One of Australia’s leading charities, the Cancer Council will again hold its annual ‘Daffodil Fundraiser’ on Friday, August 25 this year. One of the key fundraising initiatives held every year, is the sale of daffodil merchandise, including pens, pins, fresh flowers and wrist bands – with all funds going back into their ground-breaking research. But in order to do this, they need our help!

Every year, thousands of volunteers all over NSW hit the streets, shopping centres and business areas to raise vital funds for Cancer Council. You can volunteer close to home, work, or in your local community – there are plenty of options to suit your availability. If you have a local business that would like to participate, it’s not too late to order a merchandise kit to raise money direct from the customers and staff you have within your business.

If you can donate some time to volunteer on the day, you’ll be selling merchandise and fresh daffodils and collecting much-needed donations. If you’d like more information on supporting this great cause either by donating your time or money, visit www.daffodilday.com.au

This week the NSW Government has released its $6 million NSW Regional Conferencing Strategy and Action Plan, aimed at driving more business event visitors to the Bathurst Electorate and regional NSW.

The strategy will provide a platform for additional tourism growth, boost the local economy and help generate opportunities for the region’s tourism industry. The strategy will help secure more conventions, meetings and business conferences in the existing and emerging facilities we have across the region.

With toolkits for tourism operators, a website for showcasing the array of business event venues and destinations, dollar-for-dollar funding to assist in developing marketing programs and a dedicated unit to work closely with the industry, this is sure to give the many tourism operators across our electorate a great opportunity for growth and expansion.

For more information on the Regional Conferencing Strategy visit www.meetinnsw.com.au

Staff who work in Visitor Information Centres right across NSW will be trained in the latest customer service techniques thanks to a NSW Government’s program aimed at promoting rural and regional NSW. The workshops have been developed by Destination NSW in collaboration with TAFENSW and will help support staff in delivering the best possible customer service and information in our centres.

Growing tourism in rural and regional NSW is a top priority, and with the large range of programs and funding being invested into this growth area, we want to ensure the staff distributing the information to visitors, are the very best.

Pastoral Care is part of the holistic care for a patient, carer, or staff, and compliments the traditional care that one would expect in a hospital. Coming to hospital as an inpatient for tests, treatment, surgery, or visiting as a relative, friend, or patient carer, can be a stressful and sometimes lonely experience.

If you are interested in being trained as a Pastoral Care volunteer, and joining the Pastoral Care team in Bathurst Hospital, you are invited to register your interest by contacting Bruce on 0413 966 388, or email bruceprince@bigpond.com.