Everything you need to throw a tea party to remember

WELCOME TO THE blooming great TEA PARTY

“I really enjoyed it and so did all my friends. In fact they told me they’d been looking forward to it since I invited them. It was good fun and I was really pleased to raise as much as I did for a very worthy cause.” Beth

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Thank you for registering to throw a Blooming Great Tea Party. Now the fun really begins!

A successful Blooming Great Tea Party is all about the right ingredients – nice cuppas and naughty cakes, old friends and new faces, bad jokes and good conversation.

WE’RE SO GLAD YOU’RE joining US

FOUR STEPS TO THE perfect TEA PARTY

1 Choose a date and location

2 Send your invitations

3 Throw the

party

4 Send in the

money you raised

people living with a terminal illness, and their families. So thank you so much for your support, and good luck with your par-tea!

Sarah Hammer Blooming Great Tea Party Chief Hostess

MarieCurieUK@mariecurieuk#bloominggreat

So whether you’re planning a totally tea-riffic garden party, a communi-tea get together in the village hall or your very own blooming great bake off, this pack is full of inspirational ideas and top tips to help ensure your tea party is a blooming great success.

The money you raise will help Marie Curie Nurses provide even more vital care for

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The Blooming Great Tea Party is all about having a great time with friends and family. And drinking tea. And munching cakes (and maybe the odd savoury dish too).

It’s also about raising as much money as possible for people living with a terminal illness, and their families. We’ve put together a bunch of ideas to help ensure your party is a blooming great success on all fronts.

QUICK winsWhatever the size and shape of your tea party, there are a few ways all our hosts can start to pile up the pounds.

Donateatthegate

Put a donation box by your front door so people make a donation when they arrive. Don’t forget to put your Gift Aid form out too – donations can be worth 25% more without costing the donor a penny.

Be the HOST THAT raises the MOST

Top tip

Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. We’ll be sharing recipes, tips and much more to help you plan the perfect party.

MarieCurieUK

@mariecurieuk #bloominggreat

Price your slice

You’ve put a lot of effort into your tasty treats. Give each one a price and people can donate as they get stuck in.

Raisethestakes

For those who love a cheeky flutter, use our baking-themed sweepstake to bump up your fundraising total.

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SET YOUR targetWeknowthatnotwoteapartiesare the same. So whatever you have inmindwe’vegotideastohelpyoureachyourtarget.

Iwanttoraiseabout£90Teaonthebrain – Everybody loves a quiz. And tea. So what could be better than a tea-based tea party quiz? Visit mariecurie.org.uk/teatools to download our tea quiz, get everyone to donate £1 to take part and see who’s the tea expert.

Funandgames – A raffle is a great way to boost your fundraising. Write to your local shops and let them know what you’re doing – you’d be surprised how many would be happy to donate a prize. And don’t forget to pin up the sweepstakeposter from your pack for another easy way to raise more cash.

SEE THE DIFFERENCE £90 MAKES

£5 pays for 10 bereavement booklets for people who’ve lost someone close to them.

£20 pays for a Marie Curie Nurse to look after someone with a terminal illness for one hour, in the comfort of their own home.

£70 pays for two slide sheets, used by Marie Curie Nurses to move someone with a terminal illness safely in bed.

Call in the experts

We know that our tea party hosts are a discerning bunch and will have lots of skilled and talented friends and family members. Perhaps you know a photographer. Or a musician. Or even a magician! Get them to donate their skills at your party, have your guests make a donation and you’ll see your fundraising total go up and up.

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Iwanttoraiseabout£180Makesomenoise – cook up a weird and wonderful idea like making a giant-sized cake and notify your local newspaper. We’ve got a template press release at mariecurie.org.uk/teatools to help you. You could then use it as a raffle prize to raise money.

Bakeoff – hold your own blooming great bake off. Ask bakers to donate to take part and tasters to make a donation to sample the delights on offer. Use the stickers in your pack to crown the Star Baker and Young Baker.

Put on a show – Get people to show off their singing talent, favourite joke or juggling skills. Guests can donate what they think the act deserves.

SEE THE DIFFERENCE £180 MAKES

£130 pays for someone with a terminal illness to attend day therapy at a Marie Curie Hospice, benefitting from gentle exercise, an art class and more.

£180 pays for a Marie Curie Nurse to look after someone with a terminal illness for a full nine-hour shift, in the comfort of their own home.

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Makeoverteaparty – ask a local beautician to donate their time to give beauty treatments at your party in return for a donation.

Booksale – Ask people to bring their second-hand books and sell them for £1 each. You could go all out and create your own blooming great flea market!

Cake-decoratingcompetition – get your guests to decorate cakes or biscuits. People pay to take part and can make a donation to take the ones they like home.

Invite a VIP – ask a local celebrity or your mayor to come along. Make sure you spread the word (you can use the template press release at mariecurie.org.uk/teatools) and your socie-tea bash will be a blooming great hit.

I WANT TO RAISE… the sky’s the limit!

Raisingmoneyatwork

Work tea parties can be even bigger money spinners than those at home. If you’re planning to mix cake and colleagues, visit mariecurie.org.uk/teatools for ideas on how to make your office party a blooming great success. And be sure to ask your company to match what you raise.

Top tip

Those who can’t make it to your party can still donate through the JustGiving page you set up if you registered online. Didn’t set up a page? Don’t worry, simply go to justgiving.com/mariecurie

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SEE THE DIFFERENCE you CAN MAKE

£360 pays for a Marie Curie Nurse to look after someone with a terminal illness for two full nine-hour

shifts, in the comfort of their own home.

£540 pays for the overnight care of three people with a terminal illness in their homes.

TOP TIPS FROM PREVIOUS blooming great HOSTS

“We held a raffle and a biscuit-decorating competition with people donating to take part - it was so much fun.” Nicki

“I asked for donations for each cake, and I also did the sweepstake that came with the pack. It was quite simple and low key but we raised more money than last year so I was pleased with that.” Lucy

“We used our balloons and bunting to decorate the office and made sure we’d told everyone when it was tea party o’clock!” Beth

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SENDING IN your moneyAll good things must come to an end. Here are your next steps once all the cakes are gone and the crumbs have been swept away.

1 Take a moment to bask in the glory of a job blooming well done.

2 Tot up your tea party total.

3 Send in your money by 31 July using one of the methods to the right.

It’s really important that you bank your money as soon as you can. The sooner you send your money back the sooner we can help more people living with a terminal illness.

Bank your money by 7 July to be in with the chance of winning £100 of John Lewis vouchers. See next page for details.

Gift Aid

Please also send in any invitations and your banking form which have Gift Aid declarations completed. Please only tick the Gift Aid box if it is a personal donation and not a collection. A personal donation is from one individual and not a collection or cumulative gift.

Thankyou

When we’ve received the money we’ll send you a thank you letter and a certificate so you can thank all your guests and let them know the difference your tea party has made.

JustGiving

You can use your JustGiving page to pay in the money you’ve raised at your tea party. Haven’t set one up yet? Don’t worry, simply go to justgiving.com/mariecurie

By post

Write a cheque/postal order (made payable to Marie Curie) or complete your debit/credit card details and send it along with the donation form in your pack. Use the Freepost envelope provided.

By phone

Call us on 0845 052 4184* and quote Blooming Great Tea Party.

Note: Please do not pay in your tea party donations through the Marie Curie website donation page as we won’t know the money paid in was for your tea party.

9*Call charges apply. Please check with your provider.

Photo competition

Send us your best tea party photos to be in with a chance of winning a Daewoo kettle and toaster set.

Email your photos and stories to teaparty@mariecurie.org.uk or post them to BloomingGreatTeaParty,MarieCurie,POBox23897,14LinksPlace,EdinburghEH69AB.

Entry deadline: 31 July 2015.Terms and conditions: To be eligible to win this competition you must have held a tea party and sent in your money before 31 July 2015.

By sending in your photos you are accepting our terms and conditions. For full terms and conditions please visit mariecurie.org.uk/comp-terms

Earlybirdspecial

It’s important that you send in the money raised at your tea party as soon as you can. Send it in before 7 July to be entered into our prize draw for the chance to win £100 of John Lewis vouchers.

YOUR TEA PARTYcould bag a prize

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The winner of last year’s photo competition was Lesley Mason, London

Get social

Let us know when you're throwing your party and be sure to share photos on the day too. We'll give you a big shout out on Facebook and Twitter.

MarieCurieUK

@mariecurieuk #bloominggreat

Terms and conditions: To be eligible to win this competition you must have held a tea party and sent in your money before 7 July 2015.

For full terms and conditions please visit mariecurie.org.uk/comp-terms

Winner will be notified in writing by 1 September 2015.

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Make your pastries look prettier and drinks more delicious with the paper plates, cups, napkins and bunting available in our online shop. Sure to brighten up your tea party table, they’re practical too, making cleaning up

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afterwards even easier. And all our online sales help us care for people living with a terminal illness, so it’s another way for you to make a blooming great difference. Visit mariecurie.org.uk/partyproducts and stock up today.

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A blooming great SPREAD

You’re blooming amazing. Do you know why? Because carers say seven out of 10 people with a terminal illness don’t get all the care and support they need.

We don’t think that’s good enough. And it’s people like you and the money you raise from your tea party that mean we can be there for more people with a terminal illness and their families.

THANK you!Charity reg no. 207994 (England & Wales), SC038731 (Scotland) A217

So thanks for all your support. We really appreciate it.

For more information about Marie Curie and the Blooming Great Tea Party visit mariecurie.org.uk/teaparty

Blooming Great Tea Party Marie Curie PO BOX 23987 14 Links Place Edinburgh EH6 9AB

We’re here for people living with any terminal illness, and their families. We offer expert care, guidance and support to help them get the most from the time they have left.

0845 052 4184* teaparty@mariecurie.org.uk

*Call charges apply. Please check with your provider.