25 September 2024
Suzanne Cox, a project support officer at Roseberry Park in Middlesbrough is on a mission to raise 10k in 10 years to support the Macmillan nurses and the work they do.
In 2015, taking over from a friend who had started some years earlier, Suzanne organised her first Macmillan Coffee Morning with her local church community to raise much needed funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Suzanne lost her best friend, Mandy, at the age of 52 to cancer and decided to continue to raise funds in support of the Macmillan nurses who provided the most amazing and precious care to Mandy.
Raising over £8,600 over the past 10 years, this year she hopes to reach her target of 10k for 10 years hosting the coffee mornings.
She started the coffee mornings at home to do something positive and launched a fundraising page.
2020 and 2021 were a challenge due to restrictions from the pandemic, but she worked around this and instead arranged raffles for coffee, cake and sweet treat hampers.
In 2022 a move to the local church hall meant a larger space allowed more people to attend, and now over 100 people get together at the event each year.
“It’s such a team effort, we have lots of different stalls ranging from a raffle, guess the weight of the cake, number of sweets in the jar and the name of a knitted clown,” said Suzanne.
“This year my granddaughter has made some lovely bracelets that people can buy, there is an army of bakers and I get lots of help from my husband, family and friends, from the age of 3 to 94, to set up, look after the stalls, make refreshments and most importantly, doing the washing up!”
“I am proud of hosting this event, it’s lovely to see the community come together, to chat, have a cuppa and a cake and raise much needed funds to help the charity to continue its great work.”
This year’s event takes place on Saturday 28 September between 10am – 12noon at St Mary’s Church Hall in Nunthorpe.
If you can’t make the day, and would like to support Suzanne’s great cause, please visit her fundraising page: https://www.justgiving.com/CM24001800.
If you need any help or support, you can call Macmillan’s support line service on telephone: 0808 808 0000.