Poppy FAQs

The poppy became the symbol of Remembrance for those who gave their lives in war. It was inspired by the famous poem, In Flanders Fields, written during the First World War by Lt Colonel John McCrae.

Find out more about the history of the poppy.

The poppies for the Scottish Poppy Appeal are produced every year by Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory in Edinburgh. The Factory employs disabled veterans to make millions of poppies and over 10,000 wreaths each year.

Find out more about Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory.

Two varieties are available – a plastic-stemmed poppy and a stick-on poppy. 

The Scottish poppy was designed by Lady Haig, wife of Field Marshal Haig, in 1926 when she opened a factory in Scotland to meet demand for poppies – now known as Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory. She decided to go with a more botanically correct poppy - sans leaf - than is used elsewhere.

The Scottish Poppy Appeal is Scotland’s largest annual street collection and is held in late October and early November each year.  We organise it with the support of nearly 10,000 volunteer Area Organisers and collectors.

Since its inception in 1921, the Poppy Appeal has always had a dual purpose – to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice and to raise money for those who have been left disadvantaged by their time in Service.

Over three million poppies a year are distributed across Scotland to raise funds for the Armed Forces community. 

Find out more about the Scottish Poppy Appeal.

The 2020 Scottish Poppy Appeal raised £2.3 million, but last year we spent more than £3.4 million supporting the Armed Forces community.  With the demands on our services increasing, we need to raise even more this year.

You can find our Annual Review 2019-2020 and our full Report and Accounts here.

We use the money raised to provide support to the Armed Forces community in six key areas: Financial Support, Advice, Employment, Mobility, Housing and Mental Health. You can find out more about each of these areas here.  All money raised in Scotland is spent in Scotland. 

We help all members of the Armed Forces community including those who have Served, those still Serving and their families. We also help Reservists and some members of the Merchant Navy. Find out more about who we help here.

Legion Scotland (The Royal British Legion Scotland) is a separate but closely-linked charity, which is responsible for social welfare and ceremonial activities. Approximately a third of the Scottish Poppy Appeal volunteers come from Legion Scotland branches. We also fund a Pensions Advice Service run by Legion Scotland.

In the beginning, the Scottish Poppy Appeal was independent from The Royal British Legion’s (TRBL) appeal in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.  However, in June 2011 we merged with TRBL to create the UK’s largest charity group supporting the Armed Forces community, expanding resources and reach of both. We operate as a distinct charity within the TRBL group and continue to run the Scottish Poppy Appeal. Find out more about our history, the work we do and how the collaboration with TRBL works here.

Our activities fall into two main categories - supporting the Armed Forces community and raising funds to continue supporting the Armed Forces community.

Supporting the Armed Forces community: More information on what we do to support those who served and those who continue to serve can be found here.

Fundraising: To pay for that support, we have fundraising activities year-round and a number of ways people can get involved. To find out more or to get involved click here.

We also provide a wealth of engaging, downloadable, learning resources, including lesson plans, assemblies, films and images developed in conjunction with Education Scotland, Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory and Legion Scotland. Find out more here.