Before

After

The Great British Bake Off meets the Olympics - the competitive spirit mingled with the aroma of chocolate, almond and cinnamon as the talented bakers of Sussex House presented their creations for the Macmillan Cancer Care coffee morning for Sussex House staff.

More than a dozen mouthwatering bakes were put up for sale on Friday morning (12 October 2012) for the fourth annual Sussex House coffee morning. The manager of the campus Co-op, Alan Batchelor, acted as judge and kindly donated additional prizes to the bake-off.

• First prize of a Great Bake-off recipe book went to Bridget Murray for a super swirly chocolate cake;
• Second prize of confectionary went to Michelle MacLean for some exquisite cup cakes;
• Third prize of baking spoons went to Tony Hudson for his chocolate pecan brownies.
• Special gold (chocolate) medals went to Bob Stephenson for his partner's London-themed cup cakes, to Oliver Williams for a spiced apple loaf (and his first-ever bake) and to Sara Adamson for some elegant gluten-free and fruity friands.

Further prizes will go to the "people's favourites", once people have digested and voted.

All donations for cake will go to the MacMillan Fund in Sussex, which is supporting the building and equipping of a dedicated centre for cancer patients in Brighton and Hove and beyond, next to the Royal Sussex Hospital. The Macmillan Big Coffee Morning - where friends, neighbours, workmates and groups come together to host, bake, eat and buy a slice of cake over a cuppa and a chat - is held every autumn in aid of Macmillan cancer support for people living with a cancer diagnosis, and for their families.

The cake sale raised £236.54, which includes a scone sale organised by Bev Traylen in Student Recruitment on Thursday afternoon which raised £19.

The funds will help support the new Macmillan Cancer Centre in Brighton which will be an invaluable resource for all those newly diagnosed, undergoing treatment or facing difficult times, as well as for their families and friends. The coffee morning is also a great way to meet in person those people you normally only pass on the staircase or speak to on the phone or email.