Poppy Appeal stalwart stepping down after 11 years fundraising in Portsmouth
But after 11 remarkable years at the helm of the city's annual fundraiser for the Royal British Legion, veterans champion Louise Purcell is stepping down.
Grandmother-of-six Louise said she was stepping down from her leadership role after a tough year, which saw her being made redundant from her job at Rowlands Pharmacy and diagnosed with skin cancer on her nose.
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Hide AdShe has bounced back from both, clinching a new job working for Boots and having an operation to remove the cancer. She said: '˜When I first started I said that once I managed to raise £100,000 in a year that I'd retire '“ well we hit that about five years ago and it's just gone from strength to strength.
'˜But now I think it's right for me to step down as a Poppy Appeal organiser. I want to spend more time with my grandchildren and I have to think of my health.'