Haywards Heath coffee shop to celebrate 20 years by donating ‘every penny’ from one day to cancer charities

The Bay Tree at The Orchards is holding the fundraiser to mark its 20th anniversary.

Owners Philip and Sarah George said they will give the money from Saturday, February 4, which is World Cancer Day, to Blood Cancer UK and Young Lives vs Cancer.

Sarah said: “It will be the entire day’s takings, not just the profit but literally every penny that comes in that day, plus all donations because we’ll have some collection tins out as well.”

Sarah said the shop opened in late January 2003 and said that she and Philip are delighted to have owned it for so long.

“It’s a lovely business,” she said. “We have lots of loyal customers, some of whom have been coming for 20 years, which is lovely. I think we’re better in many ways than a lot of the chains because we give a much more personal service and it’s like a home from home for a lot of our customers.”

Sarah also explained that the two charities they have selected are important to them because their son, Tom, was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2010 when he was just six years old. However, they said he is now a healthy 19-year-old and studying at Oxford.

In March last year Philip and Sarah ran a similar event, raising more than £4,000 for Ukraine.

The opening hours of the coffee shop are 8am to 5pm. Visit www.thebaytreecoffeeshop.co.uk.