Royal British Legion volunteers are celebrating a record response to last year’s Poppy Appeal in Bradford.

Despite the recession, donations made across the district rose by almost a quarter, up 23 per cent from £130,000 to £160,000.

Donations in the city centre increased by £10,000 to £60,000.

Across the country £30,523,086 has been raised so far by the appeal.

Bradford Poppy Appeal organiser Barbara Allsopp said: “We would like to say thank you to everybody that helped collect donations and all the citizens in Bradford for their generosity. Donations at a lot of branches seem to go down but here they keep going up. During the past nine years city centre donations have gone from £19,000 to £60,000.

“The Royal British Legion received a lot of publicity on TV last year with servicemen and women saying if it wasn’t for the charity they wouldn’t have received help.”

To donate, send a cheque payable to Royal British Legion to Unit 16, Campus Road, Lister Hills Science Park, Bradford BD7 1HR.