Blaenau Gwent MP Nick Smith joined presenter and Strictly Come Dancing contestant Anneka Rice to help launch Marie Curie’s Great Daffodil Appeal.

Mr Smith and Marie Curie Ambassador Anneka met with Marie Curie Rapid Response Healthcare Assistant Lukmon Adeyemi at a parliamentary event to celebrate the launch of the charity’s biggest annual fundraising campaign.

The Blaenau Gwent MP pledged his support to the appeal and is encouraging local people to donate and wear one of the charity’s daffodil pins.

Mr Smith said: “I’m delighted to be able to help launch this month’s Great Daffodil Appeal for Marie Curie.
“Without generous donations from the public, Marie Curie nurses can’t provide vital care and support to people living with a terminal illness and their families.”

Anneka Rice, who became a Marie Curie Ambassador in 2019, said: “I was thrown into a world of utter confusion and sadness when I had to care for two elderly parents, living separately but both with dementia.
“At the time I didn’t know who to reach out to as I knew nothing at all about the illness. At the time, I wish I’d known about the organisations that exist to help.”

Marie Curie Rapid Response Healthcare Assistant Lukmon Adeyemi, said: “By donating and wearing a Marie Curie daffodil it will help make sure we can be there for more people when they need us the most.  I know how important it is to be there for patients and families when they are struggling. “Marie Curie services rely on the generosity of the public, so I’d like to say a big thank you for your donations.”

Scott Sinclair, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Marie Curie, said: “Having the support of Nick Smith and Anneka makes a huge difference to our Great Daffodil Appeal.
“By donating and wearing a daffodil pin in March you are helping us to support more people at the most difficult time of their lives. We want to make sure that everyone affected by terminal illness, wherever they may live, gets the right support, at the right time – whether that is high quality nursing care, emotional and practical support, or fast access to the benefits they need.”

To support the Great Daffodil Appeal, get your daffodil pin from volunteers on high streets around the UK, as well as Marie Curie shops, Superdrug, Savers, SPAR UK, Hotter Shoes and Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group.

To find out more about the Great Daffodil Appeal, visit www.mariecurie.org.uk/daffodil or call 0800 304 7025.

To Donate £5 to Marie Curie, text DAFF to 70999.