Organ donor awareness project set up to honour Peterborough woman’s legacy marks tenth anniversary

An organ donor awareness project which was setup to honour a young Peterborough woman who passed away in 2013 is preparing to mark its tenth anniversary.

The Little Yellow Duck Project was established in 2014 to honour Clare Cruickshank, a 26-year-old Hampton Vale woman with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) who died whilst waiting for an organ transplant.

Founded by Clare’s mum Ann Rowcliffe and her good friend Emma Harris, the project was conceived to encourage individuals to talk to their family about any wishes they may have to donate blood, bone marrow, organ or tissue in the event of a tragedy.

In addition, the project also reflected Clare’s love of little yellow ducks.

“She was crazy about little yellow rubber ducks and had a huge collection of them in all shapes and sizes,” says Clare’s mum, Ann, who describes her daughter as “a kind and fun-loving person who lived life to the full.”

“Clare loved being creative and could spend hours happily covered in glue and glitter or finding a way to make something with her sewing machine,” she remembers.

Ann elaborated on the significance of the upcoming anniversary:

“April 15, 2024 marks the tenth anniversary of the project launched in memory of my daughter,” she says.

“Clare was born with a genetic lung disease and passed away after a matching donor could not be found for a [double lung] transplant.

“She was 26.”

Despite her own time running out, Clare asked her mum to promise to donate any organs or tissues that she could after her death

“Her compassion led to her organs and tissues being donated after her death,” Ann recalls.

“Her corneas helped two young adults have their sight restored.”

Ann says Clare’s friend Emma was a major driving force behind the project’s initial founding.““Emma, who also had Cystic Fibrosis, wanted to do something positive to remember her good friend,” she recalls.

The project works by having participants make and then hide yellow ducks – as a random act of kindness – for people to find.

All of the ducks have a label on them which, when found, directs the finder to visit thelittleyellowduckproject.org.

Here, they are encouraged to register their duck, learn more about organ donation and perhaps even seek advice on how to get involved.

Ann estimates that, so far, around 15,000 ducks have been registered, all around the world.

“There are currently 96 countries listed where ducks have been found,” she notes proudly.

“My daughter used to joke that she would like to have world domination so it’s with a smile that I think something in her memory has reached half of the globe!”

Ann reflected that this anniversary will be particularly poignant as it will be the first one which Clare’s good friend Emma will not be present at:

“Sadly, Emma lost her fight for life and died in January this year,” Ann says, “days short of her 50th birthday.”

Anyone who would like to find out about the project and/or consider the importance of donors, is encouraged to visit thelittleyellowduckproject.org.