Yellow daffodils will once again be popping up all over the city for Daffodil Day, and one Rotorua woman has a long history with the daffodil pins which raise money for a great cause.
This year, Daffodil Day is today and marks the 30th anniversary of Daffodil Day.
Daffodil Dayis the largest fundraiser for the Cancer Society. The street appeal is taking place todayand tomorrow.
Kath Tappin started creating crochet daffodil pins in 2013 to help raise money for the Cancer Society. She has since raised more than $10,000 for the society. She says it started as she liked crocheting flowers, and when having a look online she saw a pattern for a daffodil. She then made her own pattern.
Kath thinks supporting the Cancer Society is a great thing as the society always needs money, and by doing this it's her way of donating, and she enjoys it.
She says after August she normally takes a couple of months break from making the daffodil pins, and then does them here and there for the rest of the year so it's not a rush at the last minute.
Kath says she has arthritis which is now affecting her hands, so she will probably slow down a bit.
Having raised more than $10,000 felt amazing and unreal, she says.
She thinks what the local Cancer Society team do is absolutely amazing and it gives her inspiration to keep going with her daffodil pins.
"My mother died of cancer, my husband had cancer and a lot of people I know have had cancer."
Kath Tappin has been making crochet daffodils for Daffodil Day since 2013. Photo / Supplied
Daffodil Day Rotorua co-ordinator Tracey Crompton encourages the community to get behind the appeal because it is a community-funded charity.
"We can only do the work we do because of the amazing generosity of the community.
"Money raised in our region stays in our region, so we can give help to people when they need it most."
Tracey says funds raised means the society's local supportive care nurse is here to work one-on-one with cancer patients and their whānau.
"It means we can provide free transport so people with cancer can get to the treatment they need, and we can provide free accommodation at the Cancer Society's Lions Lodge for many Rotorua people who need to travel to Waikato Hospital for treatment."
She says Daffodil Day would not be possible without its amazing team of dedicated volunteers.
About 120 volunteers are involved in this year's Daffodil Day appeal.
"There's been a lot of hard work behind the scenes to adapt to level 2 requirements to ensure the safety of our volunteers and the wider community, for example supplying masks and hand sanitiser to all sites.
"This year we wanted to encourage contactless donations, so our collection sites will have a QR code to allow people to donate online quickly and easily."
Tracey says there is a huge amount of work involved planning New Zealand's largest street collection.
"But it's also incredibly rewarding to see our volunteers and the community come out and show their support.
"I just love being in the city on Daffodil Day and seeing everyone wearing their bright, yellow daffodil pins. It's magic."
How to donate Donate during the street collection appeal or at any ANZ branch during August. Or donate online at www.daffodilday.org.nz
