Mum-of-two Samantha Fairbank was inspired by her dying dad’s wish for her to ‘follow her dream' and has opened a dessert shop.
She told how she was ‘consumed by grief’ when she lost her dad John to liver cancer aged 66 in May 2021.
Just six months later her husband Scott collapsed at home and suffered a stroke because of a blood clot despite being a fit and well 40-year-old.
Samantha, mum to Taylor, aged 18, and Freya, aged 11, was left heartbroken and at a real ‘crossroads’.
But the experiences solidified to her that ‘life is so very short and you just don’t know what’s around the corner.’
With her dad’s words to ‘follow her dream’ ringing in her ears, the 39-year-old decided to go for it and opened Bake Boutique Cakes & Desserts in Penistone in July.
Opening weekend saw people queuing up outside to get in. The bakes have been popular with residents, and also a celebrity as Gaz Beadle – who shot to fame as the star of the reality TV show Geordie Shore – popped in with his wife Emma and two children Chester and Primrose.