Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea takes place on 23 May, with the aim of raising funds to help people affected by cancer.

If you’d like to host a tea party as part of the initiative, follow the Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea ideas in our latest post.

We’ll guide you through planning your morning tea, offering our ideas to make it a memorable event.

More about Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea 2024

Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea is organised by the Cancer Council, Australia’s premier cancer charity. The event is open to members of the public and aims to raise funds to help people affected by cancer.

People are encouraged to host their own morning tea, not just to raise funds but also to bring communities together. These events are also a good opportunity to talk to others about cancer and how it has affected you or a loved one.

Facts about cancer in Australia

Cancer Council says that almost half of Australians get a cancer diagnosis before reaching 85. This fact alone highlights the need to raise funds for essential research.

Here are some more facts about cancer from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare:

• In 2023, approximately 3 out of 10 deaths were estimated to be because of cancer.
• The annual number of cancer diagnoses may exceed 200,000 by 2033.
• Prostate cancer is the most common cancer for males.
• Breast cancer is the most common cancer for females.
• On a positive note, cancer survival rates are improving. Between 1990 and 1994, the five-year survival rate was 53.3%. The latest statistics for 2015 to 2019 found that the rate had increased to 70.6%.

Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea ideas

Here’s our step-by-step guide to hosting your own morning tea:

1. The first step is to register on the Cancer Council website. Next, you can pick a date for your morning tea. The official date is 23 May (Thursday), but you don’t have to choose this date. Any day in May or June is good.
2. Once you’ve decided on a date, you can send out invitations to family, friends and colleagues. You can find templates and more on the Cancer Council Host Resources page.
3. Decide on your menu. Tea and coffee are a must! You can add some soft drinks to the menu or even mocktails, if you’re feeling adventurous. Check out these recipes for inspiration. Add some of your favourite cakes and bakes to the menu. You can find lots of yummy recipes here. Remember, you don’t have to do all the hard work yourself — you can ask guests to each bring something tasty.
4. Plan games and activities for your morning tea. You could organise a raffle, arrange a tea tasting or even stage a scavenger hunt! Find more ideas on the Host Resources page.
5. Work out how you are going to collect donations from your guests. You could use a donations box to collect cash or ask your guests to scan a personalised QR code that you’ll find in the host kit you’ll receive once you register.
6. Just before your event, decorate your venue. You’ll find plenty of ideas in your host kit or in the Biggest Morning Tea downloadable resources.
7. After the event, count up your donations and bank them online (you’ll find instructions in your host kit). Don’t forget to thank your guests and let them know how much you raised.

How do I make it personal?

Cancer Council urges hosts to make their event personal since so many of us have been affected by cancer in some way.

There are lots of ways you can do this. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Host your event at a venue that is meaningful for you. This could be at your home or a local beauty spot where you have spent time with a loved one impacted by cancer.
• Use place cards to personalise your table. This can also help break the ice and get guests talking to each other.
• Give your guests wristbands to wear at your event. They could be customised with their names or with the morning tea colours of yellow or blue. You could also sell wristbands to help raise funds for cancer research.

Let’s support Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea together

Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea is a worthy cause that brings people together to fight cancer.

Make your event special by ordering customised wristbands to add that personal touch to your tea party.

Handband is one of Australia’s top suppliers of promo products and wristbands. Our products make the perfect gifts for your guests to remind them of a fun event with a serious message. Let’s support Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea together.