Have you heard about the 2013 Cakehead Loves Charity Project?

[Lilybeth]

I heard on the radio this morning about the Depressed Cake Shop, a unique pop-up shop where every single cake on sale will be grey, colour only revealed on the inside. Set up to raise awareness of mental health issues; proceeds to mental health charities. Popping up in various cities, e.g. in London from 2 - 4 August 2013; there will also be one in Australia! Apparently some celebs have revealed how baking has been a therapy through which to channel their moods, etc. There is a Depressed Cake Group on Facebook but I'm not in tune with that technology!!

I think a PP cake shop would be a great idea. I love the thought of chatting to others with similar experiences over coffee and cake, coming out of the shadows and meeting together.

[andrea_at_app Volunteer]

Thanks for this Lilybeth, I love this idea! I've found the website: misscakehead.wordpress.com/... It'd be great to do something similar for PP with purple cakes etc. & it's definitely an idea to develop & a project to try & get funding for in the future - I'm no baker though so I'd certainly have to rely on the skills of others!

[Hannah_at_APP Administrator]

This sounds interesting and also fun, the best way to raise awareness - and who doesn't love cake! I hope it comes to other parts of the UK, will keep an eye out!

[Lilybeth Volunteer in reply to Hannah_at_APP]

Hi Spannerb,

Thanks for taking the time to reply. The link for the website that Andrea posted gives a list of other parts of the UK where the shops will pop-up. Hopefully one will be not too far from you!

[EmmiLou Volunteer]

Hi Lilybeth

This is a great idea. Maybe we can get involved too. I bake cup cakes as a hobby so would love to get invovled in this. It would also be great for raising awareness.

Em. x

[Lilybeth Volunteer in reply to EmmiLou]

Hi EmmiLou

It's a fun way of raising awareness of a serious 'condition' isn't it? According to the website link which Andrea posted, hobby bakers are in demand so perhaps you could make contact with the nearest pop-up shop? I bake 'fairy' cakes but not to perfection, unfortunately, all shapes and sizes accepted when my tiny grandaughter helps me out!

After reading the introduction on the website, mentioning bakers who made their cakes in line with how depression affected them, I thought about what sort of cake would express my PP journey(s). Travelling to work on the bus with this thought I came to the conclusion that perhaps a marble cake would do the trick, highlighting the ups and downs of my journey, the dark chocolate layers denoting my 'dark' days and the lighter cake for the 'ups'. I could even put chocolate chips in for the 'hiccups' along the way!!

Possibilities are endless ....... I wonder what sort of cake others on the site would bake to represent their journey?

[Hannah_at_APP Administrator]

No idea what sort of cake I'd choose (I just love them all - perhaps triple chocolate or something though for it's intensity? or is that a bit "deep"?!) Leeds looks like a possibility, though not that close unfortunately. I'm not a great baker really, but will keep an eye out if APP could somehow link up with this, perhaps doing a "themed" line or something? Could be a good piggy-back of an idea. There's the purple link too, with the APP Purple Parties I guess. The possibilities are endless, like the best cake!!

[EmmiLou Volunteer]

Hi Lilybeth and Spannerb

This is definitely something to think about. We would need to look into it. I have the email so will contact them.

Not sure what cake I would choose to describe me. It's great to keep thinking of ideas to raise awareness.

x

[Lilybeth Volunteer in reply to EmmiLou]

Hi EmmiLou and Spannerb

It's a good way to raise awareness. I had a look at the page of the pop-up shop, Suzzles, in Brick Lane, London. There were lots of visitors to the shop and on Sunday alone £1,000 was raised for their chosen charity, CALM. They have yet to calculate how much was raised over three days.

The nearest pop-up shop to me would be in Birmingham. I emailed [e-mail] over the weekend to ask if she knew of the date it might be 'popping up'. At the time she was on location in Brick Lane but she did reply to say the shop in Birmingham might open in a few weeks as details have yet to be confirmed.