An appeal for unwanted jewellery is continuing to mine treasure for families fighting illness across Tayside.
Thousands of pieces of jewellery were donated to the Marie Curie Magpie appeal, which was launched in The Courier last year, in support of the terminal care charity.
Now three pieces made by Dundee jeweller Lorraine Law from material donated by members of the public will go under the hammer in London on Thursday May 2.
Since the campaign launched in April 2018, more than £18,000 has been raised for Marie Curie, helping the charity to provide nursing care to terminally ill patients in their own homes.
That total is now set to rise as a gold and diamond bangle, bracelet and necklace are being auctioned off at the annual Housebuilders’ Brain Game event.
Initially Marie Curie had hoped to source just enough raw material to fashion one new item for auction but the response surpassed everyone’s expectations.
Charity patron Petra McMillan, from Dundee, said she has been “blown away” by the success of the appeal, which has already helped pay for more than 900 hours of end-of-life nursing care.
“Courier readers have been amazing,” she said. “From humble beginnings, 12 months on the appeal is still generating funds for us and supporting our community nursing service right across the NHS Tayside area.”
The fundraising drive aimed to mark the 70th anniversary of the charity’s inception by creating a new piece of jewellery in aid of the local nursing service.
When the donations started flooding in, Lorraine realised she was being entrusted with a bigger project than she had anticipated.
She said: “I really wanted to do justice to the generosity of Courier readers as a tribute to the stories many of them shared with me about how Marie Curie had helped them in their hour of need.
“People were handing in pieces of huge sentimental value, things they cherished for decades but were glad to go to help others. I was really moved by that.”
Bids can be followed online via the auction website. All of the money raised for the Tayside items will be spent in the local area.
Lorraine’s jewellery will be sold alongside works by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Roy Lichtenstein in the annual event, which last year raised more than £250,000 for Marie Curie.
