HOOPLE recently celebrated its first charity ‘bake off’, in the process helping to raise almost £300 for local charity, The Born Sleeping Appeal.

The competition asked staff to bake a half-dozen identical mince pies that were judged on taste, appearance, texture and consistency.

Those submitted ranged in shape and size but were all pronounced better than shop-bought!

The eventual winner was Sandra Dallimore, a project manager at Hoople Ltd.

Other teams and individuals at Hoople made extra cakes and Christmas bakes to sell throughout the office or paid to wear their Christmas jumpers to work – all helping to raise funds for the charity.

The Born Sleeping Appeal is helping to fund a suite within the Hereford County Hospital, supporting bereaved parents and their families after having a stillborn baby.

The appeal’s vision includes providing close family members with a safe place to stay overnight in a private room, with access to a separate counselling room. The suite will ensure families have access to an environment where they can receive care and support through a time of great difficulty.

A spokesperson for The Born Sleeping Appeal said “We are very grateful to Hoople for their support. Their donation will make such a difference to our patients and their families.”

The bake off judges included Hoople’s chief operating officer, Nick Mather who said “It was fantastic to see our staff support such an important cause with such passion.”