Nene Park was blooming with daffodils when the Diamonds faced Altrincham, as local Marie Curie Cancer Care fundraisers joined Rushden and Diamonds FC to launch the charity's annual Great Daffodil Appeal, supported by Yellow Pages.

Fundraisers were joined by local Marie Curie Nurse Irene Booker, local supporters and mascot Daffy (also known as corporate fundraiser Imran Soorty) to ask the people of Northamptonshire to make a donation to the charity in return for a daffodil pin. The charity is hoping to raise £5.5 million throughout the month long UK appeal, to help give thousands of people free specialist end-of-life care from Marie Curie Nurses.

Local Marie Curie Nurse, Irene Booker, said: "This year is the Diamond Jubilee of Marie Curie Cancer Care so Nene Park, home of Rushden & Diamonds is an appropriate place to launch the Great Daffodil Appeal. All donations for daffodils will help us provide thousands of free nursing care hours, allowing people to die in the comfort of their own home surrounded by family and friends. So please make a donation today and wear your daffodil with dignity for Marie Curie Cancer Care."

If you didn't get the chance to donate at the game don't worry, volunteer fundraisers will be out collecting in Northamptonshire throughout March and daffodil pins can also be picked up from thousands of local stores, schools and Marie Curie shops across the UK. Thanks to Yellow Pages' support, the money raised through the Great Daffodil Appeal goes directly towards funding the thousands of Marie Curie Nurses nationwide.

Marie Curie Cancer Care's fundraisers are always on the look out for volunteers to help with the Great Daffodil Appeal. We really need help in the Rushden and East Northants area and if anyone can spare an hour or two please call Sarah on 01604 442315. You could turn hours of volunteering into hours of care by joining your local team of daffodil volunteers or by organising your own fundraising event. For further information about the appeal, or to find out how you can wear your daffodil with dignity and help locally, please call the Daffodil Hotline on 0845 601 3107 (local rate) or visit www.mariecurie.org.uk/daffodil.

There are hundreds of Great Daffodil Appeal fundraising events up and down the UK to get involved in too, including eight glamorous Daffodil balls, a series of 'Devoted to Life' walks and Daffodil runs.

Rachel Roberts, Commercial Manager at Rushden & Diamonds said, "We were pleased to help launch such an important appeal as this, and hoped that everyone from Marie Curie enjoyed the game, it was good to see the younger kids getting involved, with Billy Fleury and Nathan Schampier from the Rushden & Diamonds Centre of Excellence Under 13's team helping to launch the scheme. We wish everyone at Marie Curie the best of success with the Daffodil Appeal.

Billy Fleury and Nathan Schampier launch the Daffodil Appeal with fundraisers from Marie Curie

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