For most people, Remembrance is strongly linked to the Royal British Legion's annual Poppy Appeal.

For the last two weeks or so, public figures and members of the public have been donating money to the appeal and displaying their red poppies.

Fearing that I had simply bought my poppy through habit, I logged on to the British Legion's website to remind myself what the appeal is all about.

The website makes it clear that the British Legion does not just support First and Second World War veterans.

Increasingly their work involves supporting people who have fought in more recent conflicts and of course, their dependents.

It's quite a reminder to think that young people can fight for their country at the age of 17 and a half.

The statistics are quite startling. Right now in Britain, there are 900,000 ex-Service people with a disability, 180,000 who never receive a visitor and 40,000 families who need support.

Over the last 12 months alone, the number of people benefiting from the British Legion's support and who are under 35 years old, has increased by 30 per cent and this means that they could require many years of ongoing support and care.

In total, 16,000 British Service men and women have been killed or injured on active service since 1945.

The services provided by the British Legion are a great deal more varied than first springs to mind – they provide funds for temporary crises, for example homelessness; they give advice on careers, War Pensions and compensation claims; they provide short and long-term care in Poppy Homes throughout the country and organise visits to war cemeteries, memorials and battlefields around the world.

So, on Sunday, let's pause and remember those who have laid down their lives and if you can, buy a poppy and wear it with pride – last year the appeal raised over £26m.