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Baker cooks up miniature Bethlehem out of fruit cakes

News imageBBC Bethlehem sceneBBC
The confectionary model of Bethlehem took five months to create

A baker has created a miniature version of Bethlehem out of 36 fruit cakes to raise money for a school playground in her village.

Lynn Nolan last year made a model of her Derbyshire village for charity.

This time she spent five months and used 90kg of icing making the 6ft (1.83m) edible Bethlehem.

Youlgreave Church of England Primary School is hoping to raise cash towards a £60,000 target when the cakes are auctioned.

Children from the school and other villagers helped with the baking project.

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"We used 50kg of marzipan and 48kg of raisins, currants and sultanas and four litres of whisky," Mrs Nolan said.

News imageNativity scene
Everything in this unusual nativity scene is edible
News imageEPA Christmas tree outside the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, Dec 2017EPA
Modern day Bethlehem - the lighting of a Christmas tree this month outside the Church of the Nativity, where major renovation work is ongoing

Last year Mrs Nolan made a tasty replica of Youlgreave out of cake.

The cakes remain edible because they have been soaked in whisky, which preserves them, she said.

News imageBaker Lynn Nolan with some pupils
Lynn Nolan got plenty of help from pupils at the school in her cake-baking challenge

"I've no (overall) plan to work with, it just happens as I go along. The only thing I have is the picture in my head, so I've got to go with that," she said.

The models are on display at the village shop until 15 December.

The planned play area at the school will include a stage, trail, climbing wall and artificial grass.

News imageGary Bagshawe George Hotel made from cakeGary Bagshawe
Last year, the cake version of Youlgreave included the George Hotel with food and drink on its tables