Raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support

TJ have once again showed their support for Macmillan by taking part in the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning 2021, which took place on Friday 24 September. The coffee morning is a fundraising event which takes place at the end of September every year to raise money for the charity, which focuses on cancer care.

Macmillan Cancer Support is one of the largest British charities and provides specialist health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer. It also looks at the social, emotional and practical impact cancer can have, and campaigns for better cancer care.

The event was held at TJ’s headquarters in Fareham, Hampshire. The company raised £175 thanks to tasty donations from many of the staff. Amongst the many treats was a luscious lemon drizzle cake, some delectable bacon and cheese twists, chocolate brownies and some raspberry and white chocolate muffins.  There were also some shop-bought donations which were also very welcome!

TJ’s Purchase Ledger, Elaine Stenning organised the event with the help of fellow employees Barbara Goode and Sarah Mace, the same trio that has organised the event in previous years too. Elaine coordinated the cake donations on the day and set up the stall in the admin office, a spacious area accessible to all staff.

Elaine said: “Baking is a passion of mine so anything cake-related is always of interest to me! I think this national event is a very worthwhile cause as cancer has touched most of us in some way and this charity works tirelessly to provide support to those who need it. If we can do our bit and help in some small way, that’s great.”

In addition to this, TJ also gets involved in other fundraising for various charities. A monthly ‘dress down day’ is held, whereby staff pay a £2.50 donation to wear casual clothes for the day. The funds raised are donated to a different charity each quarter. This year money has been donated to Diabetes UK, The Rainbow Centre, Dogs Trust and Wessex Heartbeat.

Diabetes UK is leading the fight against diabetes, the UK’s biggest and growing health crisis. It’s their aim to prevent Type 2 diabetes, campaign for and support everyone affected by diabetes and fund research that will one day lead to a cure. 

The Rainbow Centre is a Fareham-based charity that helps children, adults, families and carers affected by neurological conditions. They believe that what an individual can do is far more important than what they can’t do and this is reflected in all they do.

Dogs Trust is the UK’s largest dog welfare charity and cares for over 15,000 dogs each year through a network of 20 rehoming centres in the UK. They’ve been involved in every piece of legislation affecting dogs over the past 126 years.

Wessex Heartbeat is a charity set up to support the work of the Wessex Cardiac Centre in Southampton, which ensures that people being treated for heart conditions will receive the best care and support to treat their condition.

In October, TJ’s Commercial and Operations Manager Paul Smith will be running the London Marathon to raise money for Wessex Heartbeat. When TJ’s Chairman, Terry Higgins was offered a marathon place in return for fundraising, he was more than happy to accept. 

Terry knew Paul was a keen runner and offered him the place, which he readily accepted. Together they have pledged to raise the minimum fundraising amount of £2,500, which will go towards the great work Wessex Heartbeat carry out. If you’d like to donate to this worthy cause, please visit Paul’s Virgin Money Giving page.

Find out more about TJ, the CSR they get involved in and the services they offer.