BAKE IT BETTER FOR HHUGS

Bake It Better is the perfect opportunity to change lives, one slice at a time. It’s up to you whether you want to host a bake off, coffee morning, involve your school or workplace, join your neighbours over the fence or go virtual with friends on Zoom! No matter how you host your day all that matters is you have some tasty treats (home-mad e or shop-bought, it’s up to you) and raise some dough.

National Baking Week is the perfect time to host your Bake it Better Bake Off or Bake Sale. It runs between 14th-20th October.

Whilst we have a week that we’ll be promoting Bake It Better, you can host your event on any date that works for you. The main thing is to have fun and bake a difference for those in need, whatever day of the year.

The world is your oyster! Whether you prefer to stay at home, or organise a bake sale in your front garden with your neighbours, at workplace, school, nursery or outside your place of worship. The choice is yours! Wherever you may be in the world you can bake it happen!

There are many ways you can get involved;
Don your apron or pop out to the shop and host your own bake sale either at home or in your community. All we ask is that you continue to follow the most up-to-date government advice, and only take part if you feel able to. Remember you can print off the poster in the pack, or send it via email to let everyone know when and where it is.
Bake It Better At Home
Dust off your family favourites or whisk something new up to bake away the blues for families affected by counter terror measures. You can get your little folk involved and get creative to cook up some magic in the kitchen. Bake It Better for HHUGS is a great break from lessons and will also teach your children a brand new skill! Show off your creations to the whole family.
Whether you decide to fundraise or simply ‘dough-nate’, every ounce of dough you raise will help us be there for families affected at this difficult time. And the icing on the cake: by being part of it, you’ll feel more connected too.
Bake It Better At Work

If you cannot hold a bake sale at home, why not see if your office is open and will let you hold one? You can get everyone involved, and it’s a great opportunity for your employer to show their support for– you could even suggest a dress down day for a small donation.
Bake It Better At School

If you have children, why not see if their school is getting involved? If they’re not already, you could pass on the information you have to them and put them in touch with us.
Socially Distanced Bake It Better Coffee Morning or Bake Sale
Whether it’s in the garden, the office kitchen, outside the community hall, at school, or on the street or over the fence for your neighbours to enjoy, make sure to have plenty space and can socially distance.

Set up a Bake It Better stall in your front garden so friends can drop by and pick up a cake..
Bake It Better BakeAway Service – deliver your tasty treats to the doorsteps of your friends and family!
Bake It Better Online
Go virtual and stay connected with workmates, friends or family by organising a virtual coffee morning. Whether it’s 3 or 100 guests, catch up with friends over a cupcake or host a virtual bake off and see who is crowned star baker!

Send your online page to your guests. They can doughnate ahead of your big day.
Set your virtual background, to take donations on the day.
Give a £1 fine every time someone talks on mute!
Host a bake-themed quiz over your cakes and bakes
Host an online-bake off with your guests.
Set each other challenges and donate if you forfeit.
Recipe swap in exchange of donations from your guests.

Absolutely, it doesn’t matter if you are a baking novice or a star baker, everyone is invited! We have some easy recipes that anyone can follow and or you can even just pop out to the shop and buy something – we won’t tell if you don’t!

Yes, if you are under 16 years we ask that you organise your Bake it Better event with a responsible adult who can pay in donations

Why not invite friends, family, neighbours and work colleagues? It’s a great opportunity to catch up with people you haven’t seen in a while. If you’re hosting your Bake event at work, why not invite people you don’t usually have a chance to talk to? It’s a great way to get to know other colleagues and it can be made all that much better with a slice (or two) of cake. All we ask is that you continue to follow the most up-to-date government advice, and only take part if you feel able to.

The funds you raise will bake an impact for families whose lives have been devastated by detention, at a time when the rest of the community have often abandoned them. Every pound you raise can bake away their blues.

“HHUGS have contributed towards my life personally. Without them, I don’t know where I would be today! It is because of their dedication and loyalty, that they’ve kept a roof over my family’s head, a clean home, food to eat, daily, warm bed clothes and moral support – just the little things that we would take for granted! HHUGS still continue to support us tirelessly and successfully. Your dedication and loyalty will live with me and my family forever. You have given us the best, and for that we are and always be eternally grateful. I hope one day to return the help and inspiration you kindly gave to me and my family.”

HHUGS is the only UK registered charity currently supporting over 200 families – that’s more than 700 individuals – impacted by national security measures. Every penny raised in taking part in this challenge can bake a better future for some of the most isolated families in the UK, vulnerable women, children and the elderly, who have been ostracised and stigmatised by society.

Your donations can change lives, one slice at a time.

Your fundraising can transform lives:

• £50 could unite children with their father by facilitating a prison visit.
• £100 could pay for a family’s utility bills.
• £250 could provide food and basic necessities for a sister and her children for a month.
• £500 could protect a family from eviction and provide them with a roof over their head, security and protection from the elements.
• £1000 could alleviate a family’s debts.

Every cupcake, brioche and cookie can take us one whisk closer to baking away their blues.

Together, we can bake it happen!

No, you can fundraise your way. When you’re raising money for charity, every pound counts. Remember you are rewarded for your intentions, so aim high and give it your best effort!

Don’t worry if you don’t meet your target, every pound will make a difference and you will be rewarded for your intentions and efforts!

Thankfully you can still bake an impact whilst staying safe. Follow the government guidance for your locality – which might mean sticking to a group of 6 or to your workplace bubble.7
It’s important that you make sure your event complies with social distancing guidelines in your area. There are different guidelines in place for different areas and these include on the number of people who can meet up (both indoors and outdoors). Social distancing rules may change again so, closer to your event, please check Government guidance on social distancing.

Of course, there’s no reason why this can’t continue at home too! Depending on government guidelines at the time you host your Bake it Better event, it’s possible that you might be able to set up a stall in your garden or on your doorstep so that people can pop by and donate. You can always host a virtual coffee morning or Bake Off on Zoom, Google Hangout or Facebook. You might not be able to judge each other on taste, but why not get your scoring cards out and mark on the design, presentation and visual technique? Plus, you have the added bonus of eating your lovely bake all to yourself!
To reduce the risk of catching or spreading coronavirus, try to keep at least 2 metres away and avoid physical contact with people you do not live with. Where you cannot stay 2 metres apart you should stay more than 1 metre apart, as well as taking extra steps to stay safe, such as wearing a face covering or ensuring rooms are well ventilated by keeping windows and doors open.
Face coverings can help us protect each other and reduce the spread of the disease if you are in an enclosed space where social distancing is difficult and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet.
Where it is not possible, it’s important for you and your guests to maintain good sanitation practices. This includes regularly washing hands for 20 seconds using hand sanitiser where soap and water isn’t available. Good sanitation is particularly important when exchanging or sharing items such as serving utensils, money or even cakes!
Remember that any activity which involves an exchange of items (including food) should only be done in a way that is safe e.g. only exchange items where they can be collected from an appropriate distance and with hygiene measures in place such as making hand sanitisers available.
Wherever possible, you should use alternatives to the physical exchange items like money. Your guests can always doughnate securely and safely to your page online.

If you are baking treats at home for sale or donation at work, in order to raise funds for HHUGS, you do not need to be registered or trained in food hygiene. HHUGS recommends however that organisers of these events take responsibility for ensuring that the following guidelines are observed:
Personal Hygiene
• Always wash your hands before handling ingredients and at regular intervals whilst making cakes.
• Wear clean clothes that will not give rise to contamination of food, for example; pet hairs, woollen fibres, loose buttons etc.
• Before preparing food remove excess jewellery e.g. ornate rings as they harbour dirt and bacteria and may also fall into food.
• If you have a cut make sure you cover it with a waterproof dressing and not a gauze dressing.
• Do not attempt to prepare food for consumption by others if you have:
o sores, boils, septic lesions or any other type of skin condition;
o an acute cough or cold; continuous cough
o Symptoms of vomiting and/or diarrhoea.
o Fever
o Loss of taste/smell
The Kitchen
• Make sure food-contact surfaces, bowls and utensils are thoroughly cleaned before preparing food.
• Never use work surfaces, equipment or utensils for raw foods and then for cooked foods without cleaning and disinfecting them first.
• Do not allow pets into the kitchen as they present a risk of cross-contamination.
Ingredients
• Make sure ingredients are of good quality.
• Do not use food that is out-of-date, for example past it’s ‘use-by’ or ‘best-before’.
• Keep ready-to-eat foods away from raw foods, such as raw meat and poultry.
• Handle food as little as possible.
• Avoid the use of raw eggs in the preparation of a ready-to-eat product, for example as an ingredient for icing.
Safe Storage of Food
• Products that contain cream or butter-cream icing must be kept in a refrigerator at < 8⁰C.
• Keep food covered
Transport of Food
• Your baked goods should be placed into a clean, food-grade container, preferably with a tight-fitting lid.
• Where possible products that contain cream/butter-cream icing should be kept cool.
Allergens

You don’t have a legal obligation to provide information to consumers in respect to food allergens included as ingredients. However, as due diligence, we recommend that if you are managing a charity event you should consider the risks and endeavour to secure the safety and well-being of any participants. If you are asked by any attendees provide a list of ingredients and potential allergens.

If you’ve been invited to go along to a Bake It Better event in person, it’s important to keep up to date with all current social distancing guidelines which may change over time. Please follow all government guidelines to ensure that you and everyone else at the event stays safe. Current guidance only allows 6 people to meet unless they are from the same household in England.

To reduce the risk of catching or spreading coronavirus, try to keep at least 2 metres away and avoid physical contact with people you do not live with. Where you cannot stay 2 metres apart you should stay more than 1 metre apart, as well as taking extra steps to stay safe, such as wearing a face covering or ensuring rooms are well ventilated by keeping windows and doors open.

Easy. Your fundraising page will be set up automatically when you register and will be added to our very own leaderboard system, the first gaming leaderboard to be created by any charity! To make it that much easier, we can even do that for you!

Once you’ve set your target, share the page with your friends, family and colleagues. It’ll have all the details of the challenge you’re taking on – and allows people to sponsor you and donate straight to HHUGS, quickly and easily online.
£100 may seem daunting at first, but it’s really as simple as getting 10 friends to donate £10.
If that’s a breeze, you can set your heights on a higher target like £500, or £1000.
Many novice fundraisers have doubted they could raise £100 but with sincere intentions, du’a and the help of Allah they went to raise £1000 in the space of a few days. Some went on to smash the target by raising £5000 or £10000! So never underestimate what you can achieve!
We’re on hand to support and encourage you at every stage, and if you’re not a confident wordsmith, we can even provide template messages for you to share if you’re short of ideas. Remember to use all means at your disposal to share your page – WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, Telegram and SMS. Some even made videos to encourage people, and got their parents and children to compete with them in the process! Whether you’re a novice or an experienced fundraiser, this method is tried and tested.

Here are a few tips:
Fundraising pages are just like paper sponsorship forms, except they’re online, so you don’t have to worry about dealing with cash, cheques and chasing sponsors after the event is finished. You could even create your own fundraising team to help you spread the word!
Level up your profile – Add an image, complete your story and set your event date.

Kick-start your fundraising by donating to yourself. It’s a great way to begin your fundraising!

Set a target: Aim high and keep your friends and family updated on how close you are to reach your goal!
Spread the word. Once your page has been created you can share it with your contacts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. You can also share it via a SMS message, e-mailing your contacts, or sending a WhatsApp and Telegram broadcast to your friends and family. Don’t forget to share it on any groups that you’re on.

You can also share it on your story on WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram.

Change your profile picture on all your social media platforms to our very own fundraiser avatar. You can even add it to your email signature! And of course don’t forget the old fashioned way of speaking to friends and family on the phone too!

Let everyone know when the countdown to your challenge has begun by using our social media badges and sharing your page on your social media channels.

Use social media to promote your walk through status updates, posting photos as your train, or undertake your walk, making videos, sending messages. Encourage others to join you if it’s safe to do so and you’re in a group of six!
Think of fun ways to help donations roll in and the hours will fly by.

Ask for help! Don’t be afraid to ask for tips from other fundraisers on our WhatsApp groups or asking staff for ways to energise donors if you find you’re getting stuck.
Here are some other ways to help:

Get your fundraising matched by a colleague, workplace or friend·
Contact your local press and radio stations with your fundraising·
Contact local businesses for their support by asking them to sponsor you·
We can send you a Charity Collection Penny Box which you can place at home or work if you’re back in the office, and even at the till of your local take away (with permission!). Order yours now at hhugs.org.uk/pennybox.
Even if a lot of events have ceased, you can still contact your ISOC, School, Scouts groups and others to get involved to support your fundraising.
Remember, HHUGS are here to help so you can kick start your fundraising!

You don’t have to do anything. We receive it automatically whether you use our leaderboard, GiveBrite, JustGiving or MuslimGiving. Thank you!

Of course you can. If people have given you your sponsor money in cash, or made a bank transfer to you, and you want us to add this to your page, simply pay it in yourself. Alternatively, log into your page and you can simply click “add cash donation”. Enter the amount you received and submit. We’ll be in touch to verify your offline donation before it is added to your page.
Remember to transfer the funds – you can do this online on your page, or by calling us on 0207 733 2104 by card or by BACS transfer. Contact us for our account details. You can send a cheque (with the reference Bake It Better + Your name) with your completed sponsorship form to:

HHUGS
4th Floor
43 Berkeley Square,
London,
W1J 5FJ

We’re confident that after Allah’s help, with a bit of effort and with our support you can easily meet your target. And if you don’t manage to, for whatever reason, you’ll be rewarded for your efforts and intentions.

If you’d like to set up a team page, one member of the team can register in the team’s name or alternatively, each team member can register individually.

Make every £1 worth 25p more at no extra cost to you. It’s just a little box to tick but Gift Aid makes a huge difference when it comes to how much money we can raise to support families in the need right here in the UK.
To be eligible to add Gift Aid to your donation, you must be a UK taxpayer and understand that if you pay less income tax and/or capital gains tax then the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all donations made in that tax year it’s your responsibility to pay any difference. The government will give a further 25% of your donation to the charity, and it doesn’t cost you or your sponsors a thing.
This option will be there on your fundraising page, but if you could mention it to your sponsors, you could help raise much more money to support families torn apart by national security measures. Find out more about Gift Aid here.
Yes, our fundraising pack is full of hints and tips on how to make your event a sweet success. Along with a donation form, collection box you should have everything you need, but if would like more advice, feel free to email us at [email protected]

If you have a page, you can pay in your fundraising online.
Please make donations or pay in fundraising money online where possible. At this current time, the processing of any donations made by post will be delayed.
If you’d prefer, you can pay by card over the phone by calling 0207 733 2104
If paying by cheque, please make the cheque payable to
If you’re sending a cheque, please include the donation form at the bottom of the letter in your pack.

We ask you to create an account and set a password for your personal data protection. If you wish to make changes to your page, you can easily and securely log back in. If you forget your password, there will be a reset password link below the password field where you log in.

Once you’ve set up your account, it will take you to your page which you can then edit, add your avatar, and adjust your fundraising target. We have made it even easier by starting you off with your information about your challenge. Do personalise your page if you can and add details of your event. Save your changes and you’re ready to go!

Share the URL link at the top of your page once you’ve completed your set up with your guests, friends and family. Use the social media buttons to share on Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram,Twitter and LinkedIn too.

If you forget or lose the link to your page, you should have a link to it in your email. If you need help contact [email protected].

You can collect donations ahead of your challenge or event, on the day and after the event.
Anyone who donates to your page, will follow a secure donation payment process and receive an email receipt. Supporters can choose if their donation amount is shown publicly on your page. Remember to select Gift Aid to enable us to claim an extra 25% on your donations at no extra cost to you and your donors. You will receive an email notification every time someone donates and have the opportunity to comment on your page to thank them. The money will be automatically securely sent to HHUGS.

Click here https://www.hhugs.org.uk/my-account/lost-password/ if you’ve forgotten your password on our sign up page. Follow the instructions on the email you receive to reset your password.
Still having trouble? Please contact us at [email protected] for help logging into your account.

You certainly can. From editable posters to extra recipes, find everything you knead to make this a showstopper! You can download posters, decorations and promotional materials to put up at your work, in shops, your community or anywhere else from our downloadable resources. You can also contact us to organise a collection box, leaflets, merchandise and any information about HHUGS.

We’d love to see photos of your preparations and bakes for Bake It Better! Please do share them with us on social media by using #BakeItBetter and tagging @hhugscharity on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

If you wish to cancel your Bake It Better registration this year, please send an email to [email protected] explaining that you would like to cancel, including the name and email address that you registered with.

We would love everyone to do a baking event, however, if baking isn’t your thing, then why not ask someone else to host a Bake It Better event and you can help gather the troops or buy some cakes to contribute. You could even have a competition to see if people can taste the difference between shop-bought and home-cooked.
But if doing any sort of bake sale isn’t for you, don’t worry! You could ask to do a dress down day at work for a small donation, or host a quiz. Check out our 120 challenge for more ideas! Whatever you do we will be immensely grateful whatever activity you undertake for us and would love to hear what you have done.

Top Tips to get your bake on!
1. Renew your intentions!
2. Sign up by completing our registration form and get your fundraising started.
3. Get planning. What type of event are you going to hold? Is it just you baking? Or will you ask friends? Will it be competitive?
4. Sort your venue. Coffee morning at home? Virtual Coffee Morning Online? Teatime sale at work? School cake stall? Mosque bake stall? Workplace Bake Off? If you decide to go digital, pick your virtual platform; there are plenty you can choose from, be that Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Hangout, Skype, Facebook or House Party.
Pick a high-traffic location and a busy time of day for the most success.
5. Create your fundraising page on our leaderboard. You can post pictures of your baked goods straight to your page to entice colleagues, family and friends to ‘buy’ your tasty treats and then donate the money you collect offline to your page. Follow our fundraising tips to make the most of your page. Don’t forget, you can include all of your event details directly on your giving page, such as the event date and time, theme, entry fee to take part and how they can connect to your Bake-Off. That way, all of the information is in one place.
6. Choose a theme for you bake-off or bake-sale; whether it be bread-based, a cup cake creation, or the ultimate show-stopper.
7. Choose a date and time that works best for you and your friends and colleagues
If your bake sale is taking place in an office, the afternoon is a good time to capture those post-lunch sugar cravings.
8. Choose your favourite recipes for success – could be a cake, a loaf of bread, a pie, a tart or a biscuit.
9. Nominate up to 5 friends to join in. They don’t have to be experienced bakers – maybe you’ll help someone unleash a new passion for baking!
10. Invite your friends, family and colleagues to your cake sale, coffee morning, afternoon tea, or Bake Off then have a fantastic delicious time whilst raising vital funds to help families in knead right here in the UK. Your tasty treats can bake a better future or bake someone happy. Use our downloadable invites.
11. Bring the community on board! Invite local bakeries and bakers to get involved by donating some tasty treats for auction
12. Start as you mean to go on: raise some dough at the door. Consider asking your attendees to raise some dough at the door, by donating an entry fee simply, such as £5 or £10, donating the funds directly to your giving page.
13. Spread the Word – Make sure everyone knows about your Bake It Better event. Whether it be through text, email or social media, spread the word and ask your friends, family or colleagues to take part. The more people you can get involved, the better! We’ve even included a poster which you can edit to advertise on your social media platforms. Don’t forget to share the link to your page so people know how to doughnate.
14. Ready, Steady, Bake! Now for the fun part; get baking! We’d recommend practice makes perfect so bake your cakes before the main event (otherwise it might take a bit too long)
15. Keep it varied: think about the different cakes you want to sell and ensure there’s a variety of different ones on sale to suit everyone’s taste buds!
16. Remember to keep it safe and appropriate: it’s a good idea to think about the different dietary requirements your attendees may have; dairy free, gluten free, nut allergies, halal, to name a few. Make sure there’s something for everyone!
17. Bake it Beautiful! Dress your bakes to impress! Choose a nice tablecloth, some fresh flowers and use a tiered cake stand or a nice tin to present your baked goods.
18. Get the price right! Choose how to price your tasty treats.
19. Sprinkle some healthy competition! Don’t forget to download and send your scoring cards to all the attendees so you can crown your star baker! Rate each cake out of 10!
20. And in first place is…! Provide a virtual prize for your star bakers, and a forfeit for your losers!
21. Bake it meaningful! Tell people how they can bake to their future: letting people know why our cause means so much to you can really motivate people to sign up and take part in your event. Contact us if you would like to share a script to help you with this!
22. Grab their attention! Play a HHUGS playlist on your event as you tuck in! Create a playlist of videos to watch together about our work! Remind each other why you’re baking a difference!
23. Don’t Forget the Dough! Don’t forget the main purpose of this event is to raise much needed funds for those in knead.
24. Sadaqah Jar – Order a penny box Place your collection box somewhere visible and easy accessible! If you’re doing an online event keep your page link on the screen or in the chat.from HHUGS to collect donations from your supporters.
25. Matching – are there people, workplaces or companies in your community who will match the funds you raise?
26. Keep it rising! Don’t forget to ask people to sign or tick gift aid forms, which means the government will add 25p for each £1 a UK tax payer donates.
27. Capture the moment! Don’t forget to take lots of photos of your cakes and treats and share on social media with our hashtag #BakeItBetter! Tag us! Maybe the whole family had a bake-off? Maybe you shared your masterpiece with an elderly neighbour? Have you themed your cake and why? You might even get some last-minute donations.
28. A bake for everyone! If any of our friends can’t bake up a storm, they can still doughnate. Donate online here: hhugs.org.uk/bakeitbetter. Give £10 by texting BAKE4HHUGS to 70085. Standard network charges may apply.