TWO women from Okehampton were presented with honours this week for 50 years of service to the Poppy Appeal.

Margaret Cox and Gillian Lower, both 81, have been doing house-to-house collections in the town in the run up to Armistice Day every autumn since 1969.

Their honours couldn’t be presented as planned at a ceremony in Simmons Park on the 75th anniversary of VE Day tomorrow (May 8) because of the coronavirus restrictions.

However, they were hand delivered to both women in person by local Poppy Day organiser Wendy Oliver earlier this week.

‘It was an absolute honour to deliver these well deserved awards to Mrs Cox and Mrs Lower who have carried out such amazing work for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal,’ she said. ‘It is sad that this could not have happened at the VE Day event.’

Margaret started collecting in the Mount Prospect and Prospect Hill area of Okehampton after being approached by one of the Royal British Legion organisers, who worked with her husband, back in 1969. Later she also collected near Jacob’s Pool.

‘I had two young children then,’ she said. ‘I used to take the boys with me — one carried the tray and the other carried the flags. People wouldn’t turn down children. Then I carried on collecting with my grandchildren and then my great-grandchildren.’

Gillian, who was a teacher at Okehampton Primary School, collects for the Poppy Appeal in Moyses Meadow, close to her home in Pike’s Mead. ‘Back along, people were always knocking on the doors asking for all sorts of things,’ she said. ‘When they knew I was from the Poppy Appeal though, people were always happy to give.’