Theale company wins 'biggest coffee morning' cup
Macmillan Cancer Support awards the 'World's Biggest Coffee Morning' Berkshire Challenge Cup
A THEALE company has scooped Macmillan Cancer Support's glittering new trophy, in a county-wide competition.
This year, for the first time, The World's Biggest Coffee Morning Berkshire Challenge Cup has been awarded to the Berkshire company which raised the most money at the World's Biggest Coffee Morning (WBCM), held nationwide, on Friday September 30.
Macmillan Cancer Support presented the cup on Thursday (Nov 3), to Scottish and Southern Energy, after employees raised a total £1,574 on the day, just pipping Mortimer garage services company, Spratleys, into second place.
Spratleys, who raised £1,535 in just two hours from the sale of coffees and cakes and a raffle, have been holding WBCM's for the last two decades.
Main organiser of the Scottish and Southern event, Frances Walsh-Kay, aged 53, of Valley Road, Wash Common, a wayleave officer for the company, said they raised around £300 last year, but had pulled all the stops out for 2011, with lots of additional events to raise funds:
“I got behind it this year, after losing my husband, Jake Kay, to cancer in August,” she said.
Fundraisers included bacon baps served up to craftspeople from 7am, a car wash - during which the depot operations manager, Jason Black, washed cars all day wearing an ‘England' (Union) flag - silent auction and sponsored hair removal, including waxing men's legs and chests and head shave, along with a raffle and tombola.
Spokeswoman for Macmillan Cancer Support, Jan Treacher-Evans, said about 460 companies across the county had competed for the “whopping,” cup, to be engraved with the winning company's name and who will retain it for a year.
“Scottish and Southern did phenomenally well, they have multiplied the amount they raised last year by several times,” said Mrs Treacher-Evans.
As to where the cup might be displayed, Mrs Walsh-Kay said: “We are going to have to get a cabinet!” adding they aimed to retain the glittering trophy following next year's WBCM.
Macmillan Cancer Support's biggest fundraiser,the WBCM raised over £8m in 2010, after 43,000 people across the country signed up to hold a coffee morning.
