IN the 40 seconds or so it takes you to read this column, the Royal British Legion will have spent £92.50 helping veterans, the bereaved and relatives of service personnel.

That may not seem a lot but when you get to the end of this piece, just ponder how quickly almost £100 has been used up. And then again for the next 40 seconds. And so on and so on and so on until the total for the next 24 hours will hit £200,000.

The Legion helps 160,000 people a year and that is why it is so important the community does everything it can to support this year’s Poppy Appeal.

This newspaper has consistently supported our troops and their families following the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

This is not because we have blindly backed the cases for both actions. There are many opinions over that.

Our thoughts have been for those brave men and women (and their equally brave families) who are making a sacrifice for our armed forces.

They are the ones you will help with a donation into a poppy tin.

You do not need to wear a poppy if you do not feel it is just.

However, dropping a coin or two into a collection tin will help the Legion in its good work and that must be a cause we can all support.