Bit of a wobble ...

Well the day came and went ... and what a day. I’m referring to the Coffee Morning and Buffet Lunch we held at the Turtle Tavern in Argaka in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. We arrived at about 9.30 and I was despatched to the local bakery to buy a couple of their delectable cakes. On my return I was stunned by the display of baking on the table and in the chiller cabinet.

I went home, leaving Ann to sort out the display of raffle prizes. On my return we waited and waited to see whether our event would get any support. We had talked that if we raised a €100,00 we would be pleased. People started to arrive and coffee and cakes were taken, and raffle tickets sold. It never seemed that busy but that was a blessing.

There was a lull between coffee and the buffet lunch. Ann was not feeling great (my goodness it was hot and airless in there) and I took her home for a rest to cool down. People came and went, including a couple who followed this blog and introduced themselves. A cheeky beer one afternoon may be called for.

Ann telephoned me and I went and picked her up. She had the less than glamorous task of folding raffle tickets and taking contributions and the like. I was able to float and chat to people, including some old friends who turned up. At one stage I went over to the table and was surprised and pleased by the amount of money in the jar. The time for the raffle came and presided over by the landlord, Gary, who is an old hand at the game. The first prize was a four-hour trip for six people donated by the generous guys at Latchi Water Sports. The guy who won it immediately handed it in to Gary so that it could be raffled at their Monday evening quiz and bingo night. What a generous thing to do.

Eventually the raffle ended and we waited to see whether we had hit our target. Boy ... how we underestimated that. We raised over €600,00 and that will be added to what Gary wil raise on a Monday night. In addition to the boat trip, there are brand-new shirts and aerial photographs of your home by the talented Mike with his drone. All other things being equal we should raise more than €700,00 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

None of this would have been possible without the support and generosity of Gary and Ann Milner of the Turtle Tavern in Argaka, the donation of raffle prizes by local businesses and friends, my wife Ann’s determination that this would succeed, the lovely cakes baked by Emillia ... and the outstanding participation of the local British community. Added to which Gary suggested this might be an annual event. Watch this space.

We’ll be back.

This Friday ...

All involved with the Macmillan Cancer Support coffee morning and buffet lunch at the Turtle Tavern in Argaka have been working hard to promote this very worthwhile event. Ann put out a request for raffle prizes and we were both delighted by some of the very generous responses. But don’t be put off by that as there is always room for more.

It is almost impossible to gauge what sort of turnout there will be. All we can do is hope for the best. Ann and Gary at the Turtle Tavern have been very supportive and will “sell” the event hard at tonight’s quiz and bingo evening, where they apparently have over sixty people participating. If even half of those people attended on Friday that would make an enormous difference. Almost all of the people we have mentioned this to say that they hope to come.

It will be an emotional event for us and Ann said she would wear a badge saying “I am NOT a Bereavement Counsellor”. I hope the atmosphere will be more akin to a jolly wake, as there will no doubt be people there who have lost friends and family to cancer. It always astonishes me that something as important and supportive as Macmillan is funded by charitable donations. Like hospices, they should be supported by the government. I mean they obviously have money to burn with all the lunatic spending proposals they promote.

Macmillan Nurses

Macmillan nurses have been incredibly supportive to cancer sufferers for many years, and no doubt will continue to do so in the future. They are holding an event on Friday 28th September to raise funds. We think this is a brilliant idea.

So we are hosting a Coffee Morning/Buffet Lunch at the Turtle Tavern in Argaka from 11.00 (with thanks to the generosity of Gary and Ann Milner). We have been promoting this event across social media and on expat forums, and obviously we hope that many people will attend.

If you would like to support this event, and are not able to attend, then (and this applies if you have a UK SIM card in your phone) you can text JAM FYE6 to 70550. This will automatically donate £5 to Macmillan Cancer Support.