Tea for 2? No, tea for 106!
On Sunday 6th July we held an afternoon tea at beautiful Strelley Hall in Nottingham. The event proved hugely popular with 106 guests and many turned away as we exceeded maximum capacity. The owners of Strelley Hall could not have been more helpful, not only giving us free hire of their entire venue but also loaning us crockery, table linen and even helping with the set up and washing up! We were also donated bread for the sandwiches by Warburtons and given a voucher to spend at a Spar store. Lots of lovely ladies baked cakes and scones and lots of members donated items to fill a luxury food wicker hamper as a prize draw.
At 1.00pm guests started arriving and got the 'wow factor' as they entered the Panelled Room and Morning Room laid out with platters of sandwiches, tiered stands laden with a huge variety of cakes, and scones with jam, clotted cream and butter. Our own waitresses served a selection of teas, coffees and juices. All this accompanied by background classical music. It was perfect weather for guests to have a break from cake eating and play a game of croquet on the lawn or stroll around the gardens. We had tried to recreate 'tea at the Ritz' so it was lovely to see ladies arriving in their best flowery dresses for the occasion.
This event was organised in aid of Cancer Research UK and I'm delighted to say it raised a staggering £1,500 from ticket sales, the prize draw, a cake sale and the amount being very generously rounded up by a friend. Thank you to everyone who came along, especially my fundraising team who worked tirelessly for nine hours to make it a fantastic day.