Statue was unveiled as 2026 runners pass the baton to 2027 runners for the charity
A statue created by a Welsh artist to mark Marie Curie’s Official Charity of the Year status at the 2026 TCS London Marathon has found its permanent home outside a Penarth hospice.
The Daffodil Runner, which was first unveiled in April at Potter’s Field Park in London, will now be on permanent display outside the Marie Curie Hospice, Cardiff and the Vale.
The statue is made of steel and features 557 steel daffodils - the number of people that die every day in the UK without the end of life care they need. It was created by self-taught steel artist, Alan Ross, based in Ammanford.
Alan said: “I’m delighted we were able to give the statue a permanent home in Wales and share it with everyone who visits this hospice – and was thrilled to be able to meet the marathon runners from 2026 and 2027. I was really struck by the significance of the daffodils as I was making them – every one represents a person who died and did not get the end of life care they deserved and seeing them lined up hit me hard. Having lost loved ones myself, I know just how valuable Marie Curie’s work is, so it has been an honour to work on this special commission for the charity.”
Past and future runners taking part in the TCS London Marathon for Marie Curie visited the hospice for the statue’s official unveiling on Monday (August, 3).
Marie Curie, the UK’s leading end of life charity, last month announced that it raised over £2.3 million as the 2026 TCS London Marathon’s Official Charity of the Year – surpassing its 2025 fundraising total of £450,000.
The grand total exceeds the charity’s 2026 fundraising goal to raise £2 million - driven by the 744 people who ran for Marie Curie, and the generosity of supporters.
Marie Curie provides expert end of life care for people with any illness they are likely to die from, and support for their family and friends via its hospices, hospital, GP, and community services and its free national Support Line (0800 090 2309). The £2.3 million raised is the equivalent of 100,000 hours of nursing care or enough to fund the Support Line for over six years.
Hilary James, a longtime Marie Curie supporter and volunteer with the Penarth fundraising group, who ran the 2026 marathon, said: “It was absolutely amazing. The support was fantastic because of the extra cheer stations. I had a photo with the daffodil runner at the expo. Everyone taking part in 2027 will have a brilliant time.”
Hama Sharif, who is due to run the 2027 Double TCS London Marathon and is also due to start work as a foundation year 1 doctor at the hospice in September said: “I was exploring palliative care, it was something I was interested in doing anyway, and I chose to come to Marie Curie because that’s where my uncle was.
“When I was also looking at which charities I could run to support, I saw Marie Curie – and all the stars aligned.
“So I’ll have the privilege of working here for a year and now the honour of being able to raise money too.”
As well as the Daffodil Runner, other memorable moments delivered by Marie Curie as the official Charity of the Year in the lead up to the 2026 TCS London Marathon included hosting a series of Grief Run Clubs in collaboration with running community Run Your Mind. On the event day, a number of world record attempts took place by Marie Curie runners, and a dedicated group of Marie Curie nurses and healthcare assistants named the ‘To The End Team’ walked the 26.2-mile course of the TCS London Marathon route. With every step, they helped to raise awareness of the incredible care Marie Curie provides to people at end of life and be a visual symbol of the charity’s pledge to be ‘With You to the End’.
Marie Curie is encouraging people to apply for a 2027 Double TCS London Marathon charity place to help bring expert end of life care to more people. For more information on how to join Team Marie Curie visit: mariecurie.org.uk/get-involved/charity-events/running/london-marathon
ENDS