THE Macmillan World’s Biggest Coffee Morning campaign has become incredibly popular across the Vale of Glamorgan. It has really captured the imagination, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to join friends old and new at a number of coffee mornings in Barry and surrounding areas last week.

Macmillan is a charity very close to my heart. It was one of the charities I chose to run in aid of in the 2015 London Marathon. I chose Macmillan because I know how many people have been helped through a cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

Rhws Primary School held a fantastic coffee morning. Pupils and parents both enthusiastically served coffee and cake in a school with such a positive atmosphere. I also visited another Macmillan event in the wonderful surroundings of Gileston Manor and met a wonderful group of people keen to raise money for the charity.

One in three of us will get cancer. Thankfully, treatment has vastly improved in recent years but the money required to continue the studies and research is so important. That is why I am so pleased that the coffee mornings are proving so popular. They are popular because it brings people together to talk, have fun and also raise incredible amounts of money.

I must pay credit to Lyndsay and Nicki Ellis from the local Vale Funeral Service. The event they organised over the weekend at Mount Pleasant Church was incredible. It was absolutely wonderful to see so many Barry residents supporting such a good cause and having good fun too. It was the perfect example of a community event that can and will make a real difference.

Over £2,400 was raised from the coffee morning – a superb achievement. During difficult periods we all rely on our friends and family to lift the spirits, and I felt privileged to be part of the event on Saturday.

At this time of year, as I head to complete the Cardiff Half Marathon, I am already thinking about my two charities for the 2016 London Marathon. If you know of a charity that does good work in Barry and the wider Vale, why not let me know so that I can learn more.