# Poppy Appeal launched with single poppy - Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2015/10/22/poppy-appeal-launched-with-single-poppy/ - Published: 2015-10-22T07:39:00+01:00 - Author: Howard Lake **A ‘symbolic’ first poppy has travelled across London from the Legion’s headquarters at Haig House in Borough and been presented to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street. Supporters, beneficiaries and some of the stars of our Poppy Appeal 2015 campaign all participated. Follow the action with #PoppyAppeal.** This year’s Poppy Appeal campaign features contrasting photos of WW1 soldiers and sailors with contemporary veterans and Service people. Throughout the appeal, we’ll be telling the surprising stories behind the poppy – the vast range of ways your donation helps the Legion to support our Armed Forces community. ## Advertisement Our Story behind the poppy page will keep you up to date on everything happening throughout Poppy Appeal 2015. Our 2015 Poppy Appeal campaign has launched with a stunning advertising and poster campaign across the country. Our posters, billboards and print ads are designed to show that when you wear a poppy you’re not just remembering those who’ve lost lives in conflict, you’re also helping the Legion to provide assistance to today’s Armed Forces community. The striking photos contrast original First World War photos with those of contemporary veterans and serving personnel taken in the same photographic studio using the same camera. Find out more about how these beautiful photos were created in our video below or read more in our behind the scenes story. So this year’s Poppy Appeal features a stunning advertising campaign that contrasts original portraits of WW1 soldiers against photos of modern-day British Service personnel and veterans to explain how the Poppy Appeal is not just about remembering the fallen, but also supporting today’s serving and ex-Service men and women. ## Rediscovering the past To develop this campaign we needed to find original photos of soldiers and sailors from the First World War. Our research led us to a photographic studio in Lewes that is possibly the oldest in the world. The E. Reeves Studio was established in 1858 and is still run by the same family. Tom Reeves, the current owner, told us his great grandfather took photographic portraits of Service men before they were sent to the Great War, sometimes the only photo they had ever had taken. What was amazing was that not only did he still have the photos his great grandfather took, but he even had the original camera on which they were taken. And the camera was still in working order.   ## The story behind the 2015 Poppy Appeal **Editor’s note:** _the video previously embedded here (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=hX\_bGqqkzDg) is no longer available._ The British Legion published a short animation in 2013 to explain how it used donations: **Editor’s note:** _the video previously embedded here (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=YPn-UmPZxAw) is no longer available._   * **[CAF responds to Brown's tenth Budget](https://fundraising.co.uk/2006/03/22/caf-responds-brown039s-tenth-budget/)**( 22 March 2006) * **[How to use this service](https://fundraising.co.uk/2006/03/22/how-use-service/)**( 22 March 2006) * **[Deadline looms for CAF Guaranteed Equity Account](https://fundraising.co.uk/2006/03/29/deadline-looms-caf-guaranteed-equity-account/)**( 29 March 2006)