Martin Daly, owner of Daly’s SPAR in Eglish, has handed over a cheque for over £2,000 to Marie Curie NI, thanks to the recent virtual 5K run in partnership with local schools and shoppers held on St. Patrick’s Day.

Martin met with Marie Curie NI representatives Anne Hannon and Cathal McGurk in the local Field of Daffodils, the patch of land opposite the store which has been filled with the spring blooms in memory of local people cared for by Marie Curie, and was created alongside community volunteers in 2019.

Daly’s has been fundraising for Marie Curie NI as part of the SPAR brand’s UK-wide partnership with the organisation since 2017, with the store and its team always lending support to fundraising events, big and small.

Martin commented; “Marie Curie is an incredibly important service for the local community, and that’s what we’re all about here at Daly’s SPAR. When we completed our redevelopment a couple of years ago, we had a piece of land across from the forecourt which we thought would be perfect to plant some bulbs, have as a quiet space and place for reflection, as Marie Curie Fields of Hope symbolise.

“All who took part in our virtual 5K run on St. Patrick’s Day really helped boost our fundraising total for Marie Curie, raising £2,085 by running their own route locally last month. We would like to thank everyone in the local community, the local schools and shoppers who all donated very generously.”

Anne Hannon, Partnership Manager at Marie Curie NI added; “Our local partnership with the SPAR brand has meant that over a quarter of funds raised from SPAR stores in the UK for Marie Curie has come from retailers in Northern Ireland. It is fantastic to see store teams such as Daly’s create their own events as well as taking part in our national fundraisers. We’re very proud of this partnership which excels in Northern Ireland.”

While Daly’s Daffodils continue to bloom throughout the spring, the store will gear up for the next Marie Curie Fundraiser, the Blooming Great Tea Party in June which SPAR NI will be turning into a birthday celebration for their charity partner, with bumper fundraising plans.

Martin added; “June will be a real celebratory month for SPAR NI and our store as we get involved in all the celebrations, especially in aid of Marie Curie. We hope the restrictions will have eased so that we can enjoy SPAR NI’s Blooming Great Birthday Party with our local shoppers and entire community.”

For more information on Daly’s SPAR and their upcoming events, follow Daly’s Service Station on Facebook.

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