Help support Marie Curie’s Great ​​​​​​​Daffodil Appeal - Colin Beattie MSP

I am supporting Marie Curie’s 35th Great Daffodil Appeal, its biggest annual fundraiser, and urge you to wear their daffodil pin.

The pandemic has forced the cancellation of all of the appeal’s public collections for the first time in its 35-year history, leaving the charity with a potential loss of £750,000 in Scotland, and over £3 million across the UK.

The last 12 months have been extremely difficult as key fundraising events have been cancelled and all Marie Curie’s charity shops have had to close. Despite the cancelled collections, the charity is calling on the public to instead take part in virtual activities for the appeal, including ordering an iconic daffodil pin online to show their support of the campaign which this year focuses on small gestures or moments which mean the world.

The charity needs to raise £250,000 per week in Scotland to ensure that Marie Curie nurses, doctors and hospice staff can continue supporting terminally people, their families and carers through its two hospices, nursing, and support services. across the country.

In Lothian in 2019-20, Marie Curie Nurses made over 4,000 visits to care for terminally ill people in their own homes.

The service that Marie Curie provides to those who are living with terminal illness and their families and loved ones is indispensable.

We need to ensure that services like this can continue to support patients throughout and following the Covid-19 pandemic, and to do this it is necessary that we do all we can to support them, as we usually would, through appeals like their Great Daffodil Appeal.

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic Marie Curie staff have been on the front line and they have provided vital comfort to those dying and their families. Services like this should not be forgotten about and that’s why I’m supporting the Great Daffodil Appeal.

During the Great Daffodil Appeal the first annual National Day of Reflection will take place. Since the first lockdown began in 2020, millions of people have been bereaved.

On 23 March, the first anniversary of UK lockdown, Marie Curie is inviting everyone to take part in a minute's silence at noon to reflect on those who have died and then to appear on their doorsteps with candles, torches or simply lights from their mobile phones, for a second minute of silence at 8pm, to show support and solidarity for the millions of people who have been bereaved in these incredibly tough times.

Colin Beattie is SNP MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh