TODAY marks the launch of the 2001 Poppy Appeal to remember those who were killed or injured in active service.

It is an appeal which The Northern Echo is always proud to support by featuring the Royal British Legion's poppy on its front page in the run up to Remembrance Sunday on November 11.

But this year, the appeal takes on even greater poignancy because of the events of September 11 and the on-going consequences of that appalling tragedy.

British servicemen are already serving in highly dangerous conditions in Afghanistan and many more are likely to join them any day.

More than 12,000 British service men and women have been killed or injured in active services since 1945 and we pray for the safe return of those involved in this latest conflict.

For the vast majority of us, buying a poppy is a small gesture compared to the challenges faced by those who have fought for freedom - and those about to do so.

In launching this year's Poppy Appeal, we remember those who have already given their lives in the name of freedom.

But we should also take this opportunity to think of those about to place themselves in danger in the fight against the new enemy - international terrorism.

Buy your poppy - and wear it with pride.

Campaign goes on

IT is no surprise that the Government is opposing a legal bid by campaigners to force a public inquiry into the Richard Neale fiasco.

But we applaud the tenacity of those who have fought over several years to bring the scandal into the open.

We should not forget that it is highly unlikely that Mr Neale's incompetence and negligence as a surgeon at Northallerton's Friarage Hospital would have been exposed before the General Medical Council had it not been for the refusal of the campaigners to be silenced.

And The Northern Echo, which first helped to give them a public platform, will continue to ensure that their voices are heard loud and clear.