Award from High Sheriff after villagers' 'extraordinary efforts' raise £32,000 from coffee mornings
Volunteers at a Shropshire parish hall who hold regular coffee mornings have been given an award by the county’s High Sheriff for raising tens of thousands for charity.
The Coffee Club at Criftins parish hall near Ellesmere was launched in September 2017 and has continued ever since, except for an 18-month break during the Covid restrictions.
In that time, the club has raised around £32,000 for more than 30 charities. They include the Lingen Davies Cancer Appeal, the Severn Hospice, the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, Alzheimer’s Society, and the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal, as well as local churches and community organisations.
Now the volunteers at the club have been given a special award by Shropshire’s High Sheriff, Jane Trowbridge.
The High Sheriff called in at Criftins parish hall on Thursday (January 29) to present a certificate of appreciation to the group that runs the monthly get-togethers.
Praising their "extraordinary" efforts, she said the award was "in recognition of great and valuable service to the community".
Organiser Kay Egerton said: "I was really surprised when I learnt that the High Sheriff was coming to present us with her personal award for volunteering.
“We’re delighted to receive it because it recognises the fantastic efforts by our dedicated team of 12 volunteers, who work very hard to offer a warm welcome with coffee and homemade cake to between 80 and 100 people every month. Our team includes three wonderful men and I think their involvement has encouraged a group of other men to come along regularly, so the coffee mornings are not just for women only.”
She added: “Receiving this award also acknowledges the tremendous support we get from the large number of people who attend every month and enable us to raise so much money for worthwhile causes.
“We have people coming from Ellesmere and the surrounding areas as well as our own village. It gives those who are often on their own an opportunity to come out and meet others, and it really brings the community closer together.
“We’re especially delighted to welcome a group from the Our Space community centre in Ellesmere who join us each month. It wouldn’t be the Coffee Club without them.”
The club’s January meeting last Thursday was in aid of Blood Cancer UK and raised more than £600.
“It’s amazing,” said Kay. “Most months we also have a blood pressure reading service, run by volunteers and we offer a table of surplus supermarket food for a small donation.”
The coffee mornings are held from 10am to 12pm on the last Thursday of every month. Admission is £2 to include coffee and cake, and there’s an opportunity to win prizes in a giant raffle.
The club’s next meeting will be held on Thursday, February 26 and will be in aid of St Matthew’s Church, Criftins.
