Volunteers wanted to help with annual Daffodil Appeal (From Ilkley Gazette)

Volunteers wanted to help with annual Daffodil Appeal

6:00pm Monday 4th March 2013 in Local news By Annette McIntyre

A cancer charity has issued an urgent appeal for volunteers to raise money to help the terminally ill.

Marie Curie Cancer Care is asking people across Wharfedale and Aireborough to help with its Great Daffodil Appeal collections, gathering donations from shoppers throughout the area.

The charity holds its Daffodil collections during March each year to help raise funds to provide one-to-one nursing care for terminally ill people in their own homes.

Last year the collections across West Yorkshire raised enough to fund more than 1,800 hours of one-to-one Marie Curie home nursing care.

This year the charity desperately needs extra volunteers to help at the following venues and dates: Morrisons, Yeadon, on March 1, 2, and 3; Guiseley Street Collection on March 2; Morrisons, Otley Road, Guiseley, on March 20 and 21; Asda, Pool Road, Otley, on April 6 and 7; and Morrisons, Horsforth, on March 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, and 10.

Claire Priestwood, Community Fundraiser said: “We have some truly wonderful volunteers who give their time to collect each year, but this year we have an even greater need for our care so we need more volunteers to help cover the collection. This year we would like to raise over £45,000 from the collections in West Yorkshire, so it’s important that we recruit as many collectors as possible - we just want to make sure we make the most of this opportunity given to us by local supermarkets to raise much needed funds for cancer care.

“We would like to appeal to everyone in the community to give us just two hours of their time this March to help collect. We supply a full kit, and the reaction you get from the general public is wonderful.

“Every donation collected for a daffodil will help us provide millions of free nursing care hours, allowing people to die in the comfort of their own home surrounded by family and friends. So please get in touch today if you would like to give up a few hours to help fund local cancer care.”

For further information call the local fundraising office on (01274) 386191.