A talented young Teddington baker is lifting the spirits of the elderly and those self-isolating during the COVID-19 pandemic by conjuring up mouth-watering cakes.

Twelve-year-old Lois Owen has launched a new pay it forward-style cake baking enterprise.

The St George's Weybridge schoolgirl is charging £7.50 to create two delicious home-made sweet treats - one for the person who orders it and another to deliver to a vulnerable local resident.

She told Teddington Nub News: "Since the start of the coronavirus lockdown my mum and I have been shopping for some of the elderly people that live in our street.

"We realised they were only buying essentials and possibly worried about money if they were to be isolated for a long time.

"I wanted to find a way to give them a special treat.

"When a family friend asked me to bake him a birthday cake I came up with the idea of charging people just enough to be able to make two cakes - one for them and another for someone elderly or self-isolating."

The idea is already proving popular with family and friends, with a dozen cakes already on order.

But Lois, who has been cooking up a storm in the kitchen since she was four encouraged by foodie dad Robert, is keen for more cake-lovers to participate.

She has already set up a dedicated Instagram page and is in the process of creating a website.

"It's making me really happy - not only because I am doing something nice for the local community, but it's also keeping me busy doing something I love," added Lois, who plans to apply to take part in Junior Bake Off when the country returns to normality.

The keen cook's speciality is a vanilla sponge with lemon zest covered in a thick layer of butter cream icing - but she is happy to turn her hand to any type of cake.

Proud dad Robert said: "I can vouch for the fact that Lois' cakes are absolutely delicious.

"She's always coming up with new ideas and even manages to create masterpieces in our Aga - which is notoriously difficult.

"Not only is it lovely Lois is doing something to support the local community, but it's also keeping her busy.

"She has really thrown herself into the idea and is up early in the morning planning recipes, taking photographs of her bakes and now creating a website."

The new enterprise is a real family affair with Lois' teenage siblings, 16-year-old sister Connie and 18-year-old brother Sam, called on occasionally to help with cake decorating.

However, their main role to date has been as chief taste testers.

Anyone who would like to place an order can do so on Lois' Instragram page lois¬_bakes01 or via email [email protected]. Cakes are delivered adhering to Government social distancing guidelines.