Maritime marks WWI centenary with fleet of poppies

Maritime Transport has once again pledged its support to the Suffolk Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal by displaying poppies on its vehicles for the duration of Remembrance.

For the fourth consecutive year, the iconic poppy will be seen all across UK roads as Maritime proudly supports one of its chosen charities’ biggest fundraising campaigns, commemorating 100 years since the end of WW1.

Staff from across the company’s 34 depots joined forces and volunteered on the weekend of the 27^th and 28^th October to simultaneously fix over 1,300 poppies to its entire fleet, a challenging gesture for one of the UK’s largest multimodal transport operators, but all for a worthy cause.  

‘We’re extremely proud to be contributing to the Poppy Appeal once again, and honouring those that served and continue to serve in the Armed Forces today,’ stated John Williams, Group Executive Chairman, Maritime Transport Ltd. ‘This appeal, which has now become a tradition for us, has been supported by the entire company, and we hope that other companies in this sector will get behind it to raise an even greater awareness’.

As signatories of the Corporate Covenant, Maritime recognises the value that both serving and ex-service men and women bring to both the industry and the business itself. This year, the company will also be taking part in the British Legion’s Thank You movement by featuring employees that serve and have previously served in the Armed Forces across its social media channels. Posts will include stories, images, memories, and, most importantly, what Remembrance means to them.   

Simon Smart, Chief Executive Officer, said: ‘The Thank You movement is a fantastic way for us to show just how much we appreciate the brilliant people that make up the Armed Forces community across the Maritime network, and for us to join the British public in saying thank you to both the First World War generation and the British Legion for all that they have given’.    

This year, the MOD once again awarded Maritime the Silver Award as part of their Employer Recognition Scheme, in light of its continuing support to the Armed Forces community.

‘We’re extremely grateful for the ongoing support that Maritime has showed both the Suffolk Royal British Legion and our Poppy Appeal over the years,’ said Mandi Cox-Osborne, Community Fundraiser. ‘Their generous donation will aid us in assisting those that make up the Armed Forces community who are in need of our support, and we cannot thank Maritime enough.’