Afternoon Tea Week: How the humble tea party has supported ground-breaking cancer research in Yorkshire

Jackie, from Huby, North Yorkshire, was right to trust her instincts. After seeking medical attention, test results showed the lump was triple positive breast cancer. "I’m so grateful that I listened to my intuition and took that referral,” she says. “You are never wasting a doctor’s time when asking about changes in your body that worry you. The second you suspect something, make that appointment. It could save your life.”

Jackie went on to receive treatment including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone therapy and now, ten years after her diagnosis, is cancer-free. Since her experience, she has been an advocate for early diagnosis, educating other people about the importance of examining yourself for signs and symptoms of cancer. She also joined the Research Advisory Panel for Harrogate-based Yorkshire Cancer Research, helping to decide which projects to fund, and last year, hosted a Yorkshire Big Brew tea party in support of the charity’s pioneering work.

Thanks to supporters like Jackie, Yorkshire Cancer Research has been helping to develop new cancer cures since 1925. This year, as it celebrates its centenary, it is encouraging more people to take part in its Big Brew with friends, family and colleagues, to raise money for potentially life-changing research.

Speaking as the nationwide Afternoon Tea Week gets underway, charity chief executive Dr Kathryn Scott says those who take part in the Big Brew “will be helping to fund researchers and experts to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer”.

The charity has teamed up with former Great British Bake Off contestants Rowan Claughton and Freya Cox, both from York, to encourage people to host a tea party, with Leeds-born Rowan creating a Yorkshire-inspired rhubarb doughnut cake.

"I’ve always felt the region’s strength lies in its people - warm, welcoming, and always ready to come together over a cuppa – and that’s what ‘Yorkshire’s Big Brew’ is all about,” Rowan says. “I have experienced cancer within my own circle throughout my life, from losing my grandma when I was only a toddler to more recently having experienced the loss of a loved one. Just £20 raised at your own afternoon tea party could fund an hour of a researcher’s time. Every cuppa, every cake and every pound counts.”

In Wakefield, Jean Perry and her local ladies’ group will soon be hosting their second Yorkshire Big Brew to mark the charity’s 100th year. The group also hosted an event last year, bringing the community together at their local church to raise over £700.

Jean began holding coffee mornings after losing her daughter to ovarian cancer eight years ago. “My eldest daughter was just 54 when she passed away, and my other daughter has also had cancer, though thankfully she’s doing much better now,” Jean says. “I want to do what I can to raise funds so more technologies and cancer treatments can be discovered. Fundraising is vital for ensuring progress in cancer research is made.”

“Last year’s Big Brew was a real success,” she continues, “full of delicious bakes, cups of tea and wonderful conversations. Almost everyone who came had lost a loved one to cancer, highlighting how important these events also are in bringing people together in support and remembrance.”

So important is the cause to one fundraiser, Margaret Gatenby, that she and her husband once held a coffee morning abroad, whilst holidaying in the French Riviera. The couple took a box of Yorkshire Cancer Research t-shirts over to the continent and held a tea party, raffle and tombola for Yorkshire Day, raising £1,800.

“I remember that my scones with jam and cream were a real novelty to our French and Dutch friends,” says Margaret, who for more than three decades sat on Yorkshire Cancer Research’s Wharfedale local voluntary group. “Everyone was in such a lovely relaxed holiday mood and so generous with their time and money. It all went so well that French Yorkshire Day was back by popular demand for several years afterwards.”

Margaret joined her local voluntary group in 1987 when her son Neil was diagnosed with a brain tumour. In 2021, she received a long-service award in recognition of her tireless fundraising. “Neil was only given six years to live,” remembers Margaret, “but by some miracle he is still alive today, nearly 40 years later, and we are so thankful.”

Mary Hall knows that gratitude too. Over in Hornsea, she hosts two coffee mornings each year, raising money in the hope that more people can receive the quality of care and treatment that she did, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer more than a decade ago.

“Big Brews are the perfect opportunity to catch up with friends and bring the community together, where people can share freely their own cancer experiences,” Mary says. “I love to invite everyone in the village to come along - asking people I see on buses and in shops. I’ve befriended a few of them this way.”

"Yorkshire is one of the regions hardest hit by cancer,” she adds. “And it’s important we change this.”

People can organise a Big Brew by signing up on the charity’s website at yorkshirecancerresearch.org.uk/events-fundraising/yorkshires-big-brew