What's New On The Sticky Beak Blog


Staceys Bakery
Ilkeston, Derbyshire
01159 325624
View The Full Profile
A Recent Dining In Review


Dinner At Roka Turkish Kitchen In Ripley
This Review | All Reviews

Sticky Beaks' Hot Wings Award



Like Us On Facebook


Staceys Heroes Are Rewarded for Going the Extra Mile in Lockdown


Published On Friday 23 Oct 2020 by Sticky Beak
See Recent News Articles


A mum who dresses as a giant Pikachu and a legal assistant who took VE Day celebrations to hundreds of people’s homes are among the winner’s of a bakery’s competition to recognise those who went above and beyond during lockdown.



Stacey’s Bakery, which has branches in Ilkeston, Eastwood and Heanor, held a lockdown hero contest to reward the efforts of pillars of the community who went the extra mile amidst the Coronavirus pandemic.

After nominations flooded in, four worthy winners were chosen to each receive a £100 voucher to spend in Stacey’s shops.

Leighanna Henshaw, a mum-of-five, dressed as Pokemon character Pikachu and walked around the streets near her home in Cotmanhay over a period of four weeks, bringing a smile to the faces of local youngsters.

The 32-year-old raised around £400 through bucket collections and socially-distanced bake sales for hand cream and personal protective equipment for staff at Ilkeston Community Hospital and local care companies.
 



Leighanna, who is married to Mick, said the idea started when she decided to dress as the cartoon character for her friend’s twins’ second birthday in March, when she knew they couldn’t celebrate as they would have liked.

From there, the ‘Pop Up Pikachu’ idea began, and a Facebook page of the same name was created, encouraging local children to post pictures with Pikachu and guess the location, and they could make requests for Pikachu to visit their streets.

Leighanna, who bought her suit for her son’s fancy dress birthday party last year, also wore the suit for VE (Victory in Europe) Day to put a smile on people’s faces.

She said: “I loved dressing as Pikachu, but it was very hot inside the suit. I had to have my friends John Allen and Jo Plackett accompany me in it.

“It feels great to get this recognition.”

She thanked her mum, Trina Walker, for babysitting while she carried out her Pikachu charity efforts.

Also picked as a winner was Lindsey Rice, a 47-year-old mum-of-one.



Lindsey co-founded the Every One Eats charity, which provided 90 residents with Christmas lunches last year, with Reverend Christine French, of All Saints Church, Kirk Hallam.

When VE Day celebrations couldn’t be held on the church driveway, Lindsey took the party to residents’ homes, delivering food bags to 300 people.

Thanks to a grant from Tesco, Lindsey and her husband, Paul, a self-employed cleaner, were able to repeat their deliveries monthly, with up to 600 people benefiting most recently.

Lindsey, who along with her husband also set up a foodbank using local donations and makes several deliveries a week, also had to carry out the work of three people at the legal firm where she works in Ilkeston, when colleagues were furloughed earlier in the year.

Lindsey, who organised activities including curry nights and bingo on Saturdays at the start of lockdown, said: “It’s brilliant to have been nominated, it’s quite overwhelming.”

Another winner is Andie Welsher, 48, who during lockdown made over 200 sets of scrubs for the NHS, whilst also looking after her elderly mum.

The Ilkeston resident also lost her three jobs because of the Coronavirus, and suffered whiplash in a car accident recently, but continues to do her father’s shopping and go to work, despite needing physiotherapy.

The final winner is Diane Rowley, of Newthorpe.

She is founder/chairperson of Eastwood Memory Cafe, a not-for-profit group supporting and arranging activities - including online Zoom bingo in lockdown and weekly well-being calls - for people living with dementia, and their carers.

She also set up the mutual aid group ENGMA for Eastwood, Newthorpe and Giltbrook and worked tirelessly recruiting people to help with shopping and other errands for the vulnerable in her community.

David Stacey, managing director of Stacey’s Bakery, said: “We had so many nominations for people who have gone above and beyond during the pandemic, that it was hard to choose just four.

“We have been part of the community for around a century and are proud of the people we serve, and this competition has helped to unearth some real gems living in our local area. “We’re honoured to be able to offer this little treat to the winners.”

To find out more, visit www.staceysbakery.uk



Read Some Of Our Recent News Articles

The Cupola Kitchen and Rooms in Stoney Middleton launches 'The Cupawla' - a menu just for dogs
The Cupola Kitchen and Rooms in Stoney Middleton launches 'The Cupawla' - a menu just for dogs A stylish new cafe and visitor centre in one of the Peak District's most scenic walking destinations has gone to the dogs - in the best Read The Article

BEAR named finalist in the 2025 Allica Bank Great British Entrepreneur Awards
BEAR named finalist in the 2025 Allica Bank Great British Entrepreneur Awards Midlands, UK - BEAR has been named a finalist in the 2025 Allica Bank Great British Entrepreneur Awards, shortlisted in the Equity-Backed Entrepreneur Read The Article

Celebrate The Summer Season At Award-Winning Fischer's Baslow Hall
Celebrate The Summer Season At Award-Winning Fischer's Baslow Hall What better way to enjoy summer than an experience at Fischers Baslow Hall. Whether you're venturing for a long-earned getaway or simply calling for Read The Article

The Ashford Arms Shortlisted For Best Country Pub In The Great British Pub Awards 2025
The Ashford Arms Shortlisted For Best Country Pub In The Great British Pub Awards 2025 The Ashford Arms, a beautifully restored country pub with rooms in Ashford-in-the-Water, has been shortlisted in the Best Country Pub category at the Read The Article

The Cavendish Hotel at Baslow Wins Gold at the Visit England Awards for Excellence 2025
The Cavendish Hotel at Baslow Wins Gold at the Visit England Awards for Excellence 2025 The Cavendish Hotel at Baslow has been awarded Gold in the Taste of England category in the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2025 Read The Article

Top Nottingham chef celebrates one year with star collaborations
Top Nottingham chef celebrates one year with star collaborations The highly successful first year in business of a popular restaurant in Nottingham’s Bridlesmith Gate is being celebrated with a unique series of guest chef collaborations. Read The Article

Casa Hotel Celebrates 15 Years of Hospitality Excellence in Chesterfield and Welcomes 370000th Guest
Casa Hotel Celebrates 15 Years of Hospitality Excellence in Chesterfield and Welcomes 370000th Guest Casa Hotel is celebrating 15 years of success and has welcomed its 370,000th visitor this month, having firmly established itself Read The Article

Experience Golfing Bliss at Peak Edge Hotel with the Stay and Golf for Two Package
Experience Golfing Bliss at Peak Edge Hotel with the Stay and Golf for Two Package For golf lovers seeking a perfect escape, Peak Edge Hotel is delighted to offer a Stay and Golf for Two package, providing a seamless blend of relaxation Read The Article

Derby's Cathedral Quarter Hotel reveals fresh new look and now proudly serves Starbucks
Derby's Cathedral Quarter Hotel reveals fresh new look and now proudly serves Starbucks The Cathedral Quarter Hotel, a Grade II listed landmark in Derby's city centre, has unveiled a refreshed new look following a Read The Article

Get Ready For National Bakewell Tart Day On 25th June 2025
Get Ready For National Bakewell Tart Day On 25th June 2025 The Bakewell Tart Shop, the first business to create and sell Bakewell Tarts more than 100 years ago, has announced that National Bakewell Tart Day will take place on Wednesday Read The Article

Read More