The annual Poppy Appeal was being launched by the Royal British Legion in Greater Manchester and across the region today ahead of Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday.
A former Army captain from Marple, Stockport, who trained alongside Prince Harry at the Sandhurst Royal Military Academy, has spoken of the enduring importance of donations - and how the public's generosity directly helped him - to mark the launch.
Father-of-three Laurence Moore, 41, served in Northern Ireland, Iraq and completed two tours of Afghanistan. Injured in Afghanistan, he told how he went on to suffer a breakdown and was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
