The Daffodil Lady
Legacy of fundraising 'daffodil lady' revealed
In December 2010 Bethesda lost a valued friend, Joan Toop. Joan was one of the Organists at Bethesda for many years and her loving smile and quite humour will be missed by all. But after Joan passed away some startling facts came to light. Below is a reprint of an article from the Western Telegraph:
THE inspirational legacy of a fundraising pensioner has been revealed.
Joan Toop, better known as 'the daffodil lady', originally from Hakin, raised £53,907.97 for Save The Children by picking and selling the spring flowers to shops and offices around Haverfordwest since 1991.
The 85-year-old, from Merlins Bridge, had just begun fundraising for the Alzheimer's Society and had raised almost £400 before she died in December last year.
Joan would also fundraise by selling knitwear she had created and donating the proceeds to charity .
Her daughter, Gaynor Thomas, from Johnston, discovered her mother's extraordinary fundraising figures following her death and described her mother as an inspiration.
Gaynor said: " I just can't believe she raised that amount. She was always so grateful for all the help and support she received from people which enabled her to raise the charity money."
Following her funeral a further £600 was raised for the Alzheimer's Society and £355 for Save The Children in lieu of flowers.