A WAR veteran collecting funds and selling poppies for the Poppy Appeal was invited into the warmth of a superstore following calls from the Daily Echo.

There were initial complaints to the paper from a member of the Royal British Legion that John Rogers, who is 82, was having to endure the November chill outside the Tesco store at Winnall, Winchester.

When we spoke to Mr Rogers, he was just outside the store and the sun was shining.

He said: "I think I'd rather be inside, but they have been good to me and have brought out cups of tea. The public have been supportive as well."

Shortly after the Daily Echo had contacted Tesco, a spokesman said: "He is now inside the store and is drinking a cup of tea.

"There is a general policy that we don't allow collectors inside the stores because of the need to ensure that exits and entrances are not blocked or obstructed.

"But there is a little flexibility from store to store and obviously we are very supportive of the Poppy Appeal and have collectors on our property outside many of our stores."

Mr Rogers served with the Royal Army Service Corps in Africa, where his company was attached to the American Fifth Army; and in Italy, where they were involved in the liberation of Rome and other cities.

He was one of the veterans who took part in yesterday's Remembrance service at Winchester Cathedral, when he will again be sporting his medals including the North Africa and Italy medals, the 1939-45 star and war medal. His worst experience was being blown off his despatch rider's bike by a shell in Italy and woke up in hospital.

He was soon reunited with his unit and his war duties, but he said: "I didn't know what had happened. I was told afterwards that some soldiers had seen me there and picked me up and taken me to hospital."

After his six years in the Army, he returned to civvy street, he got fed up with working in a factory in London, went on a government training course and left his home in Battersea for a new life as a cowman at Brown Candover in Hampshire.

He retired in 1987 and he and wife Vera live at Abbots Barton. They've been married 56 years.