MORE than £1,000 was raised for a charity’s lockdown care packages by a Barnard Castle businesswoman who operated a weekly “scone drop” .
Shona Robinson, who owns and runs Oliver Twist’s Deli in Horsemarket, raised £1,011 for the TCR Hub’s care packages by selling her tasty cheese and fruit scones, earning her the title the Fairy Scone Mother.
Mrs Robinson closed her deli at the start of lockdown, furloughing staff, but was keen to keep busy so organised the Friday sconathon where she offered scones for £2 each, donating £1 to the charity, which delivered essential items to those in isolation. Customers phoned in their orders to Mrs Robinson and volunteer drivers delivered the treats, fresh from the oven, to people at home each Friday morning.
Mrs Robinson single-handedly prepared and cooked more than 20lbs of scone mix.
She said: “I’m over the moon that I was able to raise so much. I set off hoping for £50 a week and I far exceeded that. What really impressed me though was the president of the town’s WI came in and ordered regularly, so my scones must be good.”
Since reopening her deli Mrs Robinson has been unable to continue the scone drop, but says demand for them has increased. She added: “I’ve had customers that had them delivered during lockdown coming in for them each week. They’ve been telling me how much they looked forward to it.”
