The Bettys Bakery and Cookery School, based in Harrogate, is getting involved with the celebrations as Yorkshire’s Brain Tumour Charity marks 20 years of supporting patients and carers.
The team at the Bakery and Cookery School chose YBTC as their charity of the year for 2023, inspired by colleagues including Dave Smith, 55, who was diagnosed with a grade 4 glioblastoma in March of 2022.
The colleagues have already raised over £7,000 for YBTC since November, and have set a target to raise £20,000 by the end of the year to correspond with the charity’s 20th birthday and the 20 years Dave has worked for Bettys. In March the team will be getting involved with the charity’s birthday celebrations.
YBTC’s birthday coincides with Brain Tumour Awareness Month, a time when the charity encourages supporters and organisations to don a flat cap and get together with friends for a pint or a cuppa as part of their Flat Cap Brew campaign.
The Bettys team will be having a Flat Cap Brew in the bakery, and running a ‘wear your best hat’ photo competition, where staff and friends will pay to enter and win a prize for the best selfie.
The Bettys team are encouraging other organisations across Yorkshire to get involved by having a brew wearing a flat cap or another favourite hat, to celebrate YBTC’s birthday and raise awareness of this devastating illness.
Gemma Pickup, Nightshift Manager at the Bettys Bakery and Dave’s manager, said:
We are delighted to be supporting YBTC and getting involved in their initiatives. Members of the Bakery and Cookery School chose this charity because it means something to everyone. Through speaking to people during the events we’ve been running I’ve learnt that friends, colleagues and family members have all been affected in some way by brain tumours. For me personally, seeing how fast a brain tumour can change someone’s life and affect those around them, has really spurred me on to raise awareness and help fund research. One minute Dave and I were baking cakes together, that same day he was diagnosed with a brain tumour. I want people to recognise the symptoms and act straight away, and potentially save lives.
Marie Peacock, CEO of YBTC said:
We’re so grateful to the team at Bettys for their continued support and the incredible amount they have already raised. We want everyone to get together for a Flat Cap Brew that is bigger, better and more ‘Yorkshire’ than ever to help us celebrate 20 years of funding research and support for patients and families. So stick the kettle on, grab your flat cap and join us in your way.
Yorkshire’s Brain Tumour Charity started life in 2003 as Andrea’s Gift, named after Andrea Key, who died just seven months after being diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour. 20 years on, the charity has grown exponentially and currently supports over 1000 patients and carers across Yorkshire through counselling, grants and a range of support groups, while funding vital research to find better treatments and a cure.
To find out more about the charity’s Flat Cap Brew campaign and birthday celebrations, go to Yorksbtc.org.uk/Flat-Cap-Brew/
Make a donation to the campaign by texting FLATCAPBREW to 70085 to donate £3
