Watten coffee morning raises nearly £6K for charity and there's more to come
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A coffee morning at Watten Village Hall in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support has so far raised £5834 with more money to be counted, said the organisers.
Dianne Mackay, Sheona Henderson and Donna Simpson joined forces to host the popular event on Saturday (September 23) and also had special table selling items along with a raffle outside the village shop the day before – all in support of the charity.
"This is the 29th coffee morning we've had and it might even be the one that raises the most money," said Dianne during a quick interview on the day.
"Yesterday, we raised £1400 at the side of the road outside the village shop with a pop-up sales table. We'll not know the full amount raised today but we'll get back to you with that."
On Thursday morning, Dianne said that £5834 had so far been raised from the charity event but more money had yet to be counted.
Sheona Henderson said that all money raised will go the local Macmillan branch in Wick. "It goes to local people so we'll all know people who have benefited from it. There will not be one family untouched by the issue," she added.
Donna Simpson said: "A Macmillan nurse will come in at 'end of life' and offer a bit of support for the family and help with treatments for people diagnosed with cancer."
Watten Village Hall was a hive of activity with many coming and going throughout the morning. There were coffees, teas, soft drinks, cakes and biscuits available from the kitchen. A raffle with many donated prizes proved popular and at the back of the hall were tables with home baking for sale, a bottle stall and local crafts – all for the good cause of Macmillan Cancer Support.
Dianne said that some of the visitors had travelled hundreds of miles to attend. The hall had 14 tables that averaged eight people per table – some quick arithmetic showed that there were over 100 people at one point and over the day it was reckoned close to 300 attended.
Young volunteers helping at the event included Scott Mackenzie and Iona Simpson. "I'm on duty to do the lucky squares for winning the hamper and a 'guess the sweets in the jar' which are both doing well," said Scott.
Describing the prizes on the day, Iona said: "We've got different hampers and bottles, sweeties, kids' stuff too – there's a good mix of everything. All of it's donated by locals and businesses."
With more money coming in the total raised for the good cause could run to £7000 or more, say the organisers.
