteers are getting any younger, one seller has been with the Legion for 50 years, so we really need more people to get involved and help us.

“I would appreciate volunteers to help me as one day I would like to retire!”

Nicola Tallett, the Legion’s Interim Director of Fundraising, said, “The Poppy Appeal is The Royal British Legion’s main fundraising event of the year. It simply wouldn’t be possible without the tremendous support we receive each year from our valued volunteers.

“I know they are very much the lifeblood of the Poppy Appeal and contribute enormously to the charity year-round through a variety of roles. We’d love all who want to volunteer with us to get in contact.”

You can sign up to become a Poppy Appeal volunteer at britishlegion.org.uk/volunteer