The Royal British Legion has launched this year’s Poppy Appeal – with a new plastic-free poppy.

The environmentally-friendly all-paper design is manufactured at the Royal British Legion (RBL) factory in Aylesford.

It is the first time the emblem has been redesigned in 28 years, although there have been many versions over the decades since it was first introduced in 1921.

The factory has a conveyor belt pressing machine which this year will stamp out 30 million of the new-style poppies for distribution.

It is capable of making 45 million a year, but the RBL still has a stock of old-style poppies with their plastic core to use up.

A spokesman said: “They have already been made, so it would be even more wasteful just to throw them away.”

So this year, Remembrance Day Parades will see a mix of paper and plastic poppies, but by November 2025, they will all be paper.

The stamping press takes up a very small corner of the Aylesford factory. The vast majority of the building is given over to warehousing the poppies prior to distribution.

A number of Poppy Ambassadors from across the country were at the launch event yesterday (October 26), including Rear Admiral John Roberts (Rtd) who served in the Second World War.

Mr Roberts, from Whitstable, was educated at the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth and first went to sea as a midshipman aged 17 in 1941.

His 20th birthday was spent in Murmansk in Russia, during one of four Arctic convoys that he undertook.

Shortly afterwards, his ship, HMS Serapis, supported the Normandy landings, following immediately behind the mine-sweepers as they cleared the way to Sword beach.

He spent three and a half weeks off the coast of Normandy until the Allied troops had advanced far enough inland that his ship could no longer provide covering fire.

He then re-trained for the Fleet Air Arm and during the Korean War in the 1950s, he was flying Sea Fury fighters off the decks of an Australian aircraft carrier.

Mr Roberts stayed in the Navy until 1972, retiring as Rear Admiral, the Flag Officer of Naval Air Command.

Today, aged 99, he is the only surviving former Captain of the HMS Ark Royal.

Mr Roberts, who remarried at 90 after the death of his first wife, said the work of the RBL was invaluable.

He said: “It’s so important to keep alive the memory of those who made such sacrifices during the wars.

“But the RBl also does so much to provide practical help to ex-servicemen and their families.”

The annual Poppy Appeal is not only an opportunity to show respect for the past sacrifices of British and Empire servicemen, but is also the biggest fund-raising event for the RBL. It pays for the legion’s welfare programme for service personnel that runs throughout the year. Poppies can be bought for a donation from volunteer sellers in the streets, and at most shops, pubs and businesses.

Last week the Royal British Legion Industries’ new Centenary Village at Aylesford was unveiled by Princess Anne.

The accommodation includes 40 new homes for disadvantaged ex-service personnel.

The RBLI is a separate organisation to the RBL, but has similar aims.

Both have their headquarters at Aylesford.