Marie Curie - Great Daffodil Appeal - Speech to the Senedd/Welsh Parliament on the 24th February 2026

September 2025, I walked 12 miles of the Gower coastline for Marie Curie.

I’m back for more.. Much.. More!

21 miles in fact..

Last year, with your generosity, we raised £630.

This year, my goal is £1,000

... and every single pound matters.

Marie Curie does extraordinary work, and I say that not as a slogan, but from personal experience.

If you have a moment, I hope you’ll read my story below.

The Continuing Mission..

On 14 June 2024, our family received the devastating news of the sudden and untimely death of my beloved brother, Chris Davies.

He left behind a family who misses him deeply. In the months that followed, grief became something to navigate daily.

For me, it compounded years of accumulated loss.

In the past two years alone, cancer took my brother-in-law, David, and uncle-in-law Terry. We also lost my cousin’s son, Imran, my Uncle Keith, and my Aunty Sheila in West Wales. Even our beloved family dog, Poosh, was gone. Poosh was the epitome of a mental health dog, he got me out of the house, he made me smile and never left my side.

Add to this unresolved grief from losing my father suddenly in 1988 and my mother in 2004.

To put it bluntly, it all added up and floored me.

Eventually, I had to stop, breathe, and reassess my life.

I reached a point where I knew I couldn’t carry it alone anymore.

The Support

Exasperated at the cycle of grief, the desperation of depression and truly reaching the point where something simply had to change. I visited my GP, who was wonderful and offered medication to support and to place me on a waiting list for counselling.

However, due to demand NHS counselling wouldn't be any time soon and I was recommended to look for private support. Feeling truly at my wits end, I searched from the GP car park for help. Private sessions were seriously cost prohibitive but then I found that Marie Curie offered help.

I hesitated at first. I felt like a fraud asking for help from an organisation I associated solely with end-of-life cancer care. What I learned is that Marie Curie supports people with long-term illness, complex grief, and bereavement — and indeed their families.

I called and they were wonderful. Very quickly, I received eight weeks of superb one-to-one counselling.

I cannot overstate the impact this had. It helped me begin a mindfulness journey, explore stoicism, and rebuild myself — supported by my family and my GP.

I was in a very dark place. I don't wish to elaborate more that just to say that I was taking active steps to ensure that I wasn't here anymore. Not just one one occasion. The love of my family and the impact to them saved me with the support Marie Curie has provided me.

The support I received didn’t just help me find my smile again — it helped me become a better version of myself.

That is why this walk matters.

The Plan (and the Why)

With a clearer head and renewed purpose, I wanted to say thank you to Marie Curie, remember those we’ve lost, and do something constructive for both mind and body.

The questions were simple:

What? When? Where? How?

I already knew the why.

And oddly enough, the answer is… Quentin Tarantino.

Chris and I shared a shorthand. We often made each other laugh by quoting films — especially Pulp Fiction.

Jules: “I’m gonna walk the earth.”

Vincent: “What do you mean, walk the earth?”

Jules: “Like Caine in Kung Fu. Just walk from town to town.”

So in September 2026, I’ll be walking again — not the whole earth, but 21 miles across the Gower Peninsula.

It also brings my love of walking my childhood community of Llandovery with my brother full circle. We climbed hills together and whilst he isn't with me, were walking together in my heart.

The route takes in the iconic Rhossili Bay, vast beaches, dunes, surfers, and — if I’m lucky — Atlantic grey seals, dolphins, and harbour porpoises. It’s close to Swansea and not far from the Marie Curie Hospice in Penarth.

This will be my second Beat The Gower for Marie Curie.

I completed 12 miles in September 2025 — but there’s more road ahead, and more meaning in the journey.

The Gratitude

I’m training to Beat The Gower to help Marie Curie continue providing exceptional care — to the end, and for families when they need it most.

Every donation goes directly to them.

To put the impact into perspective:

£3 helps fund a meal for a patient in one of their hospices

£26 funds an hour of bereavement support by phone or web chat

(I personally received the equivalent of £208 worth of this support)

£207 funds nine hours of overnight nursing care in a patient’s home

This is real help, delivered when it matters most.

The Mission (Training)

Besides making sure I complete at least 2/5K daily of walks, I have a weekly routine supported with a plan from a retired Marine to get me match fit for the big day, this is driven by a 2hr weekly cardio session to build my stamina and endurance for the mission.

I’m also training using The Conqueror virtual walking app, which tracks real steps against global routes.

As of March 2026, I have completed

100 miles - Wales Coast Path - Using steps taken on the Welsh coast

48km Bangkok walk - Using steps whilst visiting Thailand

A 120km London route - Using steps in the city

A 48km Berlin Wall trail - Wrapped up within a fortnight

I’m currently working toward a Route 66 (3,670km) challenge — to be completed within two years — with the Gower walk playing a key role.

As of New Year's Eve 2025 - I achieved 781 KM/485.91 Miles logged for that medal. The equivalent of walking from Chicago to Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania! As of March 2026, I am currently at 967 KM/600 Miles

2025 in total, I put my money where my mouth was and walked 720 miles, recorded on the Conqueror app/Apple Health.

I must also thank my part-time personal trainer and full-time corgi, Gwenny, for her moral support, hill-dragging assistance, and general refusal to accept excuses. Gwenny follows in a long line of legendary Davies dogs and I need to say publicly that she is a very very good girl.

Final Thoughts

I know times are hard for many people.

But without Marie Curie’s support, I genuinely don’t believe I’d be strong enough to write this — let alone attempt a 21-mile coastal hike.

If you’re able to donate, share, or simply read my story, it means more than I can say.

Diolch yn fawr. Thank you.