Raising a cuppa in memory of Dad – Julie’s Coffee Morning

For many, hosting an event is a way of saying thank you and giving back to the Hospice. One of those hosts is Julie Richards, who held her event back in June in memory of her dad, John Lovering.

We love hearing stories about our wonderful Coffee Morning hosts and their reasons for hosting an event to raise funds for Dorothy House. Some host an event simply to get together with friends and family while supporting a good cause, while others may host one at work as way for their business to support a local charity. However, one of the most common reasons for people to host a Coffee Morning is because they’re doing so in memory of a loved one.

Julie’s Coffee Morning motivation

Julie and John were introduced to Dorothy House in June 2024, where they first met Clair, one of our Nurse Specialists:

“My dad was struggling with his illness and myself trying to know how to look after him. Clair was amazing, giving me the confidence and know-how.”

John died on 27 December 2024, and Julie told us how grateful she was for the care and support they received as a family:

“We had an amazing team of nurses for five days. Not only did they look after Dad, but they also looked after the family. We are all eternally grateful.”

The following April, Julie and her family decided to plan and host a Dorothy House Coffee Morning at home in memory of John and as a way of giving back to the Hospice. Alongside the usual coffee and cakes, the event included a raffle, ‘guess the number of sweets in the jar,’ an online auction and a table full of secondhand goods and plants.

Going the extra mile

Hosting a Coffee Morning at home is a wonderful way to come together with neighbours and people in your community, even those who are unable to physically come along. One of Julie’s neighbours who is disabled wanted to show his support but was unable to attend, so Julie and her helpers took some cake over to his house so that he could still be a part of it.

The family made their support of the Hospice go even further after the event, too. Any of the items that were left over from the selling table were donated to their local Dorothy House shop, while the leftover cake and treats were brought into Winsley by Julie’s daughter, Heidi, who works on our Day Patient Unit.

In total, Julie’s Coffee Morning raised an incredible £1,762, and we were delighted to welcome her and her family to the Hospice recently for a cheque presentation. For context, £1,000 could fund a whole 24 hours of care for one person staying on our Inpatient Unit.

Your event, your way

Hosting a Dorothy House Coffee Morning is a fun and rewarding way to raise vital funds for the Hospice, and best of all, you can host your event, your way. Whether you host it at home like Julie and her family, in the workplace, or even in a community location, every penny you raise will support us in continuing to deliver personalised, compassionate care to people across our 800sq miles.

Getting started is easy, too. Simply register for your free Coffee Morning event pack and we’ll send you everything you need to host the perfect event (well, except for the coffee!). To give you some inspiration, we’ve even asked some of the Dorothy House family to share their top recipes with us, so be sure to check out Amanda’s top chocolate cake and Kerry’s cupcake recipes!

Share your event with us!

If you’re hosting a Coffee Morning to raise funds for Dorothy House, we’d love to hear from you. Not only so that we can say thank you (and celebrate your amazing fundraising efforts), but also so we can inspire more people in our community to host their own event in the future. Don’t forget, our fundraising team can also support you by providing resources such as banners, buckets and t-shirts, helping you to make your event a success. All you need to do is get the invites out and pop the kettle on!

Register for your free Coffee Morning event pack here, or for more information please reach out to us by emailing supportercareteam@dorothyhouse-hospice.org.uk.