Please don’t feel restricted by the name “coffee morning” we want you to tweak your event so that it is the right fit for you.  If that looks like a gin tasting or a curry night or a dessert tasting evening then any of these sound great to us!  We will still support you in the same way and offer materials to help promote your event. 

Whenever you like!  Think about what other events are happening locally that might impact people being able to attend and if you’re planning an outside event then have a look at the weather (and maybe think about an inside contingency plan).

You can hold your event wherever you like whether that’s in your back garden, your local village hall, your local pub or in the staff room at your place of work.  Think about how much space you will need and what facilities you need, in terms of kettles, bins, taps, etc and toilets for people to use.  NB: Do keep in mind that some places will charge a hire fee for the venue, sometimes this is waivered for charity events, but not always. 

You can invite whoever you like!  You might want to stick to work colleagues or just invite family & friends or you might combine everyone for one big event. 

There are many ways to invite your guests, here are a few ideas to get you started: 

• Set up a Facebook event or create a Just Giving page. 

• Put up our event poster and send out invitations.  

• Set up a WhatsApp or Facebook group. 

• Send an email to your colleagues, customers and clients. 

• You can share your personal Coffee Morning fundraising page at the same time – it’s a great way for people to donate if they can’t come along on the day. 

• This is entirely up to you, you could; charge a ticket price for entry that includes one slice of cake & one hot drink with donations for additional items, you could have a free to enter event where people make donations for all cakes & hot drinks or you could have a price list for all items much like a café. 

• You can also have additional fundraising activities such as a raffle or a game. 

Absolutely!  When you register your event with us we will send you a letter of authority which confirms your fundraising and can be useful to take with you when asking people for their support, this can also be sent to you by email if requested. 

• You can take donations by cash into your bucket or tin and you can also ask guests to scan a QR code – linked to either your Just Giving page or your Facebook event – then they can make a card payment that way. 

• If anyone would prefer to give you a cheque then we can happily process that for you here at the Hospice. 

• What do I need to know about allergens?
  • Members of the public are not subject to the food standards regulations or the UK Food Information Amendment, also known as Natasha’s law (even if products were to be wrapped in cling film etc).
  • Where a school or organisation is “hosting” the Coffee Morning and inviting the public to donate goods, again they would not be subject to this regulation.
  • If a school or organisation is a registered food business and supplies their own products they would be subject to the regulation (as for any products they produce).
  • It is considered best practice to list allergens where possible, but as above not a legal requirement for the public.
    For more information please visit the Food Standards Agency (FSA) website.