What is a coffee morning?
Coffee mornings are casual events that encourage social interaction and combat loneliness, particularly for older people. It can be as simple as a few friends cosying up on the sofa to catch up over a hot drink and slice of cake for an hour or so.
It’s also common to see coffee mornings or tea parties held as more structured affairs to fundraise for charities. People are invited to attend, chat with others, enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, and donate to a chosen charity cause.
Hosting a coffee morning is a great activity for retirees, as you can put in as much or as little effort as you like to create a relaxed atmosphere for older people to enjoy the company of friends - both new and lifelong!
Tips for a successful coffee morning
Whether you’re planning to have people round for a coffee and gossip at home, or want to hold a function to raise money for a cause close to your heart – there’s no right or wrong way to host a coffee morning. But if you’re looking for some ideas on where to start, follow our three tips to get the most out of each gathering.
1. Socialise with friends and meet new people
Unfortunately, loneliness in older people is common – but it doesn’t have to be. The more opportunities there are for older people to stay social in their communities, the more meaningful conversations and connections we can build.
Coffee mornings are the perfect way to encourage older people to chat with friends, family, or new people in a laid-back environment. After all, who doesn’t relax with a nice cuppa in hand?
Choose a neutral and comfortable setting for coffee gatherings, such as a shared lounge or other communal areas in retirement developments. Coffee mornings are a common occurrence at our developments, with homeowners enjoying each other’s company in the comfort of their own shared space.
2. Make it a charity fundraising event
Coffee mornings can be casual, cost-free affairs, but they are also often held as fundraising events for charities. Charity coffee mornings tend to have a bit more structure, with a specific date, time, and location for people to attend.
- Choose a charity - decide on a charity you want to raise money for. Perhaps you could ask people to nominate charities and vote for one to focus on, or there might be a specific charity that’s directly supported someone in the development that they’d like to give back to.
- Get a coffee morning kit - lots of charities have kits you can order that include everything you need to plan and run a coffee morning. The Macmillan fundraising kit is a great example, as it includes posters and invitations, paying in slips, decorations, and more. You could use that as inspiration to create your own fundraising kit if your chosen charity doesn’t offer one.
- Raise awareness of the event - make sure people know about your coffee morning in advance. Put up posters and send out invites to let people know when, where, and what cause you’ll be supporting.
- Plan refreshments and activities - for summertime, you could plan an outdoor coffee morning with lawn games, and serve cold snacks and refreshing iced tea. On colder days, activities can be held inside with hot drinks, warming cakes, and conversational ice breakers or bingo to encourage people to interact.
- Decide how to collect money - money should be kept secure throughout the event, such as a lockbox with the key stored somewhere else. Place the moneybox somewhere obvious so people can pop their coins in – this’ll also allow the organisers to easily keep an eye on the box.
- Keep money safe and donate after the event - once you’ve enjoyed your coffee morning, count up your donations and figure out how to donate them. Charities offer several ways to accept donations, such as through paying in slips, over the phone, or a cheque in the post.
3. Bake homemade treats and cakes
No coffee morning or tea party is complete without a slice of something sweet to enjoy alongside a hot beverage. While it’s perfectly acceptable to cater with store-bought goods, there’s something special about sharing home-baked cakes and biscuits. You could even encourage people to bring something homemade with them to the coffee morning to sell or just share with friends – particularly if you’re expecting lots of people to attend.
Here are some of our favourite recipes to bake for coffee mornings:
- Mary Berry's ginger & chocolate cake - a decent slice of this decadent cake is bound to warm people up on even the coldest of days.
- Queen Mother meringue cake - this summery cake was shared with us by homeowner Liesal from Cartwright Court in Malvern, who served it at Queen's Platinum Jubilee where it was a big hit.
- The perfect scones - a British classic that works all year round. Serve scones with clotted cream and jam, and let each person decide whether they put the jam or cream on first!
- Parkin cake - traditionally served on bonfire night, parkin is a sturdy spiced cake that’s perfect for slicing and sharing with friends.
- Triple choc brownies - chocolate lovers will delight at the three different chocolates that go into these gooey squares of joy.
- Feta tarts - it doesn’t all have to be sweet. These vegetarian-friendly feta tarts were shared with us by one of our lovely homeowners, Val, and are perfect to cater for those who prefer a savoury treat.
Coffee mornings at McCarthy & Stone
Homeowners and staff alike love a coffee morning at our developments. They’re always fun occasions, with plenty of treats to share and hot drinks to go around. Here’s just a few of the coffee gatherings our residents have enjoyed over the years.
Raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support
Our developments are full of generous and thoughtful people. On one charity coffee morning held at Crescent Place in Warminster, our wonderful homeowners – along with staff, family and friends – raised £556 for Macmillan Cancer Support.
The event included delicious cakes, plenty of chatting, and a fundraising raffle to raise money for an important cause.
Combatting loneliness in older people with ‘Friendship Fridays’
Other coffee mornings are held to enjoy socialising with others. Our Shilling Place development in Purbrook invited local retirees to ‘Friendship Friday’, a coffee morning befriending event that aimed to tackle loneliness among the older generation.
The warm and welcoming environment was the ideal setting to encourage people to make new friends in the wider community and find all-important companionship to make retirement fulfilling.
Making friends at home
Pam, Anne, and Rita are homeowners at Brideoake Court in Greater Manchester who formed a strong friendship once meeting in the halls of the development.
They enjoy each other’s company so much that they wanted to help others find kindred spirits too. With the help of the House Manager, Gemma, the ladies set up regular meetings in the communal lounge where other homeowners can natter over a biscuit and tea.
Find a coffee morning near you
