Cancer charity Maggie's in Cheltenham is encouraging people to get together around their kitchen table and fundraise on Friday, November 5, for Maggie's Kitchen Table Day.

The charity is encouraging people to come together for tea and cake, share fish and chips or play games - anything at all - as long as it is round a table and raising funds to help people living with cancer.

Nichola Peregrine, centre head at Maggie's, Cheltenham, said: "I can't wait to see the wonderful events that people in the Three Counties come up with to help make Maggie's Kitchen Table Day 2021 a success.

"It has been a difficult 18 months for everyone and while we must still think about current guidelines, it is possible to find ways of coming together safely, having fun and raising funds to help people at what is possibly the hardest time of their lives."

Hundreds of Kitchen Table Days will be held nationwide with people everywhere helping to raise money for family and friends living with cancer.

People like Lyn Ellis, who said: "I am delighted to take part in Maggie's Kitchen Table Day which will raise vital funds for the incredibly important work that Maggie's Cheltenham does supporting people living with cancer.

"Maggie's Kitchen Table Day is an opportunity to catch up with the people you care about to celebrate and have fun while also making a difference."

The kitchen table is often the first stop for new visitors to Maggie's Cheltenham. Here they can relax with a cup of tea, perhaps join in the conversation and meet a member of Maggie's professional staff. For all centre visitors, Maggie's kitchen table is a place where they can talk to people who really understand what it means to be living with cancer.

Every Maggie's follows the ideas about cancer care originally laid out by Maggie Keswick Jencks. Maggie lived with advanced cancer for two years and was determined that she should not "lose the joy of living in the fear of dying".

In order to live more positively with cancer, Maggie believed people needed information, stress-reducing strategies, psychological support and the opportunity to meet other people in similar circumstances in a relaxed and beautiful setting.

All Maggie's are individually designed by leading architects to feel like a home and all have a big kitchen table at their heart.

Host your kitchen table event - while following government guidelines - on Friday, November 5, to raise money for people with cancer. Register now for your free pack, t-shirt and bunting at maggies.org/kitchentableday 

Share photos of your event on social media using the hashtag #kitchentableday

Built alongside the grounds of Cheltenham General Hospital, Maggie's Cheltenham is a warm and welcoming place, with qualified professionals on hand to offer an evidence-based core programme of support that has been shown to improve physical and emotional wellbeing.

Maggie's Cheltenham relies on voluntary donations to develop its unique, high quality programme of support. The charity's aim is to make the biggest difference possible to people living with cancer and their family and friends.

To find out more about Maggie's Cheltenham and to see how the centre supports people living with cancer across the Three Counties, please visit the centre at The Lodge, College Baths Road, Cheltenham GL53 or get in touch on 01242 250611.