Lions Clubs International

The Lions Cake Project has been running for many years in Australia and South Africa, raising money for worthwhile Lions Club projects. This project, introduced to Lions Clubs in the UK by Worthing Lions Club in 2001, is one of almost 100 other Lions clubs that have participated the scheme.

The Lions Club of Worthing, has now decided to move on to new projects having made several thousand pounds profit for the local Hospital and other worthy causes. Worthing Lions are delighted that nearby Lancing & Sompting Lions Club have taken on the cake project with responsibilty for supporting the South East Lions Cake Officer Lion Denise Balacombe (Bromley) E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Lancing & Somptig Lions Clubs will offer advise and encouragement to anyone within the Lions organisation who wishes to participate in the cake project. Lion Sue Fleck at the Club will be pleased to advise further, Lion Sue is based at the Lancing and Sompting Charity Shop 4 Station Parade, Lancing, BN15 8AA Tel: 01903 752677 

If you would like to contact ‘The Original Cake Co. Ltd.’ direct, they are based at Westminster Road, North Hykeham, Lincoln, LN6 3QY. The general manager is Mr Simon Woddiwiss, Tel: 01522 694411 E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

It is worth noting that there are no artificial colourings or flavours used and the products are GM free. The best quality fine fruits possible are used, only free-range eggs are used and all cakes are hand finished and hand wrapped as part of the quality check. The bakery started providing Lions with a rich, dark, Christmas fruitcake, with a recipe unique to Lions Clubs in UK. The original award winning Christmas Cake mix is available in four round cake styles, 7in plain fruit cake (the most popular), 6in & 4in marzipan & iced Christmas cakes with a simple, tasteful decoration and a 5.5in cake decorated with glace cherries and nuts. To meet the demand for a light fruit cake and for mid year fund raising events, as an addition to the rich fruit cake, the bakery continues to provide extra varieties for Lions Clubs, such as Dundee, Genoa, Simnel, Date & Walnut, Stem Ginger cakes and recently a cake suitable for diabetics.

How you could use the Lions Cake Project, the following notes show how you could use the cake project and have already proved very successful. 

(1)    Not selling cakes but giving them away! This approach, as part of a PR activity, creates much good will in the community e.g. OAP Christmas parcels, raffle prizes donated to a worthy fund raising cause, while wrapping and labelling little iced cakes for WRVS Meals on Wheels at Christmas is a pleasant club social activity.

(2)    Selling cakes for profit, something more and more Lions Clubs are doing by operating some form of market stall, using a long shelf life to advantage. As Clubs become more confident in identifying good outlets it is becoming more common to have a regular commitment such as a monthly farmers’ market or perhaps a monthly stall in a hospital. A regular venue is the key to repeat sales. 

(3)    Sharing profit and workload. Consider allowing a local worthy cause or another charity sell cakes on your behalf.  A partnership based on all or part of the profit being given to a local cause is proving a success. Experience indicates a high level of commitment by those involved in the charity concerned, such as ‘Shopmobility’, a scheme to be found in many large towns and frequently desperate for funding. Awareness of the cake project increases greatly, which in time leads to increased sales, but best of all generates a lot of good PR in the community for Lionism.

(4)    Subsidise Club funding. Some Lions find Charter celebrations and club membership dues expensive. Consider putting the profit from the sale of cakes to members and friends towards subsidising such costs.

HINTS & TIPS for selling cakes

Ø      Cakes, being a food product, require you to meet stringent trading standards especially if providing small samples to taste. Consider obtaining “The Market & Fairs Guide” from Food Standards Agency @ £3.60, Telephone 020 7827 5882. 

Ø      A catering roll of white table paper or reusable plastic covers can give a crisp, smart and attractive backing on which to set out the cake display. A paper plate with a gold doily sets off the cakes nicely.

Ø      Always have more than one type of cake on display to provide choice.

Ø      Suggest cakes be stacked in small piles to give height and interest or raised up on display stands

Ø      Keep the stall free of clutter.

Ø      Have a good supply of bags to hand and insert your own Club re-order form or other publicity with each cake sale. 

Ø      It is strongly recommended that small pieces of cake be available for potential customers to taste on a “Try before you buy” basis, but don’t be too generous! Such samples should be kept covered – clear plastic cake display covers are cheap and readily available for about £4.00 or less. Hygiene and food safety is important. You may find the 5” x 18” type of slab cake an economic way to provide samples of the rich fruitcake. 

Ø      When cutting a fruit cake into small pieces for sampling it is easier if kept overnight in a refrigerator. A serrated knife used in a sawing action with the blade kept clean with a damp cloth works best. 

Ø      Although ‘Diabetic Cake’ is useful descriptive shorthand, please try to avoid this description when selling this type of cake. Instead, it is suggested “A rich fruit cake suitable for diabetics if consumed as part of a normal healthy balanced diet” is more appropriate

Ø      Selling any two or more cakes on display at a reduced price is often attractive to customers.

Ø      Make sure Club members manning the stall are aware of good selling points:

§         Depending upon type, cakes have a six or twelve month shelf life or alternatively a generous shelf life (Be careful if you have had the cakes already in stock for some weeks)

§         GM free ingredients

§         No artificial colouring or additives

§         The dark, rich fruitcakes with rum improve with keeping

§         Cakes can be frozen

§         The cakes suitable for diabetics have a longer than usual shelf life of up to four months.

§         Suitable for vegetarians.

§         Only free-range eggs are used.

§         Hand finished and wrapped as part of the quality check

Ø      Try to keep cakes on display out of direct sunlight as condensation within the wrapping spoils their appearance. Any such condensation quickly clears with no harm to the product when removed from sunlight.

Ø      In the unlikely event of a complaint, please replace the product with a new cake without question or argument (The customer is always right!!). Keep the returned cake in case required later; note the sell by date and batch number on the label. Contact the baker with details of the complaint as quickly as possible. The baker has an established process for dealing with such situations.

Ø     Remember, the customer is king! Keeping customers happy and satisfied with good, reliable service and a fine product has resulted in approx. 75% of all customers coming back with a repeat order.