TRUST the Brownies to do a good turn. The 25th Fulham (All Saints) Brownies were able to present Freya Samuelson, from Great Ormond Street Hospital, in London, with £557 they had raised themselves by baking cup cakes in support of the hospital's "Bake it Better" appeal.

"It all started," Brown Owl, Claire Shirley, says, "with a letter from Freya to our Chief Guide about the 'Bake it Better' campaign, and Sarah Jones, of De-licious Cakes, coming to teach the Brownies how to make cup cakes for their Cook badge.

"The date happened to coincide with the appeal; so I thought I would challenge the Brownies to raise money, and see what happened."

Jessie Alldis, who is eight, says that Brown Owl told them they could either sell their one cake that they made, or be inspired to bake more with the recipe given them by Ms Jones. So she baked 24 cup cakes; and eight other Brownies baked more cup cakes; and they set up a stall near Fulham Football Ground on match day. "We sold them for £1 each," Jessie says. "Some people gave us more than that, and others just donated some money. We raised £281 altogether, including the money I raised for selling the one I took home. It was fun."

Each one of the 22 Brownies raised money in a different way. One baked 24 cup cakes on her own, and, with her brother, set up a stall outside their house, and raised £40. Another sold her cakes knocking on the doors of neighbours' houses. Others sold them to family and friends.

"It was amazing," Brown Owl says. "It reminded me of the parable of the talents: I entrusted them with a cake, as the master entrusted his servants with the talents, and asked them to generate a return as they did."

The money will go towards new facilities for parents to sleep alongside their very ill children.