The Mayor of Sunderland has joined the Royal British Legion to officially launch this year's Poppy Appeal in the city.

Every autumn members of the Royal British Legion visit the Mayor's Parlour at City Hall in a civic tradition to launch the annual campaign and celebrate Sunderland's ongoing support for the appeal.

This year Mayor of Sunderland Councillor Ehthesham Haque was joined by Phil Eggleston, Branch Chair of the Royal British Legion in Sunderland, as well as standard bearers.

During the visit, Cllr Haque purchased the first poppy, ahead of them going on sale to the public.

Money raised from poppies sold in Sunderland goes towards helping veterans, servicemen and women and their families living in the city.            

Cllr Haque said: "Sunderland City Council and our residents are always proud to support the armed forces, with the city's long-standing ties to the military making the annual Poppy Appeal especially meaningful.

"This campaign is a chance to honour those who have served and sacrificed for our country, while raising vital funds to support service personnel, veterans, and their families.

"I would encourage everyone to show their support by buying a poppy this year and wearing it with pride."

Sunderland Branch Chair, Royal British Legion, Phil Eggleston, added: "Year on year the people of Sunderland continue to give generously. With their fantastic support it makes a real difference to the Armed Forces community all year round.

"Thanks to this support annual sales are consistently among the highest in the country. The appeal also acts as a reminder that we will never forget the sacrifices made on all our behalf.

"The appeal has been led by our fantastic Poppy Appeal organiser, Mr Vince Harris, we are always looking for volunteers to help us during the Poppy Appeal, so if anyone with spare time, even just a couple hours of hours, would like to help us please call 0191 567 0112 or 0785 552 2218 if you'd like more details on how to become involved."