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Charity treats Frank to top hotel

Annette Lord
1/ 8/2008

A CHARITY is toasting the efforts of one of its best fundraisers by putting him up in a top hotel.

Staff at Marie Curie Cancer Care are so impressed with the efforts of great grandad Frank Smalley that they have arranged for an overnight stop at the hotel of his choice, with breakfast and dinner thrown in.

Frank, from Troydale Drive, Newton Heath, has raised in the region of £10,000 for the charity's Great Daffodil Appeal in four years, looking after numerous daffodil boxes and spending every weekend collecting at supermarkets across the area. Even the death of his mother Ivy Graham in February didn't stop him.

Daredevil Frank has also done a freefall parachute jump, abseiled from the velodrome, completed two fundraising zipwire challenges and done the Three Peaks Walk in aid of the charity.

His selflessness must be in the blood as mum Ivy was chairman of Troydale Drive Tenants' and Residents' Association until she was diagnosed with cancer last November.

"Frank, 64, said: "She did a lot of work in the community and left her body to medical science. One hundred people were at her memorial service, she was thought of a lot."

Modest Frank, who has a great grandson and 11 grandchildren, was still bowled over by Marie Curie's actions. He said: "They sprung it on me and I was a bit shocked because really I'm part of a team.

"It's nice to receive an individual honour and be recognised. I received it with grateful thanks but in recognition of the whole team, not just me as an individual."

Hannah Taylor from Marie Curie, which provides home care to terminally ill people, said: "Every year Frank covers a vast number of daffodil outreach boxes, will travel to any collection in the whole of Greater Manchester that we don't have cover for and helps us out by dropping off and picking up bits and pieces all over the area.

"We are extremely grateful to have Frank's help and support. He's just a really, really unselfish man who wants to use as much of his time as he can to help other people.

"Frank has contributed so much to the Great Daffodil Appeal this year and we are delighted to be able to recognise this."

The overnight break - plus champagne - is being paid for by hotel chain Macdonald Hotels and Resorts.