Sri Lanka trek at 70 for Marie Curie fundraising volunteer Nerys

A volunteer treasurer for a Penarth fundraising group is set to mark her 70^th birthday taking part in an overseas trek – a decade after she took part in her first one.

 

Nerys Thomas, who turns 70 this year, began volunteering for the Penarth fundraising group for Marie Curie 14 years ago this summer.

 

Marie Curie provides round-the-clock expert care and support to people living with a terminal illness and their families at its Cardiff and the Vale Hospice in the town.

 

Speaking during Volunteers’ Week 2017, Nerys encouraged others to volunteer for Marie Curie, which she said was a “worthwhile cause.”

 

Nerys, originally from North Wales, first signed up to volunteer after attending a Garden Party at the charity’s Bridgeman Road facility in 2003, joining the fundraising group as a member and later becoming treasurer.

 

“When I first began volunteering, it was because the hospice was local to Penarth and I had retired,” she said.

 

“But years later, my mother was ill in North Wales and we were nursing her at home.  We had help from Marie Curie Nurses then.

 

“Without that support, it would have been very difficult, because we had the nurses coming in at night so it gave us a bit of rest to be able to carry on.

 

“That was in 2008, just after my first trek in October 2007.  I would have carried on fundraising anyway, but since then a member of our group was cared for here and I’ve had friends who have also had support.   You know so many people have been affected by terminal illness.”

 

Nerys signed up to the first trek to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco after climbing Snowdon for the charity, and since then has taken part in another two – Mount Kilimanjaro and The Great Wall of China.

 

In November, she heads to Sri Lanka with 25 others – including four hospice nurses and a community nurse – to raise funds for the hospice.

 

“I thought it was about time I challenged myself again,” she said.

 

“On the treks you get to know so many more people and you make new friends.

 

“I’m looking forward to all the different scenery, meeting local people and tasting the food.  On all the treks the food has been fantastic; it’s amazing what they can do on the sides of mountains.”

 

Talking of why she loves volunteering for Marie Curie, Nerys said: “I like getting to meet different people and doing something for somebody else.

 

“It’s a very worthwhile thing to do.”

 

Sara Bass, Fundraising Manager for Wales for Marie Curie, said: “The support of our fundraising groups and volunteers, like Nerys, is vital to helping us continue to raise the funds needed to enable us to provide care and support to people living with a terminal illness, and their families.

 

“Having people like Nerys in the community helps us to be able to raise as much money as we can to allow our nurses to care for people with a terminal illness both at the hospice and in the community.  Our volunteers are fantastic.”

 

If you would like to join a Marie Curie fundraising group, visit www.mariecurie.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering