Physiotherapists bake off for Hospiscare

Physiotherapists at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital in Heavitree have raised over £200 for Hospiscare by holding their ‘Big Devon Bake Off’.

Inspired by their love of cake, the department pulled out all the stops to host a baking competition for the charity’s September event, presenting an impressive range of baked confections for judges Liz Jacobs and Jane Middleton.

Everything from lemon drizzle to apple strudel was put forward by staff in the hope of claiming the converted ‘star baker’ title. In the end, it proved impossible to choose between two bakes, with a tie being called between Roy Abbott and his scrumptious chocolate raspberry cake and Pam Cox with her marvellous pavlova.

Following the judging, the cakes were sold to staff and visitors at the Physiotherapy and Pain Management department, which when combined with the £1 entrance fee produced an impressive total for the charity.

Hospiscare is a Devon-based organisation that provides an all-encompassing service for people with a terminal diagnosis, including caring for patients at home or in their hospice, and supporting a small team of specialist nurses and doctors at the RD&E. This September they were asking people to join in on the baking craze and raise some dough by holding a ‘Big Devon Bake Off’.

Senior Physiotherapist Sarah Martin and Receptionist Allie Alton-Vanderstay who organised the RD&E’s Bake Off said: “Hospiscare is a cause close to our hearts, and as we love to eat cake and show off our baking skills we couldn't resist joining in! It's a fun event that everyone can take part in, whether they are competing, donating or eating! Having judges come in was just an extra spin for us to make it more fun as the Heavitree department can be quite competitive! We hope that our efforts will raise plenty of funds for this great charity.”

Susie Healey, Hospiscare Community Fundraiser, said: “We are delighted to have the Physiotherapy department’s support and it was lovely to join them for their Bake Off this morning.  It is a pleasure to work with such a lovely team who were so happy to support their local community and had fun at the same time.”