A Perth grandmother raised nearly £10,500 by selling homemade tablet to build a home for a family that had been squatting on a beach for five years.
Margaret Bayne baked an incredible 873 trays of the delicious treat and sold bars at £1 each to ensure that widow Elizabeth Charo and her four children have a permanent roof over their heads in Kenya.
The grandmother of five was spurred into action after she heard from a neighbour that the family had been squatting on a beach for five years.
Mrs Bayne turned to a talent she learned at the age of 14 and set about baking trays of tablet in her kitchen over the course of a year.
The retired social worker, who attends North Church in Perth, sold the popular treat to friends, acquaintances and members of the public to raise £10,476.
Mrs Bayne admitted she had to overcome doubters who never thought such a feat was possible but said her belief in God helped her through.
The Perth street pastor travelled to Kenya last autumn to meet and hand over the keys to Vanilla Cottage in Kikambala to Mrs Charo but the final stage of the construction — roof and rendering — was only completed earlier this year.
This means that Mrs Charo and her children , Philip, 14, Kezia, 12, Daniel, 10 and Caroline, 7, have gone from starving on the Kenyan coastline to thriving in a village an hour’s drive from Mombassa.
Mrs Bayne advised future Kirk fundraisers to “have a vision and keep focused on the dream.”
Her remarkable ability to secure donations has attracted interest from groups across Perth.
Mrs Bayne recently gave a presentation to the Perth Guild who were interested to learn about the secret of her success.
She revealed she had been asked to embark on other fundraising drives but was “taking a rest” to enjoy time with her grandchildren.
Mrs Bayne said she has no immediate plans to visit Vanilla Cottage, which she named herself because she used the sweet essence in her baking. However, she revealed the Kenyan family keep in touch with her via letters, when they tell her about how their lives have improved.
