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Marie Curie People


Special memories light up memory-powered Christmas tree


GLOWING: social media posts made the tree sparkle


Around 1,000 people shared their memories, dedications and photos on social media to help light up the world’s first memory-powered Christmas tree in December. Marie Curie erected the Christmas tree beneath the London Eye on the South Bank to show the importance of creating positive memories for people living with terminal illnesses. Covered in lights, the tree glowed


brighter every time someone posted on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #LightUpXmas. It also sparkled when a donation was made through the contactless payment points at its base. Lisa Thomas, whose parents were cared


for at the Marie Curie Hospice, Cardiff and the Vale, visited the tree with her sisters Sally Keenan and Rachel Powell. Lisa said: “It’s great because it makes people think how they can look at Christmas in a happy way, not just missing the people who aren’t here anymore.”


To see some of the memories visit mariecurie.org.uk/lightupxmas


New ways to raise money for the Great Daffodil Appeal


This year, Marie Curie has launched two new ways for people to support the Great Daffodil Appeal. “Lots of people told us that they really


want to be part of the Great Daffodil Appeal but volunteering for a collection just wasn’t for them,” said Hannah Blowfield, Innovation Manager. “That might be because they didn’t feel they had the time, or because they preferred to do something at work. We’re introducing two new fundraising ideas – Step into Spring and Let’s Go Yellow – to give people more choice about the ways they support us.” Step into Spring challenges participants to take 10,000 steps every day in March – the equivalent of walking 150 miles in the month. The more steps people take, the more


money they can raise in sponsorship. Let’s Go Yellow encourages schools,


workplaces and community groups to don their best yellow outfits for a donation on Friday 16 March. The ideas were developed following


focus group research with supporters. Hannah said: “We’d love Marie Curie staff and volunteers to get involved and support Step into Spring and Let’s Go Yellow. Why not challenge your teammates to see who can walk the most in the month, or organise a yellow day on 16 March? Every pound raised helps us care for more people living with a terminal illness.”


To find out more and sign up, visit mariecurie.org.uk/fundraise Read more about plans for this year’s Great Daffodil Appeal on page 14.


David Parry/Marie Curie


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