Royal British Legion Shoulder to Shoulder:
The Royal British Legion, a UK charity providing welfare, comradeship, representation and Remembrance for the Armed Forces community, is running a range of promotional activities on Remembrance Day, November 11, 2011. This year the traditional Poppy Day fundraising campaign has been supplemented with “Shoulder to Shoulder”, a site inviting members of the public to join celebrities in wearing red poppies. Once again, at 11 am, a two minute silence is observed in events across the UK. Robin Gibb, from the Bee Gees, has teamed up with The Soldiers to release the Royal British Legion 2011 single, “Gotta Get A Message to You.”
The Two Minute Silence is observed on Armistice Day, the day which marks the end of the First World War, at the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month. The Royal British Legion hosts “Silence in the Square” events to give the public an opportunity to participate in the Two Minute Silence.
Each November The Royal British Legion creates Fields of Remembrance to pay tribute to all those who have bravely served in our Armed Forces and who are sadly no longer with us. In 2010, an additional Field at Wootton Bassett was added to the traditional sites of London and Cardiff, to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives serving in Afghanistan. In 2011, the Royal British Legion is opening a fourth Field in Belfast. The Fields become a sea of Remembrance Crosses with scarlet poppies -- a touching symbol of Remembrance and tribute to the memory of ex-Service men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect their country.
Print and outdoor advertisements for the Poppy Appeal this year feature English actor Helen Mirren, Scottish tennis player Andy Murray, Welsh mezzo soprano singer Katherine Jenkins and Scottish TV presenter Lorraine Kelly.
Print and outdoor advertisements in 2010 reminded people that the cost of wearing a poppy is tiny compared to the cost borne by soldiers and their families. The posters featured Legion beneficiaries, including a military amputee and Armed Forces widow, representing the sacrifices made in Afghanistan.
Credits
The Shoulder to Shoulder campaign was developed at The Gate Worldwide, London.