Daffodil appeal backing

Perthshire MSP Jim Fairlie has given his backing to the Marie Curie Great Daffodil Appeal.

The member of Scottish Parliament for the Perthshire South and Kinross-shire constituency met with staff and volunteers to hear about the care and support provided to people living with terminal illness.

Supporting the Great Daffodil Appeal, which started in 1986, by donating and wearing a daffodil pin in March helps Marie Curie continue providing vital palliative and end of life care and support.

Mr Fairlie said:“It was great to spend time with the staff and volunteers from Marie Curie during their visit to Holyrood. I was also pleased to have the opportunity to update them on my plans to climb Kilimanjaro in October to raise funds for Cornhill Hospice in Perth.

“The work the people from Marie Curie do is absolutely amazing and means so much to the people that they help. The Great Daffodil Appeal is an important aspect of their annual fundraising effort and has my total support.”

Ellie Wagstaff, policy and public affairs manager with Marie Curie, said:“On average, each of our volunteers raise £80 from a collection shift, equivalent to four hours of nursing care, which supports terminally ill people at home or in our hospices with the palliative support they need.

“As a result of the pandemic, where hospital admissions for non-covid patients were reduced, there has been a 40 per cent increase in deaths at home in Scotland.

“Marie Curie’s Community Nursing Service experienced almost a 15 per cent uplift in demand during 2020-21 as it continued supporting terminally ill people at home.”