On yet another blustery March Friday (oh why is it still so windy?!) two little dutiful daffodils met up at Superdrug to help raise money for Marie Curie.

Thankfully we were able to start off our collection shift inside the store away from the gales, however we realised after a while that Friday afternoons are not the busiest time for Superdrug shoppers, so safely securing our daffodil hats we headed out on to Kingston High Street.

Our street strategy successfully paid off and we were approached by children donating their pocket money, a lady who had been very grateful for the support Marie Curie had given her family, plus lots of other very kind donators.

We were also joined by a local who was very keen to share her “wise” words with us. Unfortunately her opinions on charity didn’t quite align with ours and we were very grateful to be able to head back into Superdrug, to seek shelter from the words rather than the wind this time!

We would encourage everyone to help with collections like this. Our help enables the charities to raise funds and awareness and there are lots of shifts available near you https://t.campaign.mariecurie.org.uk/webApp/mcc_supporterRegistration

Time for the round-(robin)-up of the community mission!

Brilliant idea from Caroline, here’s a round-robin run report with segments from each of the runners who wore The Big Yellow Hat and joined today’s community mission!

Ready, Set, Go: Caroline sets off for GoodGym Kingston:

On a blustery spring morning 5 runners from all around the Kingston area (and a little further afield) arrived at the town centre to do their bit to support the Marie Curie charity by manning collection points on their Great Daffodil Appeal. Caroline started the day bright and early and watched the folk of Kingston get blown in for a day of shopping and fun. Dressed in an eye-catching Daffodil yellow tabard and a fetching top hat (to attract the sympathy vote apparently) that complemented post-run red faces brilliantly we reported to our posts. As the crowds increased so did the weight of the buckets. As the kind hearted folk of town and their kids (full of very effective pester-power) added their donations, Kingston town bloomed with daffodils on lapels. Passing the mantle on to Paul who ventured all the way from Streatham to add to his Parkrun letters, only to be thwarted by a cancellation due to another local race...Caroline ran off to defrost her fingers on a well earned hot chocolate! 

Over to Paul for the second leg:

After I had collected my attire from Marie Curie.....

Semi disaster a large gust of wind hit me covering Kingston in Daffodils 🌼.

After some nimble fast feet from me I headed off to collect some donations and decorate the Kinstonians in yellow flowers.

From the start I had people of all ages approaching me to make a donation and receive a daffodil.

A few people didn’t take the daffodils but said they were making a donation for wearing the Bright Yellow Hat.

15 minutes in and I covered the main stall for half an hour to let one of their regular collectors (who was doing a long stint) have a well deserved break.

After he was back I did about another 30 minutes in my starting point and the sun came out to join me.

Stint finished said a quick goodbye and headed back to SW16 

Baton safely handed to Kate and Samia:

Kate and Samia took the baton, and hats, tabard, buckets and daffodils and were sent over to Bentalls to continue the collection. We found a sheltered spot outside, with the roof overhanging, and the collection seemed to start well... only to be relocated “off the marble” to the bricks of Kingston high street by the security guard. Battling with the wind, we were kept entertained by a busker serenading is with some Snow Patrol and a small demonstration table which then included children acting out events from war-torn countries. We decided to tune into the busker again instead and were greeted by Laura on her way to sign in for her stint. Shift complete, we reluctantly returned the hats and handed in the buckets for counting.

Now Laura takes the baton into the final straight:

Over in Eden walk the people of Kingston were contributing generously, sharing a smile at our hats if nothing else! After a while we were treated to some live singing, allowing for a bit of collecting and bopping multitasking. Not sure if it made people more willing to donate or scared them off, but it was fun all the same!

All summed up nicely by Wordsworth (with a little edit from GoodGym Kingston...):

"“When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; ... Being blown around Kingston in the gusty winds"

St David's Day + Marie Curie Daffodil Appeal = The perfect reason to dress up as a human daffodil!

This time it was an outing to Morrison's in Wimbledon. Unfortunately my collection buddy could no longer make it but I had good company from a very friendly security guard, who provided banter and top tips for not getting cold whilst standing. The free coffee was also appreciated!

The collection felt slow (ok, dire) at first but it picked up as time went by so I stayed a little longer than planned and had a few very generous donations. The Hat also received some attention, with comments like "I think it might be one size too big" and "seeing as you're wearing that hat, I have to donate!".

Collection complete, I popped to NatWest to may it in and was very pleasantly surprised - £64.10! Not so dire after all!

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus! 🌼 🐉

The hat returns!

With a couple of hours on a Friday afternoon to spare, Martel and Samia decided to keep themselves out of mischief and join a shift for the Marie Curie Daffodil Appeal at Tesco. Spring has well and truly sprung (for now, at least...) and we were lucky enough to be able to bask in the sun, stood outside the entrance.

And if customers weren't dazzled by the sun, they were by the outfits. After thinking that she'd had a lucky escape from The Hat and tabard, Martel was clearly overjoyed at being given Samia's hat to pose in - and then was left with it to wear for the rest of the hour. Martel, you're welcome!

Donations were a plenty throughout the shift, some telling us their personal reasons for giving and many happily accepting a daffodil pin in return. After greeting customers as a human daffodil for an hour, Martel headed off to work, whilst Samia clearly resented having given away the hat wearing honour so decided to stay on for a little longer to keep the other volunteer company.

Shift completed, The Hat was returned with the tabard and now-quite-weighty collection jars, and all that's left to do it await the reveal of the Grand Total once the co-ordinator has added each jar up.

Well done Martel on your first community mission - and thank you for the great company!