Marie Curie Fundraiser: Baking for a Brilliant Cause
There was a little more cake than usual at Unique Home Care NI on Thursday 8 October as our staff and service users came together for this year’s Marie Curie fundraiser.
Every year, we organise a fundraising event to bring everyone together while raising money for a cause that means something to us. This time, we decided to put our baking skills to the test with our very own Unique Bake Off.
The result was an afternoon full of friendly competition and plenty of laughs, all helping us raise an amazing £1,164.88 for Marie Curie.
Why we chose Marie Curie
Working in care ourselves, Marie Curie felt like a very fitting charity for us to support this year.
Marie Curie provides care, comfort and support to people living with terminal illness and their families, something that naturally means a lot to a team that understands how important good care can be during difficult times.
As Emma from our senior management team explained:
“Working within the care sector ourselves, we see first-hand just how much of a difference kindness, compassion and support can make to someone’s life.”
It was a cause everyone was happy to get behind, although the promise of an afternoon surrounded by cake probably helped too!
The standard was surprisingly high
We asked the team to get baking, and they definitely delivered.
Every entry was homemade, with the table quickly filling up with cakes, cupcakes, cheesecakes, brownies, caramel squares, Fifteens and all sorts of sweet treats.
There were a few entries that had us questioning whether some of our staff had been hiding a second career from us.
Some of the homemade entries brought along by our staff for the Marie Curie Bake Off.
Of course, somebody had the difficult job of tasting them all.
After a tough afternoon of eating cake, pretending we were professional judges and going back for seconds just to be sure, the votes were counted.
And the winners were...
Christie and Kirsty with their fabulous lemon drizzle cake.
Their cake received the most votes and earned them the 2026 Unique Bake Off crown. With so many brilliant entries on the table, it was a very well-deserved win. Rumour has it Mary Berry is already looking for their phone numbers.
A rare chance to get everyone together
With our team working across different areas, shifts and services, it is not often that so many of us are in the same place at the same time. That made the Bake Off feel like a real chance to slow down, catch up and enjoy being together.
It was lovely to see staff and service users getting involved, and we were also delighted to welcome the girls from Aspire Day Opportunities, who came along to join in the afternoon.
There was plenty of friendly competition, but mostly it was about having a laugh, sharing some cake and spending time together outside the usual day-to-day routine.
Whether someone baked, donated, helped organise the event or simply came along to support it, everyone played a part in making the afternoon such a success.
[Image: staff and service users enjoying the afternoon together]Staff, service users and visitors enjoying a few of the Bake Off entries together.
£1,164.88 raised for Marie Curie
Together, we raised a grand total of £1,164.88 for Marie Curie.
We were absolutely delighted with the amount, and it would not have been possible without everyone who baked at home, donated, helped on the day or supported the fundraiser.
Emma summed it up perfectly:
“A massive thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s fundraiser such a success. We’re so proud of what we’ve achieved together.”
A huge thank you to everyone who got involved in our Marie Curie fundraiser, and another big congratulations to Christie and Kirsty on their Bake Off win.
The only question now is whether that lemon drizzle cake will be making another appearance in the office any time soon!
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