The Great British Bake off met The Apprentice when students from Denbighshire special needs schools collaborated for a charity Christmas project.
Students aged between 16 to 18 from Ysgol Plas Brondyffryn, Denbigh, and Ysgol Tir Morfa, Rhyl, raised £135 for good causes by baking a host of seasonal treats and then selling them at a Craft Fair at Rhyl Community College.
Businesswoman and keen amateur baker Heather Roberts, from Ruthin, combined the roles of cake-maker Mary Berry and entrepreneur Sir Alan Sugar to give advice and help choose and follow recipes.
The one-day bakeathon was sponsored by the Llwyddo’n Lleol – Succeeding Locally – programme which is funded by the Welsh Government’s European Social Fund to help young people across Conwy and Denbighshire develop their career paths.
It was part of a ground-breaking course being through Potensial, a European Social Funded project through Welsh Government, where students from the special needs schools are able to attend a bespoke course developed by Potensial and Llandrillo College, Rhyl, as a pilot to support young people at risk of becoming NEET – not in employment, education or training – during their transitional period.
The young people spent a day at Plas Brondyffryn choosing recipes, making and packaging cakes and sweets and working out their profit margins, all under the expert eye of Llwyddo’n Lleol mentor Heather Roberts, who runs her own accountancy firm, Businesswork Solutions.
She said: “The students have been brilliant and have done everything from choosing which charities to support to selecting the recipes and making and decorating the cakes.
“First they carried out market research with staff and fellow pupils to decide what would appeal to people and even used their woodworking skills to make the boxes for the cakes, mince pies and chocolates which they made.
“I’ve always loved baking but it is the students who have been hands-on here and they’ve had a lot of fun and have achieved a lot in such a short time.”
The students also worked out prices and profit margins before selling their produce at Rhyl College as part of their enterprise module, with monies raised going to St Kentigern’s Hospice and Water Aid, which provides clean drinking water in the developing world.
Jane Tunney, Potensial Learning Coach said: “The students have had to use all sorts of skills, from woodworking to make boxes and fantastic Stop Here Santa signs to budgeting”
Jenni Edwards, Llwyddo’n Lleol Project officer for Conwy and Denbighshire, said: “It is so important in North Wales that we help build a future for our young people of all abilities and increase their skills.
“It has been very good for them because they have developed their soft skills and social skills which help them become integrated into life at the college. It also shows excellent collaboration between ESF projects.
“This means they can go on to gain further qualifications which will help them build a career and find a job.
“It is wonderful that we have people from the world of business like Heather who can pass on their experience and help inspire our students because it is vital that we build a strong and skilled workforce because that will create a vibrant economy for the region.”
Tir Morfa student Neville Hughes, 16, from Rhyl, said: “It’s been excellent. I’ve made marshmallow cakes – it’s important to sample them to make sure they taste nice because we’re going to sell them for charity.
“I’ve enjoyed the woodworking too. We’ve made Santa Stop Here signs to sell as well.”
Matthew Gallagher, 16, from Prestatyn, who goes to Plas Brondyffryn, said he had been baking cakes for the charity event and added: “I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s a new experience for me, something different.
“I’ve added ingredients and mixed foods together and whipped the chocolate but the best thing has been meeting people and learning new skills. It’s been great.”
Ben Harrison, 17, of Dyserth, from Tir Morfa, said: “It’s been great. I’ve been following the recipes and adding things in. I’m going to taste them later.”
Plas Brondyffryn Assistant Head Teacher David Price was delighted with the project and said: “It’s the level of independence that’s the key thing for us and that’s why this course has been so good.
“It’s preparing them properly for college life and we need to carry on with this provision next year because it’s a perfect stepping stone for them from school to college.”
Vona Law, Potensial Project Manager, said: “This workshop has been made possible by Llwyddo’n Lleol and will give the students the confidence and skills they need to go on to progress in their chosen learning pathways.
“It’s been so successful. The kids have loved it and so has everyone involved with it.”
