Celebrate World Baking Day with Rowcroft's Big Bake

This year, World Baking Day falls on Sunday 19 May and Rowcroft Hospice is inviting supporters across South Devon to sign up to their latest fundraising campaign, The Rowcroft Big Bake.

Whether you're a baking newbie or the next Mary Berry, the fundraising campaign is open to everyone and is taking place throughout June. Participants are encouraged to organise a get-together, such as a community coffee morning, garden tea party, cake sale or bake- off competition, and whip up a selection of sweet treats to help raise funds for the local hospice.

Alexia Croft, Community Engagement Manager at Rowcroft said: "We're reaching out to our amazing supporters, community groups, schools and local businesses and asking them to rise to the occasion to help make a real difference to the lives of our patients. It’s a great opportunity to come together as a community over a cuppa and a slice of cake to raise vital funds for Rowcroft. Every cake, cookie, and cupcake will help make an impact. We'll also send you a free fundraising pack full of tips and inspiration to help you whisk up a successful event!”

Many local businesses have signed up to Rowcroft’s Big Bake, including recruitment specialists BIG ANT. Becky Darke, Team Manager at BIG ANT in Paignton explained: “We’ve supported Rowcroft over the years in various personal and business ways. We want to raise funds and the profile of Rowcroft and all that it does for the local community.

“If you have ever been to the hospice and met with the staff and seen what they do, it is incredible, so every little bit of fundraising plays an important contribution to the service that Rowcroft offers. If we all do a little bit, it can make a big difference.

“We see The Big Bake as a fun and interactive way of supporting a charity to whom we all have some form of personal connection and it will be an opportunity to invite visitors, customers, our temporary teams, and candidates we have helped over the years to come to our office.”

Rowcroft supports over 2,500 patients with life-limiting illnesses across South Devon each year, offering specialist care and support to help patients and those closest to them to make every day the best day possible. Every pound raised from Rowcroft’s Big Bake will go directly towards providing specialist care and support to local patients and their families, from complementary therapy sessions to overnight care.

Planning a Big Bake event is a piece of cake. Simply choose a venue, date and time in June, register your event, then spread the word and gather your friends, family or colleagues.

For further information or to register to host a Big Bake event, please go to www.rowcrofthospice.org.uk/bigbake or telephone 01803 217 450.

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Images attached: BIG ANT in Paignton preparing for the Rowcroft Big Bake

Notes to Editors

About Rowcroft Hospice

It takes time, compassion, medical expertise and money to help patients and families make the most of every day, but every year Rowcroft Hospice helps around 2,500 people living with life-limiting illnesses in South Devon to do just that.

By providing comfort, support and specialist services, the hospice enables families to share precious and joyful moments when they are needed most – whether it’s a beautiful wedding, remarkable reunion, simple thank you or gentle cuddle.

From Dartmouth to Dawlish and up onto Dartmoor, Rowcroft cares for 80% of its patients in their own homes with a team of community nurse specialists, social workers, and bereavement volunteers. The team also provides occupational therapy, physiotherapy, complementary therapy, spiritual care and music therapy, delivering a holistic approach tailored to individual needs.

Day and night, Rowcroft’s award-winning Hospice at Home team provide free specialist support to patients at home in their last few of weeks of life. The team helps to monitor and manage symptoms to enable patients to be comfortable and also offers support for loved ones, enabling carers to take much needed breaks. The service includes a dedicated telephone support line 24 hrs a day.

In Rowcroft’s 12-bedded Inpatient Unit in Torquay, the hospice’s team provides specialist care for patients whose complex needs cannot be met at home. Along with high quality health and social care, we also offer delicious homecooked meals and access to our beautiful gardens. The welcoming and homely environment helps patients and families to make the most of precious time together.

Rowcroft is an independent charity with around 75% of its funding derived from the incredible generosity of local people. The hospice team fully acknowledges the current challenging economic climate and is grateful for the local community’s continued support through these tough times; every pound raised makes a real difference.

With an increasingly ageing local population, the demand for Rowcroft’s care has never been greater. The charity currently cares for around one in three people with life-limiting illnesses across South Devon and has ambitious plans to expand its care to reach more people.

For more information, please visit www.rowcrofthospice.org.uk or contact Shala Weeks, Marketing Projects Manager, on (01803) 210 846 or email weekss@rowcrofthospice.org.uk