Macmillan has announced the launch of ‘Summer Lights’, a national mass-participation fundraising event to take place in June.

The idea is for supporters to hold a gathering in the afternoon or evening, indoors or in the garden. The charity recommends supporters set the scene with some fairy-lights, candles or lanterns, and to invite their friends or family – “the people that light up their life” – over for nibbles and drinks in exchange for a donation to Macmillan.

The charity has not said how many people it is hoping will take part, or how much it hopes to raise.

Hannah Redmond, head of national events marketing at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “Our supporters have told us that they love the opportunity to get together with friends and family in the name of a good cause and that’s exactly what Macmillan’s brilliant new Summer Lights fundraiser is all about.

“It’s a celebration of the summer and of the people that light up your life, as well as an opportunity to stand together for people affected by cancer. We’re delighted to have something new for our supporters to get behind.”

Macmillan’s flagship fundraising event, the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning raised over £27m in 2015 for its 25th anniversary.

More information on the Summer Lights event can be found here.