Help for Heroes competition winner

Leighton schoolgirl Olivia Shipley (left) and her sister Amelia with their Help for Heroes prize-winning cake.

A kind-hearted schoolgirl from Leighton Buzzard who raised more than Â£100 from a cake sale for Help for Heroes has won a national baking contest organised by the charity.

Olivia Shipley’s ‘Great Britain’ cake took top honours in the Young Supporters Under 17 section of the Bake for Heroes cake competition.

Entrants were invited to create a cake around the theme and her sponge – topped with a London bus and phone box and the capital’s skyline round the side – caught the judges’ eyes.

The 11-year-old from the Planet estate scooped a ticket for a family of four for any Merlin attraction in the country, including Legoland and the Jurassic Skyline.

Proud mum Angela said the Year 6 Gilbert Inglefield pupil was “thrilled and very very happy.”

The lead nurse for pre-assessment at Milton Keynes Hospital added: “She did a sugarcraft course last uear and made her Nanny’s 70th birthday cake.

“Because my mum’s a keen dressmaker, Olivia decorated it with an edible ball of wool, tape measure and buttons.

“It’s fantastic that she’s got such a creative side and I’m always happy for her and her older sister Amelia to be in the kitchen. They’d happily bake for hours.”

Olivia’s story is featured on the Help for Heroes website in the Welcome to Hero Kids! section.

The aspiring Mary Berry saw a leaflet at school promoting Bake for Heroes, registered, and was thrilled to receive a fundraising pack.

She and Amelia spent their Easter holiday baking, sending out invitation and organising the event.

On the day Olivia cut up the cakes to make them easier to serve and labelled each with a description and price.

She said: “I felt good because I’d enjoyed the baking, everyone enjoyed the cakes and we raised some money for Help for Heroes.”

> More details at www.helpforheroes.org.uk