A WARM and welcoming annual social gathering organised by a dynamic Greenock duo has now raised more than £6,000 for people living with cancer.
Irene Anderson and Margaret Robertson have been running Macmillan coffee mornings for the last seven years.
This year's event, the second to be held at Lyle Gateway at the Lyle Kirk in Greenock, was a resounding success and generated almost £1,900 for the cause.
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Irene said she's continually overwhelmed by the support shown for the event by people across Inverclyde and beyond.
She added: "It was a fantastic day and we're absolutely thrilled with the amount we raised.
"It's always an amazing event but this year's was definitely our busiest and most successful yet.
"Everyone was so generous and the helpers from Lyle Gateway were just fantastic.
"We want to say a huge thank-you to everyone who supported us."
Irene and Margaret started running the coffee mornings at Margaret's house in Greenock around seven years ago.
After four years in the house, they pair realised the event was growing in popularity and knew they had to find a bigger venue.
The event was shelved for two years due to Covid, and Lyle Gateway chair Jimmy Crawford then kindly offered the ladies use of the church for the gathering last year.
The 2022 event raised £1,300 for the cause, and this year's fundraising has generated almost £2,000.
Irene and Margaret do all the baking for the event, creating tasty treats to go with tea and coffee and bacon rolls.
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More than 100 people enjoyed the refreshments at the Gateway this year.
Margaret said: "We had around four years in the house and raised around £700 each year.
"Being able to hold it in a bigger venue means we can invite so many more people along.
"We had people from Inverclyde, Erskine, Stewarton and Edinburgh with us this year."
Irene says one of the most important themes of the event is raising awareness of how cancer affects everyone.
She said: "I was looking around the hall this year seeing people who have been through so much and are doing so well now.
"We have to make people aware of how cancer affects everyone and how important it is to raise money for this fantastic cause."
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