A schoolboy was left "shocked" after being denied shelter in an Asda store during a Poppy Appeal collection.
15-year-old James Fitzgerald found himself caught in the rain while collecting donations for the Royal British Legion alongside other members of the Coventry Air Cadets branch, CoventryLive reports.
James and a friend had been taking collections outside Asda on November 5 when it began pouring it down and at around midday they asked staff if they could take shelter inside the store while the shower passed.
The young boys were referred to the store manager but despite being dressed in their full cadet uniforms, they were told they could not take cover inside.
The manager also told them that they didn't have the required paperwork to collect on Asda's property and they were forced back out into the rain.
Speaking out about the incident, James told CoventryLive : "I was very shocked, but at the same time I had to accept it,
"It was quite obvious we were there collecting for the Royal British Legion and that we weren't fibbing. I didn't have a collection tin at the time, but I was in full uniform and it wasn't in any way covered up.
"I told one of the higher ups about what happened and he said it was 'shocking'."
James added: "Organisations like the Royal British Legion are very important. Not only to children involved, but also to help spread awareness of the history of the Armed Forces and hopefully to build a stable future for them.
"They are all very important, all of them."
James' mum Marianne was left furious after finding out about the manager's attitude, she said: "I think it's disgusting. These children stood outside for six hours.
"They went to shelter, that was all. It made me so angry when I found out. I think they (Asda) should have shown some respect and compassion. That response was not good - very disappointing."
Despite being turned away from Asda, James and his fellow Air Cadets received kinder treatment from a local fish and chip shop, Godiva Fish Salon, who offered those participating in the collection free food.
James' mother said that they were still able to have a good day, despite being left out in the bad weather, she added: "They came across a lot of lovely people and it was a wonderful day".
James, whose ambition is to become an aircraft technician for the RAF, also continued to participate in more collections over Remembrance weekend.
A spokesperson for Asda said: "Asda is proud to support the Poppy Appeal in our stores across the UK and have been welcoming volunteers from the Royal British Legion into our stores throughout Remembrance.
"Like all businesses, Asda requires collectors to be able to provide the correct paperwork and authorisations and unfortunately the young man wasn’t able to provide this documentation."
