A CORNERSHOP in Dorchester will donate 20p from every Dorset Echo sold as part of this year’s Poppy Appeal.

Ashley Newman, who runs Trinity Stores, said he will give money from newspaper sales to the annual Royal British Legion fundraising drive starting tomorrow.

Mr Newman is hoping to raise as much money as possible and will continue donating money from newspaper sales until Tuesday, November 11.

He said: “The idea is to raise as much money for the British Royal Legion – not just for all the historical wars but also those much more recent.

“The Afghanistan conflict and the other issues going on in the Middle East just bring it a little closer to home.

“It’s more important than ever to help returning soldiers, many of them who have had life changing injuries.

“It’s just an effective way of getting people to donate money to a very worthy cause.

“Instead of buying your newspaper at a supermarket, supporting an executive or a shareholder, buy an Echo here at Trinity Stores and help the heroes.”

It’s the second year in a row Mr Newman has raised money for the Poppy Appeal through newspaper sales. Last year Mr Newman donated all the sales of the Dorset Echo published on November 11.

He said: “If I can do it over a longer period, it gives people more of a spring to come and help.

“For no extra cost the Poppy Appeal gets a bit of a boost.

“If I could sell 200 copies of the Echo a day, that’s a fair amount I would be looking to donate.”

Meanwhile, the Abbotsbury and Portesham branch of the Royal British Legion, is hosting a coffee morning tomorrow.

Peggy Ford, chairman of the ladies section of the branch, said: “On November 1 we are having a coffee morning at Portesham. That’s the ladies’ section and the men’s section.

“There will be bacon butties and refreshments will be served. There will be a large raffle, a photographic exhibition and the usual cake stalls and bric-a-brac.”

The coffee morning will take place at Portesham Village Hall between 10am and 12pm.