'THE whole point is to raise money for the Royal British Legion' has said a poppy seller after his post on Facebook gained traction amongst residents.

David Whithorn has been selling poppies in Festival Place for 25 years, however this year, which will be his last, he found himself at the centre of a number of posts on social media after he moved to a different collection spot.

Mr Whithorn was allocated spaces to sell poppies outside TK Maxx and Santander, which he said was 'very quiet'.

After asking if he could move somewhere else, he said he was informed he could stand outside Pret A Manger instead.

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"I didn't want to create a problem over this," he said, adding: "I just wanted to stand in the best place possible serving ex-service people."

The 65-year-old began selling poppies in 1999 in First World War kit due to his interest in the conflict which arose when he was at school and was 'taught nothing' about the war.

With no television or internet, Mr Whithorn visited Ypres at the age of 19 to learn more about the 1914 battle.

After returning from the trip, he contacted his local paper in Bradford asking if there were any veterans who would like to share their stories.

Mr Whithorn explained: "For some of them, it was the only visit that they got. One of them at the very end thanked me for what I had done for him and said 'please, please don't let them forget us'.

"That's why I've sold poppies for 25 years in Basingstoke. They were men which I knew as friends. I am proud to celebrate them as these people need to be remembered.

"The whole point was simply to raise money for the Royal British Legion for ex-servicemen."

Mr Whithorn said that he has many fond memories of selling poppies over the decades, including a young boy who insisted on purchasing one of the flowers to wear on his school uniform using his pocket money.

He concluded: "Please, please continue to support the Basingstoke branch of the RBL raising money for the Poppy Appeal."

Chairman of the Basingstoke and Overton Branch of the charity, John Davies, said: "There is no issue between us and Festival Place.

"We are always grateful for the support we get from Festival Place, the Malls and all the other small businesses throughout the year."

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A spokesperson for Festival Place told the Gazette that a number of posts made on social media were 'inaccurate', adding: "We have worked closely with the Royal British Legion for many years.

"They have a permanent stall within a unit in Queen Anne’s Square from October 24 through to November 12.

"As well as the permanent stall, a number of poppy sellers are given designated spots around the centre.

"These are agreed in advance with the Royal British Legion, as we do support a number of charities and we have to make sure there is a place for everyone."

According to the spokesperson, 'a member of the RBL collection team' asked a poppy seller that 'wasn't happy with his allotted space' to move and 'the centre management weren't involved at all'.

They added: "We continue to proudly support the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal, and hope this doesn’t detract from the amazing work they do every year."