How villagers in Banburyshire have found ways around the Covid-19 restrictions to raise money for MacMillan

Villagers have been finding ways around the Covid-19 restrictions to raise money at the annual MacMillan coffee morning fundraiser.

MacMillan Cancer Support runs the world’s biggest annual coffee morning to raise funds, and this year, Great and Little Bourton raised £1,100 for the charity on Saturday August 22.

Usually, the coffee morning involves people opening their houses to neighbours and friends to enjoy drinks and make donations, but due to restrictions on indoor gatherings, MacMillan’s supporters had to do things differently.

In these neighbouring villages, locals organised the ‘Bourtons Big Bake Off’, allowing villagers to buy homemade cakes and jams, fresh fruit and vegetables, and plants and flowers from gardens and allotments.

Maggie MacAngus, who sold cakes and plants from a marquee in front of her house said: “We lost our son to cancer six years ago.

“He was diagnosed, and lived for 14 months, but the MacMillan nurses were the ones he absolutely loved.

“It’s the first time I’ve actually had my own sale. I’ve done it down at the school for about seven years.”

One of the organisers, Ann Brooks, said that the event was very different than in previous years, because pandemic restrictions limited the social aspect of the fundraiser.

She said: “We had to rethink this year, due to the strange circumstances.

“We found five people willing to have a stall at the front of their house, which meant that people from both villages could walk around, gathering goodies, donating, and chatting to friends and neighbours.”

Despite the changes, raising well over £1,100 demonstrated how fundraising events can be made Covid-safe, and effective.

Ann added: “in terms of covid security, we’ve got hand sanitiser, wipes, that sort of thing.

“All the produce was pre-packaged and people were really good about social distancing.

“We’ve run a couple of things along these lines since lockdown: the Bourtons Big Plant Swap, the Bourtons Big Giveaway.”

Usually, the coffee morning would be held on a particular day nationwide in late September, but it was held earlier to take advantage of the August weather, so that donations could be made outdoors.

Donors were encouraged to make contributions digitally via a QR code, and no change was made for customers so as to maintain physical distancing.

What was not sold from the five stalls across both villages will be donated to NHS workers.

More about MacMillan

MacMillan nurses offer emotional, physical, and financial support for cancer patients from the moment of their diagnosis, throughout their treatment.

Across the country, MacMillan events raise hundreds of millions of pounds to fund the care provided by their nurses for cancer sufferers.

Visit www.macmillan.org.uk for more information.