Latest news with #Macmillan
ITV News
2 days ago
- Health
- ITV News
Gary McKee to embark on latest challenge for Hospice at Home West Cumbria
Veteran fundraiser Gary McKee, who raised more than £1 million for charity by running 365 marathons in 365 days, is to embark on his latest challenge. McKee will now run 100 marathons in 100 days in 2026, culminating in the London Marathon with his son, Beau, aiming to raise £100,000 for Hospice at Home West Cumbria. McKee raised a combined total of more than £1.1 million for both Hospice at Home West Cumbria and Macmillan by running a marathon every day of 2023. Over the last five years, he has raised nearly £900,000 for Hospice at Home West Cumbria alone. 'Reaching that £1 million target for Hospice at Home West Cumbria has been in my sights for a long time, and with just £100,000 to go, the 100toLDN challenge is my way of giving it one last big push," said McKee. 'It's also special that Beau will be running the London Marathon with me at the end – he's been there throughout the journey, so it'll be a proud moment to cross the line together.' From 17 January to 26 April, he will run a marathon every day in his hometown of Cleator Moor. He will also travel around West Cumbria, running with schools and local community groups. 'This challenge is also a great chance to get back into the community – visiting schools, running with local groups, and encouraging people to get outdoors and stay active. That's always been a big part of what it's all about for me," continued McKee. 'Hospice at Home West Cumbria does incredible work supporting local families when they need it most. Every pound raised makes a difference, and I'm committed to doing whatever I can to help them keep going.' Hayley McKay, Director of Funding & Communication at Hospice at Home West Cumbria, said: 'When Gary contacted me to share his thoughts about a new challenge, I was initially lost for words. "He already does so much for us. I was taken aback that he still wants to do more, still wants to keep going, and still wants to raise more funds. 'It's going to be another tough challenge, but I do not doubt that Gary will achieve everything he sets out to do.' In 2023, the hospice appointed Gary as its Vice President in honour of his fundraising. Hayley added: 'As a small local charity, we cannot express how grateful we are to Gary for his continued support. "Every year, we care for hundreds of people across our region, providing them with wraparound support as theyface the toughest of times. This work, spanning the last four decades, has been made possible thanks to oursupporters and the incredible community. 'Hospice at Home West Cumbria can't wait to join Gary in his next chapter and celebrate with him his success.100toLDN here we go.'
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Best supermarket coffee to serve at your Macmillan Coffee Morning
Celebrating its 35th anniversary, Macmillan Coffee Morning is a fantastic way to bring people together, support people living with cancer, and enjoy a few tasty treats while you're at it. While you can host one wherever and whenever you like, the official date is Friday 26 September. All you need to do is sign up and you'll be sent a free fundraising kit and details of your personal fundraising page. By getting involved, you'll be helping Macmillan Cancer Support do whatever it takes to support people living with cancer. Almost one in two of us will face cancer in our lifetime – but the experience isn't the same for everyone. Right now, the care people receive can depend on who they are, where they live or whether they have other health conditions. Macmillan is working to change that, making sure everyone gets the best possible support, whoever and wherever they are. Let's be honest though, not everyone has the time to bake from scratch or owns a superior coffee brewing set-up. The good news? Running a successful coffee morning doesn't need to be complicated, time-consuming or costly. With just a little planning – and some smart shopping – you can keep things simple, stress-free, and delicious. One of the easiest ways to take the hassle out of your event is by turning to your local supermarket, especially when it comes to coffee. Proving you don't need to fork out for premium brands to serve something tasty, supermarket own-brand coffees are great value and often surprisingly good quality. From rich ground coffees to quick and convenient instant brews, supermarkets offer a variety of own-label options to suit every taste. Whether you're after something bold to serve with chocolate cake or a smooth, mellow brew to complement a classic Victoria sponge, there's a budget-friendly supermarket option out there that fits the bill. To help you pick the cream of the crop, we've been busy putting supermarket own-brand coffees to the test. So, whether you're an experienced host or getting involved for the first time, read on to discover our top coffee buys, that are both affordable and full of flavour. How we tested With the help of two discerning coffee connoisseurs (each with varying preferences), we tested a wide range of supermarket own-brand coffees – including beans, ground, instant, and even coffee bags – from major UK retailers like M&S, Waitrose, Morrisons and Sainsbury's. We tried a mix of standard and premium lines, and each coffee was prepared following the packaging instructions. For whole bean coffee, we used a coffee machine (the Sage barista touch impress) on the same espresso setting each time and ground variations were brewed using a moka pot. Meanwhile, instant coffees were mixed with hot water at the recommended ratio, and coffee bags were brewed in freshly boiled water for the specified time. All coffees were tested black to appreciate the full flavour experience before adding milk and sugar to taste where appropriate. We then assessed each coffee against a number of factors, such as aroma, flavour, aftertaste and value for money. Why you can trust IndyBest reviews Sarah Jones is IndyBest's assistant editor and has years of experience writing and editing shopping content across food and drink, kids and home appliances. So, it's fair to say she knows a thing or two about finding quality products, whether that's a fancy new coffee machine or gifts for a loved one. For this round-up, Sarah combined her love of a good brew with her shopping expertise to steer her selection of the best supermarket own-brand coffee. The best own-brand supermarket coffee blends for 2025 are: Macmillan Cancer Support, registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604). Also operating in Northern Ireland.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Easy and delicious carrot cake blondies for your Macmillan Coffee Morning
It's a small thing, baking a cake – but it's also a wonderful way to bring people together and do a bit of good. Macmillan Coffee Mornings prove as much, turning cups of tea and slices of something sweet into vital support for people living with cancer. Because while almost one in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime, not everyone gets the same care – and Macmillan is working to change that. These blondies are a quieter take on carrot cake. All the familiar warmth is there – cinnamon, ginger, a whisper of nutmeg – but baked into a single tray with no layers, no icing and no stress. Just a handful of seasonal carrots, a swirl of cream cheese and a bake that feels quietly celebratory. Want to be a Macmillan Coffee Morning Host? The ingredients are unshowy – butter, sugar, flour, eggs – and the method is unfussy enough to pull together the night before. Once cooled and cut, they're easy to carry, easy to serve and easy to eat with one hand while holding a cuppa in the other. Carrot cake blondies with cream cheese swirl Equipment 20cm square baking tin Baking paper Mixing bowls Whisk or electric hand mixer Rubber spatula or spoon Fine grater (for carrot and optional orange zest) Small bowl and spoon/skewer for swirling Ingredients For the blondie base 150g unsalted butter, melted 150g light brown sugar 75g caster sugar 2 medium eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground ginger ¼ tsp ground nutmeg ½ tsp fine sea salt 160g plain flour 100g grated carrot (about 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely grated) 50g chopped walnuts or pecans (optional) Zest of ½ an orange (optional but recommended) For the cream cheese swirl 100g full-fat cream cheese 1 egg yolk 30g icing sugar ½ tsp vanilla extract Method 1. Preheat the oven to 170C fan (190C conventional) and line a 20cm square tin with baking paper. 2. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and caster sugar until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until glossy. 3. Stir in the spices, salt, and flour, mixing until just combined. Fold through the grated carrot, optional nuts, and orange zest. 4. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the cream cheese swirl ingredients until smooth. 5. Pour the blondie batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Dollop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture over the surface and swirl gently with a knife or skewer for a marbled effect. 6. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the edges are set and golden, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs (but not raw batter). 7. Allow to cool completely in the tin, then chill for 30 minutes before slicing into squares for clean edges.
The Age
6 days ago
- General
- The Age
From battle to Bunnings: How an ex-SAS soldier and City Beach dad builds resilience
In this series, WAtoday reaches out to the Perth community to discover three things people love most about our coastal capital. Today we feature City Beach's Tim Curtis, MBA, former Special Forces officer, crisis management executive, co-author of 2021's The Resilience Shield, co-host of The Unforgiving60 podcast, and father of three. He has led businesses and cross-cultural teams in some of the world's most challenging and austere environments. His new book, Building Resilient Kids, published July 1 by Macmillan, focuses on helping children become happy, healthy and confident adults. I love Innaloo Bunnings. I'm ex-SAS, and I call Bunnings a family mission. You have never been tested as until you've taken three kids to Bunnings, it's the SAS survival course meets a close-quarters battle. Have you heard of the four Ds of time management? Well this is another four Ds: the Danger of the paint aisle, the Distraction of the sausage sizzle and the Delusion – of thinking you'd get out in five minutes, or you just needed one thing. Cue the kids loading up the trolley with a pile of things you don't need. And the fourth D, of course, is the family dog. The Innaloo Bunnings is mainly good for its proximity to me, but it's also got a really good plant section; I'm geeking out about all things gardening, I'm now spending more time in the garden section than the warehouse. I love City Beach. It's where I've taught my kids to get through the turbulence of the waves, providing a bit of a metaphor for life; when it comes to building resilient kids you have to be a bit like a lifeguard, and not prevent the swimming – just the drowning. All my kids have learnt their surfing skills with the Floreat Nippers and it is resilience training disguised as fun; watching them get knocked over and back up was inspiring. We always go to City Beach on Christmas morning and meet the extended group of friends we met through the kids' schooling. Every year, it's a special few hours we spend together and embodies the philosophy that it takes a village to make a resilient kid. Those adults all have great relationships with my kids, and they can change the angle and the prism on things that their parents would have, which has a big impact, especially in the teen years. I love running the two bridges at sunrise. The one thing we know adults must do to build resilient kids is to build it in themselves – to model resilience, to be the best version of themselves. A precious time to do that is running the two bridges in the city at dawn, where effort and exhalation meets stillness. The calm river, the rising sun over the hills, the rowers on the water – it's all quite meditative, and you feel you're ahead in life whatever else happens that day. You've experienced all these moments, no matter what might hit you for six later on that day. People might say they have to exercise, but it's important to recognise that it's a privilege to exercise. And it doesn't have to be effort, effort, more effort, or a heroic distance or time. It's just being able to do small things, in such a special time and place. Loading
Sydney Morning Herald
6 days ago
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
From battle to Bunnings: How an ex-SAS soldier and City Beach dad builds resilience
In this series, WAtoday reaches out to the Perth community to discover three things people love most about our coastal capital. Today we feature City Beach's Tim Curtis, MBA, former Special Forces officer, crisis management executive, co-author of 2021's The Resilience Shield, co-host of The Unforgiving60 podcast, and father of three. He has led businesses and cross-cultural teams in some of the world's most challenging and austere environments. His new book, Building Resilient Kids, published July 1 by Macmillan, focuses on helping children become happy, healthy and confident adults. I love Innaloo Bunnings. I'm ex-SAS, and I call Bunnings a family mission. You have never been tested as until you've taken three kids to Bunnings, it's the SAS survival course meets a close-quarters battle. Have you heard of the four Ds of time management? Well this is another four Ds: the Danger of the paint aisle, the Distraction of the sausage sizzle and the Delusion – of thinking you'd get out in five minutes, or you just needed one thing. Cue the kids loading up the trolley with a pile of things you don't need. And the fourth D, of course, is the family dog. The Innaloo Bunnings is mainly good for its proximity to me, but it's also got a really good plant section; I'm geeking out about all things gardening, I'm now spending more time in the garden section than the warehouse. I love City Beach. It's where I've taught my kids to get through the turbulence of the waves, providing a bit of a metaphor for life; when it comes to building resilient kids you have to be a bit like a lifeguard, and not prevent the swimming – just the drowning. All my kids have learnt their surfing skills with the Floreat Nippers and it is resilience training disguised as fun; watching them get knocked over and back up was inspiring. We always go to City Beach on Christmas morning and meet the extended group of friends we met through the kids' schooling. Every year, it's a special few hours we spend together and embodies the philosophy that it takes a village to make a resilient kid. Those adults all have great relationships with my kids, and they can change the angle and the prism on things that their parents would have, which has a big impact, especially in the teen years. I love running the two bridges at sunrise. The one thing we know adults must do to build resilient kids is to build it in themselves – to model resilience, to be the best version of themselves. A precious time to do that is running the two bridges in the city at dawn, where effort and exhalation meets stillness. The calm river, the rising sun over the hills, the rowers on the water – it's all quite meditative, and you feel you're ahead in life whatever else happens that day. You've experienced all these moments, no matter what might hit you for six later on that day. People might say they have to exercise, but it's important to recognise that it's a privilege to exercise. And it doesn't have to be effort, effort, more effort, or a heroic distance or time. It's just being able to do small things, in such a special time and place. Loading
