Worksop pensioner marks 40 years collecting for Poppy Appeal

Jim Ruggles, 86, who admits to being ‘a modest man’ told the Guardian ‘I’m just about getting used to it now’.

Former RAF man Jim started collecting in 1980 - over 20 years after coming out of the Forces - having served in Egypt between 1953-1955 in the lead-up to the Suez Crisis.

During his service Jim’s main role was a clerk however he also performed guard duty and was called on as an armed escort in motor convoys.

The big-hearted pensioner told how he was driven by the dreadful injuries suffered by armed personnel in conflicts from WW1 to the Falklands and Afghanistan ‘to do something to help’.

Every year in the lead-up to Remembrance Sunday Jim can be seen outside WH Smith or Burton’s in the town centre collecting.

Jim, who admits the years of collecting have blended into one, has regularly collected between £400-£500 in a single day.

The great-grandfather-of-four has become a well-known fixture in Worksop over the past four decades - with local people often approaching in the street to say ‘I’ve been looking for you’ during the appeal.

However he added: “I like to think of myself as a modest man and I’m normally sheltering under my trilby and trying to look cheerful.”

Though Jim, who worked as a railway clerk until retirement, admits he is a well-known face he says his biggest fan is his wife Isabel - who is ‘always the first to put a tenner in my tin’.

He said: “I rely on the great generosity of Worksop people in all this - I can’t fault them over the years.”

Congratulating Jim on his amazing achievement Councillor Deborah Merryweather, chairman of Bassetlaw District Council, said: “Jim has done an amazing job over the last 40 years to raise money through the Poppy Appeal.

“His dedication to the Royal British Legion appeal is tremendous and the thousands he has raised will have made a real difference to a great many lives – I’d personally like to thank Jim.”

To donate to the poppy appeal click HERE.

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.