It's great that people want to help. I've just spoken to the retired organiser and he says that he has also been approached by a number of others who are interested in helping too.
What he's proposing is that several people should take it over and break away from the control of the Stockport Branch, because they are also struggling for numbers.
He is going to approach the Stockport organisers to discuss this and is then hoping to hold a public meeting for people who want to help.
This will not be for several weeks because everyone will be involved in collecting, counting and paying in money over the next 2 to 3 weeks.
So in around a month's time there will hopefully be a meeting where people can learn more about what this involves and decide if they want to take it on.
To give you more of a feel for it (I now have a warm ear) this is not just a couple of weeks, it is more like 2 to 3 months of effort. The Marple round involves 140 outlets and 10 schools. Each outlet or school has to be visited at least 3 times, once to deliver poppies and boxes, once to collect takings and once to provide a card with the amount collected on. All full boxes currently have to be taken to Stockport and counted. There maybe extra visits above those if boxes are full or the outlet needs more poppies. Then there is the organisation of the Asda collection volunteers, setting up and dismantling every day, being on call for any problems or last minute dropouts and delivering the full boxes to Stockport every day too (because the Stockport Branch currently has overall responsibility). Then on top of all that, is ordering delivering and taking payment for the Poppy Wreaths for local organisations to lay at ceremonies around the area. This was still done this year by the retirees but they also wish to give this up too.
So you can see this is no small task but a considerable undertaking and responsibility. Hopefully if people really do want to make a difference a public meeting will be the way forward.
Watch this space and I'll do my best to pass on information from RBL representatives to help this happen.