POPPY Appeal organisers in Chester-le-Street have thanked people in the town for their generous contributions to the recent record-breaking annual collection.
Carole Bruce said the total of £8,513 raised was comfortably the largest amount collected in memory.
She believes this was at least in part due to the British troops ongoing presence in Iraq.
Mrs Bruce thanked everyone at Chester-le-Street Drill Hall, in Picktree Lane - specifically the Army Cadets and the Air Training Corps, as well as Chester-le-Street Sea Cadets - for their help.
She also paid tribute to the efforts of owner Nancy Coates and staff at the Vegas 83 hairdressing salon, in West Lane, which acted as the base for the fund-raising drive, as well as many of the traders in the town, who backed the appeal.
The money collected has been passed on to the Royal British Legion.
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