Famous voices take over transport network on London Poppy Day

A host of famous voices and football stars will today take over the transport network to help encourage commuters to donate to The Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal.

The celebrities providing their voices for the campaign include Brian Blessed, Danny Dyer, Barbara Windsor, Stephen Fry and Sir Derek Jacobi, with Arsene Wenger, John Terry and Harry Kane amongst those representing the world of football.

London Poppy Day is part of the national poppy appeal and seeks to raise as much money as possible over the course of a single day to provide support for the whole Armed Forces community.

The famous voices will be heard at London’s biggest and busiest railway stations, across the Tube network and on trams. The poppy message will also be displayed across 2,500 roadside countdown systems at bus stops.

As part of what’s now developed into an annual tradition, two Circle line Tube trains will be covered in the poppy livery, as well as nine London buses. All London Underground, London Overground and DLR trains will also display poppies on the front and back of every train.

A giant poppy will greet visitors to Kings Cross railway station, while Waterloo will host a poppy installation. Commuters and visitors to the station will be able to hear military bands at selected locations.

London’s Transport Commissioner, Mike Brown MVO, said: “We are proud to support The Royal British Legion’s annual London Poppy Day appeal in honour of the 4,500 transport workers, and all others from across the country, who have given their lives in both World Wars and other conflicts.

“Our transport network has once again been covered in the eye-catching poppy livery and customers traveling around the Capital will be entertained by famous voices making some special announcements.”

Phil Hufton, Network Rail’s Managing Director of Network Operations, said: “Network Rail has long supported the work of the Royal British Legion and our armed forces and proudly welcomes volunteer collectors and military personnel into our stations. On behalf of the RBL, we would like to thank our passengers and stations’ visitors for their generous contributions to this important cause.

“Visitors to London Victoria station can also visit the rail industry’s WWI exhibition, which commemorates the vital contribution made by thousands of railway workers, both men and women and the sacrifices that were made.”

On London Poppy Day, there will be around 2,500 uniformed personnel, veterans and volunteers collecting at around 50 Tube and main line stations.

Charles Byrne, Director of Fundraising for The Royal British Legion, said: “London Poppy Day wouldn’t be what it is without the people behind it. What started with 10 people in 2006 has undoubtedly grown in size but it’s still the thousands of individuals behind it that make it what it is today. From the uniformed collectors stationed across the city to the volunteers and musicians, we’re grateful to Londoners for getting in the spirit of the day and showing their support to the Armed Forces community.”

TfL will provide free travel to all volunteer collectors on 29 October. The train companies will also provide free travel to all volunteer collectors coming to London by train between 28 to 30 October, to support the London Poppy Day fundraising event.

 

 

The post Famous voices take over transport network on London Poppy Day appeared first on UK Construction Online.