27/09/2025
It's close to home. God bless her soul 🙏❤️
As we celebrate 35 years of Coffee Morning, we’ve been reflecting on where it all began. A rummage through the archives and thanks to generous support from family members, we’re sharing the story of Joan Bebbington who once worked at Macmillan Cancer Support.
Joan joined Macmillan in September 1963 and, for a short time, worked alongside our founder, Douglas Macmillan himself. She retired in 1984 but continued volunteering. When Coffee Morning launched in 1990, she was right there with us, supporting the charity she’d dedicated so much of her life to. Joan went on to hold them every year at her local village hall in Walberton.
Joan died in 2020 at 97-years-old. Her daughter Avril told us:
“When Mum joined Macmillan, the charity was known as National Society for Cancer Relief and she worked there for 20 years in the clerical office and helping to develop Macmillan Cancer Centres, before being appointed as Assistant General Secretary where she was eventually awarded the Sir Hugh Dundas Medal for her exceptional contribution to Macmillan Cancer Support.
“Mum never stopped supporting Macmillan and she was passionate about her work and the charity, holding Coffee Mornings well into her nineties. Dad died of bowel cancer in 1983, before Coffee Mornings were started and I know this also inspired Mum to be such a big supporter of Macmillan Coffee Mornings. I was inspired to support the charity too, and when Mum didn’t feel up to hosting any longer, she would come and support the Coffee Morning I was hosting at The Cloud Hotel in Brockenhurst that I owned and would sit at the reception collecting the money for us.”
We’re so proud of our history from our founding over a hundred years ago in 1911 to Coffee Morning celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. But what makes it truly special are the people and stories behind it.
A huge thank you to Joan’s family for allowing us to share her story. We hope everyone has a fantastic Macmillan Coffee Morning this Friday, 26th September.
