Organisers delighted by Littlehampton appeal total

With a few more collection tins still to come in, from the dozens distributed among shops, businesses and workplaces, the total stood at £8,648, several hundred pounds more than last year.

An impressive £872 of that came from one man, Denis Hosgood, who was banned from collecting outside the Tesco Express store at Beaumont Park and instead sold poppies outside the Lidl store in New Road, Littlehampton.

As the Gazette reported last month, Denis had a generous response from customers and staff of the German-owned store, with the manager himself contributing £20 and a former German soldier giving a £2 donation. He collected six full tins.

Denis, 85, a Second World War veteran, had sold poppies outside the Tesco Express in Finisterre Way for the previous three years, but the store’s manager told him the supermarket chain’s head office had made the decision not to have collections outside smaller stores.

A Tesco spokesman confirmed Poppy Appeal collectors were not allowed outside Tesco Express stores, but pointed out the collections were permitted outside larger stores for two weeks and that, since 2005, the company had helped to raise almost £16m for the Poppy Appeal.

Tommy Harrison, secretary of the Littlehampton Royal British Legion branch, and organiser of the Poppy Appeal in the town, said he was “very pleased” with the response from people living and working in the town, and visitors, especially following the very good attendances at Remembrance and Armistice services.