PICTURES: Are you in the picture for Saturday’s massive charity event in Watten?
A dedicated team of volunteers served hundreds of visitors for the 30th anniversary of the Watten Macmillan coffee morning at the village hall on Saturday.
The team has raised tens of thousands towards the charity over the years and the weekend event looked set to be a record breaker for funds raised.
The coffee mornings started at the Brown Trout Hotel before moving to the primary school and then to the present location in the village hall. Ahead of the event was a special stall set up near the village shop the day before with many items for passersby to purchase.
A spokesperson for the event said: “Every penny raised goes to the local branch and with the public’s help Macmillan will be able to support those in our communities whose lives have been touched by cancer.”
There were teas, coffees and home-baking available from the kitchen with staff busily attending the many tables set out. Tabletop stalls had cakes and homemade produce along with handcrafted items to purchase as well as a bottle stall, bric-a-brac and a very popular raffle with many prizes generously donated.
Scott Mackenzie was lending a helping hand and busily going from one stall to another and back and forth from the kitchen to the tables. “I’ve helped out since I was young and am mainly doing the raffles but will go around doing whatever,” he said.
“It’s better than ever today and we’ve got a 30th anniversary raffle with special prizes donated by businesses. The 30th is a big one for us this year and it’s all going well.”
One visitor from Wick said: “I’ve been coming for a number of years and it’s always impressive how well the committee work and how much effort they put into this great event.
“It’s a nice opportunity to catch up with people from around the county.”
One of the volunteers at the event said that there were two raffles running at the coffee morning with a special one for the 30th anniversary. “It’s a very popular coffee morning because it’s local and local people come to support it and the funds raised go to the local Macmillan’s account,” she added.
“The home-baking comes from all different people. The jams and chutneys are all made locally,” said one of the stallholders.
The 30th anniversary Macmillan event at Watten was such a hive of activity that it seems highly feasible that a record amount was raised for the cancer charity.
