Thousands of daffodils illuminate Marie Curie’s ‘Garden of Light’

Alison Steadman, Jason Isaacs and Stacey Solomon attend Marie Curie Garden of Light to mark annual Great Daffodil Appeal

•  A striking ‘Garden of Light’ has been created to mark Marie Curie’s Great Daffodil Appeal
• 4,000 handcrafted daffodils are illuminated, each one to represent someone affected by terminal illness who will be helped by Marie Curie this March
• The Garden features bespoke daffodils designed by Stephen Fry, Louise Redknapp, Alesha Dixon and others
• The installation is open to the public from 1st – 11th March at Paternoster Square, St Paul’s Cathedral, London, creating a place for personal reflection and calm.

 

Terminal illness charity, Marie Curie, today unveiled the ‘Garden of Light’ in London’s Paternoster Square to mark the launch of the charity’s Great Daffodil Appeal.  Held every March, the Appeal calls on people to donate and wear one of the charity’s daffodil pins to help fund care for people living with any terminal illness. The immersive art installation is open to the public from today, March 1^st, until Sunday 11^th March.

Marie Curie supporters Alison Steadman, Jason Isaacs and Stacey Solomon attended the Garden of Light which features 4,000 daffodils, each one representing a person Marie Curie will support this March. The Garden also features a ‘stained-glass’ structure inspired by the positive colours of the daffodil and a trail of sculptural daffodils will emerge from the flower beds, each individually designed by artists and famous faces including Stephen Fry, Tord Boontje, Louise Redknapp, Alesha Dixon,  Jim Carter, Sophie Ellis Bexter, Chris Kamara, Stephen Anthony Davids, Charlotte Keates and Kev Munday.

The installation, created by renowned public artists Greyworld, took a total of 800 hours to build and allows the public to walk amongst the flowers whilst they hear letters from patient’s families, describing the vital care and support their relatives received from Marie Curie. The moving audio, brings to life the individual stories of a handful of the 50,000 people affected by terminal illness each year, that turn to the charity for support.   

Visitors can also leave behind a memory of someone they love by writing a message on a daffodil and placing it on the ‘Memory Wall’. There will also be the opportunity to make a donation to Marie Curie either in-person or via contactless card payment, in return for a daffodil pin.

Dr Jane Collins, Chief Executive of Marie Curie, said:   “This beautiful Garden of Light symbolises just some of the people living with terminal illness that Marie Curie will support this month. Chances are, we all know someone who’s been affected by a terminal illness, and it’s heart-breaking that not everyone gets the care and support they need. The Great Daffodil Appeal’s our time to change that.

“Our nurses care for people in their homes. Our hospices give round-the-clock support. And we’re always here with expert information, guidance or just a shoulder to lean on. This year marks 70 years of us providing that care. But we need support now to continue being there for families. By donating and wearing a daffodil pin, we can all make sure people living with a terminal illness get the expert care and support they deserve.”  

Andrew Shoben, Professor of Public Art and founder of Greyworld said: “We took inspiration from the charity’s emblem of a daffodil and the beautiful warmth of the daffodil to create the stained-glass structure and designed the space with openness and tranquillity in mind. We hope that visitors find the space lends itself to reflection and remembering loved ones and those they have lost.”

Actress Alison Steadman is supporting the Great Daffodil Appeal after Marie Curie cared for her mum. She said: “I have seen first-hand the incredible difference Marie Curie makes and just how important their work is in caring for people with a terminal illness, as well as those looking after them. My mum, was cared for at one of the Marie Curie Hospices and I can’t thank them enough for the support both she and the rest of our family received.

“With more people living with a terminal illness, and more of us needing to care for them, Marie Curie’s support is ever more important. That is why I’m supporting the charity and their Great Daffodil Appeal and I encourage everyone to wear a daffodil throughout March. Your daffodil will bring care and support to people going through one of the toughest times any of us will face. And the more daffodils worn, the more families Marie Curie can help.”

Fellow Marie Curie supporter Jason Isaacs said “The Garden of Light is a beautiful space which perfectly represents the work that Marie Curie do for so many people living with terminal illnesses throughout the year. I am incredibly proud to represent the extraordinary work carried out by Marie Curie Nurses and to launch this year’s Great Daffodil Appeal.”      

Stacey Solomon, helped launch this year’s Great Daffodil Appeal and commented “The sea of 4,000 beautiful daffodils light up London and show a real message of support to everyone who has ever been affected by terminal illness. The Garden of Light is somewhere that I would encourage anyone to visit and reflect on the people in their lives who have ever needed specialist care.”  

Gardens of Light have also been created in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.  In Wales at Caernarfon Castle, a giant 10 foot daffodil lamp and yellow armchair covered in 300 daffodils is illuminated. Whilst in Scotland, Glasgow’s Buchanan Street will feature 700 illuminated daffodils and in Northern Ireland, Belfast Castle has been transformed by 300 illuminated daffodils. The installations will also visit some of the charity’s hospices during March.

To support the Marie Curie Great Daffodil Appeal get your daffodil pin from volunteers on high streets across the country, Marie Curie shops, Superdrug, Spar, Poundworld, Hotter Shoes stores and Wyevale Garden Centres.

To find out more about the Great Daffodil Appeal, visit www.mariecurie.org.uk/daffodil or call free on 0800 304 7025. To find out more about the Garden of Light visit www.mariecurie.org.uk/Gardenoflight. To donate £5 to Marie Curie, text DAFF to 70111*

ENDS