How to support end of life care with Marie Curie’s Great Daffodil Appeal
Marie Curie, the charity providing care and support through terminal illness, is launching the Great Daffodil Appeal in March, which aims at helping Marie Curie nurses across the UK.This March, thousands of people across the UK will be getting behind the daffodil to help nurses support more families when they need it most. Volunteers can help Marie Curie and the charity’s nurses in a number of ways.
What does Marie Curie do?
Marie Curie is here for people living with any terminal illness, and their families. Marie Curie nurses work night and day, caring for people in their homes and in our nine hospices. Marie Curie also supports people throughout their illness by giving practical information, support from trained volunteers and being there when someone wants to talk. Getting help is easy: Someone with a terminal illness, or a family member or friend, can request this through their GP, district nurse, hospital nurse or consultant.
What’s the Great Daffodil Appeal?
Since 1986 the Great Daffodil Campaign has raised over £70 million pounds for end of life care and last year alone Marie Curie nurses and volunteers provided care and support for 40,172 people, and their families, living with a terminal illness.
Just £20 raised provides an hour of care from Marie Curie and £180 provides a nurse throughout the night – an element that is close to the heart of Marie Curie Healthcare Assistant, Melissa Tiley-Waters, who says:
“I’m getting behind the daffodil by going out and collecting so that I can meet the public and talk to them about their stories.”
Marie Curie is now looking for people across the UK to get creative and get behind the Great Daffodil Appeal in order to raise funds to help provide end of life care.
How can you help?
From purchasing one of the famous daffodils to creating your own even, every element of fundraising adds to the work Marie Curie carries out.
Although planning, preparing and running a fundraising event within the local area (or with a group of friends) can seem like a daunting challenge and as such Marie Curie has put together a fundraising guide to help on all levels from planning what to do on your fundraising day to printable bunting.
The fundraising pack includes:
- Fundraising My Way ideas generator
- Face painting guides
- Quiz guides
- Guess the amount of daffodils guide
- Fundraising posters & post cards
- Target/Cash raised posters
- Printable bunting!
- Sponsorship forms
At the core of great fundraising is putting together an idea to inspire the masses, such as:
- Local Treasures Bake Sale
- Auction of Promises – Selling Skills for Charity
- Fresh Sea Food and Dining out raffle
- Come Dine with Marie Curie
Who are the Marie Curie nurses?
Marie Curie Nurses give practical, hands-on care to help people with a terminal illness at home. They often spend a whole shift, usually at night, with one patient and their family.
Mary Reilly has been a Marie Curie Nurse for 22 years and says:
“Working for Marie Curie has honestly been the happiest time of my life. You meet so many fantastic people, trying to cope with so much. They really appreciate you and the help you can bring.
“We are with a patient for nine hours and I love giving them that time. The night can be a very frightening time, especially if you live on your own.”
“I’m willing to do anything to help. I want to be useful. I washed the curtains while one man was asleep and in the morning, he had a big smile on his face and said ‘Thank you Mary, I can see the sun’.
“I will give a wet shave to a gentleman if he needs it and asks. I think it does give people their dignity. They want to feel like themselves, who they really are.
“People want to talk to you. They will tell you what they want to happen after they die. Things they feel they can’t discuss with others. It can be they don’t want to upset their relatives.”
“I cared for one lady who lived on her own and hadn’t seen her daughter for a while because of a falling out. She had her phone number, but just couldn’t call. So I gave the daughter a ring and she was with her mother when she died. It is important.
“I cared for a lady whose daughter was getting married. She wanted her mum to be there and part of it all. I was caring for the lady and they said to me ‘When you come here you are classed as family.’
“I won’t lie, I do have a little cry sometimes but I love my work. We try to provide the best care we can. I feel proud knowing we keep the patient comfortable and care for the family.”
Volunteers can sign up to the Daffodil Campaign here or find out more information on how to fund raise with a Marie Curie Fundraising My Way pack.
