Glasgow girl, 11, helps launch 2026 Scottish Poppy Appeal
Ava Mitchell, Poppyscotland's youngest volunteer, has been collecting for the appeal since she was five.
Lady Haig's Poppy Factory in Edinburgh, where the appeal was launched. File photo. · Photograph: Christine Johnstone (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The 2026 Scottish Poppy Appeal has been launched with help from an 11-year-old volunteer from Glasgow.
Ava Mitchell is Poppyscotland's youngest volunteer and has supported the appeal since she was five, collecting outside her local supermarket with her aunt, whose father served in the forces.
The appeal was officially launched at Lady Haig's Poppy Factory in Edinburgh on Tuesday. Poppyscotland's head of Scotland, Leanne Bonner, called Ava a young superstar.
Money raised funds financial aid, housing support, employment advice and mental health services for the Armed Forces community across Scotland.
Among recent beneficiaries is Glasgow veteran Sylvia Ibie, a former RAF radiographer who served in Iraq. She said the charity helped her and her daughter find a home and get back on their feet after they became homeless last year.