Marie Curie daffodil campaign

Perthshire will be awash with colour this spring as one of the UK’s biggest annual charity campaign’s rolls out across the region.

Scores of volunteers for Marie Curie, the charity that provides free professional nursing care to the terminally ill at home, are selling the distinctive yellow daffodil pins in shops and on the streets throughout March.

With more than 50 collections across the NHS Tayside area, the charity hopes the Great Daffodil Appeal, now in its 30th year, will raise in the region of £20,000 locally – every penny of which will be spent in the same postcode area to deliver vital care to families fighting terminal illness.

Last year £18,000 was raised across Tayside by 43 manned collections, staffed by scores of volunteers “buying” 900 hours of care locally.

Charity patron Petra McMillan believes this year’s campaign could fund up to 1,000 hours of care.

She said: “Donating just two hours of your time in March can mean a world of difference to a local family who ask for our support in their time of need.

“We rely on fundraising to provide our service for free, but with just £20 funding one hour of care, it is easy to understand what our collections can achieve in our own neighbourhoods.”

For more information about Marie Curie contact Petra on 07717 810365 or at petramcmillan@sky.com.