‘Sue’s Afternoon Tea Weekend’ set to return and smash £10k fundraising total

Northampton couple Sue and Phil are hosting their fifth event this weekend
Katie Wheatley
By Katie Wheatley
Published 1st Jul 2022, 16:08 BST
Updated 1st Jul 2022, 17:04 BST
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A couple’s afternoon tea fundraiser, which began in 2018 to raise money for different wards at Northampton General Hospital, will return this weekend.

This year, the funds will go to the Talbot Butler cancer ward – and there are high hopes to exceed the £10,000 mark after raising just under £9,000 to date.

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Phil Adkins, from Delapre, said: “A record number of 183 teas have been sold and the pressure is on.

A couple’s afternoon tea fundraiser, which began in 2017 to raise money for different wards at Northampton General Hospital, will return this weekend.A couple’s afternoon tea fundraiser, which began in 2017 to raise money for different wards at Northampton General Hospital, will return this weekend.
A couple’s afternoon tea fundraiser, which began in 2017 to raise money for different wards at Northampton General Hospital, will return this weekend.

“It is as chaotic as it normally is. You think you’re on target and the next minute that’s not the case.”

Four sessions of up to 30 people will take place in their garden this weekend (July 2 and July 3), and Sue and Phil will be hosting a total of 103 people.

The other 80 afternoon teas are either being delivered or collected.

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Five years on, this has become a yearly tradition and the demand for the collection and delivery, which started as a one-off in 2020, has continued.

A couple’s afternoon tea fundraiser, which began in 2017 to raise money for different wards at Northampton General Hospital, will return this weekend.A couple’s afternoon tea fundraiser, which began in 2017 to raise money for different wards at Northampton General Hospital, will return this weekend.
A couple’s afternoon tea fundraiser, which began in 2017 to raise money for different wards at Northampton General Hospital, will return this weekend.

“We’re running two operations at once,” said Phil. “But we’ll definitely exceed our £10,000 target.

“We made £3,200 last year and we’ll easily beat that. Everyone is always so generous with their donations.”

There will also be a “fantastic” prize raffle and tombola on their driveway over the weekend.

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The fundraising began when Phil’s dad was dealing with dementia and they wanted to raise money for Dementia UK and a ward at the local hospital.

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“This year we’re donating the money to the Talbot Butler cancer ward because we’ve had family members previously cared for there,” said Phil. “We want to give back to those who helped them, and make it better for those in the future.”

He added: “We might be under pressure to deliver, but we have a wonderful network of family and friends who are always on hand when we need them.

“They are only a phone call away.”

The couple’s hopes for the weekend are everyone enjoys the event and they manage to avoid the dreaded “soggy sandwiches”.

To fend off the forecasted showers, they had gazebos put up to keep their guests dry.

Related topics:Northampton