High Wycombe’s poppy appeal has been saved just days ahead of its launch amid fears for its future after organisers struggled to find somewhere to run it from.
The appeal launch is usually a spectacular affair, with crowds lining the streets of the town for a parade.
Previously, the Eden Shopping Centre has offered the High Wycombe branch vacant shops to run it from - but with all shopping units in the centre currently full up, organisers did not know where to turn.
However, the centre has now managed to negotiate a free unit for the poppy appeal to run from this year – and for the first time, organisers will also offer a contactless payment system after being chosen as one of only ten branches to trial the new system.
Kevin Taylor, poppy appeal organiser, said it was “quite exciting” to have been chosen for the trial as they often get members of the public asking if they can take card payment.
He added: “Without a doubt we have been chosen because of the support we get from the town and the support from Eden which is reflected by how hard they have tried to get us the unit we are in.
“We’ve been working with the team at Eden Shopping Centre to overcome our issues this year and we appreciate, given the low availability of space, this is not an easy task.”
Andrew Norton, centre director at Eden, said they will always “work hard” to find somewhere for the poppy appeal to run from because it is “such a worthy cause”.
He said: “This year has been more challenging than others given the popularity of the centre with retailers such as Toys R Us and Decathlon who will be opening imminently.
“However, the centre team have remained committed and we confirmed with Kevin Taylor, the poppy appeal organiser for High Wycombe, that a unit had been made available by the landlord.
“We look forward to a continued and long lasting relationship with the poppy appeal.”
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