CELEBRATING The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning in Ilkley this year were over 60 businesses in the town.

Some organised their own coffee and cake events while four teams of volunteers from the Ilkley Macmillan fundraising committee made sure that no-one missed the opportunity to take part by delivering coffee, tea and biscuits to those in the centre of town.

Most had their coffee delivered by 11am before the rain came but White Stuff staff were delighted that they still received their coffee at the requested time of noon, despite the downpour! Almost £400 was raised by the deliveries and, together with a coffee morning at Virtual College, the final amount was nearly £700. All of the staff at Virtual College took part in an inter-departmental ‘bake-off’ competition and produced some amazing cakes which were put on display for judging.

A spokesperson for the Ilkley fundraising committee said: “From experience many people know how active Macmillan are in the area with the specialist nurses and doctors but Macmillan also want to highlight the financial impact a cancer diagnosis can bring. Four out of five people living with cancer find that they are on average £570 worse off per month. To help with these extra costs, Macmillan grants are available as a one off payment for adults, young people or children with cancer to cover a wide range of practical needs. This can include help with heating bills, extra clothing, extra laundry costs or even a much needed family break. In 2018 the average grant was around £388 per person and last year Macmillan provided a grant to 1040 people living in West Yorkshire. Some cancer treatments can leave people feeling the cold more acutely but a Macmillan Heating Grant can help them keep the heating on when they really need to.

“Ninety-eight per cent of the funds that Macmillan receive come from voluntary donations.”

On behalf of the Ilkley Fundraising Committee, Chris Martinez thanked all those people in Ilkley who joined in the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning and wanted to show their support for all those experiencing and living through cancer.