Midhurst Palliative Care hold coffee morning

Midhurst Palliative Care, the charity that funds the Midhurst Macmillan Service, welcomed supporters to a fundraising coffee morning on Tuesday, raising vital money to help patients and their families across the community.

The service provides specialist palliative care once offered on hospital wards, now delivered in people’s homes and across the local area. Its team of around 40 staff, including doctors, nurses, consultants and a physiotherapist, is supported by dedicated volunteers who offer everything from transport and massage to companionship and a listening ear.

Funds raised at the event will contribute to the £600,000 needed each year to support the non‑NHS‑funded part of the service.

Visitors gathered in the Scott Memorial Garden beside the community hospital, armed with cups of tea and coffee and an impressive spread of homemade cakes. Many sat beneath the peaceful Memory Tree, created by award‑winning local craftsman Mehrdad Tarfreshi, taking time to catch up and remember loved ones.

Installed only last year, the sculpture is the sister piece to the tree outside Cowdray Farm Shop, and families can commemorate relatives by having their names engraved on a copper leaf.

The team said they were thrilled by the success of their recent open garden event, hosted by sculptor Philip Jackson at his home in Cocking, which raised thousands for the charity. They are now looking ahead to the Midhurst Tractor Run at Christmas - another much‑loved community fundraiser that helps keep the service running.

Events like Tuesday’s coffee morning show how deeply rooted the service is in the local community. A quiet garden, a shared pot of tea and a few slices of cake can go a long way towards ensuring that patients and their families continue to receive the care and dignity they deserve.