Picture perfect Poppy Day in Whanganui

Raewyn McGuiness and Mac McCallion doing their bit for Poppy Day on Whanganui's Victoria St. Photo/ Stuart Munro

Volunteers have lined the streets of Whanganui for Poppy Day as part of the RSA's Poppy Appeal.

Anzac Day is next Wednesday and volunteers are taking donations in exchange for one of the symbolic red flowers.

Poppies were the first flowers that grew in the battlefields of Flanders in Belgium during WWI and they are a symbol of remembrance and hope. They are a reminder of the sacrifices people made.

Mac McCallion and Raewyn McGuiness set up between ANZ Bank and Whitcoulls on Victoria St.

McCallion said if the weather stays good, they will be expecting a lot of people to come through.

"Anzac Day means a lot to me. A lot of my friends, they've gone, I still remember them and a lot of the others are fading now," he said.

"Quite a lot of them are in rest homes, half of our veterans now, from my era, are in the graveyard."

He said it was meaningful for many reasons.

"We can talk about the past, mainly the good times," McCallion said.

"There were bad times, but there weren't too many bad times, generally speaking. We talk about the mischief times and it's all good fun."

Volunteers are based at various points throughout the city and will be there until 4pm on Friday, April 20.

This year the appeal theme is "not all wounds bleed" which focuses on mental health.

Donations can also be made online at rsa.org.nz/donate, at any ANZ branch or via the NZME Pin-a-Poppy Appeal text donations (people can contribute $3 by texting POPPY to 4622)