Yorkshire Building Society colleagues will be brewing up en masse in an attempt to set a new Guinness World Record cream tea party in aid of Marie Curie.
The fundraising challenge will be held on Thursday, 25 June, across the Society’s main offices to raise money for the Society’s Hour of Need campaign, which will enable Marie Curie Nurses to provide even more vital support for people living with a terminal illness and their families across the UK.
The current record for largest tea party in multiple venues stands at 536 participants and the Society is hoping to have more than 650 colleagues simultaneously taking part. A cream tea party consists of tea being taken with a combination of scones, clotted cream, and jam.
Chris Pilling, Chief Executive of Yorkshire Building Society Group, said: “Everyone knows that we love our cream teas in Yorkshire, and as a Society we are committed to fundraising for Marie Curie, so it is a great way to combine these things and attempt to set a new Guinness World Record.
“The Hour of Need campaign is having a real impact on terminally ill people and their families in providing Marie Curie nursing support. We are aiming to raise half a million pounds over two years and funding 25,000 hours of Marie Curie nursing care is a massive motivation for all of us.”
Lola Rowe, a Marie Curie Hospice Nurse, said: “I’m really pleased to be involved in announcing this exciting new fundraising challenge for Marie Curie by Yorkshire Building Society. The money raised by the Society is really important as it means my colleagues and I can provide support to even more people in their hour of need.”
The event is being backed by the Cream Tea Society and jam-maker Tiptree and Cornish clotted cream manufacturer Rodda’s, who have very generously agreed to provide the portions of strawberry jam and clotted cream for the record attempt.
The Society’s tea party will join others taking place across the country this June 20-29 as part of Marie Curie’s Blooming Great Tea Party fundraising.
An announcement on the outcome of the attempt will be made by Yorkshire Building Society on National Cream Tea Day on Friday 26 June. Tiptree and Rodda’s have also donated 15,000 portions of strawberry jam and clotted cream to the Society’s 230 branches in support of the day.
Every £20 raised in Yorkshire Building Society’s Hour of Need campaign will fund one hour of care. The Society is aiming to raise £500,000 by December 2016, which equates to funding an hour of care by a Marie Curie Nurse for every hour of the campaign.
