Calorie counting was strictly forbidden at Springhill Care Group last Friday afternoon when staff at the Cannon Street headquarters tucked into tea, coffee and cakes galore.

The more butterfly buns, chocolate brownies and flapjack they ate, the more money they raised for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

The event- organised by Marketing Co-ordinator Christine Stevens and Administrator Katie Hayhurst – was part of the charity’s national Blooming Great Tea Party to help Marie Curie nurses provide free care for terminally ill people in their own homes or at a charity hospice.

“Everybody baked cakes and buns and brought them in to sell at 50 p each. Knowing we were helping such a good cause encouraged us all to tuck in and forget about calories for the afternoon. It was a perfect excuse – but we did all skip lunch in preparation for the feast!” joked Christine.

The tea party – which raised £70 for the charity – was also a good opportunity for staff and service users from the company’s supported living service Affinity to socialise over a cuppa.

“Everyone had a great time. It was a cheery end to a working week and wonderful to know we were helping people as well,” adds Christine.

The event also co-incided with the birthday of support worker Stephen Penketh – whose luck was obviously in as he won five raffle prizes.  Generously, he put three back to give colleagues and service users a chance.