STAFF at Eggleston Hall Cafe and Tearoom are well on their way to hitting a fundraising target to help MacMillan Cancer Support thanks to the ‘generosity of customers’.
The cafe has been running a month-long campaign to raise both awareness of the work MacMillan nurses do and funds for the charity.
The idea for the cafe’s charity appeal came from waitress, Tabitha Gillard, 21, who wanted to give something back to the charity after a member of her family was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Miss Gillard said: “He was diagnosed with terminal cancer two years ago.
“Now it’s towards the end and he has a MacMillan nurse helping and we thought that it would be a really good thing to try and raise money for them as we’ve seen first hand just how much they can help.”
She added: “I saw the idea elsewhere and asked my bosses if we could do it and they have been really supportive.
“We’ve had the donation jars on the table since the beginning of the month and people have been so generous.
“I set an initial target of trying to raise £250 but people have been so generous and brilliant that we’re already half way there and we’re only part of the way through the month.
“It’s just lovely how people are being so supportive.”
As well as hosting a coffee morning at the end of the month, the cafe has installed fund-raising jars and customers and visitors are encouraged to fill it with loose change.
Clare Metcalfe, manager at the cafe, said: “It’s been lovely as our customers have been so generous.
“When they get to the till to pay, they say they’ve put all their loose change in the donation jars and they don’t have any left for tips. But we’re delighted about that, this is all about raising funds for the charity.”
The cafe is hosting a coffee morning on Friday, September 27, between 10am and 11.30am as part of the charity’s World’s Biggest Coffee morning campaign.
As well as an array of mouthwatering cakes, there will be also be games and activities on offer.
