A vicar has completed her mission to drink 100 cups of tea in her parish – raising £4,000 in the process.
Rev Janet Anderson-MacKenzie managed to find 100 different locations in Colerne for a cuppa, to raise money for refurbishments to The Church of St John the Baptist.
The church will celebrate its 825th year in 2015. It has set up Project 825 – of which the 100 Cups challenge is part – in a bid to raise £12,000 of the total £100,000 needed to replace doors, build a wheelchair-accessible toilet and create a hospitality area in the church.
Mrs Anderson-MacKenzie completed the 100 cups challenge in a mere 26 days. She enjoyed her first cuppa on top of the church tower and sipped away in the local Post Office, a bus stop, a rugby field, an aircraft hangar and a fire engine. She also enjoyed brews in the homes and businesses of several of her parishioners. She drank her final cup of tea while balancing on a skateboard in Colerne's skate-park.
Mrs Anderson-MacKenzie found that the task was harder than she expected it would be: "I normally drink a lot of tea, so I was quite surprised to find myself feeling quite nauseous after eight cups in four hours one day!
"Time management was also an issue, as I had to fit the challenge around my job."
However, the challenge's benefits far outweighed its difficulties. She said: "It was lovely to meet so many people in the community who were keen to help.
"Overall, it was a great experience."
Mrs Anderson-MacKenzie , who is also Priest in Charge of Box with Hazelbury and Ditteridge, is excited to see the money go to good use in Colerne. The church's makeover is designed to make it fit for purpose for the 21st century and beyond, and better equipped for community use and events like weddings and baptisms.
The 100 cups challenge is estimated to have raised around £20,00. Janet has also secured the backing of an anonymous donor who has vowed to match the grand total of money raised, doubling the figure to £4,000.
