A SOUTH Lakeland mill that produces the paper for every Remebrance poppy in the country has been chosen to host this year’s Cumbria Poppy Appeal launch.

The James Cropper Mill at Burneside makes the paper that makes around 40 million poppies each year.

Representatives of the Royal British Legion, council officials, Armed Forces champions, cadets, education representatives and other dignitaries will gather at the mill at 10am on October 24 for the launch.

Phil Wild, Chief Executive of James Cropper, said: “All of us at James Cropper plc are honoured to have worked with the Royal British Legion for more than 30 years, and fully support and respect the fantastic job that they do for our veterans and their families.

“We feel that we are contributing in some small way to this valuable cause, and are very proud to play a role in the creation of the 40 million paper poppies produced each year by the Poppy Factory to support their fund raising campaigns. At this time each year, we are once more reminded of the sacrifice that our veterans have made over the years and mindful that 2014 represents 100 years since the start of World War One.”

A small team of people work all year round to make millions of poppies at the RBL Poppy Factory and James Cropper supplies the red and green papers that combine to make the iconic symbol of remembrance.

"We are very proud of our long-standing involvement in the production of the paper poppy", said Sir James Cropper, President of James Cropper plc: "And there is more to the paper than meets the eye - it must be strong, the colour cannot fade or bleed, and it must cut cleanly and retain its shape when crimped.

“James Cropper is the only British paper-maker remaining that can make such paper. This year we were especially delighted that the Poppy Appeal's patron, Her Majesty the Queen, was able to witness the production of this special paper when she visited us in July to open our reclaimed fibre facility."

The launch of the 2013 appeal starts with the first broadcast of a film that captures the entire production of paper poppies. The inaugural screening of ‘The Paper to Poppy Story’ will be shown at the launch.

Alan Whitmore, Community Fundraiser for Cumbria and the Isle of Man at The Royal British Legion, said: “Last year we spent the best part of a million pounds in our towns and villages across Cumbria but there are still far more opportunities that we can take and the telephone lines never stop ringing, so please do all you can to help us raise as much as we possibly can as we seek to meet the needs of all these people who desperately need our help.”