The town’s community spirit was very much in evidence on Friday raising funds for Macmillan Cancer Support – as part of the world’s biggest coffee morning.
To the sound of coffee percolators, stirred spoons and clinking crockery, friends, neighbours and visitors met to have a natter over coffee, biscuits and cake, and it was all for charity – and may even have set a record.
The coffee morning is now the cancer charity’s flagship fund-raiser. The charity’s first such event was held at local group level in 1990 and the following year Macmillan decided to hold it on a national level since when it’s been gathering momentum year upon year. Last year the charity’s coffee party raised a whopping £20m, and over £113m has been raised since the first party.
So on Friday morning it was time to forget the diet for an hour or two and enjoy some of the delicious and tempting cakes on offer.
The standard of baking was mouth-wateringly good and Mary Berry would surely have approved. There were lots of savouries and quiches available for those with not such a sweet tooth. One enterprising cook even managed to offer gluten-free delicacies.
At Rye Retreat staff unleashed their inner barista and offered an impressive selection of teas and coffees and had tables groaning with delicious home made cakes which customers and passers by were delighted to sample.
The Ferry Road Medical Centre kettles were on the boil at 10am and patients were delighted to partake in a mid-morning snack with a fine selection of biscuits, chocolate and sponge cakes, quiches and home-made bread.
Local charity Activities, Respite, Rehabilitation, Care Centres (ARRCC) had an impressive display of sponges, buns and biscuits at Magdala House in Ferry Road.
Staff at the Edinburgh Wool Mill in the High Street were in a jovial mood as they dished out chocolate, lemon and jam sponges with suitably refreshing beverages which proved very popular with customers.
And at the weekly Friday market held at the community centre in Conduit Hill the shoppers happily tucked in to the additional fare for sale.
All those who cooked and baked and served with a smile should be proud of their efforts and the money they made for the charity – now back to the diet.
Photos: Sandra Lanigan and Tony McLaughlin