Hayley O'Beirnes with her Rudolph cake. Photo: Firewood Film
A life-sized moving reindeer and the ‘world’s first walking unicorn’ are among the unique creations of a cake maker in Lincolnshire.
Hayley O’Beirnes, 36, originally launched Gadget Cakes in Birmingham around seven years ago, making structured and mechanical moving cakes to add a bit of theatrical performance to her creations.
Due to personal reasons she had to temporarily close the business and move away, but Hayley soon fell in love with Lincolnshire where she has lived for the last three years.
She relaunched Gadget Cakes in Gainsborough over the last 12 months, based on Highfield Close, with a combination of gadgets including gears, cogs and pullies, as well as different motors, being used depending on what sort of cake is needed.
Hayley O’Beirnes with her Rudolph cake. Photo: Firewood Film
The life-sized reindeer cake Hayley made for Cake International moves and can be fed carrots. Photo: Firewood Film
She is now hungry to spread her special cake making talent across Lincolnshire, and is also due to appear on Channel 5’s The Wonderful World of Cakes in April 2020.
Hayley makes her creations from the shed in her front garden, including Esme the walking unicorn, which she made for fun and the life-sized reindeer cake for Cake International in November.
She told Lincolnshire Reporter that she is known in the cake world as the ‘cake mechanic’.
One of Hayley’s Gold award winning cakes – a Labrador dog cake for Cake International.
Hayley said: “I want to be different. To me a cake has to not just look and taste nice, but also have a theatrical performance about it.
“When I had the dream of doing mechanical cakes, it has all been through trial and error, but I never dreamt I would make a life-sized mechanical reindeer cake that moved, but I did it.
“Gadget Cakes is all about doing the unbelievable and I feel blessed to see where it is now. When I did the reindeer cake at the Cake International show the kids loved that it was interactive and that they could feed him carrots. The looks on their faces made it all for me.”
The cakes normally have a minimum order of £100, but prices can vary as Hayley designs cake’s around her own and customer’s ideas.
Television work & cake creations
Although she was not able to disclose any specifics about the cake for the Channel 5 show, she said the experience was “full on” as a film crew followed her around filming for five days as she built the cake frame from start to finish.
The cake was later delivered to the Birmingham Children’s Hospital to a charity called Ronald McDonald House Charities, but you’ll have to wait until the Spring to find out what the cake is.
Among her other creations, since launching Gadget Cakes, are a tattoo cake with a working tattoo gun on it, a pouring vodka bottle cake, a moving dragon and a remote control car cake, which have mainly been made for individuals and charities.
She also featured on Channel 4’s Extreme Cake Makers in 2017 with an eight foot tall mechanical dragon cake.
Hayley teaches cake decorating part-time at the Cottingham Adult Learning Centre. She is also a featured artist at the Cake International Show and is training to be a judge there next year, as well as teaching more private classes in 2020.
A Deadpool cake was also among Hayley’s previous creations.
The work never stops and Hayley is currently working on a Minecraft cake and will be doing an Anime creation later this month. She also does a lot of walkthrough ‘how to’ make cakes and Hayley said this one almost went viral!
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A 25-year-old-man has died after a crash on the A1 near Grantham on Monday afternoon.
It happened shortly after 3pm on June 14, in a lay-by north of the A52 slip road of the northbound carriageway.
Two vehicles are involved: a silver Ford Transit, and a blue DAF HGV.
The victim, the driver of the Ford Transit, sadly died at the scene. His next of kin are aware.
Lincolnshire Police believe the Transit had travelled north along the A1 from Peterbrough.
As part of the investigation officers are appealing for anyone who travelled from Peterborough on the A1 between 1.30 and 3pm, to check any dashcam footage they may have for the Ford Transit.
The registration number of the Transit is YO15MZW.
It has caused traffic delays. | Photo: R.S. Mortiss
Investigators would like to hear from anyone who has footage, saw the silver Transit van or witnessed the collision.
There are a number of ways to get in touch:
By email to [email protected] – put the reference incident 150 of June 13 in the subject box.
Via the non-emergency number 101, quoting incident 150 of June 13
Through the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org
A man was allegedly kicked and punched during a vicious attack in Lincoln, suffering multiple injuries to his face and head.
A group of men chased the victim, a man in his 20s, to Shuttleworth House on Stamp End Lincoln at around 8.30pm on May 14, where he was attacked. Police said they believe it was an unprovoked assault.
Police published CCTV images on June 14 in connection with the incident of grievous bodily harm. The force said they would like to speak to the two men/youths pictured.
Do you recognise these two young males? | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
They are described as being white and in their teens/early 20s. One male was wearing blue jeans, a dark ribbed hooded jacket and a two-tone sweater, possibly Adidas.
The second male was wearing grey sweat pants, a dark hooded tracksuit type top with motif on the left of the chest.
Anyone with information, or who believes they know the identity of either of the two pictured males, should contact police on 101 or via email at [email protected] quoting occurrence number 21000267095.
Alternatively, it can be reported through the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online here.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has delayed lifting the final stages of lockdown restrictions until July 19 amid rising COVID numbers.
During a media conference on Monday evening, Mr Johnson said rising coronavirus numbers elsewhere in the country were an early warning sign for the rest of the UK —and that the delay would allow millions more to be vaccinated, while monitoring the data on the new Delta (Indian) variant.
Mr Johnson also confirmed 23 and 24-year-olds will be invited to get their vaccination from Tuesday, June 15, as the government attempts to bring forward its plans to give every adult in the UK their first dose by July 19. Second doses for the over 40s will also be brought forward.
The move will mean pubs remain restricted to table service for groups of six, theatres and indoor venues restricted to 50% capacity, nightclubs remaining closed and the guidance to work from home staying in place.
However, under the new guidance, weddings and wakes will be able to go ahead with more than 30 guests as long as social distancing measures were in place.
Some pilot events such as Euro 2020 and some theatrical performances will also still go ahead.
Mr Johnson said: “Thelastthreestepshaveinevitablybeenaccompaniedbymoreinfectionandmorehospitalisationbecause,wemustbeclearthatwecannotsimplyeliminateCOVID.
He said there were millions of younger adults who had not been vaccinated and “sadly, a proportion of the elderly and vulnerable may still succumb – even if they have had two jobs.”
He said the Delta variant had spread faster than the third wave that was predicted in the February roadmap, with cases growing at about 64% a week, and that there was a possibility the virus could outrun the vaccines and thousands more deaths would ensue.
“Even if the link between infection and hospitalisation has been weakened it hasn’t been severed,” he added.
However, he said: “Asthingsstand,andontheevidencethatIcanseerightnow,I’mconfidentthatwewillnotneedmorethanfourweeks,andwewon’tneedtogobeyondJuly19.
Businesses and others sectors, including theatre and live music venues, have already reacted to the set-back, expressing disappointment and anger at the move, which will leave them with even less time trading.
Others have raised concerns over the mental health of the nation.
Lincolnshire’s coronavirus case date up to June 14.
The latest figures show there have been 87 new COVID-19 cases in Greater Lincolnshire on Monday but no deaths — compared to just 63 cases (38% week on week increase) and one death last Monday.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded 43 new cases in Lincolnshire, 35 in North East Lincolnshire and nine in North Lincolnshire.
No further deaths were added on to the government’s public health figures or those from NHS England.
More than 500,000 people in Lincolnshire had been given their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine by Friday last week, which could be contributing to the low hospital admissions figures.
United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust has confirmed it currently has five COVID-positive patients on its wards, while Northern Lincolnshire and Goole has just one at Grimsby hospital.
Meanwhile, more than 380,000 second doses of the vaccine have also been administered, meaning the county is getting closer to hitting one million vaccinations in total.
More than 41 million people in the UK have had a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while nearly 30 million have had two doses.
Nationally COVID cases increased to 4,565,813 with 7,490 of those on Sunday while deaths rose to 127,904.
Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Monday, June 14
61,270 cases (up 87)
42,457 in Lincolnshire (up 43)
9,832 in North Lincolnshire (up nine)
8,981 in North East Lincolnshire (up 35)
2,197 deaths (no change)
1,622 from Lincolnshire (no change)
307 from North Lincolnshire (no change)
268 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)
of which 1,311 hospital deaths (no change)
816 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (no change)
41 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
453 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (no change)
4,565,813 UK cases, 127,904 deaths
DATA SOURCE — FIGURES CORRECT AT THE TIME OF the latest update. postcode data includes deaths not in healthcare facilities or in hospitals outside authority boundaries.
An couple from Louth have turned the uncertainty of COVID-19 lockdown into an exciting career venture, and are now running three businesses at once in the town.
Jonathan Cryans (26) and Ashley Janney (30) are business partners that run a menswear store, a sewing shop and a salon in New Market Hall, Louth, and they recently got engaged after five years together.
They began in March 2018 with the opening of The Little Sewing Shop, selling cushions and other home furnishings, as well as offering tailored services for clothes.
The Little Sewing Shop has been at New Market Hall in Louth since March 2018. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
When the first coronavirus lockdown hit, Ashley, who is the head designer and director for the sewing shop, made a bold call to buy the unit next door and turn it into a workshop.
Ashley Janney is the director and head designer at The Little Sewing Shop. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Ashley would regularly get customers for weddings, having the local community come to him to tailor suits, and that’s when Janney & Cryans Menswear was born.
Janney & Cryans Menswear at New Market Hall in Louth. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The shop opposite The Little Sewing Shop had previously been a menswear shop, but Ashley and Jonathan made it into their own and opened in June 2020.
That was then followed by The Loft, an upstairs salon run by Jonathan himself, which also opened last June.
Jonathan Cryans runs The Loft, an upstairs salon in close proximity with the other two businesses. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Ashley told The Lincolnite that the success of the businesses has been a result of making the right decisions at the right times.
“You’ve just got to enjoy your job, you spend more time at work than you do at home, so it’s all about finding something you love”, he said.
“We made a choice during the first lockdown to invest in the business and not just expand the sewing shop, but also open the menswear shop and the salon.
“It came to the point where you either fight or die, and despite everybody calling me crazy, I went for it and here we are today.”
Eye-catching decor at The Little Sewing Shop. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
During the local elections in 2021, The Heritage Party ran for council in Louth, and their policies of being against the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as same-sex marriages, caused controversy within the community.
The staff are a really tightly knit team. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
This is something that deeply upset Jonathan and Ashley, though they say they say they’ve never really encountered any forms of homophobia within their business.
Ashley said: “I guess it’s never really come up in conversation, it’s hard to take and sad knowing that people think like that.
“We have new customers every single day, it’s just reassuring that it’s only a small minority who have those views.”
Ashley works most days, but says it never really feels like work because of how much he loves doing it. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Jonathan said: “If you are LGBT you can still run a successful business. You can lead a normal life and be a ‘stable’ member of society.
“It seems so backward to even have to be fighting for this in 2021. But things have come so far and I refuse to not fight for equality.”
Jonathan Cryans at The Loft. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Since reopening, all three businesses have boomed, with the help of a growing online presence and word of mouth.
Janney & Cryans Menswear specialises in smart clothing and footwear. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Ashley explained: “The community has kind of spread the word, I think it works well having all the businesses close together.
“Our local regulars supported us a lot through lockdown to keep us afloat, and since then it’s gone from strength to strength.”
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
You can take a look at the businesses on their Facebook pages by clicking the following links:
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