WE are often asked: 'what will the Royal British Legion spend the Poppy Appeal money on now that there are very few surviving World War Two veterans' and, equally often, 'now that we have pulled out of Afghanistan.'

The simple answer to this is there will be no change.

The British Legion will continue to support our armed forces and their families in the same way that we always have done since its inception in 1921.

There may well be no servicemen and women left in Afghanistan but, in fact, at this very moment there are as many, if not more, of our armed forces deployed around the globe than served in Afghanistan.

We as a nation may not always hear about it but our armed forces are continually being deployed in war zones and troubled areas in active or advisory roles and are still at risk of being injured maimed or even killed on duty.

We hear of explosive devices and their consequences in loss of life or limbs but there are many other casualties that are a direct result of these incidents that we don't hear about.

For example the flash from an explosion can cause permanent partial or complete blindness.

The British Legion supports the rehabilitation of these casualties, along with their families – as they need to learn how to cope with a blind family member – at a dedicated residential centre in Llandudno.

There are the young widows with young children who have lost not only their loved one but often their home and main breadwinner and the injured servicemen and women who find themselves no longer able to carry out their military duties and are looking at a bleak future.

The Royal British legion helps them all.

There is also the issue of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often suffered by those who have been deployed in combat areas.

It is a little known fact that PTSD often doesn't appear for many years after the event.

In fact, I understand, the average is some 13 years later.

The British Legion recognises this and works together with other charities like Combat Stress to treat PTSD when it occurs and to aid rehabilitation.

I recall an incident while collecting at Magor Services where a couple stopped to put £20 into our collecting pot, spontaneously the lady showed me her two prosthetic legs having been a double amputee following service in Afghanistan. Her husband, at the same time, was suffering from PTSD.

Their 10- and 12-year-old daughters had assumed the role of carers, taking on a great deal of the day-to-day running of the household while maintaining their school studies.

Naturally, the situation began to take its toll. They had reached rock bottom when it was suggested that the British Legion might help.

It took one simple telephone call to the Legion support line for the British Legion to step in and arrange a Poppy Break holiday for the two children.

In her own words, 'they gave us back our children and made us a family again.'

In the meantime the Legion had put in place a care package to help with the parents' rehabilitation. She then said 'we have never looked back.'

The British Legion would not be able to support our beneficiaries in this way without the donations and support of the public and these past few years this support has been outstanding.

Whether this is due to the world wars commemorations or the knowledge of the horrendous injuries suffered by our armed forces in Afghanistan we do not know but, it has enabled us to make a big difference to our beneficiaries.

Every penny collected for the Poppy Appeal goes directly to our beneficiaries. The Caldicot and District branch, which is quite a small rural area, has, this year, raised in excess of £32,000 (the Poppy Appeal year runs from October 1 to September 30). This is an amazing total and we would not have been able to do this without the tremendous support and help we receive from the many retail outlets and businesses in our area and, of course, the generosity of you, the general public.

Special thanks must go to Magor Services, Waitrose and Asda who let us collect on their premises during Poppy Appeal.

Thanks also to the army and air force cadets and also Caldicot Castle who support us in many ways throughout the year.

If you or anyone you know requires the help of the Royal British Legion you can call the free helpline 0808 802 8080

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Royal British Legion in our area, please call or email Peter Wilson on 07941213794 or 01633 882772, [email protected]">[email protected] or Richard Trueman on 01291 424319.

– Peter Wilson, Royal Brit