HOPEFULLY you have been wearing your poppy with pride these last few days; and hopefully you will be attending a Remembrance service or event this weekend.

If you are not sure where any are being held, check out our guide on pages 8 and 9.

And yes, it really is that time of year already - the months have again flown by, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t understand and appreciate what this time of year is all about.

Swindon certainly does and it is always heartening to see how this town embraces Remembrance Day and its associated activities, and that we are not only remembering those who gave their lives in World Wars One and Two, but in conflicts that all too recently have claimed victims in hostile regions of the world.

So it is therefore good to see people like Lance Corporal Corie Mapp, who is from Swindon and who lost both legs in a bomb blast in Afghanistan, becoming one of the faces of the 2015 Poppy Appeal.

It is also encouraging that events are being held that stray from the traditional, with motorcyclists from Swindon joining hundreds who will wear red and form a bikers ring around the M25.

The Royal British Legion does well out of the appeal and its funds are boosted considerably.

But that is not the sole reason for the sale of poppies, and the holding of moving services - we must not forget the sacrifices made by those who served their country.

And there is a message that must be spread as fewer war veterans attend services - it’s a message for young people, who must understand that their future is guaranteed thanks to the commitment of our fallen heroes.