Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Couple give away cupcakes as big day is called off
A betrothed couple, who had their big day cancelled with less than 12 hours notice, donated a haul of cupcakes meant for wedding guests to busy hospital staff.
At 2pm on Saturday, Lauren Peters and Sam Topliffe were due to tie the knot in front of close friends and family before flying over Sheppey in a once-in-a-lifetime helicopter ride and spending a week at Butlin’s.
However, after the Prime Minister ordered all restaurants and pubs close, their wedding, due to take place at Sheppey restaurant, The Ferry House Inn, was called off.
Although there were “lots of tears” when the venue told them the news, the couple, who have a one-year-old daughter, Holly, decided to donate 50 chocolate cupcakes to staff at Sheppey Community Hospital. The treats were dropped off by cake-maker Tracey Hammond. Sam, 28, a security guard at Sheerness Dockyard, said: “My best friend’s mum is a first responder for the NHS and she’s working around the clock for everyone.
“I wanted to bring back some of the Dunkirk Spirit. They really deserve it.
“We aren’t going to use them and I felt it was nice to give them something for all their hard work.”
During the Battle of Dunkirk in the Second World War, civilians used their own fishing boats and dinghies to ferry allied troops across the British Channel to safety.
Sam said: “Everyone is rushing around and acting chaotically. We are struggling to get paracetamol for our daughter because everyone is stripping the shelves. But if we all stick together we can get through it.”
Despite Boris Johnson urging people to reduce social contact, the Minster couple decided to go ahead with the wedding, with only close family attending.
Elderly and vulnerable people, as well as people with coronavirus symptoms, and family from abroad were not going to attend.
“We didn’t want to cancel because we had put so much planning into it,” Lauren, 23, a support worker for people with special needs, said. The pair had booked a 30-minute helicopter ride after saying “I do”.
Sam has dreamed of flying in a helicopter since he was a child, but this too has been postponed.