Carringtons Catering took part in a special fundraising event at Nugent Care’s social enterprise The Courtyard Café.

Director of Carringtons Catering and Master Chef of Great Britain Darren Wynn judged the sweet showdown entitled ‘The Great Nugent Cake Off’, which saw the café’s John Birchall compete against ex-LFC player and Sky Sports pundit Phil Thompson, who is also a patron of the charity.

The two budding bakers were challenged to decorate a cake in front of an audience of supporters, which ultimately saw John take first prize in the creative competition.

Darren said:

“With this being our second year that we have taken part, ‘The Great Nugent Cake Off’ was a fun day had by all and certainly a fantastic opportunity to raise both vital funds and awareness for Nugent Care and the work that they do. The overall objective of the café is truly inspiring and it’s a perfect opportunity for those based in or around Knowsley to visit the venue and give something back to their community.

“Nugent Care has been our chosen charity of the year since 2013 now, so it is wonderful that we can remain so involved in the regular fundraising activities that they do throughout the year. We certainly hope that our combined efforts will encourage and motivate other local businesses to roll their sleeves up and get involved in charitable activities.”

The Courtyard Café was opened by Nugent Care in 2014 and acts as both a healthy eating coffee shop and social hub within the community. The innovative venture also aims to provide employment and training to those with learning disabilities and people who are not in employment or education in order for them to gain industry standard qualifications, further increasing their employability in the future.

Social enterprise development officer at Nugent Care Darren Roberts added:

“This was a way of adding a bit of fun to our day-to-day operation, whilst providing essential training opportunities for adults with disabilities and our students who are currently furthest away in the job market.

“We wanted to show that healthy eating can be fun and taste great, as well as raise funds for continued training and thank our loyal customers for their support.”

For more information about Carringtons Catering visit www.carringtons-catering.co.uk

For more information about Nugent Care visit www.nugentcare.org