Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory was founded in 1926 by Lady Haig, wife of the Field Marshal. Originally established within the grounds of Whitefoord House, the factory is now located on Warriston Road in Edinburgh.
In the beginning, the poppies were made by two ex-servicemen, a pair of scissors and some tissue paper. Now a team of 34 disabled ex-servicemen and women manufacture all items for the Scottish Poppy Appeal. We also manufacture 25,000 wreaths for our patent company, The Royal British Legion and manufacture and sell commercially thousands of wreaths, Remembrance symbols, long stem poppies and other items.
Between them our staff have seen service in every military campaign since the early 1970’s.
All our poppies are now manufactured mechanically. Find out how we produce our poppies here.
We also produce wreaths, long-stemmed poppies, Remembrance symbols, and other Remembrance items all of which you can purchase from our online shop.
Many factory staff have been with us for years and, because they are exclusively veterans with a shared service background, there is a palpable feeling of the military about the place that provides a sense of comfort and security.
The factory staff are always delighted to welcome visitors and will happily answer any questions you may have.
We are a charity that provides dignity at work; We are a living wage employer and a disability confident employer and we work hard to ensure it remains a happy and productive environment.
While the Factory produces goods for sale and even has an online shop, it is not a wholly commercial operation but also a charitable organisation.
In fact, the factory and its parent organisation Poppyscotland have both been part of The Royal British Legion group of charities since 2011.
You can read our Annual Review 2019-2020 to find out more about our financial performance.
