VILLAGERS have rallied together to bake sweet treats for key workers who are still going during the coronavirus pandemic.

Residents in Bletchingdon near Kidlington have formed the Bletchingdon Bakers.

It started after a medic in the village, who works night shifts in the Emergency Department at the John Radcliffe (JR) Hospital, asked local home bakers if they would provide baked goods for NHS staff working through the night.

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So many volunteers came forward that a WhatsApp group was set up co-ordinating villagers who now bake treats for staff at the John Radcliffe and Churchill hospitals, carers at Caremark in Kidlington and the South Central Ambulance Service.

Oxford Mail:

One of the bakers, Cindy McCreary said: “We all feel so much better by being able to do something to help. Many of us are stuck at home, working, looking after children, and trying to stay in touch with family and friends electronically.

“Something as fundamental as baking, or delivering bags of flour around the village by bike, or decorating cupcakes, makes us feel good.

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“And we can all use a little bit of that right now.”

The group leave homemade treats like cupcakes and cookies in neighbours' porches for them to collect and take into work.

One volunteer organises the weekly rota so members only bake when it is convenient.

Oxford Mail:

The Bletchingdon Bakers are also hoping to make a cookbook out of their best recipes when the crisis is over.

Clare Dellar, an anaesthetic nurse from Oxford, shares baked treats made by the village with her colleagues along with messages of support.

Oxford Mail:

She said: “Many of the messages have brought tears to eyes as well as smiles, as staff were so touched by the genuine love and immense effort put into every baked offering.

“It has been humbling to hear how much it has meant for people to bake for us, when many health care workers are just doing what we are trained to do."

She added: "“Despite the unprecedented circumstances we are all coping in our different ways, the actions of the Bletchingdon Bakers have become a symbol of support in my department.

"They have shown how something amazingly positive can come amid difficulty.”