Helen’s Story

Helen started her baking life as a young girl while watching and helping her mother bake and ice cakes for the family. From an early age she knew that cakes could be covered and decorated in a number of sweet mediums. She always liked ‘playing’ with her food, turning her dinner into an animal face or rearranging the peas in a pattern on a potato waffle, a ‘crafty’ girl always at her happiest while making something.

On leaving school she followed a career in Dental Technology, making crowns, dentures and orthodontic appliances at Guy’s Hospital.

When her two children joined the family she renewed her love of baking, working in primary education for almost ten years, the cake decorating dream was put on hold once again.

Her step into the cake decorating world came about in 1991 when she started to make Christmas Cakes as gifts for family and friends, later, this turned into producing original themed birthday cakes for her two children.

The first cake she sold was to one of her son’s school friends who wanted to surprise his Mum with a chocolate cake for Mother’s Day.

Keen to learn and practice new skills, she joined the British Sugar Craft Guild, subscribed to cake decorating magazines, and watched endless tutorials by well know cake artists.

Her cake making continued and when she moved to Bedford in 2015 the criteria for her new home had to include a suitable kitchen where she could finally go full time and set up officially as a small business -Helen’s Cakes, Enjoy!

In November 2023 Helen became a multi award winning baker achieving 2 silver awards in the renown Cake/Bake International Competition gaining 1st and 3rd places in the two classes she entered.

Certificate from Bake International 2023 awarded to Helen Heybourn Flynn for Silver at Gingerbread Building, signed by David Close and Simon Burns, with a gold Silver Award emblem at the bottom, referencing the world's greatest cake show.
Certificate for Helen Heybourn Flynn for a silver award at the 2023 Bake International cake show, with signatures of judges and event information.
Helen in a floral dress holding a box of sugar-coated donuts in a kitchen.
Helen smiling at the camera while taking a selfie on the beach, wearing sunglasses and a white top, with the ocean and a cloudy sky in the background.
Helen with short dark curly hair, smiling and resting her chin on her hands, wearing a red shawl and a white blouse.
Silver award badge for Bake International Competition, November 2023.
A webpage showing a cake competition with a photo of a round, layered naked rich fruit cake topped with candied fruit and nuts. The cake is on a wooden board. The webpage lists winners, with Helen Heybourn Flynn from the United Kingdom winning first place with a silver award.
A man in a chef's uniform with a tall chef's hat, glasses, and a headset, holding a certificate that reads 'Bake International 2023, Helen Heybourn Flynn, Third, A Gingerbread Building,' standing next to a woman with curly hair, wearing a patterned shirt and a badge, smiling at the camera in front of a backdrop with various baking-related logos.
Contact
Screenshot of a social media comment from Emma Wilson saying, "Your cakes are superb! xx"
Text message from Carol O'Dell that says: "Look good... taste good and by golly they make you feel good plus they are made with lots of love and care."
Facebook post thanking Helen Heybourn for a birthday cake.
Screenshot of a Facebook comment from Rebecca Hector thanking Helen, mentioning a list of her favorite things, with celebratory emojis.
Facebook review about Helen's Cakes, praising their birthday cupcakes for being tasty, pretty, and well-made, with happy customer satisfaction.
Screenshot of a thank you email expressing gratitude for a cake, mentioning apologies for missing a meeting, and promising future celebrations.
Text message thanking someone for a birthday cake, describing it as amazing and delicious.
Text on a white background reading: 'Pam Brownsett, Fantastic cake - thank you so much xx'