Peterborough mum starts baking business from home and supports charity providing cakes for seriously ill children

Trina Banks has always had a passion for baking and, during lockdown, decided to follow her passion into starting her own business from home, Trina Cakes & Bakes.

Throughout lockdown herself and her son Jacob, who was two at the time, regularly made batches of fudge and then would go out and give them away for free around their home in Reeves Way while on their daily walk to whoever they came across, postmen, binmen and general passers-by etc.

She also gifted a batch of cakes and cookies to the local Police force after seeing how hard they were continuing working in the face of some of the online abuse they were receiving.

She said: “I love baking to put a smile on people’s faces, if I can exchange some eggs and flour for a smile then that is exactly what I want to do.

“The feedback we got from giving out fudge in the street was amazing and I appreciated it so much. I really would do the whole thing for free if that was an option!

“Jacob absolutely loves it and he always runs into the kitchen and he tries to grab the spoon when he sees that I’m baking.

“It’s all been a bit crazy since starting the business, I’m still working my regular job selling power tools but on the side of that, doing two of three orders a week, it started out as one or two a month.

“It was mostly friends and friends of friends at first but I’ve already managed to build up some returning customers. I use the hashtag ‘#loveineverybake and I do think that is the secret.”

Alongside starting her own business, she has also signed up to support national charity Cakes for Heroes.

The charity was started recently by Joanne Howard from Kingston upon Hull in an attempt to support children and families facing life-threatening illnesses, by providing them with custom birthday cakes and giving back just a brief moment of the normal childhood experiences that are so often stolen from these children.

Joanne, a keen baker herself and mother of five, realised the joy and brief moments of normality receiving a special birthday cake can provide during her own son Jacob’s battle with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Jacob survived his battle and now Joanne has set about assembling a team of bakers across the country to deliver more special moments to deserving children.

She said: “We faced this struggle every day for almost five years and we got to see how hard life can be for very ill children.

“Jacob is my greatest inspiration in life - he almost lost his battle on multiple occasions, but he refused to give up. He had to learn how to do everything again – how to walk, how to talk and even how to swallow, but he did it and that is why he is my hero. And that is why I decided to name the charity in his honour and in honour of all of the young heroes that are fighting their own battles.”

Trina added: “It’s been lovely to be a part of, everyone is so nice and supportive and it is giving moments like that this that is my biggest drive in baking.”

Trina, along with Natasha from Mrs Murtagh Bakes in Market Deeping are the region’s representatives for Cakes for Heroes and have encouraged anyone that wishes to get involved to email [email protected] or to call Joanne Howard on 07925203513.

To find out more about Trina’s business, visit www.facebook.com/TrinaCakes/.