Local business owner provides free birthday cakes for local kids

Jennifer Moseley wanted to spread a little joy during lockdown by providing baked goods to her local community. Nearly two years later, she is the founder of Wood Street Bakery and has started a project to provide free birthday cakes to local kids whose parents otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford one.

Jennifer started the idea of Wood Street Bakery from her home kitchen, after losing her job as the head pastry chef at a West London restaurant. After passing by the recently closed down and unused Percy Ingle premise on Wood Street, she saw the opportunity to reinvigorate this neighbourhood bakery and opened the cafe doors in August 2021.

Jennifer said, “I started the bakery to bring a little bit of joy to people via the medium of food. During lockdown, I was delivering baked goods to people via bicycle every Saturday morning. The free cakes for kids initiative has a similar goal, which is just to bring a bit of joy to people at a difficult time, during the cost of living crisis.”

The bakery contacted the council about the free cakes initiative in June 2022. They made their first cake a month later, and have already baked 19 cakes for local kids.

She said, “All kids deserve to have a cake on their birthday and it’s not always something that everyone can afford. It’s a luxury item for people who are struggling with the cost of living”.

Since opening, Jennifer, a Wood Street local, has always wanted the bakery to be a central part of the community. She said, “Supporting this initiative just makes it feel like we’re giving back by making the bakery accessible to everyone.”

One of the recipients of the cakes was able to make a huge difference to her daughter’s special day. 

She said: “It was the best thing ever, I felt like no one was helping me. I wasn’t able to do anything for my daughter’s birthday because I am in temporary accommodation, and it was such a stressful time. The cake was the highlight of my daughter’s day and I’m so grateful.”

Find out more about Wood Street Bakery on their website.

Please note that this service is only available to residents whose children use either the We Play, Recipe Club, or the Lloyd Park Children's Charity services.

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