Calls for volunteers to help end of life charity in the North East
Marie Curie's Great Daffodil Appeal is celebrating 40 years
A North East and Teesside end of life care charity is urging more volunteers to step forward as its Great Daffodil Appeal celebrates 40 years.
Marie Curie supports people in areas like Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Gateshead, Sunderland, County Durham and North Yorkshire at hospices or at home.
Gemma Hewitt, a senior community fundraiser at the charity, said: "It's that social aspect especially in this post-Covid world for people, especially the elderly. They want to get back out there, they want to see their friends, they want to be out in the community and volunteering is a great way to do that.
She said you'd be joining an amazing group: "They're incredible people who've volunteered for a large portion of their life and they very much love the charity and it's part of them and their day-to-day life."
New poll shows people are likely to volunteer but are held back
New polling shows nearly half (47%) of respondents say they are likely to volunteer in the next year, but many feel held back by practical concerns.
The research by the UK’s leading end of life charity Marie Curie shows a country that feels chronically short of time with half (50%) saying that it is the biggest barrier, with concerns about commitment (22%), uncertainty about how to get involved (18%), and not knowing what’s available locally (17%) also holding people back.
With households feeling increasingly stretched and a general sense of ‘overwhelm’, it’s poignant that the data, nevertheless, indicated a strong appetite to pull together for their communities.
Marie Curie is encouraging people across the UK to volunteer for just a couple of hours this March as it marks 40 years of the Great Daffodil Appeal - one of the charity’s most recognisable fundraising campaigns.
Help from volunteers remains vital to the appeal’s capacity to support people with terminal illness and their families across the UK, raising funds, awareness and a sense of community each spring.
The research shows that for those who do volunteer, the payoff is clear and the benefits for communities and families is wide-reaching. More than half (56%) say giving back to their community inspires them, almost half (49%) say it brings a sense of pride and purpose, and more than a third (38%) say it helps them meet people and feel part of something bigger.
In 2025, 6,642 volunteers helped raise over £1.2 million for the Great Daffodil Appeal, with the average collection shift lasting just two hours, often done in pairs at a local Morrisons store.
The poll also uncovered the factors that would make people more likely to volunteer in 2026, and some generational differences too. Social connection is a significant motivator for Gen Z, with 32% saying they’d be more likely to volunteer if they could do it with friends or family.
For Millennials, flexible hours that fit around work and family life is the biggest motivator, whilst Gen X would be most likely to volunteer for short term or one-off opportunities.
More than a quarter of respondents say they’d be more likely to sign up to short-term opportunities and roles with flexible hours (26%).