THE announcement in the parish magazine couldn’t have been starker: “If more and younger people do not come forward soon, this village will not have a poppy collection this year.”

Being 44 isn’t youthful by anyone’s standards but, on Planet Poppy Collection, my age makes me a mere stripling. There are quite a few collectors who served in the Second World War but there’s an urgent need for the next generation to step forward. As three of my grandparents served in the armed forces I felt it was time I gave something back.

I’ve rattled tins for Macmillan and Save the Children but poppies really are different. For starters, the appeal is one of the oldest in Britain, established here in 1921 after kicking off in America, the brainchild of Moina Bell Michael. She lived in the UK during the Second World War and was so moved by the carnage and poem, In Flanders’ Fields – inspired by the poppies which sprang up over the First World War battlegrounds – that she made silk poppies to raise funds for ex-servicemen.

Another poppy peculiarity is the people who sell them. They always seem to be in uniform, with hats, badges and medals as shiny as their shoes and with not a hair out of place.

And then there’s the dreaded round-your-neck tray thing. Who wants to look like a superannuated Little Match Girl?

But, I reminded myself sternly, some people spend the remainder of their lives with no legs, because of war. Some lose their minds after what they’ve seen. Looking like a mad usherette doesn’t compare with that.

I needn’t have worried. Sam, our co-ordinator, waved away my fears. No, I didn’t have to wear a uniform. Yes, I could wear jeans. No, they don’t have neck-trays any more. And yes, I could put the new-style small tray in my nice Cath Kidston shopping bag.

So that’s how I found myself trudging the three lanes that made up my poppy round. But not before I rivaled New Year’s Eves agonising over what to wear. You can see for yourself I went for jeans, smart boots and my beloved Boden coat. Were the green and grey spots too frivolous to collec money for the maimed and bereaved? I’d soon see.

There are two things you need to know about poppy collecting. The first is that unlike every other collection you’ll ever do, it’s welcomed and recognised by potential donors. It’s not often people pretend they’re out for someone with a poppy on their collection box. I only had to ring the doorbell and either hold up my tin or bellow “poppies” at deafer residents. Beaming, they’d rush for their purses and whip out folding money; none of the old drachma and centimes routine you get for some appeals.

The second thing which amazed me was the way it affects people. One neighbour shoved nearly £30 in. “My father served,” he said, tears springing into his eyes.

Another, already sporting a poppy, insisted on buying two more and gave a tenner. I discovered one of my neighbours is a retired Admiral of the Fleet, another a serving Royal Navy Lieutenant.

People told me about relatives serving in Afghanistan and raged against the government. Mrs Richards described what life was like in our road during the war years – how often do you get a history lesson like that?

Although it took me the best part of a day to do my round – and I had the usual trouble with dogs, gates and a puddle the depth of Loch Ness – I felt proud at the end of it and prouder still when I got my certificate. My bit of the village had raised £103.31 – one of the best efforts in the parish. Hurrah!

I may not have a uniform or medals but I am a proper Poppy Lady. And very proud of it too.

Councillor Anne Rey is the fund-raising co-ordinator for Bournemouth’s poppy appeal.

She is the daughter of a collector and between them, she reckons, they’ve notched up 60 years service.

“Bournemouth borough is one of the few council areas that organises its poppy collection,” she says.

“The council is a huge supporter of our collectors but we always need more, and more co-ordinators, who drop off the boxes and the poppies.”

If you can help the Poppy Appeal, email anne.rey @bournemouth. gov.uk.