A Castletown woman described as an ’angel’ by staff at Noble’s Hospital has been thanked by those she has been supporting for well over a year.

Mark Bailey, a radiographer at the hospital contacted the Courier to thank Gilly Keown - affectionately nicknamed ’Cake Lady’.

During the day, Mrs Keown manages flats for the Joey Dulop Foundation, but alongside this important work, she is an avid baker.

She has been sending in sweet treats to Noble’s for over 15 months, to support the staff working so hard through the pandemic.

Mr Bailey said: ’I first met Gilly when I started to live at the Joey Dunlop Foundation house. At that time, no one was visiting the island due to Covid.

’She’s a baker that has won some prizes in the past, and she soon introduced me to her baking skills, often asking me to try them, before she told me to take them into work too and let her know if my colleagues liked them. They were an instant hit, and she just kept doing it each week.’

Mrs Keown even bakes vegan cakes and gluten-free offerings for those who suffer with coeliac disease.

Mr Bailey added: ’She has brought cake to both the A&E and medical imaging [departments] without wanting reward for approximately 15 months now.

’I believe that true angels are amongst us, and Gilly has been one for us over this very strange 15 months!

’One doctor even commented on how her cakes helped her, and carried her through the afternoons.

’At the height of Covid, when we were stuck, it was very much appreciated.’

The teams from each department put together a collection in the run-up to Christmas to thank Mrs Keown for her generosity.

They presented her with some cash, as well as some vouchers for Marks and Spencer, gin, a plant and some flowers.

Mrs Keown started baking the cakes simply as a way of thanking the staff who have been working hard through the pandemic, after getting to know Mr Bailey.

She said: ’It’s just a way of saying thanks for all the hard work that those guys put in, because they work their backsides off.

’They’re stuck in PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) for hours and hours on end.

’We wear masks to go shopping - and that’s bad enough - without having to be wearing it for long shifts like they do.’

She added: ’It’s just something I enjoy doing anyhow.

’So I just got into doing it for them just as a thank you really, a treat for them for all that they do.’

She did not expect the thanks she received from the team, as she had baked the treats just to keep the teams going on long shifts through such a stressful time.

Of the huge gesture from the two departments, she said: ’I was stunned.

’It was beautiful. It was lovely.

’I do it because I want to, I wasn’t expecting anything.

’When Mark gave me the gifts I was stunned.’

She added: ’If it was a bottle of wine or flowers I would have been happy with that, but to get me what they got me - it was amazing.’