Tea and cake anyone?
It’s not all pens and paper here at From Me to You. We love a bit of tea and cake too! And find that they all work very well together…
Our tea and treats themed fundraising event, From Me to Brew is the perfect way to get more involved with our work; raising much-needed funds to help us post letters to cancer patients and increasing awareness of what we do, so that more people can benefit from our letters.
Interested? Tummy rumbling? Read on…
We’ve asked letter recipient and FMTY supporter, Zara, to talk us through her From Me to Brew event and why she wanted to host it for us.
Hi Zara, can you tell us what your connection is to FMTY
I first came across From Me to You when I was going through cancer myself and you kindly sent letters to me throughout my treatment.
What people might not realise is that cancer comes with so much admin! Every day the post was full of hospital letters, appointments, scan results… not exactly the sort of post you look forward to; so when a handwritten letter dropped through the letterbox, it was like a little burst of sunshine. They really cheered me up. Just knowing someone had taken the time to sit down and write made me feel less alone.
Why did you decide to host a From Me to Brew event?
Once I was back on my feet, I knew I wanted to give something back and From Me to Brew felt like the perfect way to do that. Any excuse for cake! I wanted to say thank you, and help to raise vital funds needed to cover the costs of getting the letters to people. But as well as that, I thought it would be a lovely way to introduce people to the charity.
Most of my friends and family hadn’t heard of your work before, but once they realised they could help just by writing a simple letter or card, they were really keen to get involved. I really wanted to encourage people to become letter writers too. You don’t need to be Shakespeare, just a quick card saying what you’ve been up to can mean a lot to someone going through a tough time.
How did the event go?
We held it at home in the garden, luckily the Manchester weather was kind to us! I invited friends and family, and everyone really got into the “post and letters” theme. My sister-in-law even made a post box cake—it looked so realistic we almost couldn’t bring ourselves to cut into it!
People brought along homemade cakes and biscuits and we had plenty of tea on the go. I set up a writing station with paper, pens, prompts, and a few of the lovely letters I’d received while I was unwell. I also put together little letter-writing packs for people to take home, with some stationery and info about FMTY to get them started.
Have you got any tips you can share for making it a success?
Everyone loves a theme! Try and find decorations related to post or writing, dig out that old tea pot and the best tea cups, we even collected donations in an old tea tin.
If, like us, you are lucky enough to have some keen bakers in the family, see if they will take on the challenge of some envelope pastries! Keep it simple and fun; cakes, a kettle, and a nice place to sit and chat is all you really need. Having a writing station definitely helped get people talking, especially those who weren’t sure what to write.
Would you do it again?
Yes, I would love to make it a regular thing. It was a really relaxed, feel-good day. People enjoyed the chance to catch up, eat some cake, and do something a bit different. Quite a few said they’d never thought about writing to someone going through cancer before, but left feeling inspired to give it a go.
And finally, for anyone who isn’t sure about getting involved, is there anything you’d say to them?
This is such a fun event to get involved with, and so simple too! And in hosting a From Me to Brew, you can make a big impact on people with cancer as the money raised means FMTY can reach them when they may be feeling low and in need a boost.
FMTY is all about kindness and connection. When I was unwell, the letters I received gave me moments of calm, comfort, and sometimes laughter. It was so lovely to know that a stranger was thinking of me and had taken time out of their day to write to me.
Now I enjoy paying that forward to someone else. It’s such a simple gesture but it makes a real difference. If you are thinking of hosting a From Me to Brew event, please, please do because the funds that it will raise will make such a difference to the work of FMTY - and most importantly, to people like me, who when going through cancer need a lift. I’ll always be grateful for each letter I got.
The FREE From Me to Brew event pack (contents pictured above) can be requested here.
On behalf of everyone who will benefit from the money your From Me to Brew event will raise…
