History

 

Started in July 1995 by a committee of:

Moira Broom

Pat Devito French

Elizabeth Wade

Carol Woolner

 

 

The charity was then called Cancer Relief Macmillan Fund and we were fund raising specially for the Macmillan extension and garden at Meadow House Hospice Ealing. 

 

First committee event - Recital in Carol’s drawing room of Liz’s music pupils given for their parents to pay for the privilege of hearing them, the event raised 107.00

 

The coffee morning in September 1995 raised 244.68

 

Second committee event - an evening of wine and music (nov. 1995) in the drawing room of musical neighbours who preformed and organised others, that raised 205.00

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First major event - Leap Years Day Gala Dinner - Black Tie Dinner in the old Church Hall of St Michael and All Angels, Bedford Park on 29th Feb (of course) 1996, which raised 1857.02.

 

Since those early fund raising events we now have an annual Chiswick Garden Party, Bi-Annual Tennis Tournaments, a pre-Lent Soup Kitchen and the “World’s Biggest Coffee Morning” around which we programme Supper Quizzes, Themed Dinners (Indian and Mexican so far), Concerts, Talks about gardening, Bridge evenings with Supper, a Golf Tournament and now what looks like continuing to be an annual event The Macmillan Plant Fair. Individuals have also cycled Scottish hills, abseiled in West Ham and walked the Thames towpath. 

 

In 2010 the Plant Fair raised over 7k and the Garden Party nearly 8k. 

 

We are now a committee of 7. The generosity of the committee and time they give (they cook and donate all the food and canapés!) is supplemented by the Raffle and Auction Prizes they beg steal and donate. Without that generosity we could not persuade others to be generous too. 

 

Our two aims are:

to give pleasure and value to our supporters - we rarely ask for donations without offering entertainment with hospitality and to ensure that the money we raise foes to local Macmillan services. In the year 2011-2012 we sponsored the training of a Neuro Oncology clinical nurse specialist, working within the Imperial college Trust, who though based at St Mary's Hospital will cover Charing Cross, Hammersmith and Queen Charlotte’s Hospitals.