Macmillan Cancer Support's World's Biggest Coffee Morning is one of the most successful fundraising campaigns going - but it wouldn't be quite so lucrative were it not for the efforts of one remarkable woman.

Liz Waite, of Park Road, Hounslow, has personally raised a phenomenal £85,000 for the charity since being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2000.

She held her 14th annual coffee morning on Friday September 25, providing refreshments for 170 people at her semi-detached home.

Michael Dent, Macmillan's director of fundraising, joined her to celebrate her sterling work on what was the 25th anniversary of the initiative.

Ms Waite said she has made almost 50 cakes herself this year alone in aid of Macmillan, with family and friends helping out with baking duties.

She also serves up quiche and wine, at a very reasonable £3, and runs a raffle and tombola, with prizes donated by local businesses.

"I'm just pleased Macmillan was there for me and I want it to be there for other people, so I do whatever I can," said the 64-year-old grandmother-of-three, who is still fighting her cancer.

"The Macmillan nurses were so good at explaining exactly what my diagnosis meant and what would happen next, and they've been there ever since.

"I remember one occasion in particular when I'd just had an operation and was told I needed to have another one in the next hour. The nurses somehow got all my family down to the hospital, for which I was so grateful."

Macmillan's World's Biggest Coffee Mornings, which take place at the end of September each year, have raised more than £138m for the charity since they were started in 1990.

Each year, thousands of participants across the country provide snacks, tea and coffee in exchange for donations to Macmillan Cancer Support

Ms Waite's fundraising is not limited to the annual coffee mornings. She is also part of a team of knitters called the Twickers MacKnitters, who sell their handiwork for charity twice a year at West Middlesex Hospital in Isleworth.

As well as raising money to support Macmillan, she is keen to increase awareness of ovarian cancer to ensure women are diagnosed as early as possible, improving their chances of survival.

"Ovarian cancer doesn't get nearly as much publicity as breast cancer. It's a silent killer but there are warning signs and it's important people know what to look out for," she said.

Any woman having at least one of the following symptoms for a month or longer, or for 12 or more days in one month, should see her GP to be checked for ovarian cancer, according to Macmillan:

  • Feeling bloated (having a swollen tummy)
  • Feeling full quickly and/or loss of appetite
  • Pain or discomfort in the lower tummy area and/or back
  • Needing to pass urine more often or more urgently (feeling like she can't hold on)

For more information about ovarian cancer, including a full list of possible symptoms, visit www.macmillan.org.uk.