Poppy Truck in the clear after owner strikes deal with Royal British Legion

Christine has spent thousands doing the truck up

Christine Langham, from Sunk Island, near Hull, has become well known at events around the country with her crowd-pulling Poppy Truck, hand-painted with images from WW1 and WW2, and draped with a Union Jack.

But she was in a tight spot after the RBL threatened legal action, unless she gave up her trademark "Team Poppy and the Poppy Truck" because it would “potentially damage” its brand.

After a torrid few months in which she faced a number of false accusations on social media, Mrs Langham decided to relinquish the trademark, but as part of the agreement with the RBL, she does not have to alter the truck, and can continue to attend events.

Christine Langham has come to an agreement with the RBL over her Poppy Truck

And she had also been given a clean bill of health by the RBL, which carried out an audit last year - silencing a small minority who accused her of being a "fraud".

Mrs Langham said it was a huge relief: "The last few months have really taken their toll. At one stage I was going to shut it all down. I've been called a fraud, a liar and doing it for money to rip the public off'. That really got to me.

"If you wanted to carry out a scam, you wouldn't go to the kind of expense I went to - buying a truck for £80,000, spending £15,000 to £20,000 doing it up, plus the running costs, all for a couple of hundred quid.

"There's no logic in it, but that was what I was being accused of.

The truck has raised thousands of pounds for the RBL

"The RBL carried out a full blown audit and I passed with flying colours. All those people who ever doubted it are going to have egg on their face.

"On the other hand I've had lots of support - some people were even threatening to cancel their membership over this.

"My followers on Facebook gave me the strength to carry on - they believe in me and I am not going to let them down."

Mrs Langham says relatives who have lost loved ones find huge comfort in the truck, which she has kept adding to most recently with a scene of Hull's Blitz on the driver's and the trenches of Passchendaele on the passenger's door.

The striking artwork by Hull artist Keith Holmes took a week. "It's my way of saying thanks," she said.

And she said the truck helps breathe new life into the RBL as it helps convey the message to younger generations.

Mrs Langham will be unveiling her new logo "supporting the Royal British Legion" at the first of 20 events she will be taking the Poppy Truck to this year, the Peterborough Truck Show, on May 5.

A joint statement said: "The Royal British Legion and Christine Langham are delighted to announce that we have come to an amicable agreement in relation to the Poppy Truck. Christine has agreed to assign her registered trademark in “Team Poppy and the Poppy Truck” to the Legion, and this will help the Legion to continue to protect the Poppy Appeal for veterans and their families.

"Christine has also agreed to enter into an “In-Support Agreement” with the Legion authorising her to continue to fundraise for the Legion using the Poppy Truck.

"We look forward to seeing the supporters of the Poppy Truck in the year ahead.”