She and representatives of the Stourbridge Royal British Legion, young cadets and businesses in the town gathered to push the poppy appeal ahead of Remembrance Sunday next month
00:00Express and Star, we're here on a Monday morning at the Rye Market in Stourbridge with Suzanne Webb and two cadets from Old Swinford Hospital School on the launch of the Poppy Appeal in the town this year ahead of Remembrance Sunday on 11th of November.
00:20Suzanne, tell us a little bit about, you've been involved in the British Legion for quite a bit haven't you, tell us a little bit about the Poppy Appeal please.
00:29So I was involved as the former Member of Parliament for Stourbridge and then I seized the opportunity to become the Poppy Appeal organiser and I've been doing that now for just shy of a year, either supporting last year as a volunteer and then someone tapped my shoulder and at an unguarded moment someone asked me to become the Poppy Appeal organiser for the Royal British Legion and it's just a fantastic opportunity and I'm loving every single minute of it and what's so great about this year is that we've got all the community support, we've got the businesses, we've got specs,
00:59Savers, we've got H Porter here, we've got Parkfield Grange here, we've got Stourbridge Rugby Club here, we've got Stourbridge Football Club here, we've got members of the community, we've got legends like Joyce here who have been a stalwart of the Royal British Legion for absolutely years, obviously we've got the cadets here and also we've got the friends of Wooliscope Park here and we've got Aaron here who's the manager of the Rye Market and the Rye Market and the Tesco's Crown Centre are just fundamental in this providing us a resource where we can actually put our stands.
01:27So it really is a community event leading towards Remembrance and how can people get involved?
01:35Well we're still short of a few volunteers so if anyone would still like to volunteer please do contact me and they can find me on my Facebook page Sazamweb OBE and the email address is on there.
01:45But otherwise we just want them to come and turn out in the droves, it's a really important year, it's VE, VJ Day, 80th anniversary this year and so all the support, put donations in here would be absolutely fantastic and make this one of the best copy appeals that we've had in Stourbridge and District.
02:03And let's have a quick word with Orlando and Jacob from Osh, Old Swingford Hospital School, you're the ripe age of 17 aren't you? How did you become involved? I know you were a cadet with the Royal British Legion.
02:17So the cadets was a part of school that I'd never really thought about before but the opportunities that they offered is so great, they gave lots of adventure training opportunities and lots of different various trips like bank firing exercises and that was really what really made me get really interested in joining the armed forces.
02:38I think that's the same for Jacob as well?
02:40Yeah, absolutely. I've been a cadet at Osh since I was able to join it but it's a key youth organisation at the school and it reflects the tradition as well.
02:49It's a traditional school and it's a traditional youth organisation and the Royal British Legion has been in continuous operation since 1921 so it's a great thing to be able to keep the history alive as well as it's so important to many of the young people at Osh.
03:01Many people have lost their grandparents or had massive effect by warfare or just general service life so it's good that we can remember and we can help those that need it.
03:12And Suzanne finally, it's nice to see the young people getting involved in this sort of thing and as we said it is for the whole community really.
03:22It is for the whole community and I've got the chairman here of the Royal British Legion in Starbridge.
03:27Who doesn't want to go on camera.
03:29Who doesn't want to go on camera but we are both very much aligned into the fact that going forward this has to be taken up by the young.
03:35They have to carry on the legacy. We have to be here in another 80 years remembering all those from World War I, World War II and any other war that's actually followed from there on.
03:45And it's just so important and I'm just thrilled that you've both actually come down here.
03:49It's so important and we're all so so proud of you and thank you so much for all you're going to be doing to help us.
03:55Well well done guys. All of you have missed the luck with the campaign.
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