MACMILLAN Cancer Support's flagship fundraiser, The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning, takes place on Friday September 30 and every slice of cake eaten and cup of coffee poured has the power to help change lives for people living with cancer.

The charity is asking everyone to take part, either by hosting a coffee morning or by attending one. It is the nation’s biggest social fundraiser for cancer and last year 817 coffee mornings were held in Cumbria raising around £204,650 for the charity that provides essential support for people affected by cancer.

2016 is the 26th year of the event and with the help of fundraisers in Cumbria, Macmillan hopes to beat the £27.6m raised last year across the UK.

All the money raised will be used to help fund the charity’s vital services that provide practical, financial, emotional and medical support to people affected by cancer. These services include information and support centres and welfare rights advice across the county, as well as the cancer nurse specialists.

Macmillan’s fundraising manager for Cumbria, Lisa Wild, said: “We want to make sure no one has to face cancer alone but we can't do it without the amazing people who fundraise for us. We rely on the generosity of our supporters for more than 99 per cent of our income and coffee morning events are a great way to have fun whilst raising vital funds to help people affected by cancer.

“It’s easy to take part and there’s all the help and information you need to host your own Macmillan coffee morning on the dedicated website www.coffee.macmillan.org.uk, where you can also find details of public and community Macmillan coffee mornings.

“If you can’t do it on 30th September then just pick another day. All that matters is that you get together with friends, colleagues or neighbours over coffee and cake to raise some money to help Macmillan be there for people affected by cancer in Cumbria.”

If you cannot host or get along to a coffee morning, visit your local M&S or Nationwide Building Society – both are proud partners of this year’s event and staff will be baking up a storm. During September M&S will be selling a number of exclusive homeware items to raise funds for Macmillan as well as donating 10 percent from sales of selected classic cakes to support people affected by cancer.

To take part in the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning go to www.coffee.macmillan.org.uk.