There were grins to rival the Cheshire cats, as nine County Durham families were invited to a Mad Hatters Tea Party.
The Macmillan Joining the Dots service was kindly gifted 40 tickets from The Angel Trust to the lavish event on Saturday 10th April, from 12 noon until 4pm, at Hardwick Hall Hotel in Sedgefield.
Through dedicated partnership work with both Joining the Dots and The Angel Trust, the event offered families the opportunity to make lasting memories and enjoy the royal ‘Queen of Hearts’ treatment, with fun and games, prizes galore, a scrumptious afternoon tea – and not forgetting, special guests of Alice and the Mad Hatter!
Paula Spark, Macmillan Joining the Dots Facilitator for South West Durham, said: “We’d like to thank The Angel Trust for its generosity to enable us to offer the people we support an enchanting treat to remember.
“Many of the people we support are going through challenging times as themselves, a relative or a friend faces a cancer diagnosis, and the gifted tickets gave them a chance to come together and have some good-hearted fun.
“We were able to gift the tickets to nine separate families we support, and it truly was a wonderful occasion to see a large event able to take place safely.”
Macmillan Joining the Dots is a free service for those in County Durham who are age 18 and over, and have been diagnosed with cancer.
One of the families Joining the Dots support, said: “Thank you for one amazing afternoon. We were so lucky to join in with the Mad Hatters Tea Party and to meet so many wonderful families.”
Another family, said: “Thank you. We all enjoyed it and we couldn’t thank you enough for what you do, these memories shall be so precious to us.”
The Pioneering Care Partnership (PCP) works in partnership with the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust to deliver Macmillan Joining the Dots. Its friendly team supports families, friends, carers and relatives of any age.
To find out more about Macmillan Joining the Dots, or to support you or someone you know who may be affected by a cancer diagnoses, visit their website, email cddft.joiningthedots@nhs.net or call 0800 876 6887.
If you would like to find out more about PCP generally, or to support our work, please contact: Jenny Lee, Senior Marketing & Media Officer jenny.lee@pcp.uk.net