November 2020 - Pioneer Magazines

Bespoke Cake Maker Helping Local Charities & Good Causes

A bespoke cake maker is cooking up major support for local charities and good causes in the area.

Surkita Chauhan, who runs Bite Me Cakes from her home in Horseshoe Crescent, between Great Barr and Pheasey, has a bespoke recipe to succeed in business and help charities and other causes along the way.

The company, which has been up and running for three years, has a Zero Waste policy whereby excess cakes and other food items are donated to charities and local care homes.

Surkita, who runs the business with her fiancee Haidar, said their business was enjoying major success despite Covid-19 and she said despite that she wanted to continue her support of good causes close to her heart.

“We are looking to set up a charity within our own business to support good causes. We are always doing something for charity,” she said.

“Bite Me Cakes is a zero waste company and whatever we have left we give to food banks, charities and care homes. It is very important to us that we do charity events.”

Surkita, 31, has been baking since the age of 14 but in the last three years has been operating as a luxury, bespoke cake maker who creates amazing culinary creations to individual customers needs and requirements.

She said: “We try to think outside of the box and offer something different. Our website is under development and hope to have that up and running soon. We do a lot of business on Instagram and offer cake collection from us and delivery all of which is contactless.

“For Christmas we do luxury hampers with different options including traditional Black Forest Gateaux, shortbread and cakes with a festive theme.

“We also provide a service where we can send brownies by post anywhere within the United Kingdom.”

Surkita said her business had many plans for the future including opening up a new shop for the first time.

She continued: “We are looking to open up a new shop in the future. I run the business with my partner Haidar – he is the business side and I bake but I am teaching him to bake.

“Bespoke is our speciality, whatever you want as a customer we can make it happen. We have done cakes for shop openings and we have even had enquiries from celebrities so our business is really getting noticed.

“We are a bespoke, luxury cake maker – we have even made a cake in the shape of a work van. We are trying to set ourselves apart from other businesses.

“Business has been really good – we are the busiest we have ever been,” she added.

For further information about Bite Me Cakes or to make an order, please call 07950 364874 find on Instagram here or email biteme_cakes@yahoo.com

Carpet Cleaners With A Big Heart

Aldridge Magazine — Rich Doyle of Knight & Doyle and Councillor Garry Perry

Aldridge based Knight & Doyle Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning have helped two local community organisations with free carpet cleaning at the Stan Ball Centre in Bloxwich and donating a fogging machine and solutions to Pelsall Community Centre.

Both organisations were working very hard to re-open their services whilst making their premises Covid safe. Pelsall Councillor Garry Perry told us these activities have been given the name ‘reset opportunities’ because organisations have to reset their offer to service users. He explained that the key issue surrounding re-opening is one of confidence. Not confidence in organisations but giving people the confidence that they are coming into a Covid secure environment. This has put cleanliness and hygiene at the forefront of welcoming people back.

The Stan Ball Centre contacted Knight & Doyle for a quote to clean the carpets in the daycare room for the elderly. They had already received some quotes so were amazed when Knight & Doyle said they would do this for free! They cleaned a 60sqm room and also donated bottles of sanitiser. Chief Executive Eleanor said, “They arrived as planned, worked hard and we are really pleased with the results, our carpets look like new.” She continued “We are a charity and really appreciate when companies share our vision of supporting the local community and help us out along the way.”

The Stan Ball Centre is run by the local charity Bloxwich Community Partnership and provides adult care and support for adults of all ages.

When Knight & Doyle director, Rich Doyle, saw his local community centre were fundraising for a fogging machine, the business stepped up. They contacted Keir Pedley, Chair of the centre and not only donated the fogging machine, but also donated the solutions needed to run the machine and trained centre volunteers and cleaners on how to use it.

The fogging machine will be used to sanitise smaller meeting rooms between uses, and can be used by centre staff, volunteers and people hiring the rooms. This will allow for deep yet timely cleansing of the rooms so more people can use them. Pelsall Community Centre is used by a diverse range of people from youth and disabled groups to charities and the Townswomen’s Guild for all kinds of activities and sports.

Garry Perry said “Throughout the Covid pandemic I’ve seen countless local acts of kindness from both individuals and businesses. This is just one example of a business providing help to a local volunteer led organisation to add value to reset opportunities as we all learn to live with Covid. Without people like Knight & Doyle Pelsall Community Centre would be dipping into charitable funds. The rising stars of Covid are people doing things not for their own personal gain but to support local organisations.”

Knight & Doyle’s Rich Doyle said, “We are just pleased that we’ve been able to help out two centres in our local area that do so much for local people. Since the start of the Covid situation we’ve also sanitised the cars of NHS workers free of charge and this is something we continue to offer, as our time allows.”

Stan Ball Centre call 01922 403351
Pelsall Community Centre call 01922 682156 https://www.facebook.com/pelsallcommunitycentre/

Streetly Schoolgirl Donates Hair To Charity And Raises £1200

A seven-year-old Streetly girl has donated her hair to a charity that makes wigs for youngsters with cancer – and raised more than £1200 in the process.

Kimran Bhathal decided to get her hair cut after growing it long during lockdown earlier this year – and when a schoolfriend told her she had donated her hair to the Little Princess Trust, Kimran was keen to do the same.

Her mum Neeta, aged 35, said: “She’d already asked me why some little children have to wear wigs and when I told her why she wanted to do something to help.

We found out from the Little Princess Trust that it costs about £550 for each wig to be made and Kimran asked if we could raise some money as well.

We set up a JustGiving page and expected just family and a few close friends to donate some money, but once I mentioned it on a parents’ WhatsApp group, she raised £557 in just two hours.”

Buoyed by her success, Kimran redoubled her efforts and set her targets at £1200, which would buy two wigs at the Little Princess Trust.

After posting the charity page link on to a Streetly neighbourhood Facebook page, the Blackwood Primary School pupil reached her fundraising goal in just two weeks.

Kimran donated an impressive 14 inches of hair when she had her hair cut at BU Salon in Solihull, which is owned by a friend of her mother.

“I’m so proud of what she has done,” said Neeta, who lives with her husband Suki and four-year-old son Kyran. “We’ve had people we don’t even know donating to the fundraiser, which is really touching, too. It just shows how kind children are and how a community can pull together to make a better place.”

Anyone wishing to boost Kimran’s fundraising efforts can visit her JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kimran

Are You A Resident Of Walsall In Need Of Support?

Would you like someone to talk to?

Making Connections Walsall is a friendly service for people in Walsall that aims to address loneliness and social isolation and other issues that you may be facing.

How does it work?

There are lots of groups, organisations and clubs in Walsall which can support the health and well-being of local people. However, people often don’t know about them. Referrals are processed by the West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) who will connect you to your local hub organisation.

The social connector will contact you and they will discuss with you the types of activities you enjoy and will help you identify not only activities, but projects and services available in your community to support you.

Who is eligible?

– Residents of all ages within Walsall
– Those that are experiencing hardship, loneliness and isolation.
– Families, individuals and older people
– This service is about helping and supporting people to overcome the barriers that are affecting them, providing a listening ear and a helping hand

To discuss or make a referral, please contact: 0121 380 6690

You will be contacted by your local hub within 3 working days. A telephone assessment of your needs will be done, or a face to face assessment if Covid guidelines allow. For more information visit: www.walsall.gov.uk/covid-19_information

Tackling Loneliness Locally

Tackling lonliness locally is difficult in a normal year. The onset of winter, dark evenings and Christmas are when many people, especially the elderly, feel loneliness and isolation most acutely. Before the Covid pandemic research was already showing that loneliness and isolation was on the rise. Now as we enter another national lockdown the impact on the health and well-being of the elderly is incalculable.

Tackling Lonliness Locally

In September 2018 Age UK published their report on Loneliness in Later Life. Follow this link to access the report https://www.ageuk.org.uk/latest-press/articles/2018/october/all-the-lonely-people-report/

Two of the main findings were firstly, there will be a predicted 49% increase in the number of over 50s suffering from loneliness by 2025/2026. Mostly because people are living longer. Secondly, the research found the risk of being ‘often lonely’ is much higher among people who are widowed, do not have someone to open up to, or are in poor health.

A couple of years ago Walsall Council held a meeting for local residents. The over-reliance on the internet as a source of information was identified as an issue. At The Pioneer and Great Barr Gazette we agree. If you are not on the internet or IT savvy, this can lead to feeling isolated and cut off from the rest of the world. Yes, we do have our website, but we are passionate about our printed community magazines. We know our magazines provide a life-line of information for many of the elderly residents of Aldridge, Walsall and across our area.

Covid-19 has made 2020 a horrible year. The cancellation of clubs and events. The day care services provided by organisations such as the Stan Ball Centre in Bloxwich, disrupted. Many of which have only just re-opened, has been a grave cause for concern. People, especially the elderly and those caring for others, rely on these activities for companionship and support.

Help Is At Hand

We believe it is our mission to inform and involve everyone of all ages, but especially the elderly, in what is going on in our local community. Throughout the Covid pandemic we have published articles on many local support groups. Such as Linking Lives Aldridge and Making Connections Walsall and how they have adapted to deliver their services either on the phone or in Covid-safe ways. We’ve also promoted community groups such as the Anvil Chorus in Great Barr and The Aldridge Shed to name but two.

The Community Support organisations in our local area have been outstanding in reaching out the vulnerable and elderly. Here are a few organisations you can contact for help. You can always phone us on 01922 660022 and we will signpost you to someone who can help you.

Linking Lives Aldridge – a befriending service offering friendship and support across Aldridge. Email Aldridge@linkinglives.uk or call 07307 865973

Making Connections Walsall – aiming to address loneliness and social isolation and other issues you may be facing. To discuss or make a referral ring 0121 380 6690

The Stan Ball Centre – a community centre for older and vulnerable adults operated by the local charity Bloxwich Community Partnership. Call 01922 403351

The Aldridge Shed – a UK initiative for people from all walks of life to come together to pursue their interests and hobbies. www.aldridgeshed.co.uk or contact Barrie on 07985 188256

If you are feeling lonely please do not suffer in silence, reach out to any of the organisations above and the many others in our area, some are listed on our Communities Directory. And to all local residents look out for each other and especially the elderly at this challenging time.

Yours locally