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After 22 years in the military, former soldier Darrin Owen was back in the ranks on Wednesday - joining more than 200 members of the Armed Forces and 100 volunteers in Birmingham hoping to raise £50,000 in one day.

Poppy sellers returned to the city for the first time in two years, with last year's event cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

They were dotted around the city centre while companies organised their own in-house fundraising.

Mr Owen, who served as a warrant officer in the Royal Corps of Signals, said: "The Royal British Legion is an absolutely great cause and I just wanted to do my bit.

His grandfather served in the Royal Navy and both his parents served in the Royal Air Force, so "Remembrance Day and the Poppy Appeal has been part of my life since I was a young kid", he explained.

"I served in Afghanistan and Kosovo and you can see how the Royal British Legion helps people who've endured hard times, not just physically but mentally too."

The 49-year-old, from Stafford, who works in Birmingham for KPMG, added: "This is the first time getting out and about on the streets, meeting people face to face. And the reaction has been really good."

Sergeant Luke Kirwan, who is based at RAF Brize Norton, but hails from Castle Bromwich, Solihull, was delighted with the public response at New Street Station.

"I'm really impressed with how responsive the public have been. In the first three hours I've taken more than £200," he said.

Sgt Kirwan added: "To us, it's about remembering the fallen, our friends who are not here any more, and the people from World War One and World War Two, and making sure they are never forgotten and always in the back of the public's mind.

"We are trying to raise money for a great cause because it's helping people out who have come upon hard times."

Andy Taylor-Whyte, Royal British Legion (RBL) Fundraising Lead, said: "It is wonderful to see the Birmingham City Poppy Day returning this year.

"Our collectors have been at the heart of the Poppy Appeal in local communities for over 100 years, and as we mark the RBL centenary we are celebrating seeing them back out on the streets of Birmingham.

"The public support is as vital as ever as the impact of Covid-19 continues to leave some members of the Armed Forces community in urgent need of our help."

The main collecting points on Birmingham Poppy Day were New Street Station, Snow Hill Station, Moor Street Station, Cathedral Square, The Big Peg Jewellery Quarter, Bullring and Birmingham Airport.

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