Kirkbymoorside Fundraising Group raises £500k for Marie Curie

The Kirkbymoorside Fundraising Group was formed in 1999, meeting regularly and holding a variety events such as coffee mornings, craft sales, Daffodil Walks, jumble sales and collections.

And after 23-years of coffee mornings and street collections, the dedicated volunteers have amassed an amazing £500,000 for end of life charity Marie Curie.

Chair June Cook MBE, 83, who co-founded the group, said: “We were all so pleased to pass £500,000 – it’s a really big milestone.

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"It just shows that all the little things we’ve done over the years have built to a big sum and made a genuine difference.

“The charity does a wonderful job. I was a district nurse for many years and all through my working life I worked alongside Marie Curie nurses and was always impressed by their dedication.

"So it’s lovely to be able to support them in their role.”

Marie Curie is a leading end of life care charity, which provides essential frontline nursing and hospice care for people with any terminal illness.

It also has a free support line and a wealth of information and support on all aspects of dying, death and bereavement.

Gemma Hewitt, senior community fundraiser at Marie Curie, said: “It’s a wonderful achievement.

"The group have worked so hard over the years, and it shows how important fundraising groups are to our charity.

“£500,000 of fundraising is the equivalent of 25,000 hours of Marie Curie nursing care for people living with a terminal illness and means that hundreds of families will have been supported and received our care.

"It’s just exceptional and we can’t thank everyone involved in the Kirbymoorside Fundraising Group enough for their dedication over the years.”

“On top of that, they’re a really lovely group, very friendly and welcoming and June told me that they are all now lifelong friends.”

Gemma presented the 18 members of the group with thank you cards from Marie Curie nurses in the area, as well as medals and certificates to recognise their efforts.

The group are always looking to welcome more members, and anyone interested can contact yorkshire@mariecurie.org.uk

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