Woman's mission to bake birthday cakes for homeless
Katy Davies says bringing a little smile to someone's special day can make all the difference
- Published
A woman has made it her mission to bake free birthday cakes for homeless people to show them they are cared for.
Consider it Cakes Cymru is made up of voluntary bakers, and attempts to make people who may feel forgotten about feel good on their special day.
Katy Davies, 28, says for many families and young children, birthdays can be overlooked as they don't have the facilities and have much bigger problems to deal with.
But she said "the thought behind a stranger baking a birthday cake for somebody will just bring some hope to them".
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About 25 to 30 bakers currently volunteer, with connections to those who will benefit from the bake, from Women's Aid groups to soup kitchens.
The mum-of-two hopes to follow in the footsteps of Franciska Acs who founded the Consider it Cake charity in Ireland, which has about 600 volunteer bakers and has been running for four years.
Ms Davies said her family in Ireland volunteer for that charity, but it was a bit far for her to do the same so she decided to bring it to her home in Sudbrook, Monmouthshire.
Speaking on BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, Ms Davies said: "We want to bake cakes for those who don't have the means to, whether that's the homeless, people in emergency accommodation or refugees.
"We just think bringing a little smile to someone's special day makes their life a little bit better."
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So far, it's mainly general bake sales being processed in Monmouthshire, but Ms Davies is hoping the baking buzz will catch on so they are able to make on-demand birthday cakes, just as they do in Ireland.
Ms Davies said: "They obviously have much bigger problems, being homeless or seeking asylum, but it's just knowing that someone cares."
Many recipients are vulnerable meaning Ms Davies doesn't get to see the end user, with the treats going through organisations such as Women's Aid.
But general bake sales allow volunteers to see the impact first hand, through delivering brownies, biscuits or cakes to soup runs and shelters which may have no desserts.
"Some are absolutely thrilled, even at just being given a brownie, as even if they had the money to buy one in the moment they wouldn't purchase this." Ms Davies said.
Additional reporting by Matthew Webb.