The Royal British Legion is calling on members of the public to assist with its poppy distribution campaign as the pandemic forces many veteran volunteers to stay at home.
With the charity's major annual fundraising campaign around the corner, it is urging supporters to help send poppies to families and friends in the post.
"This year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, you may see less of our devoted volunteer Poppy Appeal collectors in your local communities, but you can help family, friends, and neighbours to get hold of their poppy and contribute to the appeal," said the Royal British Legion in a statement on its website.
"Thanks to the Appeal, we can ensure our Armed Forces community and their families, both past and present, receive the support they need and deserve.
"We're calling on the public to support us like never before, because every poppy counts."
Many of the charity's regular volunteers are elderly, placing them at greater risk from coronavirus.
Members of the public are encouraged to request 20 poppies free of charge by completing a form on the Royal British legion website.
They will then be informed about how to safely distribute the poppies to others.
First held in 1921, the Poppy Appeal helps members of the public pay their respects to the war dead and raises money for both current and former servicemen and women.
Poppies are worn because they are the flowers which grew on the battlefields after the First World War ended.
The Royal British Legion, founded in 1921, is the charity which runs the Poppy Appeal each year and it gives the money to the service women and men who are still alive and whose lives have been changed by war.
