A SPECIAL carol concert is being held by The Royal British Legion at St Andrew's Church in Plymouth this weekend.

The concert, which begins at 7pm on Saturday, is in memory of the fallen and those not coming home for Christmas.

The concert is free, with a retiring collection for the Poppy Appeal and all are welcome to attend.

The 2011 Poppy Appeal is about helping the 'Afghanistan' generation of the Armed Forces and their families – today and for the rest of their lives.

The Appeal this year appears to have exceeded all expectations with most areas of Devon enjoying an increase in their poppy collections.

A spokesman for the RBL said: 'Last year the total for Plymouth alone was £130,000. Counting still has not been completed for Plymouth, but the signs are good.

'The total for Devon last year was £975,000 and we spent in the region of £801,000 on welfare.'

The Legion spends more than £1.4m per week on providing welfare and support for our Armed Forces.

Help was given to rehabilitate the physically injured and to train and resettle others into civilian life. In addition, direct support was provided to service widows and other dependants.

In the future, £25million is earmarked for the Personnel Recovery Centres, including £12 million to the Royal British Legion Battle Back Centre, a facility being built to enhance the recovery of wounded, injured and sick Service personnel, which will become a national centre of excellence for adaptive sport and adventure training with the military at its core.