Daffodil Help
Celebrity gardener Charlie Dimmock is urging members of the public to make a donation to Marie Curie Cancer Care’s Great Daffodil Appeal by wearing one of the charity’s famous bright daffodil pins to help raise pounds 5m.
Charlie, pictured, said: “Watching the daffodils come into cheerful bloom with their bright flowers erases the dull days of winter and brings a ray of sunshine to the garden.
“This makes them the perfect symbol for the vital work, that Marie Curie Cancer Care does and I’m delighted to be giving my support to such a worthwhile cause.
“By wearing a daffodil pin badge you can help Marie Curie Nurses make a real difference – and help them to give more of the 150,000 people terminally ill with cancer nationally the choice of being cared for in the familiar surroundings of their own home. You can get your daffodil pin until the end of March from thousands of local stores, schools and Marie Curie shops across the UK.
“You can also join hundreds of people who’ve already pledged their support by volunteering for nationwide collections, or team up with friends, family and workmates and do something memorable by creating your own fundraising event. Whether it’s a fancy dress day at work, a yellow-themed party or a sponsored walk, the opportunities are endless.”
Yellow Pages’ support for the campaign ensures that money raised through the Great Daffodil Appeal goes directly towards funding the thousands of Marie Curie Nurses nationwide. Their high-quality nursing is provided totally free of charge and gives terminally-ill patients the choice of dying at home, supported by their families. Yellow Pages’ support includes:
1,340 daffodil “mad” hats
260 daffodil head-dresses
500 daffodil umbrellas
90,000 daffodil collection boxes
20,000 house-to-house collection boxes
600,000 daffodil carrier bags for Marie Curie shops
70,000 campaign posters
70,000 thank-you certificates
62,800 envelopes
300,000 leaflets and posters
1,500 co-ordinator incentive scarves
Mini Pots of Care promotional materials
More than 211,000 children across the UK are taking part in Marie Curie Cancer Care’s Mini Pots of Care, a fundraising scheme run in partnership with Yellow Pages, planting daffodil bulbs in their own mini pots and caring for them until they bloom in spring, with a donation to the charity.
Some useful statistics
Every hour of every day, Marie Curie Cancer Care is making a real difference to the lives of people with cancer and their families.
The charity spends around pounds 60m a year on its cancer care and research activities.
It cost more than pounds 21m to run the Marie Curie Nursing Service last year.
It cost more than pounds 32m to run Marie Curie Cancer Care’s 10 hospices last year.
Marie Curie Cancer Care was established in 1948 – the same Year as the NHS.
Last year Marie Curie Nurses in the community provided 961,000 hours of care to 17,000 patients, an average of 57 hours of care, or seven shifts, per patient.
In the North: 491 Marie Curie Nurses provided 232,796 hours of care to 3,667 patients.
This year Marie Curie nurses will care for around 25,000 terminally-ill patients in the community and in their hospices.
Marie Cure Cancer Care adopted the daffodil emblem in 1986 – the flower is recognised as a symbol of renewal. It is also the emblem of leading cancer charities in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the Irish Republic.
Its services are always free of charge to patients and families.
On the issue of choice, a YouGov poll, and other research, shows that 64% of people would like to die at home if they were terminally ill, with a significant minority, 23%, opting for a hospice.
Only a quarter of all cancer patients in the UK currently die at home. Our nurses care for half of them but they want to reach more. Providing a nurse in a patient’s home for one hour costs pounds 20.
Marie Curie cares for more cancer patients in its hospices than any other UK charity.
To find out how you can help locally, call the Daffodil hotline, (0845) 6013107.
(c) 2007 Evening Chronicle – Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.