Charity

Unique Dawlish badge supports poppy appeal

- 07 Nov 17

Leading up to this year's Remembrance Sunday, many residents in Dawlish are donning a special badge, in addition to the traditional poppy, to commemorate the day.

The distinctive emblem has been designed by a former Royal Navy Master of Arms, with the support of local house builder Bovis Homes.

The Dawlish Remembrance Badge was the creation of Richard Hayward, a retired navy officer, and after receiving a boost of £250 from Bovis Homes he was able to go into badge production - and has so far raised more than £2,400 for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.

In the shape of a black swan, which is a well-known symbol for Dawlish, the badge also includes three poppies and the town's name.

"This is the second design for the Dawlish Remembrance Badge," says Richard, who left the Navy 26 years ago. "I first had the idea in 2015 and raised £1,840. I'm delighted to have beaten this amount with this second design.

"A big thank you to Bovis Homes for this very generous donation and to all the businesses who are helping to raise funds. After the cost of production, 100% of the money received goes to the Appeal."

The badges, which are unique to Dawlish, are available for a suggested donation of £3 in pubs and shops around the town.

"We were delighted to help Richard with his efforts," says Stacey Banfield, regional marketing manager. "As an award-winning supporter of the UK Armed Forces, we're proud to have helped this initiative, which has raised funds for such a worthy cause."

Bovis Homes was recently recognised for its support of UK military personnel with the Silver Award from the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme, which is presented to organisations that promote service issues, communicate positively to their staff on the Forces, and support the employment of military people.