This year’s Poppy Appeal is set to launch this morning (Saturday), with a few differences because of the pandemic.

To comply with the Royal British Legion’s Covid-19 risk management guidelines - which were designed to comply with UK restrictions rather than Manx ones - Douglas Mayor Jon Joughin’s launch of the appeal will take place outside Douglas town hall at 11am on Saturday, instead of the Strand Shopping Centre where it was held last year.

The Mayor will be supported by a standard bearer, two cadets and a single piper in the short proceedings.

He said: ’The Isle of Man is fortunate to be one of the very few places in the British Isles where the impact of coronavirus is currently well contained. With this in mind, and in support of the "Every Poppy Counts" theme for this year’s appeal, the Royal British Legion’s biggest annual fund-raising activity, I would urge everyone to recognise the sacrifices and dedication of the men and women of the armed forces by supporting this worthy campaign.’

This year the Isle of Man will also get a unique Manx poppy badge, designed by Carol Williams, a member of the Colby branch of the Royal British Legion.

Alby Oldham, Poppy Appeal from the legion’s Ramsey branch, said: ’It’s a poppy with the three legs, surrounded by hands coming together which represents all the blue lighters (emergency services) in the island, in recognition for what they’ve done this year during the pandemic, as well as the island as a whole which came together’.

The appeal for the Ramsey branch will also run slightly differently, with its members not doing shopping bag packing in supermarkets.

Instead, they are setting up tables in Ramsey’s Shoprite, Co-op, town hall and the courthouse where they will have poppies and badges and collect donations.

Mr Oldham stressed the added importance of the Isle of Man’s donations this year, as British Legions in the UK will not be able to collect as much under the Covid-19 restrictions.

He added: ’The Isle of Man has been the biggest contributor [to the Poppy Appeal] per head of the population for the last 43 years, and we hope to keep that up.’

’If anyone will support us like they’ve done in the past, the British Legion and all those associated with it would be very grateful.’