Lynn Reeson was 30 years old and pregnant with her second child when she lost her own mum to cancer.It was a devastating time for her and her family, but Mrs Reeson said they were comforted by the care her mother, Olive Jermy, received from her Macmillan nurse and the vital support she gave also to the rest of the family.

Lynn Reeson was 30 years old and pregnant with her second child when she lost her own mum to cancer.

It was a devastating time for her and her family, but Mrs Reeson said they were comforted by the care her mother, Olive Jermy, received from her Macmillan nurse and the vital support she gave also to the rest of the family.

To say thank you, Mrs Reeson, now 42, regularly joins thousands of other people around the UK taking part in the World's Biggest Coffee Morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. This September will see her eighth or ninth coffee morning for the cause.

Her story shows the importance of Macmillan and why more people are being urged to get involved in the 2009 World's Biggest Coffee Morning event on Friday September 25.

Mrs Reeson's mum was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987, aged 48. She had a mastectomy, but six years after her original diagnosis the cancer returned, this time in her bones, and in 1996 she was told she had terminal cancer in her liver. It was at this point Mrs Jermy was assigned a Macmillan nurse, who looked after her until she died in July 1997.

Mrs Reeson was five months pregnant with her daughter Ailish when she lost her mum, and her son Daniel was three-and-a-half.

'My mum knew I was pregnant, and it was awful not being able to show your mum your daughter, but you have to go on,' said Mrs Reeson, whose daughter is now 11 and whose son is now 15. 'It was a very difficult time for all the family, but our Macmillan nurse was amazing. She helped with everything; she was there for the whole family. She was not intrusive but she was always there if we needed her. She provided us with help sorting out bills, providing care, and she said we could ring her any time to talk.'

Mrs Reeson's coffee mornings for Macmillan started at her home in Mattishall. Now they have grown so large that she holds them at Caf� Verde, in her home village, with the help of Edward Bales. He provides the tea and coffee and the serving staff while Mrs Reeson and her friends bake the cakes.

Last year about 100 people turned up, and this year Mrs Reeson's coffee morning, which includes a raffle, is at Caf� Verde on September 25 from 9.30am until 11.30am.

In 2008 in Norfolk there were more than 900 coffee mornings for the 'World's Biggest' event and people raised �158,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support. The charity hopes that this year the county will hold more than 1,000 coffee mornings and raise more than �200,000.

w To register your own event for the World's Biggest Coffee Morning call 0845 602 1246; otherwise you can email www.macmillan.org.uk/coffee