Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association (AMYA) have joined with thousands of other young Muslims around the country to raise £400,000 on Remembrance Sunday.

The fundraising came as part of the ‘Mercy 4 Mankind’ initiative, and included 130 volunteers from Wimbledon and Wandsworth selling poppies at 25 stations around central London and a 10k run at Manchester’s Heaton Park.

Wandsworth Times:

Brother and sister Salik Ahmad and Sadia Rahman, from Wimbledon, collecting money for the Poppy Appeal at Leicester Square Station

Volunteers from AMYA, which is the country’s largest Muslim youth organisation, have also been collecting for the Poppy Appeal and other charities in high streets, stadiums and airports in a bid to raise money and combat negative Muslim stereotypes.

Money will be donated to UK charities including the Royal British Legion, Save the Children, NSPCC, Barnardos, Unicef, Macmillan Cancer Support, the British Heart Foundation and many more.

Press officer for the AMYA, Surfaraz Mustafa, said: "We wanted to show that we are supporting our troops and raising some money for them.

"It’s our duty and our will to do these kind of events. If we don’t we would feel like we were failing.

We want to continue on doing events like these for as long as possible."

Mirza Waqas Ahmad, national president of AMYA said: "We held our flagship charity fundraising event on Remembrance Sunday and marked our respect with the two minutes silence at 11am.

"Our youth are regularly out and about donating blood, planting trees, visiting the sick and elderly, and making a positive contribution to the community and country as a whole. We do this as Islam teaches us to serve humanity."

The Prime Minister, David Cameron, has also thanked the group for their work with the Poppy Appeal.

He said: "Your participation in this important fundraising campaign is a display of your clear commitment to community work, tolerance and peace.

"I welcome such positive action by young British Muslims, and I am sure that it will inspire others to make similarly positive and constructive contributions."

‘Mercy 4 Mankind’ aims to collect money for those in need, regardless of religion, race, gender or creed.

For more information about the event or to donate, visit: http://www.mercy4mankind.org/