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Cooking with the Countess: Sophie’s scones support Girlguiding and BBC Children in Need

The Countess of Wessex gave a cooking demonstration on the Royal Family’s Twitter account this week, baking 55 cheese and bacon scones to help raise awareness for the ‘Act Your Age’ campaign.

Sophie participated in the social media challenge in her role as President of Girl Guiding UK, which is partnering with BBC Children in Need for the ‘Act Your Age’ campaign. All funds raised will be shared between Girl Guiding, BBC Children in Need with any remaining money going to grants for Girl Guiding units.

“Hello,” Sophie said in the video shared to the Royal Family account. “I’ve been asked to take part in the Girl Guiding ‘Act Your Age’ Campaign. Now, I’ve decided to make cheesy scones, cheese and bacon scones, actually, which is all very well if you’re 10-years-old. I’m not 10-years-old!”

The ‘Act Your Age’ campaign was inspired by Pudsey Bea, the BBC Children in Need masco, who marks his 40th birthday this year. The campaign encourages Girl Guides to “take their age and do something good with it,” whether it’s an eight-year-old doing an exercise for eight minutes or a teenager participating in a sporting event for the same amount of time.

Sophie poked fun at her age in the video, noting: “I’ve got to make 55 cheese and bacon scones. I’m going to get on and make these scones because they’re not going to make themselves.”

For her cooking challenge, Sophie earned a Pudsey Badge. Her scones, the Royal Family Twitter noted, were donated to the Hope Hub in Surrey, a charity that supports homeless people and works to prevent homelessness in the area.

“So that’s 55 cheese and bacon scones all complete. They smell amazing, I hope they taste good too. Of course, it’s all for Girl Guiding UK and BBC Children in Need, so, get involved and ‘Act Your Age!’”

BBC Children in Need supports over 3,900 charities and projects in communities across the UK, giving vital help to children and young people who face disadvantages such as living in poverty, experiencing distress, neglect or trauma or who are living with disabilities and illness.

November 13th 2020 is Children in Need Day in the UK when the bulk of the fundraising activities for this year’s campaign come to a conclusion. People across the country spend the days and weeks before the big event bringing in money, too. BBC Children in Need was set up in 1980 and since then, it has raised over £1 billion for disadvantaged young people within the United Kingdom.

About author

Jess Ilse is the Assistant Editor at Royal Central. She specialises in the British, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish Royal Families and has been following royalty since Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee. Jess has provided commentary for media outlets in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Jess works in communications and her debut novel THE MAJESTIC SISTERS will publish in Fall 2024.