Christine Bleakley appeals for London Poppy Day support
02 November 2011
Barclays, the exclusive sponsor of
Barclays Cycle Hire in London, has teamed up with The Royal British
Legion and Christine Bleakley to launch an initiative aimed at
raising funds for the forthcoming London Poppy Day on 3
November 2011.
All journeys made with Barclays Cycle Hire on the day (3 November) will receive a £1 donation by Barclays to The Royal British Legion. To further raise awareness of the Poppy Appeal, Barclays has donated the branding space on the front of the cycles to The Royal British Legion with the poppy emblem being added to selected bikes over the next two weeks. The initiative forms part of a wider commitment by Barclays to the Armed Forces.
Christine Bleakley, said: "I'm delighted to lend my support to London Poppy Day and would urge people to take to Barclays Cycle Hire on 3 November. The cycles have transformed London and will provide a perfect way to raise money and awareness of the appeal."
Each year since 1921 the nation has expressed its support for The Royal British Legion's charity work through the Poppy Appeal which emphasises the increasing need to help the men and women who are serving today, as well as ex-Service people and their dependants.
Ashok Vaswani, CEO Barclays UK Retail and Business Banking, said: "The Poppy Appeal is a key event in the nation's calendar and we're delighted to be able to use our sponsorship of Barclays Cycle Hire to support it."
The Legion's Director of National Events and Fundraising, Russell Thompson OBE said: "We're thrilled to have the support of Barclays for this year's London Poppy Day. Having the poppy logo on the front of the iconic Barclays Cycle Hire bikes in London will be a great eye-catching addition to this year's Appeal in the Capital. The money raised from the generous donation made by Barclays will provide crucial support for our serving and ex-Service people, and their families."
Click here for more information about London Poppy Day and how you can help.
For further information please contact:
Andrew Farmer T: 020 3451 9403 E: andrew.farmer@citizenrelations.com
Julie Choudhury T: 020 3451 9407 E: Julie.choudhury@citizenrelations.com
Jonathan Neill, Barclays Senior Sponsorship Manager T: 020 3134
1847 E: jonathan.neill@barclayscapital.com
Legion media contact:
Afsheen Latif T: 020 3207 2243 E: alatif@britishlegion.org.uk
Notes to editors:
Barclays commitment to the Armed Forces includes:
- The Barclays Armed Forces Community Investment Project which helps individuals develop the skills required to gain long-term employment and to make their transition back into civilian life as straightforward as possible. Barclays colleagues volunteer their time and skills to teach vital personal finance skills.
- Funding for injured soldiers in a 12-month needs-based programme of rehabilitation consisting of life skills, vocational training, education and talent profiling matched to employment opportunities.
- Partnership with the Afghanistan Trust charity to provide Parachute Regiment soldiers, injured on active service in Afghanistan, with the opportunity to transfer their skills to the civilian sector and employment.
- Barclays Cycle Hire consists of 6,000 cycles available at 400 docking stations across central London - access fees are available from £1 per day, with every journey under 30 minutes then free.
- For more information on Barclays Cycle Hire and to find a docking station please visit tfl.gov.uk/barclayscyclehire.
- Barclays have launched a free mobile app, 'Barclays Bikes', which is available at barclaysbikes.com or by texting the word 'Bikes' to 67777.
