VOLUNTEERS have been out in force over the weekend, turning Bolton yellow and kicking off Marie Curie Cancer Care’s Great Daffodil Appeal collections.

All the money raised in Bolton during the month-long campaign will boost the town’s Marie Curie Nurses Appeal, which is backed by The Bolton News.

It aims to raise £200,000 by the end of June to fund more free home nursing care so that local terminally ill people can die at home.

Volunteers, including staff from The Bolton News, were shaking buckets in the town centre and at Asda at Middlebrook, Horwich, over the weekend.

It is just the start of a whole host of events, with donations being collected all month and into April.

Cherry Thomas, The Bolton News health correspondent, who helped with the collections on Saturday, said: “We did really well.

“My colleague Lisa Schofield and I managed to collect more than £220 in an hour and a half.

“We would like to say thank you to all the generous people in Bolton who made donations. It was a great kick start to the campaign.”

The next collections are on March 12, 13 and 14 at Sainsbury’s, in Trinity Street, and on March 12 at Morrisons, in Blackhorse Street, both in the town centre.

Keep an eye out for the collectors and if you want to volunteer, call 0161 255 2809.

l One fund raiser who hopes to add to the campaign total is a retired physiotherapist from Bolton Hospice, who is embarking on the challenge of a lifetime to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Grandmother Sandra Holt launched a fundraising appeal last year as she prepared to climb Mt Sinai in Egypt, but the event was called off because there were not enough people taking part.

Now the 66-year-old has teamed up with friend and former Bury midwife Jane Bisson, aged 71, to attempt the four-day trek on their own.

Mrs Holt, from Tottington, and Mrs Bisson are doing the trek in memory of friends who have died from cancer.

Mrs Holt said: “I was gutted when the event got cancelled. I felt embarrassed that I had not done it because so many people had donated.”

Mrs Holt and Mrs Bisson have already raised more than £5,000 and hope to reach £6,000 for Marie Curie Nurses before they go trekking in Egypt from April 9 to 14. To donate,visit just giving.com/sandraholt or justgiving.com/jane bisson