SHOPPERS have shared tributes and memories of loved ones on a Great Big Daffodil in Cardiff’s St David’s Shopping Centre as part of Marie Curie’s Great Big Daffodil appeal.

Hundreds of shoppers added their messages to the daffodil alongside HRH the Prince of Wales, who was the first to sign a petal during a visit to the Marie Curie Cardiff Hospice last week.

Shoppers also generously donated to the Great Daffodil Appeal, Marie Curie’s biggest annual fundraising campaign.

The seven-foot-tall (two metre) Great Big Daffodil, which is travelling more than 1000 miles through seven towns and cities across the UK, gives everyone the opportunity to write messages on each petal of the Great Big Daffodil, sharing their personal memories and stories behind the Marie Curie daffodil pin they wear.

Marie Curie provides care and support to people with terminal illness and their families, and every March the Great Daffodil Appeal calls on people to donate and wear one of Marie Curie’s daffodil pins to help fund vital care and support for people living with terminal illness.

Every year the charity cares for around 3,500 terminally ill people across Wales.

The charity has around 150 Marie Curie nurses working in the community and also provides specialist care for patients at its Cardiff and the Vale hospice in Penarth.

Andrew RT Davies, Assembly Member for South Wales Central, also donned a yellow daffodil pin and joined Marie Curie nurses and family members of former patients to share a message on the daffodil.

He said:

“My mother was diagnosed with lung cancer when I was 15, and my family and I were able to care for her in her final weeks.

“Because of my experience, I know just how important the care Marie Curie provides is.”

“I’d encourage anyone who is thinking about fundraising to get involved, and I’m delighted to be able to offer my support to such a worthy cause.”

Marie Curie community fundraiser, Hannah Leckie said: “Cardiff has once again shown its great support for Marie Curie and the services we provide to people in the area.

“Hundreds of shoppers visited the Great Big Daffodil to talk about the loved one behind the daffodil pin they wear.

“It has been really special to share a moment with people to remember the people close to them and to thank them for enabling our nurses to care for people with terminal illness and their families.

“We couldn’t do this without the support of people in Cardiff.

People who could not make it along to the Great Big Daffodil can take part on social media using @mariecurieuk and follow the journey of the Great Big Daffodil at www.mariecurie.org.uk/greatbigdaffodil