Macmillan Cancer Support’s annual fundraiser turns 30 this year

10 Aug Macmillan Cancer Support’s annual fundraiser turns 30 this year

In 1990, the year of the first Macmillan Coffee Morning, Margaret Thatcher was in the last days of her time in No10, Home Alone was one of the biggest films of the year and Ice Ice Baby by Robert Van Winkle – better known as Vanilla Ice – was storming the charts.

Many things are very different 30 years on but our appetite for Macmillan Coffee Mornings has just grown and grown. Nothing can stop what has become one of the premier moments in the UK fundraising calendar – not even a global pandemic.

The official date for this year’s event is Friday 25 September, but we’re encouraging the British public to get involved in Coffee Morning whenever, wherever and in whatever way they can.

Since 1990, hundreds of thousands of people have hosted Macmillan Coffee Mornings, tucked into delicious cakes and enjoyed a cuppa with pals, neighbours and strangers to help provide the vital support people living with cancer rely on.

And this year is no different.

Due to Covid-19, we might not be allowed to pack into houses, village halls, fire stations or community centres in the same way we’ve all enjoyed before.

So, this year it’s all about getting together for a Coffee Morning in a way that suits you.

Why? Because every 90 seconds someone in the UK is diagnosed with cancer. We’re doing everything we can to provide vital emotional, financial and clinical support for people living with cancer who are going through a challenging time.

Before Covid-19, many patients told Macmillan that being diagnosed with cancer and going through treatment was the scariest thing that they could imagine.

These anxieties and concerns have not gone away during the pandemic – they’ve been made worse by this crisis – meaning Macmillan needs support from you more than ever before.

Our work is almost entirely funded by donations and every penny raised at a Coffee Morning helps us to provide vital support to people with cancer. This could include:

• £10 – This could help run our vital phone service for cancer patients and could lead to our welfare rights advisers on our Macmillan Support Line helping people affected by cancer to claim £396 in benefits they are entitled to.

• £30 – This could pay for 50 copies of cancer information booklets. These booklets are one of our most popular resources, offering advice and information on sources of support to people affected by cancer, who may experience a wide range of emotions including fear, loneliness, and anger.

• £60 – This could pay for a Macmillan grant that buys a good quality liquidiser for someone who can’t eat solid food as a result of their cancer or treatment.

• £100 – This could pay for a health professional to attend a specialised conference on approaches to cancer treatment, run by Macmillan.

• £150 – This could pay for a Macmillan grant that buys new clothes for someone experiencing a change in weight or body shape while undergoing cancer treatment, helping them feel better about the way they look.

• £200 – This could pay for the training of a person affected by cancer to become a Cancer Support Course facilitator. This is an accredited course which develops participants’ cancer awareness, communication and counselling skills to better support other people affected by cancer.

Robert Moon, Head of Regional Fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support in the East of England said:

“We’re incredibly excited about Coffee Morning 2020, it’s always so fantastic to see so many people get involved to raise crucial funds to allow us to help the people who need us.

“Whether you host an event at home or at work, in the morning or evening, bake a showstopper or buy one of the limited edition products from our headline partner Marks & Spencer – the money you raise will enable Macmillan to continue providing these vital services. Every Coffee Morning changes lives.

“Demand for our cancer support services is greater than ever, but, due to coronavirus, we are facing a significant drop in our income. The truth is that we can’t continue to be there for all the people who need us without your support.

“We are doing everything we can to help address the immediate and unique challenges that having cancer during this pandemic brings but we need support. Donations are vital to enable us to continue to be there for people living with cancer.”

HOW TO GET INVOLVED:

1. Sign up at macmillan.org.uk/coffee or by searching Macmillan Coffee Morning.

1. The official Coffee Morning is on Friday 25 but supporters are encouraged to hold their Coffee Morning whenever suits them. Whether it’s in the garden, the office kitchen, outside the community hall, at school, or on the street for your neighbours to enjoy, make sure to have plenty space and easy access.

1. This year we are also encouraging everyone to get involved to do whatever they can to raise money, which could involve taking on a new special challenge; for example you could run, cycle, knit or bake to raise funds to support people living with cancer.

1. Buy one of the limited-edition M&S products. Throughout September, our headline partner Marks & Spencer will be selling a selection of Coffee Morning products in M&S food halls – including a bespoke Macmillan Colin the Caterpillar cake and a specially designed travel cup and mug – with 10 per cent of proceeds going to Macmillan.

1. Have a personal Coffee Morning of your own every day in September at an M&S Café, where there will be a 5p donation from M&S for every hot coffee and slice of cake sold throughout September.