Wear A Hat Day for Brain Tumour Research

Bee Smith Millinery as part of the British Hat Guild, support Brain Tumour Research. Each year, we host a fundraising event for Wear a Hat Day, held at the end of March, coinciding with Brain Tumour Awareness Month.

For 2025, we organised a Mad Hatter’s tea party on a bus! A fantastic Wear a Hat Day for Brain Tumour Research with the British Hat Guild & the worshipful company of Feltmakers🎩 A lovely day & we raised £500+ for such an important cause! You can donate to this important charity, via the Justgiving page here: The British Hat Guild are Raising Funds for Brain Tumour Research – JustGiving

For 2022, we organised a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party fundraiser. Every member of the Guild was invited to hold their own event, with the aim of raising funds and awareness of the great work done by the charity.

Hugh Adams, Head of Stakeholder Relations has been working at Brain Tumour Research for over a decade and says the support of milliners has been crucial in the growth of Wear A Hat Day.

“It really has been a thrill to have engaged with the millinery community over the years. We have had inspired designs for our signature brooches from Philip Treacy, Stephen Jones, Vivian Sheriff, Edwina Ibbotson, Noel Stewart and more and this year’s brooch is a typically elegant piece inspired by a Rachel Trevor Morgan design. We’ve loved the patronage of Lock Hatters and developing relationships with the London Hat Week and The Hat Magazine. At the core of this wonderful millinery support is the British Hat Guild and the open, collaborative and creative way they have joined with us. Wear A Hat Day is now nationally recognised and has raised over £1 million to support our vital work. People cannot support a cause unless they know it exists and working with the BHG helps us, not just raise money but to raise vital awareness of the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under the age of 40 and of the need for better funded research as the route to improving patient options and outcomes. From all of us at the charity we send sincerest thanks to all of you for what you have done, what you are doing and what you will do in support of Brain Tumour Research. We are proud to share our day, Wear A Hat Day, with you. Working together we can get closer to a cure. “

We were joined by the Mayor of Kingston, Cllr Sushila Abraham, Sarah Olney MP and Charlie Allsebrook from the charity. Guests were encouraged to try on different hats and to enjoy some tea and cake.

Our photos were taken by an amazing local photographer, Csilla Horváth. Many thanks to the Rose Theatre for the use of their café and for the help of their fabulous staff.