I am a volunteer fundraiser for our local Marie Curie hospice. It is a facility that you don't appreciate until you find yourself in a situation that takes you there. For me that situation happened twice, as two lovely friends both in their 30,s ended up there within a couple of years of each other.

The first time, was my first experience of a hospice, it was a daunting prospect for both me and my friend but she soon settled in and before long, her room became her home, the staff became her friends, the food was better than anything she had tasted in years,  other patients became neighbours and the garden provided sounds and fresh air that she hadn’t experienced in months after being hospitalised. It provided a safe environment to wash, eat and wander, whilst receiving the most incredible medical attention, treatment and transfusions. It provided a sense of freedom like no other place could give in those last important months of life. Living in a way that hadn’t been possible for so long. 

When I found myself visiting yet another close friend in the hospice my first thought this time was not dread, it was love and peace, as I knew this was the best place for my friend to be, with his partner and two young children (1 and 4) They all moved in to the family suite, a beautiful space that allowed them all to be together 24/7, whilst getting the support, care and attention that they needed, and deserved in those final weeks. 

The hospice is fully funded by the good nature of donations and fundraisers like myself. It is hard to ever repay the gratitude you have for the staff, the care and support that you get, and for me this is my way of giving a little back.  

Marie Curie's Great Daffodil Appeal takes place every spring, it’s a national appeal the donations are split between the 8 marie curie hospices  across the country. This year efforts have been cancelled and this is a huge hit to funding, as a fundraiser we are not allowed to do our collections, or collect our tubs in, we can however try and fundraise virtually. 

These times are new to us all, as is virtual fundraising and we are hoping to continue raising money by doing a few activities and fun things during this time to continue our efforts, in return I will be relying on the support of friends, family and the local community supporting by means of donating minimum amounts or sharing the pages and posts that I put out.