A special remembrance garden featuring 300 handcrafted metal daffodils in bright yellow and green has been unveiled at the Marie Curie Hospice, Cardiff and the Vale. The touching display will be open to visitors throughout June, every day from 9am to 6pm until Tuesday, June 30.
Heartfelt Tributes
Each metal flower includes a heart-shaped tag that can be engraved with a personal message. The leading end-of-life charity has been selling these keepsake flowers online to raise vital funds for its work.
Jan Elhami is one of many supporters of the project. Her husband, Asem Elhami, died at the hospice 22 years ago. She explained that purchasing daffodils last year and this year allows her to continue doing something special in his memory.
Jan said: "Asem passed here 22 years ago, so I thought it was a lovely thing to get involved in. When Asem was here, the team were absolutely wonderful. When I couldn't cope looking after him anymore, they gave me the support that I needed. Even when he passed away, I didn't know what to do, but they had a wonderful Imam come in because my husband was Muslim, and he arranged everything and they were just wonderful."
She added: "Asem had prostate cancer which went to his bones. He was 64, he passed away in the June, and my daughter got married in the December and it was just awful that he wasn't there. But these daffodils help me remember him." Following the excellent care her family received, Jan now volunteers at the hospice reception to give back to the charity.
Community Support
Claire Phillips, from Marie Curie Cymru, said: "It's wonderful to see all the daffodils planted in memory of our loved ones. To see them altogether in the hospice's garden brings a sense of collective hope and comfort as we reflect on our grief and share memories of the people that we miss in our lives every single day."
She added: "Everyone is invited to come and visit the garden, and we hope that people welcome the opportunity to take some time to reflect and remember. Thank you to our friends from NatWest and Stantec for volunteering and supporting us to put the daffodils in place."
Fundraising Impact
Marie Curie relies on public donations to fund its vital work across the UK. Last year, supporters helped the charity provide direct care to more than 40,000 people through its hospices and dedicated nursing care in people's own homes. The charity also offers a free support line and webchat for anyone living with a terminal illness.
Marie Curie is the largest charity funder of palliative and end-of-life care research in the UK. Catherine Winder, from Marie Curie, said: "We hear often from relatives of those we've cared for that they want to support the charity in memory of their loved ones, and this is just one of the ways they can choose to do that."
She added: "Supporters can buy their own daffodil in memory of a loved one to display in their own gardens or elsewhere – they are available at the hospice café, in our local shop and online. We'd like to say a big thank you to all those who have supported this campaign – we think the display looks absolutely beautiful in the grounds of our much-loved hospice."
A limited number of the charity keepsakes are still available to buy online at shop.mariecurie.org.uk.
