The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning on Friday was alive and well in Herts and Beds, raising thousands for Macmillan Cancer Support.
We have put together some highlights from Macmillan’s biggest fundraising event of the year.
Karen Newman and her colleagues at Barnes & Partners Solicitors in Stevenage Old Town organised an office bake-off, coffee morning and raffle, raising £1,700 for the cause that is of special significance for Karen.
The 45-year-old was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia last year, and received a huge amount of support from Macmillan.
Following her remarkable recovery, she wanted to give something back to the charity.
Staff and students at the Knights Templar School in Baldock hosted one of the largest coffee mornings in the area, with 1,500 people buying cakes.
The event was arranged by the student leadership team, who have worked hard to ensure the success of the fundraiser.
Their efforts meant that £2,533 was raised for Macmillan.
Clowns, magicians and fortune tellers congregated at the Brewery Tearooms in Walkern, to raise money in a circus-themed coffee morning on Friday.
This was the tearoom’s eighth annual charity event – and it was followed by a sponsored bike ride the next day.
All together they have raised almost £5,000, with donations still flooding in.
Josephine Wiles from Shefford ‘braved the shave’ for Macmillan at her daughter’s coffee morning.
Her courageous fundraising efforts were in aid of her lifelong friend Annette Pacy, who has pancreatic cancer.
In total, the coffee morning and sponsored headshave raised £1,363.
Back in Stevenage, children and staff at Roebuck Academy got their aprons dirty to contribute to the school’s bake-off.
The effort raised more than £500 in what has been the school’s first big event of the year since becoming an academy.
Walsworth Community Centre in Hitchin put on a coffee and cake morning, getting involved with the festivities as neighbours contributed their homemade cakes.
Sainsbury’s donated £20 worth of cakes and North Hertfordshire District Council chairman Alan Millard made an appearance to help with the fundraising, which totalled £136.
Hitchin also saw Purwell Primary School getting involved with a coffee morning that raised £200, while The Priory School sixth form prefect team organised the secondary school’s coffee morning stall – raising £180.
Broom Barns Community Primary School in Stevenage satisfied cake cravings of more than 300 guests, including children, parents, town MP Stephen McPartland and the mayor Pam Stuart.
The primary school’s sixth year of coffee and cake mornings raised £920, making it a total of more than £4,000 since 2011.
Budgens in Great Ashby teamed up with Circles Café for two days of coffee mornings, raising a total of £1,700 for Macmillan.
Stevenage Borough Council also held a staff event for the cause, raising £116.
Donna Lee from Macmillan told the Comet: “Coffee mornings are massive for Macmillan. It’s a real community event.
“The target for this year’s events country-wide is £38 million, which is huge. Hertfordshire will probably raise about £1 million of that, with the average coffee morning raising approximately £250. That goes to show the number of events that were held in the area. It’s phenomenal.
“Without the support of every individual we would be unable to provide the much-needed support to cancer patients and their families – so we are extremely grateful.”
Anyone wishing to get in contact or raise money for Macmillan in Hertfordshire should contact Donna at dolee@macmillan.org.uk.
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