Canton Community Centre was host to the Great Charity Bake Off on Saturday, where local people cooked a smorgasbord of delights, to be judged by the audience of the event.
Queuing for cake at the community centre
The small room at the community centre filled with people by 2pm, clambering to try their allocated 10 bites (which were, in fact, very generous slices, and concluded in lot of waddling attendees).
Karen Timbrell, organiser of the event, supervised the cutting of chocolate cakes, sparkly cupcakes, experimental and traditional delights (the victoria sponge cake may have been the best I’ve ever tasted!)
The gingerbread house proved so popular it was put up as a prize for a separate raffle
Cake enthusiasts fill their plates
The event was held to raise money for Brain Tumour Research, as 16,000 people a year are diagnosed with this type of cancer, one of whom is Karen’s daughter Holly, who has received five operations since being diagnosed three years ago. Doctors are regularly monitoring Holly’s condition and are heartened that there has been no change in the size of the brain tumour for her last three check-ups. Should Holly’s tumour begin to grow, the family knows that she would need to receive a course of radiotherapy.
The research into brain tumours is starkly under-funded. “The statistics versus the funding don’t equate,” says Karen, “There aren’t enough research projects going on, nor are there funded posts for PHD students to carry on their work.”
In the light of these hard facts, Karen and her family have busied themselves raising money. The Bake Off has been one in a series of fundraisers, with previously organized evenings in Canton featuring tribute bands and a drag act, all to raise money for the research into this type of cancer.
A portion of the proceeds of Saturday’s Great Charity Bake Off will also go toward the project Head Smart, an initiative to raise awareness of the symptoms of brain tumour, for people and professionals alike.
Karen said of the event on Saturday, “I usually hold evening events music, and so this is the first really different thing we’ve done. The turnout is fantastic, I’m thrilled. Hopefully this will take our fundraising amount to over £17,000.”
Any leftover cake from the event was taken to the Huggard Centre for the homeless.
Canton Cuttings 