Tower Of London Poppies

[Lordbenny]

They look amazing and if you want to buy one of the 888,000+ poppies they will cost £25.

Now, according to Carol Kirkwood on Brekkie TV this morning 10% of the £25 will go to charity, the rest of the money goes towards making and transporting the ceramic poppies. Now she could of got her facts wrong but if she's right...you do the math!

[Moonhawk]

Lordbenny said:

They look amazing and if you want to buy one of the 888,000+ poppies they will cost £25.

Now, according to Carol Kirkwood on Brekkie TV this morning 10% of the £25 will go to charity, the rest of the money goes towards making and transporting the ceramic poppies. Now she could of got her facts wrong but if she's right...you do the math!

From those figures: £22.2 million gross......with £2.2 million going to charity.

Although the BBC story on these states that they will raise £15 million for various armed forces charities:

"The poppies were constructed at Plymouth's TR2 workshop and will be sold for £25 each, raising an estimated £15m for six armed forces charities."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-286547...

Edited by Moonhawk on Tuesday 5th August 08:58

[anonymous-user]

According to the BBC yesterday, the First World War accounted for the deaths of, variously, 13 million or 20million. One would think, after 100 years those numbers would be well known and indeed they are, but the BBC can still get it completely wrong.

[The Don of Croy]

I've just ordered one...but then I'll have to wait until the end of the exhibition before they'll send it (after 11/11/14).

We'll go and see the installation during the summer - looked spectacular on TV yesterday.

[BaZaB]

Just spoken to Plymouth's TR2 workshop who made them and they said they had no idea what the price was as the Tower of London had priced them? Surely they know how much they are getting, but it seems TOL has added to the cost the collection and delivery and the setting up of the display.
I'm going to try and find out from TOL what their actual % is that they are getting from the £25.00.

Personally I'd like to know what the six armed forces charities are and donate £12 between them if what the Beeb has said is correct.

Please don't get me wrong but as OP said the maths do not add up and I'd rather not have a poppy and donate direct. If it is 90% and 10% confirmed that's no where near the estimated 15 million and I will let other websites I'm on know.

Edited by BaZaB on Tuesday 5th August 10:22

[tr7v8]

BaZaB said:

Just spoken to Plymouth's TR2 workshop who made them and they said they had no idea what the price was as the Tower of London had priced them? Surely they know how much they are getting, but it seems TOL has added to the cost the collection and delivery and the setting up of the display.
I'm going to try and find out from TOL what their actual % is that they are getting from the £25.00.

Personally I'd like to know what the six armed forces charities are and donate £12 between them if what the Beeb has said is correct.

Please don't get me wrong but as OP said the maths do not add up and I'd rather not have a poppy and donate direct. If it is 90% and 10% confirmed that's no where near the estimated 15 million and I will let other websites I'm on know.

Edited by BaZaB on Tuesday 5th August 10:22

The charities are listed on the website http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/stories/firstw...

[BaZaB]

Well just spoken to Tower of London and they said we don't know the exact amount yet that will go to the 6 listed charities below but they are committed to the whole exercise to be non profit making once all costs have been paid for construction, collection delivery and setting up, selling and posting each poppy bought to the customers that have purchased one.

[Quote Tower of London] ''10% from each poppy, plus all net proceeds, which we hope will be millions of pounds if all poppies are sold, will be shared equally amongst six service charities.''Unquote

So here are the charities that may do better if 888,000 people donated direct.

www.cobseo.org.uk

www.combatstress.org.uk

www.coming-home.org.uk

www.helpforheroes.org.uk

www.britishlegion.org.uk

www.ssafa.org.uk/

Edited by BaZaB on Tuesday 5th August 11:07

[Qwert1e]

I'm no mathematician but £25 less 10% suggests it cost £22.50 to make each one, deliver it and stick it in the ground.

Whoever did that appalling piece of procurement should be taken out and shot. I can think of no small item which, when replicated 888,000 times, should cost that much to sort out!

[Moonhawk]

Qwert1e said:

I'm no mathematician but £25 less 10% suggests it cost £22.50 to make each one, deliver it and stick it in the ground.

Whoever did that appalling piece of procurement should be taken out and shot. I can think of no small item which, when replicated 888,000 times, should cost that much to sort out!

Reading the post above yours - it sounds like they have guaranteed 10% to go to charity - they will then add on whatever is left over from the "net proceeds".

That would explain where the £15 million estimated figure comes from in the BBC article.

Until we know what the "net proceeds" are - it's impossible to say how much they actually cost to produce and transport (it could be very much less than £22.50).

[tr7v8]

I have just ordered one for home.

[Phud]

I look at this and think what a beautiful moving memorial.

Whilst the numbers are so huge, it seems an amazing way to portray the massive loss and sacrifice these men gave.

I shudder to think that the numbers quoted everywhere indicate that this current display is an eighth of the total display, which I feel, will be humbling to see and then try and put in perspective.

[Lordbenny]

I know servicemen who are now boycotting this farce....10% goes to charity...that's a fu@@ing joke. The makers get over £20,000,000 for making a few ceramic poppies and charities get just over £2,000,000!

[Chlamydia]

Lordbenny said:

I know servicemen who are now boycotting this farce....10% goes to charity...that's a fu@@ing joke. The makers get over £20,000,000 for making a few ceramic poppies and charities get just over £2,000,000!

Why would they? I'm an ex-serviceman and it's the spectacle of the site that means more to me, the fact that charities are gaining from it too is a bonus as far as I'm concerned.

[0a]

I think the point of this is to make you stop and think, and even seeing it in the news certainly had that impact on me. It is a memorial, and provocative art at the same time - striking, beautiful, but uncomfortable. Raising some money is a good side effect.

How long will it be at the Tower?

[smifffymoto]

May be TOL have included your optional donation to them,just like your entrance fee.
BTW TOL are not alone in this practice.All Royal palaces do it.

[Fats25]

My wife was one of the volunteers that "planted" them.... It looks really good and she has ordered hers for when they are done with them. Says they are really good.

[Du1point8]

I will be ordering one over the weekend for sure.

Maybe 2.

[Fun Bus]

BaZaB said:

Just spoken to Plymouth's TR2 workshop who made them

Really? I thought they were being made in Derby.

[CAPP0]

0a said:

How long will it be at the Tower?

I think they said for the duration of WW1, ie until 2018.

For me, it's an amazing sight and a fantastic tribute, but if the finance figures being quoted above are correct, the 10% charity cut seems very low and needs better, more transparent explanation.

[Fats25]

CAPP0 said:

I think they said for the duration of WW1, ie until 2018.

For me, it's an amazing sight and a fantastic tribute, but if the finance figures being quoted above are correct, the 10% charity cut seems very low and needs better, more transparent explanation.

Wife says they are there until armistice day, and will be removed on 12th and then shipped.