Meltham’s very own star baker – nine-year-old Isabelle Wingate – is taking on a new challenge for The Kirkwood.
Isabelle, who has raised £1,700 by selling her home baking, is taking part in the hospice’s Pen Y Ghent family challenge in July.
Isabelle’s grandad Barry Hartley died on July 27 2019 after spending 10 days on The Kirkwood In-Patient Unit in Dalton.
Since then, Isabelle has been determined to raise money to give back to the local charity which helped her family.
Launching at the beginning of 2021, the Pen Y Ghent family challenge is a 10.24km trek of the peak that makes up the famous Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge.
Isabelle instantly knew this would be the challenge for her and once the family had signed up, she set about raising as much sponsorship as possible.
Asked why she wanted to take part Isabelle said: “My mum and dad have done the It’s a Knockout event but I was too young to take part. This is one of the first things that I could do. I’m taking part with my mum, dad and our two-year-old cockapoo dog, Robin.”
The Pen Y Ghent challenge is a special way for Isabelle and her family to pay tribute to her grandad as it takes place on Friday July 30, just three days after the anniversary.
Isabelle was able to visit her grandad whilst he was admitted onto the In-Patient Unit and made special memories together.
Isabelle’s mum Kelly said: “The Kirkwood really cared for my dad in his last few days. He was there 10 days before he passed away. Isabelle wants to give something back to the place that looked after her grandad.
“It was a really friendly place. Just the way we were made to feel there, it was very welcoming, and nothing was ever too much for the team. We were really lucky with the weather; it was a beautiful summer and it was really nice to spend time in the gardens.”
Over the last few months, Isabelle set out to raise the £150 sponsorship target and used her free time throughout the third lockdown to bake for her neighbours in Meltham. But little did she know how popular her sweet treats would be!
“Isabelle has solely brought this community together by doing her bake sales. She’s had support from a couple of companies in Meltham and the Morrisons Community Champion in Meltham too.
“Isabelle was doing her bakes every single week because we were in lockdown but now she’s gone back to school, we’ve reduced it to once a month and special occasions like Mother’s Day,” added Kelly.
“We’re hoping that we’ll raise £2,000 before the challenge, that’s our aim.”
Baking rocky road, brownies, cupcakes and so much more, Isabelle has smashed the £150 target and has so far raised over £1,700 for The Kirkwood.
And her amazing achievements over the last few months haven’t gone unnoticed, with a member of the community nominating Isabelle for a Sunshine Award. If you’d like to support Isabelle with her fundraising and keep up to date with her challenge, you can visit her JustGiving page.
