Coffee for a cause

At Myeloma UK we’re proud of the growing community who help drive our mission forwards through their fundraising, supporting people living with myeloma and accelerating progress towards a cure. But nobody is expected to fundraise alone – we’re there every step of the way. We know that together, we are stronger. 

Whether you’re thinking about hosting an event or taking part in an existing one, from coffee mornings to quiz nights to sponsored walks, sporting events or simply sharing your story – every effort counts and our Community Fundraising team is here to help.  

Get in touch and a dedicated member of our team based in your region will guide you through the process. From setting up online donation pages to supplying balloons and collection tins, we’re ready to support you with the tools that make fundraising easier, answer questions and offer advice. 

From clinic to community: Emma’s fundraising experience 

For Clinical Nurse Specialist Emma Dowling, based at HCA Healthcare UK at University College Hospital in London, that person is Community Fundraiser Briony. As a seasoned fundraiser who has now hosted several coffee mornings to raise money for Myeloma UK, Emma rarely needs to call on Briony, but if ever she does, Briony’s on hand for guidance, resources and encouragement.  

Emma, alongside fellow myeloma CNS’s Jamie Roberts and Nuno Correia, has held a coffee morning for the past three years. By involving colleagues, the local Support Group and patients, it’s more than a fundraiser. It’s about a community coming together to do something that brings hope for the future.  

Briony caught up with Emma to reflect on her experience so far: 

What inspired you to take part in fundraising for Myeloma UK? 

We work really closely with Myeloma UK, and we have done for years. We find them such great support for our patients. Our patients are all really engaged with the charity. We find that the information leaflets, the website, everything, is such an amazing resource.  

We have run the coffee morning three years in a row now, for the patients we support. It’s a lovely time for the myeloma patients to get together. We run it outside, and because of the time of year it’s usually nice weather. This helps as people aren’t worried about the spread of infections so much.  

We have the Myeloma Support Group, and we publicise the coffee morning through that. Each year we have two face-to-face meetings, with this coffee morning being one of them. The rest are virtual, over Teams. The coffee morning is a lovely event – and Myeloma UK always send us nice things like banners, posters and balloons to make it a bit of a party!  

The patients look forward to it; it’s a nice way to get to know each other outside of Teams calls – and nice to engage with other patients. 

We love doing things for Myeloma UK – it helps with the community feeling. The patients know we are doing it for a good cause, as they see firsthand the amazing work that the charity does. 

How does your work with people living with myeloma influence your decision to fundraise? 

I see the impact that myeloma has on people affected. I also see how Myeloma UK helps them, with things like Infodays, leaflets…They give so much to the patients, so anything we can do to help is great. It’s all circular!  

What would you say to other healthcare professionals considering getting involved? 

I would massively encourage it – events like these foster a sense of community amongst the patients. It’s rewarding. It’s such a feel-good event, and definitely one of my favourite days of the year at work. We all really look forward to it.