“THE money is there, it is just picking it up that we’re struggling with.”

Those are the words of Les Tacon, chairman of Witney Royal British Legion (RBL), as he urges people to donate their time, as well as money, for this year’s Poppy Appeal.

The branch — which meets four times a year — has 79 members, of which about a quarter are able to collect money.

Mr Tacon, who has been chairman for 25 years, said: “There is quite a lot of Witney that we don’t cover. We just can’t cover it all, with all the new estates springing up. The money is there, it is just picking it up that we’re struggling with.”

He added: “I think there are so many things to join these days, there are health clubs and fitness clubs, people just don’t have the time.

“It is the house-to-house collectors we are very short of, people don’t like going around in the evenings.”

The Witney RBL began street and door-to-door collections on October 24, and aim to raise more than last year’s total of £14,500.

The branch came under threat of closure during the 1980s, when the number of members dipped to 12.

However, within three years, 200 people had joined, and the club was safe once more.

Mr Tacon, 77, of Schofield Avenue, Witney, said: “It’s very important to keep the membership going. We try to get younger members, but once again, they have too many things to do.”

He added: “I would ask people to just look at their consciences and just give like in the past and give freely. We would like their time as well.”

Branch secretary, John Cotton, said: “It would be nice to have some younger people coming along, but the image still seems to be of elderly men with medals, and you can understand why.”

Don Deaney, welfare officer at the Witney RBL, said: “I think people still think back to the Second World War days. But there has only been one year, 1968, when we haven’t had any conflict — that was the only peaceful year.

“People have their memories jogged quite a bit now with Afghanistan, but hopefully that will soon be over, and it will go to the back of people’s minds again.”

The RBL, which nationally raised more than £30m during last year’s Poppy Appeal, helps ex-servicemen and women, including their dependants.

Mr Tacon added: “There are many more individuals from Afghanistan losing limbs, and they need an amazing amount of help. We must look after them.”

To find out more about joining the Witney RBL, call Mr Cotton, on 01993 772398.