Cancer Society volunteers picked daffodils at Cambridge properties and sold them in town on Daffodil Day.
Daffodil Day was a busy time for a number of organisations, volunteers and good sorts in Cambridge. The Cancer Society’s annual fundraiser on Friday, August 30 saw over 15,000 fresh daffodils sold around town, grown and picked by volunteers in the weeks leading up to the big day.
Victoria Street alone saw six sites selling daffodils and collecting donations, stretching from BP to Rumor. Outside ANZ, some of Cambridge’s elite athletes took turns manning a Daffodil Day stall, one of 15 around Cambridge.
There, a group of Cambridge Middle School’s track cycling students caught up with an icon in the sport, two-time Commonwealth gold medallist Sam Webster, who collected a donation of over $800 raised by the school through sausage sizzles and a mufti day.
Cambridge Middle School students stopped in town to drop off the school’s fundraising efforts to track cyclist Sam Webster, manning the stall outside ANZ.
Just down the street outside BNZ, a sea of hundreds of daffodils lined the footpath, sold by Cancer Society volunteers manning two-hour shifts. Volunteer and driver Jennie Wildeboer stuck around for a double shift. “It’s very rewarding to do this, especially for the Cancer Society,” she said. “And all these daffodils are just so beautiful.”
Cancer Society volunteer and driver Jennie Wildeboer was one of many selling flowers in Cambridge on Daffodil Day.
Cambridge Daffodil Day coordinator Nicky White couldn’t provide a final figure yet for how much was raised in Cambridge for Daffodil Day, but confirmed it topped last year’s record figure with well over $21,000 raised in 2019.
“Those who were in Cambridge for Daffodil Day this year were amazingly generous, often donating and taking nothing in return,” she said.
“These funds mean the Cancer Society can continue to provide experienced nurses to provide information and support, support groups and wellness programmes for people with cancer and their carers, free transport to medical appointments and treatment and free accommodation and meals for people who travel long distances to receive treatment at Waikato Hospital.
“We are so grateful to all the volunteers who come back year on year and to all the new people who came on board and got involved in the Cancer Society’s largest fundraiser.”
Children at Leamington Kindergarten got into the Daffodil Day spirit wearing yellow and making daffodil-inspired artwork. They also donated gold coins for a total of $92 for the Cancer Society.
