Bake and Make a Difference This Autumn with Grief Encounter’s Baking Memories Fundraiser

By Heidi Roberts, Fundraising Manager for Grief Encounter

As baking programmes return to our television screens this Autumn, why not get baking and make a difference to bereaved children and young people in your local community?

Food writer Olivia Potts is teaming up with Grief Encounter to support the charity’s new Baking Memories fundraiser. The campaign encourages people to bake in memory of loved ones, reflect on special moments shared in the kitchen with parents, grandparents, relatives or friends, and host a cake sale to raise vital funds for bereaved children and families.

Do you remember licking the wooden spoon after helping to bake a cake with a family member? Or perhaps you have a treasured family recipe passed down through generations. Baking Memories is about celebrating those connections while supporting children and young people who are navigating grief.

Grief Encounter supports children, young people and their families who have experienced the death of someone close, this might be a parent, sibling or friend. Their local therapy centre is based at Ham Green House, just outside Bristol, where they provide specialist support including creative therapies, talking therapies, group sessions and school-based bereavement programmes.

Olivia Potts was 24 years old when her mother died suddenly. During her own grief journey, she found comfort and healing through baking. What began as a way to cope with loss gradually developed into a passion and a new sense of purpose. Her experiences are shared in her memoir, A Half-Baked Idea, which explores grief, resilience and the therapeutic power of baking.

Heidi Roberts, Fundraising Manager at Grief Encounter, said:

“We were delighted to have Olivia join us on BBC Radio Bristol with Joe Sims and on Radio Bath to share her story and help promote our Baking Memories fundraiser this autumn. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading A Half-Baked Idea and learning how baking helped Olivia navigate her grief journey. Her story demonstrates how something as simple as baking can create moments of connection, comfort and remembrance.”

The benefits of baking can be particularly powerful for children coping with bereavement.

Local child Bodhi, aged four and a half, lost his dad suddenly in August last year. Following his loss, he received 12 sessions of play therapy through Grief Encounter, which helped improve his sleep and reduced separation anxiety.

Shortly after his father’s death, Bodhi was given an oat cookie baking kit to enjoy with his mum. The activity created valuable opportunities to talk about his dad, share memories and spend quality time together. Baking is widely recognised as a therapeutic activity that can support emotional wellbeing and provide a gentle way to express feelings.

Grief Encounter and Olivia Potts are encouraging workplaces, community groups and clubs to organise their own bake sales and share their favourite bakes while raising funds.

With National Baking Week taking place from 14 to 20 October, it’s a perfect excuse to organise a bake sale, although events can take place at any time throughout the year.

Every pound raised helps Grief Encounter continue providing specialist bereavement support. Just £100 could fund an hour of therapy for a child experiencing grief, helping them to share their feelings and begin to rebuild their world after loss.

To register your bake sale and download your free fundraising resources, visit:

www.griefencounter.org.uk/event/baking-memories

For more information about Grief Encounter and its services, visit www.griefencounter.org.uk.

Photo caption:
Bodhi, aged 3½, who received support from Grief Encounter following the sudden death of his father.