Start-Up Stirling’s community team was presented with a spectacular Robert Burns tribute cake on Friday (January 22) by Lord Provost of Stirling, Councillor Mike Robbins and the Oak Furniture Land Stirling store manager as the retailer celebrates a month of successfully trading at the new store.

Oak Furniture Land, the UK’s largest retailer of solid hardwood furniture, commissioned the amazing confectionery creation to thank the local Stirling community for supporting the new store since it opened before Christmas and to show their support for the valuable community work being carried out by Start-Up Stirling.

The new store is the retailer’s first store in Stirling and their eighth in Scotland.

Alan Tombs, Oak Furniture Land regional manager said: “The cake donation is our way of saying a big thank you to the Stirling community for supporting the store since it opened on  just before Christmas.

“We wanted to show our appreciation by supporting a local cause in a different way.  We are proud to be able to provide the community with more furniture choices and we are looking forward to serving them for many years to come.  We are hoping that our cake donation will highlight the work that Start Up Stirling does in the area and to get more local people signing up to volunteer or to donate.”

Lord Provost of Stirling, Councillor Mike Robbins said:  “The new Oak Furniture Land store is a welcome investment in terms of job creation, and is a good addition to the choice of shops for local residents.  I am delighted to welcome them to the area and to present the cake donation to Start-Up Stirling. It’s a wonderful gesture to highlight the valuable work the charity does in the local community.”

Joanie Littlejohn, Project Development Worker at Start-Up Stirling, said:  “We are delighted that the Stirling Oak Furniture Land store has decided to support Start-Up Stirling in this way, we wish them continued success in the area.

“Start-Up Stirling works with those most in need in our local community - those who are homeless, in housing difficulties or in financial need.  We provide Home Starter packs to help previously homeless people settle into a new tenancy, we run 3 Food Banks in Stirling each week and we are developing a rural food provision service.  Around 200 people now receive emergency meals from our Food Banks each week and sadly this figure continues to rise.

“We are pleased to have been chosen by Oak Furniture Land to receive their celebration cake, which will be distributed at our next Food Bank. On behalf of all our recipients and volunteers, our sincere thanks. For anyone interested in supporting our work please follow us on Facebook or visit www.startupstirling.org.uk.”

The cake sculpture was designed by local Scottish cake artist Suzanne Esper of Suzanne Esper Cakes and Cakebomb. The cake is chocolate and covered  chocolate ganache and contains 24 eggs and 3kg of flour and sugar. Six Kg of icing was used and The  Robert Burns books includes his poem –  A Red, Red Rose -  which is also written on edible vintage paper. The cake took 35 hours to complete and everything on the cake is edible.