Edinburgh parents have praised a charity that offers free birthday cakes to children who may otherwise have gone without.
Free Cakes for Kids Edinburgh is a local branch of the UK wide charity that bakes and decorates birthday cakes for underprivileged children.
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Working with social care charities, volunteers are matched with children who can request a custom made cake with any theme.
The baking charity currently provides cakes for over 40 Edinburgh charities that need some assistance to make a child's birthday special.
Volunteers bake the sponge and will decorate the cake to the request of the child. Previous cakes have included princesses, video games and animal related decoration.
Edinburgh mum Susan Howell, 38, receives support from One Parent Families Scotland who work with Free Cakes for Kids.
One Parent Families had referred her to the baking charity for a cake for her son Thomas after she shared her battle finding a suitable cake that wouldn't break the bank.
She said: “I was struggling to find something in a shop that would fit exactly what Thomas wanted and I was not able to pay a fortune for it to be specifically made.
“I was speaking to One Parent Families about this issue and they put me in touch with Free Cakes for Kids who offered to make it for free.
“He received a cake for both his 9th and 10th birthdays from the charity. He’s already excited for his birthday to come around because of how amazing the cakes were.
“The service has been great for a single parent with a child who has autism as the cake was made specially for him.
“He doesn’t like jam or buttercream and we had asked for the cake to be made the way he would like it with chocolate instead. They were willing to meet these specific needs while also keeping to the theme he’d asked for.
“It's a brilliant service for the kids. Thomas still talks about the cakes he has been given for his birthdays, he loved it.
“He has previously asked for a Minecraft cake and a green rubbish lorry decorated cake. Both were decorated amazingly.”
Thomas has loved the cakes so much he is already thinking about what his next cake could look like.
Another mum Luana Carecchio, 51, has been receiving cakes for her son Raphael for the past three years.
She was also matched with the charity by One Parent Families Scotland as she was struggling to juggle her studies and Christmas with her son's December birthday.
She said: “We were put in touch with Free Cakes for Kids through One Parent Families. My son's birthday is six days before Christmas so there was already a lot to think about.
“I’m a single parent who is also a student and I don't receive any other support. My son has ADHD and Autism so there are a lot of medical issues we have to deal with as well.
“On top of that, my son's birthday is in December. Christmas time is expensive enough with presents and with his birthday being the same time it's a stressful period.
“Not having to budget for a cake has been a huge relief. At least I know he will get a birthday cake that he likes and can share with friends for his birthday.”
Raphael, 14, has received some detailed cakes specifically decorated with his favourite interests. Luana has expressed that she couldn't believe the detail.
She said: “I’ve received some lovely cakes for my teenage son. We have used this charity for the past three years and they have provided a Fortnite cake, a Minecraft cake and a Call of Duty cake.
“They decorate with such great detail and have previously used 3D effects which make the cakes look amazing. Especially the Call of Duty cake which even had Raphael’s name on the army dog tag.”
Free Cakes for Kids Edinburgh started in 2013 thanks to founder of the branch, Lesley Pert. She saw the other branches' efforts to provide birthday cakes for children and decided that Edinburgh would benefit from this service.
Lesley has been volunteering for the charity for almost ten years, she said: “I started by contacting friends to get involved with the Edinburgh branch and contacted charities in the area to see if we could help.
“We now provide cakes for over 40 groups and charities in the area, predominantly working with childrens charities and social work groups.
“The aim is to give a child a birthday cake that wouldn't normally get one, a lot of people who get involved say they can't imagine a child going without a birthday cake.
“We are always looking to support new charities and groups with our cakes and have found the parents and recipients are really supportive of the cause.”
The charity recently put a callout on social media for new volunteers, to get involved find more information here.
