Remembrance Day 2016 - Wear Your Poppy With Pride

Don't know about you - but I'm always pleased to see the poppy seller's around at this time of year. In our local supermarkets the teams of sellers are out and about. They even organise a craft idea for the children to do, which is lovely to see ... as everyone usually stops to put their money in the collection boxes and then have a chat with some of the British Legion representatives.

You may have seen this already ...

"Auschwitz survivor Ron Jones, 99, is likely the oldest poppy-seller in Britain.

Though he can no longer drive, Mr Jones still comes out of retirement each year to sell poppies at his local supermarket.

A soldier during World War Two, he was captured and held as a prisoner of war, spending two years at the infamous death camp Auschwitz where he helped form a football team to keep up morale.

"When I came home from Auschwitz, I was on that death march, I was only seven stone, from a 13 stone man," he recalled.

He said he keeps going because he wants to show solidarity with British soldiers who experience conflict today.

"Helping the chaps coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan - well I know what it's like to come home.""

Wear your poppy with pride.

You can watch a short video here
http://www.itv.com/news/2016-11-01/auschwitz-survivor-and-veteran-99-is-probably-britains-oldest-poppy-seller/

All the best Jan

Yes ... I did wear my Poppy back in November.

Do you remember when our football players chose to wear poppies on armbands during a World Cup qualifier against Scotland last month.

Well ...

Fifa poppy fines leave Royal British Legion 'extremely disappointed'

The Royal British Legion (RBL) has said it is "extremely disappointed" at Fifa's decision to fine the home nations over the poppy row.
Football's world governing body has handed the English Football Association (FA) the largest punishment, ordering it to pay 45,000 Swiss francs (£35,308) for several incidents including players wearing poppies on armbands during a World Cup qualifier against Scotland last month.

The Scottish FA and the FA of Wales were fined 20,000 Swiss francs (£15,692), while the Irish FA will have to pay 15,000 Swiss francs (£11,769) because the Republic of Ireland wore shirts commemorating the Easter Rising in a friendly against Switzerland in March.
The decision to take disciplinary action by Fifa, which says its rules prohibit commercial, political or religious messages, was met with scorn by leading figures in football and the Government.

Culture Secretary Karen Bradley called for the body to withdraw its threat of sanctions, which it was feared could include the docking of points from the national teams, while ahead of the game on Armistice Day, Theresa May was warned by the body not to interfere in the row, after the Prime Minister described the ban as "utterly outrageous".

Speaking after the fines were announced, the RBL's director general Charles Byrne, said: "We are extremely disappointed that Fifa continues to label the poppy a 'political symbol' and has levied fines on those football associations who chose to display it during the 2016 Remembrance period. The red poppy is a symbol of Remembrance and hope for a peaceful future. It has no political, religious or commercial meaning.

"Of particular concern is Fifa's reference to spectators wearing a 'political symbol'. The poppy represents sacrifices made in the defence of freedom, and so the decision to wear it must be a matter of personal choice for both players and spectators."

Downing Street described Fifa's actions as "disappointing".
Prime Minister Theresa May's official spokeswoman said: "Fifa don't seem to have recognised the sentiment behind poppies - that they are not a political symbol, but are about recognising with pride the role that our brave servicemen and women play.
"We continue to believe that footballers and fans should be able very clearly to show their support for all that our armed forces do."
Asked whether the UK's football associations should pay the fines, the spokeswoman said that the Department of Culture, Media and Sport was "looking at what happens next".

Words from here
http://www.aol.co.uk/news/2016/12/19/fifa-poppy-fines-leave-royal-british-legion-extremely-disappoin/



All the best Jan

The country's going to hell in a handbasket, Football is full of corruption and child molesters and they worry about POPPIES???