Jayne Mason to hold tea and coffee event at Newark Market Place for Maggie’s at Nottingham City Hospital

A woman is inviting the community to have a cup of tea and a piece of cake with her to raise money for charity.

Jayne Mason is having a stall on Newark market tomorrow for Maggie’s at Nottingham City Hospital, which has been helping her daughter, Nicola, following a breast cancer diagnosis.

Jayne said the news came as a shock to Nicola and the family, but Maggie’s had always been there to support her.

“There was lots of things Nicola didn’t know— some of them are quite simple questions ­— but there are so many people at Maggie’s who can help for lots of different things,” she said.

“You obviously need some help from somewhere to be able to continue with your normal way of life, but also to know that there are people out there that can help.

“Instead of getting frustrated and being on the telephone for hours on end trying to get through to speak to somebody, Maggie’s help you on your behalf.”

Maggie’s offers help and support to people who are diagnosed with cancer, whether that be a shoulder to cry on or a helping hand with financial advice.

Jayne said: “This is purely a drop-in centre where people who are undergoing all different kinds of treatment can go and get help and advice. They can also go and get company, they can vent at people, they can laugh with people and they can cry with people. It’s just a really good place to go.

“They’ve helped Nicola so much doing things that I am not capable of doing and it has taken a lot of the stress away.”

Friday will be Maggie’s Kitchen Table Day where people are invited to open their doors and ask others inside for a cup of coffee for charity.

As chairman of the Newark Patriotic Fund, Jayne is no stranger to fundraising and decided that she wanted to take the day to the next level.

“I wanted to take it a step further and bring it into the community,” said Jayne.

“We’ve had lots of people who have donated cakes and we’ll be selling tea, coffee, hot chocolate and prosecco.”

Jayne has had prizes donated for a tombola, including various bottles of alcohol, chocolates and biscuits.

She also held a fundraiser at Newark Bowls Club where Newark artist Matt Shephardson sang and raised £415 for Maggie’s.

“We all had plenty of drink and as soon as the drink went down, we went around collecting the money,” said Jayne.

“Everybody was very generous and Matt gave us a great night’s entertainment.”

Mum-of-two Nicola said she was grateful to have the support of Maggie’s during one of the toughest periods of her life.

“The work that Maggie’s does is major and I don’t know what I’d do without them,” Nicola said.

To donate to Jayne’s fundraiser, go to https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/jayne-mason-3.

Alternatively, she will be selling cake, coffee and prosecco in Newark Market Place on Friday.