The poppy appeal saved my life, says veteran

Terry Barnett said the Royal British Legion saved his life after he struggled with addiction

An army veteran from the West Midlands has said the purchase of a Remembrance poppy helped save his life after he faced issues with addiction.

Terry Barnett was speaking as the Royal British Legion launched its annual poppy appeal at Southam in Warwickshire.

He said the charity had provided him with support at a crucial time.

“A poppy that you buy has saved a person’s life, and that’s what I would say to the general public,” he told BBC Midlands Today.

Mr Barnett, who is from Solihull, joined The Royal Corps of Signals when he was 16 years old.

Active tours of duty took their toll, and he said he ended up self-medicating.

“I wasn’t sure what was going on in my head,” he said.

“I didn’t know whether it was mental health, the traumas of my past, things I may have seen in the forces.”

It was after he felt he had reached "rock bottom" that he turned to the Royal British Legion for help.

“Anybody out there, when they say ‘actually, I’m not going to buy a poppy’ – if you buy a poppy you can save a person’s life, just like myself,” he said.

The Poppy Appeal is the Royal British Legion's annual fundraising campaign held each year in November, during the period of Remembrance.

The legion provides lifelong support to serving and former military personnel and their families.

The charity estimates that its 40,000 volunteers distribute a total of about 40 million poppies per year in return for a donation.

In 2023 a new plastic-free poppy, made entirely from paper, was introduced.

The Royal British Legion said it was a matter of personal choice whether someone chose to wear a poppy and how they chose to wear it.