A SCHOOLBOY will be having his cake and eating it after being the lucky winner of a spectacular chocolate dragon.
Six-year-old pupil Thomas Povey’s name was drawn out of the hat to win the fundraising raffle at Ysgol Penygelli in Coedpoeth near Wrexham.
The raffle for the dragon cake has helped breathe fire into the school’s fundraising drive to enhance its outdoor areas and buy new equipment, raising £188.
The cake was baked and donated by Ann Chapman, manager of Pendine Park’s Bodlondeb care home in Wrexham, as a show of gratitude to school staff for all their hard work.
She was met by beaming smiles as she visited the school to hand over the cake to Thomas and his big brother Oliver, eight.
Thomas, of Minera, said: “I am pleased to have won the cake. I am excited about taking it home.
“I really like the cake. It’s very nice.
“it’s a big cake. I look forward to eating it.”
Ann combines managing Bodlondeb with spending much of her spare time creating enchanting themed cakes that are sprinkled with fine detail, bringing delight to young recipients or being used to support fundraising schemes.
Past examples which have earned acclaim and been gratefully received include dogs and unicorns.
Now she has again demonstrated her Bake-Off credentials by coming up with the large pink dragon, complete with wings and claws.
She was inspired to make it after the school’s plans to improve its outdoor facilities caught her eye, along with recognising the hard work staff have performed throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It’s nice to do a good deed for others and this was our good deed for the day,” said Ann, who has worked at Pendine Park for more than 20 years.
“I think lots of teachers are unsung heroes and are almost forgotten in all this. They work so hard to reach out to children and their work may not always be recognised.
“This is a perfect way of saying thank you. It’s Bodlondeb saying thank you to Penygelli and all the wonderful work that goes on here.”
Ann has praised the support she receives from colleagues at Bodlondeb, as well as from management across the Pendine Park organisation.
“It takes more than five hours to bake the cakes but I’m happy to spend time doing this. Once I commit to something I get totally focused,” she said.
“My team are behind me as well. I work with a wonderful group of people who are totally dedicated to doing something nice for others and I receive lots of support from Pendine Park.
“When I found out they wanted to do something nice outside for the youngsters at the school that made me even more keen to help them out.”
Ann was pleased to hand over the cake to the school and happy to see how appreciative the children were.
She said: “It has been a difficult time for everybody, so it is nice to see the children smiling here today.
“I am pleased to see how happy the boys are now they have seen the cake.
“The choice of cake is all about fantasy. I thought it was a good idea to base it on fantasy cakes, so the dragon was born.
“With it being a bright vibrant pink it helps lift your spirits.”
Since returning to school after Easter, pupils at Ysgol Penygelli have been embracing the great outdoors.
They have been taking part in weeks focused on outdoor learning and climate change.
These involved completing a variety of tasks linked to the environment, both in the school grounds and at the nearby Nant Mill country park.
Parents and carers have been donating items to help further the outdoor provision and hundreds of pounds has been raised for the cause.
The money raised from the cake raffle is expected to be spent on equipment such as tools and plants for the outdoor area.
Headteacher Marc Jones said: “We are very grateful to Ann Chapman for baking this fantastic cake.
“We would like to thank everybody who entered the raffle. This has helped us raise funds to buy additional equipment.
“Congratulations to Thomas for winning the cake. We hope he enjoys it.”
