Woman raising funds for Marie Curie, says there's an urgent need to improve end of life care
According to the charity, someone dies in the UK without the care they need, every five minutes
A woman raising funds for Marie Curie across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire is telling us there's an urgent need to improve end of life care, as someone dies every five minutes without the care they need.
The charity is encouraging people to support their Great Daffodil appeal which aims to help bring expert end of life care to more people, with a range of famous faces and local voices encouraging everyone to get involved in this year’s fundraising effort.
Lorna McGowan is a Community Fundraiser for Marie Curie across the Thames Valley Region, she said: “There's so many people who are who are dying without the support that they need, dying in pain and alone. Others are struggling financially, and Marie Curie try to help with all of those things.
“We do it through our campaigning work to try and ensure that the government are supporting people better and providing that care ourselves.”
She added: “Every 5 minutes, somebody's dying without the care that they need. In a country with an ageing population, where people are living longer and with multiple different illnesses, it's really important that we're able to help as many people as possible.”
"What a difference it made to her”
Marie Curie cares for people in their own homes, at its hospices across the UK, whatever their illness, bringing clinical care, comfort and emotional support to individuals facing end of life and those close to them.
A typical two-hour collection shift raises £85, enough to fund nearly four hours of expert nursing care or five calls to the Marie Curie Support Line.
Ms McGowan said: “just at the weekend, I had a lady talking to me after we supported her husband with overnight nursing care.
“She went from not sleeping and really struggling, to actually getting a good night's rest and being able to help her husband fully during the day and what a difference it made to her.”
Last year, the Great Daffodil Appeal raised almost £1.3 million, and the charity is encouraging people to get creative with their fundraising.
Across the month of March, thousands of dedicated volunteer collectors will be out and about collecting donations in exchange for the iconic Marie Curie daffodil pins.