service not self

93-year-old Len Johnson, Legion President until very recently, was among thirteen winners of civic awards for services to Macclesfield presented by the Mayor of Macclesfield, Adam Schofield (www.cheshire-live.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/macclesfield-civic-awards-honour-those-16114853  )

I was honoured to be invited to the ceremony and see Len receive this award for his 25 years of Service Not Self  to those in need of the Legion's help (see my post of 28 March).

---

The Poppy Appeal About half the funds come in during the 2 -3 weeks of Remembrancetide, a period of sustained frenetic activity for volunteers. The poppy collectors you see in the streets (I kept my 2018 badge above) are familiar but what goes on behind the scenes is amazing.

I have a memory of sitting on the office floor with a sandwich before going out again, other collectors squeezing past with full containers, Ron, the secretary, at a desk keeping expert track of everything. And to add to the bedlam  - Len, the retired engineer, on his back like a car mechanic, fixing yet, yet, yet again the clanking old counting machine donated by the bank. Len only comes in once a week now, at other times fixing it by telephone. Amazing.
                                   Thus we remember the dead by helping the living.