‘Melksham joins in World’s Biggest Coffee Morning’

COFFEE mornings across Melksham have raised thousands of pounds for a national charity. 

Macmillan Cancer Care held their annual ‘World’s Biggest Coffee Morning’ charity fundraiser, with Melksham venues joining in the initiative, which took place on Friday 26th and Saturday 27th of September.

The Forest Community Centre raised nearly £650 with coffee and cake sales and a raffle, thanks to some generous donations from the Melksham community for raffle prizes.

Chair of Forest Community Centre Vic Oakman said, “We would like to say a huge heart-felt thank you to the businesses and people of Melksham for their generous donations and gifts for the centre to use or raffle off in aid of the coffee and cake morning we held recently. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to the team at the centre who gave their time freely to make the morning a success, and to all those who attended and gave so generously.

“A special thanks must go to Gillian Hobbs who trudged round the businesses of Melksham and getting them involved. The day was a huge success.”

Elsewhere, there was quite a buzz at Seend Community Centre as the hall filled up with Macmillan supporters enjoying coffee and cake, guessing games, a raffle, a Phoenix Trading stall and a bring and buy/bric-a-brac stall. Three helpers arrived from Asda supermarket, laden with cakes, and both Sainsbury’s and Lidl contributed raffle prizes. Attendance was slightly down on previous years due to the growing number of coffee mornings in the area, but the event still made around £370 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Broughton Gifford parish councillor and WI president Lesley Holdway  held a coffee morning at her house which raised £230 for Macmillan Cancer Care.

The Art House Cafe donated a day’s takings to the charity and after a busy day raised over £320.

The Mobile Home Park in Semington Road held a coffee morning which raised £600. John Malone from the park said, “Everyone is grateful and we would also like to thank Nigel and Simon Price at the Mobile Home Park, Melksham, for allowing the event to take place. We would also like to thank local businesses in Melksham and Westbury who kindly donated raffle prizes.”

Forest and Sandridge School made £287.43 with their coffee morning for parents. All classes made cakes and year six children ran a coffee shop.

In Lacock, a group of three women organised a coffee morning with homemade cakes and a raffle that raised £935.  Carole Harwood, Jane Wootten and Sandra Lovelock decided to start hosting the coffee mornings in 2009 after Jane was diagnosed with cancer. Including this year’s total, they have now raised £3,785.48 for the charity since they started.

One of the organisers Sandra said, “It was a great event and it is an occasion where it feels like the whole village turns out and supports it.

“I would like to say thank you to The George for hosting the event and to the businesses who donated raffle prizes.”