YORKSHIRE, NORTH & EAST Poppy Conference 2015. £42065170
Transcription
YORKSHIRE, NORTH & EAST Poppy Conference 2015. £42065170
YORKSHIRE, NORTH & EAST APRIL 2015 Poppy Conference 2015. former brewery in Richmond. A new factory was built in Richmond in 1933. Ray went on to illustrate how the Poppy Appeal has grown over the years and finished with the announcement that the current total was standing at:- £42,065,170 !!! The annual Poppy Appeal conference took place recently at Alton Towers in Staffordshire and was well attended by new PAOs and staff from across the country. As usual, the first day was made up of presentations from staff and volunteers with the emphasis on how to run a straight forward stress free Appeal. Ray Shepherd, Head of the Poppy Appeal took us on a journey from the birth of the Poppy Appeal right up to the present day. Inspired by a WW1 poem, two ladies one French, the other American, decided to create and sell silk poppies to raise funds to support service men disadvantaged by serving their country, whether by injury or unemployment. Those silk poppies were sold for 3d each and raised £106,000, equivalent to £4.4m today. In the UK poppies were (and still are) made at the Poppy Factory in Richmond, which had been opened by Major George Howson, MC, in 1922. Howson had formed the Disabled Society to help former servicemen from World War One. It was Howson who suggested to the Royal British Legion that disabled former soldiers of the Disabled Society could make poppies that could then be sold to the public to raise money for the British Legion. The original poppies were simple in design so that anyone with a disability could assemble them – the principle remains to this day. Howson himself was not convinced that his idea would work. He wrote to this parents: “I do not think it can be a great success, but it is worth trying. I consider the attempt ought to be made if only to give the disabled their chance.” The original Poppy Factory was based just off the Old Kent Road and employed just 5 people. It was funded by a grant of £2000 from the Unity Relief Fund. However, within months the work force had grown to 50 and in 1925 Howson moved the factory to a Stewart Lythe [email protected] M: 07769 840904 Pictured above our County PAO delegates: Mr. Dominic Peacock, NCA02 Beverley, and Mrs. Ruby Davison, NEB09 Northallerton. Janet and Harry Fry, PAOs for Aldridge gave an insight into how their appeal is run. The key to their success is that they engage with external organisations such as Rotary and Probus to help with deliveries and tin collections which amount to around 800 tins on 40 rounds. Supermarkets have proved to be the biggest earner for us and these should be the priority. Beneficiary presentation Day one closed with a frank account from one of our beneficiaries, Mike Lewis, of how the RBL had helped him following being injured on active service in Afghanistan. After initial treatment at Camp Bastion, he was repatriated to Selly Oak and then on to Hedley Court. After several months, he discharged himself to return to his unit, only to be found medically unfit for service. He accepted an invitation from our Cambridgeshire CFR to give a talk about his experiences and, wanting to give something back, Mike applied for and was offered the position of CFR Bedfordshire. "Considering all the support given to me by the RBL, this is my way of saying thanks" said Mike. Page 1 YORKSHIRE, NORTH & EAST LOCAL NEWS The Poppy Shop was in attendance at Alton Towers - never one to miss an opportunity to raise funds, manager Holly was there with a table full of shiny stuff! The Poppy Shop in a Box will be available for trials later this year, please feel free to contact me for further details on how you can use this for your fundraising events The warehouse at Aylesford underwent a reorganisation last year and as a result of that we have been able to introduce a shift system that covers 08:00 - 22:00, multiskilling and cost reductions. Delays during last year's Appeal were acknowledged and we are promised a slicker service, better awareness and control of stock levels and a review of all products. In today's charity environment it is vital that everything we offer for donation is, as Ray says, "Fit for purpose". This review will also go a long way to improve our Al Year Round Fundraising. Please note that if you have any Corporate queries regarding the Poppy Appeal, Christine is happy to help, you can call her on 01622 795816 Holly Bannister-Hayes and Poppy Shop bling Shaping the Future - Ray Shepherd and Chris Cobbold Online ordering is here…nearly! Perhaps the most exciting revelation during Ray and Chris' workshop was the announcement of an On-Line system for PAOs. Set out in three distinct phases, we are about to trial the 'internal' on-line system for PAOs to order stock. A small trial is now underway with a view to launching it well before the next Appeal stock ordering starts. Anticipated launch date is mid May 2015. I am delighted to say that Paul Darley MBE, CPAC for N&E Yorkshire, has volunteered to take part in the trials for us as a user and help iron out any snags and bugs in the system. Paul's considered and pragmatic approach will help enormously - thanks for stepping up Paul! Phase 2 will establish a public interface and finally, in phase 3, we will be able to manage statements, returns and expenses electronically. Christine and Ray unveiling the future - beam me up Aylesford…… Ray outlined a very encouraging programme which sets out to modernise and streamline the ordering and administration processes surrounding the Poppy Appeal at Aylesford. The current paper based system is over 20 years old and no longer fit for purpose for today's business. Amazingly, each Regional Administrator has around 800 PAOs, each with their individual paper file. As you would expect, this accounts for a huge amount of storage and delays in retrieving historic information. Ray added: "There needs to be more clarity on our products along with appropriate control of stock levels. We also need to establish two-way communication with our volunteers using contemporary systems which will also have a cost benefit" Currently, Aylesford use the postal system to send messages and updates at a significant cost per letter. Part of the streamlining will introduce use of more email but only where it is suitable for the volunteer concerned. Page 2 Aylesford Supply Chain Manager Stephen Belding (l) with Mark Grice and Poppy products YORKSHIRE, NORTH & EAST LOCAL NEWS Poppy Appeal admin workshop Competition Time I have two T-Shirts, black with conference logo, that were a limited issue for delegates at Alton Towers 2015. You won't get these any where else and I am offering them as prizes in a quick challenge to N&E Yorkshire PAOs. There was a lot of emphasis at Alton Towers this year on All Year Round fund-raising. We need to continually raise money to service the enormous spend on Welfare which is still in the region of £1.5 million EACH WEEK and cant rely on the Annual Poppy Appeal to deliver all we need. Along with my other CFR colleagues, I am continually looking for opportunities to raise funds where we can add Royal British Legion marketing/branding support - initiatives such as Poppy Picnics or Honour Walks, details of these are available from me or on the RBL web site So, here's the idea. There is a T-Shirt for each of the first two PAOs in our County to successfully arrange either a Poppy Picnic, an Honor Event (basically a sponsored walk, swim, bike ride etc.) or any other fundraising event that raises a minimum of £100. In the event of a tie, the decision will be based on the bank's date stamp in your paying in book counterfoil. Sarah Rayfield and Shane Crowhurst This session was all to do with the 'ins and outs', rules and regulations and 'how to' guides surrounding your Poppy Appeal. The session took the form of a quiz and subjects such as storage, banking, G4S etc. were covered in depth. Those of you that attended my seminars last year will be familiar with the quiz strangely enough it was very familiar and I managed to get most questions correct….new quiz next year guys!! Please don’t forget to tell me either if you, the membership, a local Company or a member of the public is holding a fundraising event for the Poppy Appeal as I may be able to offer support and provide Fundraising Packs. Tel: 07769 840 904 or email [email protected] For those of you who don't know the guilty parties pictured above (for some reason looking like guilty school kids), let me enlighten you…. Sarah Rayfield is the Finance and Planning Manager at Aylesford and she looks after, amongst other things, statements. If you were late filing your statement after the Appeal, it is Sarah's team that will be hunting you down - in a nice way of course, not that we ever have any late returns in our County….ahem! If after all of the reminders, letters and phone calls about non-returns from her team, Sarah will get involved and believe me, that is one letter you don't want to receive! Sarah also looks after CAF cheques so you can mail these direct to her - don’t forget to include your PAO reference. Shane Crowhurst is Aylesford's Administration and Compliance manager dealing with insurance, ID cards, banking arrangements, storage and, in his own words, "Anything left over that nobody else does" 1915-2015 Enamel Poppy Pins This years enamel pins have arrived at Aylesford so if you need any for any fundraising activities for the Poppy Appeal then please give Nimra Naeem a call on 01622 795 808 [email protected] Please keep sending me items for inclusion in future newsletters. And now, as usual, the national news……………….. Page 3 NATIONAL NEWS Summer Thames Boat Cruise Thursday 2nd July If you would like to find out more about gifts in Wills, please contact Liz Fredericks, Legacy Manager (T: 020 3207 2259, [email protected]) or Lauren Barr, Legacy Marketing Coordinator (020 3053 7007, [email protected]). Or alternatively, visit http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/getinvolved/legacies/leave-a-legacy . Aylesford Update 2015 poppy pins are in stock and can be ordered via PAOs Regional Administrators, but please only order what you require for now and any events through the summer. As summer gets underway, we will be cruising along the Thames for a fabulous summer party. The Legion has chartered the stunning Silver Sturgeon, one of the most luxurious Thames cruisers, for a chance to party under the stars whilst enjoying the gentle pace of the river. After being welcomed on board with champagne, join us for an evening of relaxing fun and dine with us as London’s amazing skyline passes gently by. Aylesford are now in the construction phase of their online ordering programme for PAOs. There are a number of PAOs that are assisting with this and they will also be helping as Aylesford progress to the testing phase. Ray Sheppard Head of Poppy Appeal will ensure that all PAOs are kept up to date as they move through the project and it is hoped to have some of the PAO volunteers online by the next Appeal. Corporate Partners Activity for VE Day After dinner, there will be time to dance the rest of the night away to music from the Central Band of The Royal British Legion and take your chances in our floating casino before it is time to return to Westminster Pier and dry land. Tickets £250 each with tables of 8 or 10 available as well as cosy booths for 6. Contact Rebecca on 020 3207 2272, [email protected] Online booking: www.britishlegion.org.uk/thamescruise Coventry Building Society, Warner Hotels and Marks & Spencer have all kindly agreed to make VE Day pins available. They will be asking for a suggested donation of £2 with 100% of the proceeds coming to the Legion. Gifts in Wills Johnston Press, one of the largest local media companies in the country, will be making a VE Day supplement for all readers during May. In 2012/13, 895 supporters generously left gifts in their Wills. This generated an amazing £11,931,000 for the Royal British Legion. This income can be broken down amongst the regions as follows: eBay, will be encouraging donations at checkout from the 4-8th of May. There will also be a banner advertising VE Day celebrations on eBay's homepage on the run up to the appeal. Warner Leisure Hotels will be hosting VE Day celebration parties at their 13 country and coastal hotels across the UK. Guests will come together to join the celebration with great food and entertainment, but most importantly to raise funds for the Legion. Gifts in Wills are extremely important for the Legion and we would love your help in promoting the importance of this method of giving amongst our supporters and volunteers. Gifts in Wills help the Royal British Legion to plan for the future and although we don’t know what challenges we will face, we have confidence that we can continue to improve the lives of thousands of serving members of the Armed Forces, ex-Service men and women and their families. Westminster Collection, a long-term partner of the charity, will be launching a free VE Day medal (above), with £1.50 post and packing, and will donate 50p to the Legion for each medal that’s claimed. Available from the end of April, for details visit www.freevedaymedal.co.uk Wild and Wolf will be hosting a staff party at their Head Office in Bath and staff will be getting dressed up 1940’s style. They will also be selling their ‘Home Front’ range and emailing all buyers with information on how to get involved. In the lead up to VE Day more corporate partners will be announcing their plans to commemorate the anniversary. For any questions please email [email protected]. Page 4 Design, print and distribution by RBLI. Royal British Legion Industries Print & Mail Division T: 01372 389940 E: [email protected]