Eight-year-old baker Saara Ali has opened her snack shack to raise money for Rosemere Cancer Foundation.

Together with mum Farzana, who is head of Religious Education at Moor Park High School and Sixth Form, Preston, Saara began catering for a cause in lockdown.

Since then, her indulgent brownie tray bakes, which are sometimes topped with the likes of Terry’s Chocolate Orange and Oreo biscuits, have won her fans across the region and have helped her raise hundreds of pounds for Save the Children’s work in Yemen and the explosion hit Lebanese capital of Beirut.

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Now Saara, whose dad Mohsin has helped her produce bespoke stickers, find professional quality packaging in which to box her lush goodies and set up a Saara’s Snack Shack Instagram page (@saaras.snack.shack), has turned her attention to a charity nearer home.

Farzana said: “Saara wants her baking to help a local charity. We have family members who have been treated at Rosemere Cancer Centre so Rosemere Cancer Foundation is a cause close to our hearts.

“Saara has always liked cooking but baking is her favourite thing. When we were home schooling during lockdown, I would use weighing out and costing ingredients to help with maths. Saara now does her baking at weekend. She takes orders in the first half of the week and we either deliver for free if in Preston or customers come and collect their brownies, rocky road or other bespoke bakes.”

Saara takes orders via messages to mum through her Instagram page, which already has more than 300 followers. Among some of her most loyal customers are fellow Beavers belonging to the 10th Fulwood Scouts for which Farzana is a volunteer Assistant Beaver Leader. 

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The bakes have also helped Saara achieve her Chief Scout Bear Grylls top award set as a challenge by the Beaver’s leader. Younger sisters Rumaysah (five) and Hanna (two) are fans and Rumaysah is eagerly following in Saara’s footsteps by starting to make pizzas and cookies.

Rebecca Arestidou, Rosemere Cancer Foundation’s local area fundraising co-ordinator, said: “When I looked at Saara’s Instagram page, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Everything looks so delicious and just like something you’d see on Bake Off.

“Saara’s so talented. We are very grateful to her and her whole family for choosing Rosemere Cancer Foundation as her catering cause for this month and next.”

As well as her Instagram page, Saara has a Justgiving page

Rosemere Cancer Foundation works to bring world class cancer treatments and services to cancer patients from throughout Lancashire and South Cumbria being treated at Rosemere Cancer Centre, the region’s specialist cancer and radiotherapy treatment centre at the Royal Preston Hospital, and at another eight local hospital cancer units across the two counties. The charity funds cutting edge equipment, research, training and other cancer services and therapies that the NHS is unable to afford.