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The Big Bake

What is The Big Bake?

The Big Bake is The Brain Tumour Charity’s annual excuse to indulge in sweet treats and savoury bakes, while raising funds for cutting-edge research and life-changing support for people living with brain tumours.

From Thursday 7 – Monday 11 September, we need you to help us raise lots of dough by using use cake, buns, biscuits, pies, brownies and more, to help sweeten the deal and encourage customers to donate to The Brain Tumour Charity.  

How does my store take part?

Step 1 – Get ready to crumble by stocking up on baked goods!

Whether your team wants to don their aprons, break out the wooden spoons and crack on with the cakes or simply pick up supplies from a shop, the first step is making sure you’ve got plenty of baked treats available. We recommend putting together a spreadsheet of people in your team who want to get involved and sorting out who’s bringing what – that way you won’t end up with a cacophony of cupcakes but a shortage of sausage rolls.

Step 2 – Brush up on your brain tumour basics

Some customers will want to ask questions about The Brain Tumour Charity and the work they do before decided to donate. Brushing up on your brain tumour knowledge by reading the information below can help you feel more confident chatting to customers.

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under 40 than any other cancer

Brain tumours reduce life expectancy by an average of 27 years in the UK – far more than any other cancer or significant disease

In the UK, just 13% of people survive brain cancer for more than five years.

This is not a small disease – it’s a global community of over one million people, 88,000 of them living in the UK.

The Brain Tumour Charity is the largest dedicated funder of research into brain tumours globally
and the only charity in the UK taking on brain tumours on all three fronts: research, campaigning and support.

The Brain Tumour Charity has already invested £43m into cutting-edge research and they’re not slowing down – by 2030 they want to be responsible for another £200m of investment.

EACH £30 RAISED could pay for a Brainy Bag and teddy bear to be sent to a child affected by a brain tumour.

EACH £120 RAISED could pay for pay for enough Better Safe Than Tumour packs to inform up to 1,200 people about the signs and symptoms of brain tumours, helping us drive faster diagnosis.

EACH £300 RAISED could pay for a whole day of world-class research into brain tumours!

EACH £500 RAISED could fund the cost of storing a tissue sample and genomic data in a biobank for a patient on one of our clinical trials.

EACH £1,000 RAISED could cover 45 hours of support from a Young Adult Worker for someone affected by a brain tumour.

EACH £5,000 RAISED could fund a refrigerated centrifuge for use on one of our paediatric tumour research projects.

Step 3 – Use your baked goods to sweeten the deal

There are so many great ways to raise money in-store at your Big Bake, including:

  • swapping baked goods for 50p donations at the till
  • selling baked goods for donations like a traditional bake sale
  • holding a raffle for the most impressive cakes on display
  • encouraging customers to take part in a “guess the weight of the cake” competition.

Step 4 – Make sure you have fun with your fundraising

The Big Bake is meant to be a fun event. After all, what’s not to love about eating cake and doing your part to make sure everybody affected by a brain tumour lives a longer, better life.

From fancy dress and Bake Offs to raffles and games, there are so many ways to have fun with your Big Bake. We know that everyone at Wickes is an experienced fundraiser, so we want your team to use your expertise to make your Big Bake the biggest success possible!

Now you’re equipped for sweet success, so go ahead and enjoy The Big Bake experience! We really appreciate your support. If you have any questions or need any help, just get in touch at thebigbake@thebraintumourcharity.org.

Resources for taking part in The Big Bake

Cake name cards – PDF

Print out these fun foldable cards to label your bakes.

Design a cupcake – PDF

Use this sheet to keep little ones occupied or pre-print and decorate to add glitz and glitter to your event.

Guess the weight of the cake – PDF

Raise extra funds with this deliciously simple competition idea.

Sweepstake – PDF

Ask customers to pick a cake and try their luck with The Big Bake fundraising sweepstake.

Social media assets – ZIP

Why not share that your store is taking part in the Big Bake by sharing posts using these Big Bake social media graphics.

The Big Bake poster – PDF

Print off our fabulous poster to let customers know the details about your Big Bake and then use the other side to let everyone know how much dough you raised together.


Recipes from the brain tumour community

Bake up a storm with this range of delicious recipes from the brain tumour community

  • Our favourite Big Bake recipes – Deliciously Ella’s Apricot and Coconut Bites

    Our favourite Big Bake recipes – Deliciously Ella’s Apricot and Coconut Bites

  • Our favourite Big Bake recipes – Harriet’s Chicken, Mushroom and Leek Plait!

    Our favourite Big Bake recipes – Harriet’s Chicken, Mushroom and Leek Plait!

  • Our favourite Big Bake recipes – Lizzie’s Raspberry Cupcakes!

    Our favourite Big Bake recipes – Lizzie’s Raspberry Cupcakes!

  • Four fab recipes to try for The Big Bake 2021

    Four fab recipes to try for The Big Bake 2021