THE Poppy Appeal has launched in Darwen.

Poppy stalls have been set up in Darwen Market Hall and Sainsbury’s and boxes of merchandise distributed to schools in the area.

The appeal officially launched on Saturday and organiser Stephen Potter, who served in the RAF for nine years, said they were ‘inundated’ with donations.

He said: “We brought everything down on Friday to get ready for the launch on Saturday.

As we were setting up we were inundated with people wanting to donate.

“The appeal gets a lot of support here in Darwen, we are a small town but we do very well.

“People will walk past and just put money in the pot.

“We have been given special dispensation to collect old pound coins and notes until the end of November so we’re getting a lot that way.”

Mr Stephen, who has run the appeal for more than 10 years, said they raise around £15,000 per year, but never give themselves a target.

He said: “I don’t believe in setting targets.

“At the end of the day, the Poppy Appeal is a charity and people will happily give to a charity, we don’t need to coerce them.”

This year’s Remembrance Service will take place at 11am at Sunday, November 12 Bold Venture Park, a first for the town which has always had an afternoon service.

British Legion branch chairman Bob Wood said:”We have always had our service in the afternoon because the Blackburn Mayor must attend and they have their service in the morning.

“But now Darwen has its own Mayor we don’t need to work around them.

“We used to have the service at 2.30pm and it would be dark by the time we got up to the park, where it’s not exactly even ground.”

Mr Potter said: “Ever since I moved up here we have been fighting to have our remembrance service in the morning and we have finally achieved it this year.

“It will make a big difference.”

Free transport will be available to the park via a free bus which will depart from Town Hall at 10.10am

The bus will return the the town centre in time for the remembrance service at St Peter’s Church at 12pm.