A Huddersfield baker has been overwhelmed by the response to a community giveaway created to recognise school staff, after hundreds of parents nominated and voted for schools across the area to receive a sweet treat delivery.
Georgia Hillaire, founder of OMGeeBakes, launched the campaign through her social media channels as a way of giving something back to schools and acknowledging the work teachers and support staff do throughout the year.
Parents were invited to nominate their school and share why they felt their staff deserved recognition, generating hundreds of comments and messages of support from families across the local community.
The competition culminated in staff at Moorlands Primary School in Huddersfield receiving a sweet treat delivery from Georgia after being voted the winning school by local families. Georgia visited the school in person to deliver the prize.
The campaign was about much more than free cake. Parents used the opportunity to publicly thank teachers, teaching assistants and support staff, sharing stories about the positive impact schools have on children and families.
Following the delivery, school staff took to social media to thank Georgia for the gesture. One member of staff said: “Thank you so much, they brought a lot of joy to all of us.” Another said: “Thank you, it made my day.” Others thanked Georgia for “spoiling the Moorlands team.”
OMGeeBakes was founded nearly six years ago during lockdown after Georgia began baking at home while studying at university.
What started as a way to satisfy a love of sweet treats and save money, quickly developed into experimenting with recipes, baking from scratch and eventually creating a business of her own.
Today, Georgia runs OMGeeBakes alongside working part-time in finance and raising her young son as a single parent.
Although balancing business, work and family life can be challenging, she says moments like the school campaign remind her why she continues.
Georgia said: “Reading all of the comments from parents was honestly really heartwarming.
“It wasn’t just people voting. They were sharing stories and saying lovely things about teachers and staff teams who make a difference every day.
“Running a small business alongside working and raising my little boy can feel exhausting at times, but seeing people connect over something positive reminded me why I started doing this in the first place.
“Food has always been a huge part of my life and I love creating things that bring people together.”
Baking has always played an important role in Georgia’s life. She spent weekends baking with her late Nana, who was known as the family baker, and grew up around food through her mum’s coffee shop, which became locally known for its cake selection.
Georgia describes baking as both a creative outlet and a connection to family, helping her through difficult periods including lockdown, bereavement and early motherhood.
OMGeeBakes now specialises in brownies, blondies, cookies, cookie pies and seasonal treat boxes, and regularly attends markets and community events across West Yorkshire.
