Sophie’s cake sale helps other poorly children

A schoolgirl who hopes to one day open her own bakery raised hundreds of pounds with a cake sale.

Eight-year-old Sophie Gardner, from Faversham, decided to raise money for East Kent Hospitals Charity, supporting Rainbow ward at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, after she needed treatment for an infection.

She baked a host of sweet treats, with the help of mum Sam, and also organised competitions including guess the name of the teddy, and guess how many sweets in a jar.

In total, she collected £300 to help improve the experience of other poorly children.

Sam said: “Sophie's first experience of Rainbow ward was when she was 12 days old, she saw Dr Jan Stanek who diagnosed a cow's milk protein allergy. 

“Then when she was around four, she was referred back to Dr Stanek for repeat urine infections and she has been under his care since then.

“Each time we visited the ward we bought chocolates for the doctors and nurses but she wanted to do something else, and as she’s very keen on baking and watches lots of baking programmes on television, that’s when she had the idea of a cake sale.”

Last year, a routine urine test revealed Sophie had a bacterial infection that was resistant to oral antibiotics, and the family were called at 9pm to come into hospital for intravenous treatment.

Sam said: “Sophie needed IV antibiotics for seven days, and the first type needed to be administered twice a day.

“This meant we couldn't leave the ward, but the team worked with the microbiologists to find another option so that we could leave, and drive back just once each day to have the antibiotics. 

“Sophie felt really lucky that she wasn't more poorly and she asked a lot of questions about how long children stay in the ward, and why they are poorly. This is when she decided she wanted to do something to make their stay a little better.

“We are lucky we have a rather large and extremely supportive family who helped us to raise such a fantastic amount.”

Dee Neligan, senior charity officer at East Kent Hospitals Charity, said: “We were so impressed with Sophie’s fundraising efforts and I have no doubt her bakery will be a huge success in the future.

“Her generosity will really make a difference to other children’s experience on Rainbow ward and we’re very grateful to everyone who has supported her.”