Final preparations are being put in place ahead of Macmillan Cancer Support's World's Biggest Coffee Morning September events.

One woman organising two local events has told of the reason behind her passion in helping Macmillan with the events – the support that the charity gave her family when her mother-in law passed away because of cancer.

Anna Stevenson, founder of Weston Longville PR and Marketing specialists Stevenson Consulting, has been busily organising the September 30 events for Open, on Bank Plain in Norwich, and Britannia Safety and Training in Wymondham, both between 10am and 3pm.

After an initial diagnosis of ovarian cancer that was given the all-clear, Anna's mother-in-law, Rosemary Stevenson, was then diagnosed with cancer of the liver in February 2006.

The Stevensons were forced to cope with the stark knowledge that this diagnosis was terminal, and that Rosemary, aged 68, was estimated to have six to nine months to live.

In a quirk of fate, happy news then arrived as Anna, now 38, was revealed to be pregnant.

Having previously resigned herself to never seeing any grandchildren in her lifetime, Anna's mother-in-law battled her illness to remain with the family months beyond her predicted time left.

Her grandson, Jacob, was born on October 28, 2006, but by November of that year she had been hospitalised in Addenbrook's Hospital in Cambridge.

Wanting to pass in peace at home, among family, she was out of hospital by the New Year, but this was only possible for a short time before she was admitted to Bury St Edmunds' St Nicholas Hospice, where she passed away in February 2007.

Anna's family were touched by the excellent care and support provided by Macmillan throughout.

Her husband, Hugo, 36, said: 'It was never intrusive.

'When you're going through this, and when you know your mother's this ill, you don't always want people coming into your home or to have to accommodate guests, but the Macmillan representatives were never in the way.'

So the Stevensons have been happy to help organise local events for The World's Biggest Coffee Morning, on September 30, the charity's biggest fundraising event that last year raised �8m nationwide.

To register to hold your own World's Biggest Coffee Morning event call 0845 602 1246 to register or register online at www.macmillan.org.uk/coffee

Are you holding a charity event? Call Local Life editor David Freezer on 01603 772418 or email david.freezer@archant.co.uk