The poppy appeal is as familiar a part of our annual routine as Christmas.

Most of us cannot remember a year when we did not spend part of November -- at school, at work, at the shops -- without that delicate paper badge of pride pinned to a lapel by its green plastic stem.

Yet while Christmas can now impinge on our thoughts for anything up to three months, it seems the Royal British Legion's annual moneyspinner is having a tougher time keeping its place at the heart of British life.

The struggle for volunteers to organise and take part in collections is partly a sign of the times.

The legion is not the only organisation to suffer such a plight -- Scouts, Guides and community groups of all kinds regularly make the same complaint.

It may also be that the public believes the legion is a fading charity whose beneficiaries are dying off.

If so, we hope our story today restores the balance.

The cash raised by those little red flowers continues to fund marvellous support for servicemen and women past and present, and their families.

If you have the time, please respond to their appeal for help.