A scheme that enables members of the public to sponsor a cake for health workers has been a massive success for a Shepton Mallet cafe.

The Cheeky Bean, which is normally bustling in the centre of the town, is being kept busy in the lockdown by the number of cakes being sponsored by residents.

Steve Piper and Amanda Harvey, from the Cheeky Bean, are delighted with the public's response to the scheme, and have explained how the idea came about.

Steve said: "We watched a news story of an NHS worker, finishing a 24-plus hour shift and visiting a supermarket only to find shelves empty because selfish, irresponsible people were stock piling goods, meaning that nurse felt like the public didn't care about the effort they were putting in.

"It broke our hearts so we thought, let's do something so that the NHS staff in our area do feel valued, do feel like we care and that we aren't all toilet roll hoarding hamsters.

"We are asking the community to show their appreciation for our wonderful NHS workers by sponsoring a delicious homemade cake.

"It's £15 to sponsor and we are asking the sponsor to add a message of thanks or well wishes inside the cake box so that our wonderful health workers can see how much the public appreciate them and their work."

In addition to the NHS sponsored cakes, the Cheeky Bean are also baking 15 cakes every Wednesday for the staff at the Shepton Mallet Community Hospital.

And Steve is urging the people of the town to stay safe and use food as a means to stay healthy.

"The government advice is all about staying at home, which is absolutely right, but you can also get your body's immune system in shape to fight any potential infection by eating lots of fruit and veg, and researching natural ways to increase immunity," he said.

"The Cheeky Bean will be OK, we are using this time to plan our summer menu for when we are able to open again and can't wait to get back to see our lovely customers again."