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The Royal British Legion celebrates the 'Poppy Appeal' in Benidorm

 

The parade was followed by hundreds of people along the city's Paseo de Levante

 

On Sunday afternoon, Benidorm hosted the 'Poppy Appeal' events organised every year by the Royal British Legion. A day in which, by selling poppies, they help former British soldiers and their families who fought in the conflicts after the First World War. 

At 3.45pm, on Avenida de Castellón, the traditional banner parade began, accompanied by the 'Torrevieja Pipes and Drums', which brought colour and melody to a day dedicated to remembrance. A march that was followed along its route by hundreds of people. The Councillor for the Presidency, Juan Díaz, participated in the event together with the representative of the National Chairman of the Royal British Legion (RBL), Anny Reid; the military attaché captain, Stephen McGlory; the representative on the RBL Membership Council, Robert 'Dusty' Millar; Major Cameron Law of the NATO General Staff in Bétera; the Vice-Consul of Alicante, Sara Munsterhjelm; the local president of the RBL, Paul Kane; and the Reverend Richard Seabrook, official father of the RBL Spain.

The march ended at the Ricón de Loix, on Avenida de l'Atmella de Mar. There, the tribute was held, which began with three minutes of silence in honour of the fallen and continued with a brief homily by the Reverend Seabrook. After the interventions of several representatives of the RBL in which the work of the volunteers in raising funds to help the families of ex-combatants was recognised and the people of Benidorm were thanked, Anny Reid highlighted that this year the funds raised were dedicated to mental health and has meant that Spain is the country that collects the most help and support for the Poppy Appeal after the United Kingdom. “Well done, Spain” she said.

Councillor Juan Díaz has highlighted the “affection” with which Benidorm has welcomed the British community “since always” and has emphasised that remembering those who fought “is today our mission”. “Through our memory we honour those who served to defend our democratic freedoms and our way of life” he said.

Díaz pointed out in her speech that the poppy “is a symbol of both memory and hope for a peaceful future for more than 100 years” and stressed that it is “an honour” that the RBL is meeting in Benidorm “to honour those who defended these common ideals for the freedoms that we all enjoy today”. She concluded by advocating “for the union of communities and the maintenance of peace, the coexistence of peoples without distinction of creeds, borders or languages, for the future and for a better world that we will pass on to future generations”.

After the official speeches, the national anthems of Spain and the United Kingdom were played and the banners carried out the final march, after which they broke ranks and the event came to an end.

The Royal British Legion is a non-profit organisation that distributes 25 million cloth poppies during the Poppy Appeal. It has more than 700,000 members worldwide, of which there are around 4,000 in Spain and more than a thousand in the province.