# Great Daffodil Appeal returns for 2021 without public collections

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/02/22/great-daffodil-appeal-returns-2021-without-public-collections/
- Published: 2021-02-22T08:21:44+00:00
- Author: Melanie May

**Marie Curie’s flagship fundraising campaign the Great Daffodil Appeal launches
on 1 March – for the first time in its 35-year history without public collections.**

 

The loss of collections will leave the charity with potential £3m deficit for the
campaign, while at the same time it has seen a 16.5% rise in the number of people
it is caring for at the end of life.

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Despite the cancelled collections, the charity is calling on the public to dig deep
and donate online, where they can also order their daffodil pins. The pins are also
available in shops including Morrisons, Superdrug, Savers and SPAR UK.

 

 

 

![Great Daffodil Appeal collectors](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2021/02/
Robena-Collector-1-Sept-2018.jpg)

This year will be the first time in the Great Daffodil Appeal’s history that public
collections have not taken place

 

 

 

Eight million daffodil pins are normally distributed each year, and around £100 
million in total has been raised since the campaign began in 1986, which is the 
equivalent of 5 million hours of nursing care.

 

Marie Curie is also asking people to join it in the first annual [National Day of Reflection](https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/get-involved/day-of-reflection),
which will take place during the [Great Daffodil Appeal](https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/daffodil),
on 23 March, the first anniversary of UK lockdown.

 

Meredith Niles, Executive Director of Fundraising and Engagement at Marie Curie,
said:

 

> “The Great Daffodil Appeal is vitally important to us. Having been held every 
> March for over three decades, this is the first time we’ve had to cancel all of
> our public collections which is a huge blow as each volunteer would raise £80 
> from a collection shift, enough to pay for the equivalent of four hours of nursing
> care.
> “The campaign would normally bring together millions of people across the country
> to volunteer, fundraise, donate and wear a daffodil and we’re still encouraging
> people to do this in any way they can in a safe manner.
> “Around 300 people a day already miss out on the end of life support they need
> and we expect this figure to rise as a result of the pandemic, combined with usual
> winter pressures associated with seasonal flu and the backlog of people who have
> missed diagnoses.
> “We need people’s support now more than ever in helping us raise money to continue
> our vital work across the country and ensure Marie Curie Nurses can be there to
> provide end of life care when people need it.”

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 * **[EDF Energy raises almost £1 million for Marie Curie](https://fundraising.co.uk/2016/06/08/edf-energy-raises-almost-1m-marie-curie/)**(
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