Coffee mornings come back to Leamington to fund vital cancer care

Cllr Felicity Bunker, chairman of Warwick District Council, joined Macmillan’s Warwickshire fundraising manager Karen Shortt and this year’s mascot for the charity’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning, to mark the launch of the 2011 event.

Thousands of workplaces, schools, community groups and individuals are being invited to organise a coffee morning, tea party, curry night, cocktail evening or any other type of gathering on Friday September 30 - or indeed on an alternative date to suit them.

Ms Shortt is hoping people in Warwickshire will help to raise £97,000 to contribute towards a record-breaking national total of £8.5 million.

Cllr Bunker, who is also a Kenilworth councillor, has already arranged to hold two events for the cause - one in Kenilworth and another at Leamington town hall, where district council meetings are held. Her husband Arnold, who had cancer, died in 2008 after being cared for and supported by Macmillan nurses.

She said: “You don’t know how to go about things when it happens to you. The Macmillan nurses are very calm and they give you good advice.

“They also arranged for Arnold to spend some time at Myton Hospice to give me a break. It’s not just nursing they provide, but also making sure you have someone to talk to.”

As Macmillan is one of Cllr Bunker’s two chosen charities for her term as council chairman, she thought the coffee morning would be an ideal opportunity to raise a good amount of money to add to funds she hopes to raise throughout the year.

She said: “I would have liked to have done a coffee morning in Warwick as well, but it’s difficult fitting it all in. I hope people will take a bit of time to pop in and join us for a coffee and biscuit.”

Ms Shortt said: “The great thing about this event is that you can put your own twist on it and make sure it works for you.

“Each World’s Biggest Coffee Morning event, no matter how small or large, will help Macmillan make a real difference to people affected by cancer.”

Cllr Bunker’s coffee mornings are taking place at the Almanack in Abbey End, Kenilworth, on Thursday September 29 at 10am and at Leamington town hall on Friday September 30 at 10.30am.

To find out more about the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning and to register an event, call 0845 602 1246 or click on the link on the top right.