When we heard from our lovely Community Fundraising colleagues at the RSPB Scottish Headquarters about a competition at a local bakery to design and invent a new cupcake, we thought it would make a great task for our Wildlife Explorer Group, which meets at the Hermitage of Braid in Edinburgh. The fact that the winning cupcake would also be sold in the bakery and 50p from each cupcake would be donated to the group, was the icing on the cupcake, so to speak!
We asked our HOBBITs members (Hermitage of Braid Birders in Training, if you don’t mind) to come up with a cupcake recipe that they thought would not only sell well in Bibi’s Bakery, but that expressed the work of the HOBBITs as well – and we think that we have come up with a real winner! Our recipe idea is a Bee-Friendly Cupcake, Flavoured with Lavender Sugar and with a Honey Icing and Edible Bee on top! We think this recipe really demonstrates the wildlife and environmentally-friendly approach of our Wildlife Explorer Group, and includes two of a bee’s most favourite things – lavender and honey! The name of the cupcake is also quite clever really, it will hopefully encourage people not only to think about bees, but to “be friendly” to all nature and wildlife! See what we did there.......
The HOBBITs are confident that both the look and flavour of this cupcake would encourage Bibi’s customers to buy it, and now we are all keeping our fingers crossed that Bibi’s agree! If they do, our group members will be so excited to see our cupcakes on the shelves, and know that the proceeds from the sales will go towards helping both the work of the RSPB, and helping the HOBBITs as well!
There is no nature task too big for the HOBBITs, and we have turned our hands to creating nature art and crow sculptures to add some wow factor for visitors to the Hermitage, built minibeast mansions and hedgehog homes to help the local wildlife, as well as planting holly trees and building our very own wildlife mini-gardens. However, all this environmental work requires resources, and so our cupcake fundraising will allow our group to continue this work, which we think not only benefits the wildlife at the Hermitage, but all the visitors as well!
If we’re totally honest, I don’t think any of our leaders were particularly enthralled about doing fundraising activities with our Wildlife Explorer group – there’s so much other exciting things we want to do at our meetings! But actually, being involved in something as unique and fun as inventing cupcakes, has totally changed our perspective, and we were all incredibly surprised at how well the HOBBITs responded to the idea of fundraising as well. In fact, we seemed to have started something in our group, as our members have all come up with great ideas for cupcake sales at school and sponsored home-made boat races for the future, all in an attempt to help the RSPB do what it does best.
I would encourage everyone to think outside the box and have a go at some fundraising in your school or group. You might even find the real meaning of putting the “fun” in fundraising! Maybe you’re already doing something unique and inspiring – please share it with us if you are, we love a good story!
As for our cupcake entry, we’re waiting to hear if we have been chosen as the lucky winners (I’ll let you know!). If we have, I think we might be “Stepping up for Nature” for the RSPB in one of the tastiest ways possible. What is it they say about having your cake....?
That sounds absolutely great fun! What a fun way to fundraise!
Sounds really good! Keeps us all posted as to how it goes.
Sounds delicious! Will we get to see the recipe so we can have a go at making some? Yum yum :-)
Have just heard that unfortunately we haven't won the cupcake competition on this occasion. However, Bibi's Bakery were so impressed by our cupcake entry, that they are considering us for next year's competition! Fingers crossed.....