raising money for cancer patients -- a "diminishing'' series of coffee parties that will ideally see a total of 13,700 people contribute $5 each to the charity.

The scheme -- billed as "a fundraiser with a difference'' -- works as follows: Lady Waddington, who served as hostess of the first gathering, invited seven guests to a coffee party yesterday and asked each to contribute $5 to PALS.

Within two weeks of, each of the seven guests is expected to invite a further six guests under the same conditions.

Then, within the next week or two, each of those six guests in turn holds a coffee party for five more guests -- and so on.

The process, which is scheduled to conclude on April 18, continues until 5,040 people have each had one guest for coffee.

A total of 13,700 people will have participated in the scheme if every guest follows through with a party.

"This is a very simple way of raising much-needed money to help PALS continue its care of the cancer patients in our community,'' a PALS statement said.

The aim of PALS, which went from an original operating budget of $500 in 1980 to current annual expenses of $365,000, is to enable cancer patients to remain in their own homes and to provide each family with free assistance and support.

In 1994, the four full-time oncology nurses and one part-time counsellor that PALS employs made over 5,000 household visits.

COFFEE MATES -- Lady Waddington (third from left) hosts the first seven guests of PALS' "diminishing'' coffee-party fundraising scheme. Pictured at Government House are (left to right) Mrs. Debbie Butterfield, Lady Swan, Lady Waddington, Mrs. Ina Wilkinson, Mrs. Pat Haycock, Mrs. Sallie Frith, Lady Gibbons and PALS chairman Mrs. Ann Smith Gordon.