We did things a little differently in November, as we entered a second National Lockdown, we wanted to give people a reason to smile. So, we asked you to be a Sponge Hero and nominate someone who needed a little pick me up in the second lockdown! We had so many stories sent to us and we were so happy to be able to send out 8 Cakes (one each) to the winning nominees and 8 Cake Cards (one each) to the people that nominated them! We were sent so many nominations, and everyone was so deserving, but we managed to narrow it down, and here were the 8 winners of our November competition:
Our first winner was Iris, was nominated by her daughter Jacquie. Iris is a wonderful Mum and Grandmother, as well as a wonderful wife. She has been missing hugs from the family during the pandemic, while staying strong and looking after her husband who she the main carer for, due to a degenerative condition. She is never one to complain, and hopefully, a cake will help to bring a smile to her face while she waits to be reunited with the rest of her family.
Mary is another winner this month, she was nominated by her friend Emma. She has been working tirelessly making cloth face masks to anybody who wants or needs them. She has supplied local businesses near where she lives, her colleagues, friends, and family. She has not asked for a single penny for her time or materials and has been using the little spare time she has to do this to support those around her. We think Mary deserves a bit of cake for all of her hard work.
Our next winner was Dr Karia, who was nominated by Namishka. He has worked as an anaesthetist throughout the pandemic, meaning he has had to move away from home to reduce the risk to his elderly parents. He still travels back home to check in with them (from a distance as he cannot enter his home or spend any proper time with them) weekly. On top of that he is now working flat out in a new hospital since the second wave began! He always keeps as positive attitude and regularly says he is doing what ‘anyone’ would do and he is happy he is able to help. And we are happy to be sending this Sponge Hero a cake to thank him for all of his hard work.
The Top Floor Team at the Maple Care home are our next Sponge Heroes, nominated by Laura. They have done an incredible job throughout the pandemic and continue to do so despite everything that is going on at the moment. They care deeply for all their residents and give their all, every day and night, to make their lives of residents are as good as they possibly can be despite being cut off from friends and family visits. A worthy group of winners to receive a cake while they take care of loved ones while we can’t be with them.
Amy is another winner this month, nominated by her partner Sapphire. Amy had an accident in June, that was caused deliberately by the second party. She suffered injuries that have meant she struggles daily with complications from the injuries. She was staying with her elderly and vulnerable parents in the first lockdown following all lockdown rules and being vigilant in order to keep them safe, and make sure they had everything they need. We really hope this helps to put a smile back on her face.
Gill is our next Sponge Hero in November, she was nominated by her daughter Amy. Gill has worked every single day since lockdown first started, helping her local council to support childcare settings through this extremely tough time. On top of that she has experienced three bereavements in a short period of time, including losing her beloved dog in the first lockdown. We really hope this helps to lift Gill’s spirit after all the hard work she’s been doing this year.
Alan is another Sponge Hero this month, he was nominated by his daughter Anne. Alan has always been an active man, at 84 years young, before the pandemic started, he spent his time working as a volunteer for a few organisations including volunteering at a local homeless shelter. Due to the pandemic however, he has had to stopped the volunteering he loves doing and living alone, and having to self-isolate due to the risk of infection, he hasn’t been able to see his friends or family in quite some time. He always does his best to put a smile on someone’s face, so Anne wanted to give him a reason to smile with a wonderful cake.
Lyn is our final Sponge Hero for November – nominated by Patricia. She's been making face masks for her community since the first lockdown. She has made over 1000 handmade masks and all the money is going to her local Church. She's made an incredible £2,375+ and her community is extremely proud of all of her efforts. We hope she will love her cake as a reward for all she has done for her community!
A sponge cake for 8 will be making its way to all of our winning nominee’s and all of those who nominated them will receive a Cake Card, to say thank you for sending us their wonderful stories!
We’re really looking forward to receiving your nominations for December. Don’t worry if your nominee wasn’t selected this time, you can always send us your stories again for our Sponge Heroes Competition – who knows, your nominee could be our December winner!
All you need to do is email your Sponge Heroes story to us – [email protected]. Make sure you know the nominee's address, so we are able to send them a cake if they win! Read our competition blog to find out more.