A fundraiser has been set up in aid of a Newcastle-based independent bakery after it was targeted by thieves and sustained more than £1,000 worth of damage.
Jennifer Crawford set up the online fundraising effort for her mum Gemma Liddle, who owns The Sugar Pot, in Thomas Street after burglars broke in on April 6 stealing the till and causing extensive damage.
The bakery launched two years ago selling a selection of products include fudge, cheesecakes, cheesecake pots, marshmallows, cinder toffee, cookies, brownies, caramel shortbreads and cakes.
Matthew Liddle, Gemma’s husband said “only pennies were stolen” but the damage to the door, shelving, and packaging meant that everything had to be replaced and reopening put back again.
He added the bakery had already gone through “a rough year with Covid” but they’d managed to keep the business going selling celebration cakes and Create Your Own Biscuit Boxes.
Crawford said the burglary had shocked the family and left them upset.
“My mam has put her heart into the bakery and genuinely loves to bake and open up to customers weekly,” she said. “Then because of this she’s forced to close again until the shop can be fixed up. She has already had to be closed due to Covid through the first couple months of the year, and this week was going to be the third time she had [re-opened].
Crawford added the community support had been “overwhelmingly positive”.
“It really has taken some of the darkness out of the situation to know my mam has great people supporting her and rooting for her to pull through this.
“From the kind comments to the donations, it’s been lovely to see the community wanting The Sugar Pot to succeed through what has been a horrible event.”
At the time of writing, £390 of the £500 fundraising target had been raised.
The money would be used towards replacing the till, shelving, glass protective shields and put towards a CCTV system, Crawford added.
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