I’ll keep promiseto mum I’d help

And it will be backed by the daughter of a mum who witnessed first-hand the caring work of the organisation’s staff.

The new group will organise and drum up support for events such as Blooming Great tea parties and the Great Daffodil Appeal. An information evening is to be held at Cumbernauld College on September 6, from 7pm to 9pm and volunteers are being urged to attend in numbers.

One such volunteer is Michelle Buick from Kilsyth, whose mother Cathy Cavana was cared for at the Glasgow hospice until her death on February 3, 2010. Michelle said: “My family had never had any experience of hospices before. From the minute we arrived they put us completely at ease.

“We could visit at any hour of the day or night and they even brought in a bed so we could stay the night. It was a horrible, painful thing to go through but they helped us come to terms with it.

“I promised my mum I’d do something to help with fundraising so other families could receive the same help we did.”

Karen Milne, community fundraiser, said: “For 34 years we have cared for the terminally ill in North Lanarkshire. Our new Marie Curie Hospice has been open since January 2010 and allows our nurses to provide outstanding expert care and a better quality of life, all totally free.

“Marie Curie Nurses receive less than 50 per cent funding from the NHS and the rest comes from voluntary donations so we are heavily reliant on volunteers and fundraisers.”

Karen added: “Getting involved in the Cumbernauld Fundraising Group will not only be a lot of fun, but will help local people and their families get the very best care at an often stressful time in their lives.”