CAKES FOR COURAGEOUS KEY-WORKERS
Making life a little sweeter for our front-line Heroes
Last week I had the absolute pleasure of baking over 100 pastries for deserving key workers in the Nottingham area. Thanks to the overwhelming support of my regular customers, overseas followers and a local business, I was able to spread a little joy to those keeping us safe and well during the coronavirus pandemic.
Where it all started..
At the beginning of April, just a few weeks after the Government introduced Lock-down measures across the UK, it was clear that with the main source of my income being wedding and occasions grinding to halt, I needed to think differently about how to keep my business afloat. I put the question out there to you my followers and as always you answered my call and came up with an idea that meant I would both bring in some income and give a little back in return. I launched my ‘NHS Voucher Scheme’ which allowed my customers to buy £20 vouchers redeemable against any of my services once normal business resumes and I decided that for every £20 spent, I would donate £5 worth of pastries to front-line workers.
In all honesty, I wasn’t sure how people would respond to this scheme, after all we are currently facing difficult times financially as well mentally, but I was overwhelmed by the the support and generosity of the people around me. Through the purchase of vouchers and direct donations I managed to raise £210 worth of treats for local key workers. Donations came in from as far as America as well as a generous donation from a local Derbyshire business John Preston Home Interiors
Who benefited from the scheme?
Once news got out that I would be donating cakes, volunteers came forward to help me deliver them. I was keen to make sure a wide section of workers would benefit from this, not only the worthy nurses and doctors but care workers, cleaners and ambulance crews alike.
On Monday 11th May, after 7 weeks of not working, it was a delight to be back in the kitchen baking for others. I made my most popular pastries including: Crostata di Frutta, Limoncello Bigne, Rum Baba and chocolate and hazelnut cannoncini and in keeping with the nations rainbows for hope, my children created some beautiful thank you cards to go along with them. The following day, boxes of delicious Italian patisserie made their way to:
The Wilford Ambulance Crew
The Nottingham COVID Testing Hub
The ITU unit at The Queens Medical Centre
as well as some carers in the local community looking after the elderly in their own homes.
The Response….
Obviously I am not in the business of saving lives and cakes and pastries certainly don’t help in the fight against this terrible virus, but its amazing what a little act of kindness can do to bring a smile to people’s faces who face adversity everyday. The response I got was both heartfelt and emotional, there were tears from some and huge beaming smiles from others, a little more energy to keep going that extra shift and a great deal of gratitude and appreciation for the thought that went behind them. All of this was possible because of my customers support, an act of ‘PAYING IT FORWARD’ and that couldn’t be more pertinent this week as its ‘Mental Health Awareness Week’.
I want to say a huge thank you to all who made this scheme possible, from the people who donated, those that purchased a voucher, those that kindly found time in their day to deliver the pastries and of course to the courageous, resilient and dedicated key workers who are keeping our country afloat. Lets make sure that once we return to some semblance of ‘normal’ that we continue to reach deep and look out for one another with the same sense of community spirit that we have seen and experienced. Just a little kindness goes a very long way!!
Stay safe everyone,
