A LARGS teacher is encouraging residents to put their kettles on in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

Cathy Hughes, who runs the Largs Help at Hand group, says people can support the charity by hosting their own coffee mornings and donating online.

The Largs Primary School teacher normally runs a coffee morning every year with her class but has had to think outside the box due to coronavirus restrictions.

She said: “As a teacher at Largs Primary, I’ve always got involved with the Macmillan coffee morning and whichever class I’ve had they’ve done that as a mini topic.

“They create invitations and posters, sort out the selling and finances, and they invite their families to come to the coffee morning.

“They put on a wee bit of entertainment and create artistic things like cupcake bookmarks to sell at the event.

“Because I’ve always run one every year, and because we’re not in school, I decided to do it online this year and encourage people to hold their own.”

Cathy says people can make their coffee morning as big or as small as they like, just by themselves or inviting friends and family to take part within current guidelines.

She said: “I thought this would be a great time to hold a little socially distanced coffee morning in my garden with my friends.

“I wanted to open it up online as a virtual coffee morning, so I created an event on Facebook and shared that with residents.

“People can organise their own, either just making a cuppa for themselves or inviting friends and family for a larger affair.

“If they click on a link on the event page they can make a wee donation to Macmillan Cancer Support.”

Cathy is encouraging people to take pictures of their coffee morning and share them to raise awareness and hopes that the coffee mornings can be beneficial for those who have been isolated or lonely during lockdown.

She said: “Now that the restrictions have eased somewhat and people can come together, it’s to give them something a little bit different to do.

“During lockdown I worked as a volunteer driver for the Irvine and Troon Cancer Trust, transporting those who needed it.

“I met quite a few people who were going through an even more stressful time, going to various hospitals and other areas for treatment."

Cathy’s remote coffee morning runs from July 24-31 however you can hold your own at any time throughout the year.

You can find the event on Facebook by searching ‘Remote Macmillan Coffee Morning’ and you can donate at https://thyg.uk/BUU004283571.