A WOMAN from Mauchline has baked 3,000 cakes in lockdown for doctors, nurses, shop assistants and other key workers across East Ayrshire.

Maggie Lennox has been baking cupcakes, shortbread and tattie scones for local key workers and has been helped along the way by villagers who have consistently delivered supplies to her door for 10 weeks.

Maggie, owner of Icing on the Cake, has so far baked 3,004 cupcakes.

She said: “It started the weekend before lockdown. I decided I couldn’t fulfil the rest of my orders due to the situation so posted on my Facebook page saying I could use the ingredients to make cupcakes for local key workers.

“I thought it would last about 10 days or so then the next thing I knew people were coming to my door with eggs, sugar and bags of flour which was really hard to get at the beginning of lockdown. Within a week I had to raid out the kitchen cupboards and put stuff in the garage.”

Maggie added: “I’m shielding and it’s not always easy to keep your spirits up but people are really getting behind this.

“We had to put my mum into a care home four weeks before lockdown as she got Alzheimer’s so it’s helped to keep my mind off that, as well as not seeing my grandkids.

“When people come to the door to pick them up they are crying happy tears and saying it gives them a boost to know we’re all thinking about them.

“It’s from the whole community and because of their wonderful donations that I’ve been able to keep going all these weeks.”

The cupcakes have reached all categories of key workers across Mauchline, Cumnock and Ayr including postmen, carers and the ICU unit at Crosshouse Hospital.

Sheila, Maggie’s friend, said: “Maggie has a big heart and has kept our village going through trying times. I don’t really think she meant to bake for 10 weeks but the folks of Mauchline didn’t give her a choice.”

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