Thousands raised after death of Scots baker and family man
An outpouring of support for the family has seen thousands of pounds raised via JustGiving.
As of 2.40 PM on Thursday, £15,045 had been donated, in less than one day.
Zoe Buchan said: "I lost my beautiful husband Steve suddenly and unexpectedly this week. As most of you will know he was the Vegan Bay Baker. He leaves behind myself and our three beautiful children.
"I am hoping to raise enough money to give him the funeral he deserves and to have for our children. I am so overwhelmed by all the offers of support and help, all the lovely messages I've had.
"I really appreciate everyone who has been so kind, sharing stories of him, how wonderful he was, he was the best daddy to our kids and husband to me. We already miss him so much."
Childhood friends Steven and Zoe grew up in the small town of Balmedie, ten miles north of Aberdeen.
The couple set up Scotland's first vegan craft bakery from their kitchen table, eventually expanding to brick and mortar locations in Aberdeen, Balmedie, and Peterhead.
In 2022, the shop was honoured at the Scottish Bakers Awards, winning top prize for their sourdough bread.
Five hundred people have contributed to the fund, including fellow Aberdeen pastry shop Bandit Bakery, who donated £200, as did Ellon-based pizza restaurant The Gaff and Peterculter artisans Crust Bakery.
Anna Smith said on Facebook: "I am so sorry to hear this sad news. Steven kindly delivered us some delicious food during lockdown and really made my little boy so happy he could enjoy croissants and cakes for the first time with his dairy allergy."
Rebekilla Duncan added: "My family and I met Steven in the Banchory food market a few years ago and he was so wonderful. It was the first time my daughter who has severe allergies could eat a croissant, he made her so happy and we ended up talking to Steven for a while about his business and how wonderful his products were."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
a few seconds ago
- South Wales Argus
AI firm launches platform to cut waste and boost UK steel industry
Nightingale HQ's an AI-powered platform, has been purpose built for the reinforcement steel industry. It has already been used by manufacturers like Midland Steel to use digital tools to address challenges such as automating data extraction, optimising reinforcing bar production planning, and monitoring environmental impact. Steph Locke, head of product for NHQ, which is based in Cardiff, said: 'For us as a Wales-based tech scale-up, we're excited about the opportunity to support local steelmakers during this transformative time. "Investment in Tata Steel's transition to electric arc furnace technology at Port Talbot represents a major turning point for the sector and opens up long-term opportunities to apply new technologies to old challenges. 'Looking wider, under the UK's new Infrastructure Strategy, steelmakers will face increased pressure to be more efficient and sustainable, yet the majority lack the digital tools required to meet these expectations. 'That's why we feel now is the perfect time to officially launch which can deliver powerful, no-code AI directly to production teams without expensive software or technical expertise. "We're already working with some of the biggest manufacturers in Europe, and our ambition is to have a wide-reaching impact on the UK steel industry.' Globally, the rebar market is set to reach £325 billion by 2031, driven by infrastructure growth and government investment. At the same time, ongoing UK/US tariff uncertainty highlights the importance of innovation and cost-efficiency for maintaining competitiveness.
Scotsman
30 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Trump, taxes and takeovers: Aberdeen's OEG navigates its way to $1 billion sales goal
'Anything that increases costs and complexity - tariffs and taxes - can put you off investing' – John Heiton, CEO Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... OEG Energy Group, the Aberdeen-headquartered offshore services provider employing 1,500 people globally, remains on the growth trail with further acquisitions set to boost its burgeoning renewables business as it charts a course to $1bn (£750 million) of annual group revenues. Chief executive John Heiton said the 30 per cent growth seen last year was likely to be repeated this year despite volatile trading conditions on both sides of the Atlantic, US tariffs and higher taxes, with April's hike in UK employers' national insurance contributions adding a £1 million burden overnight. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The company, which has roots stretching back more than 50 years, is also having to balance the demands of a pro-oil Trump administration that is pulling back on green investment, with a Westminster government that plays up renewable energy but is 'not so supportive' of offshore oil and gas. OEG's chief executive John Heiton. Heiton, a local to the Aberdeenshire area, who joined OEG in 2008, was speaking just a fortnight after the group sealed its first acquisition since being bought by US funds heavyweight Apollo in March. The takeover of Trinity Rental Services (TRS) - for an undisclosed sum - marks a 'strategic expansion' of OEG's US footprint and capabilities. Founded in 2013, Louisiana-based TRS has grown through acquisition and investment to become a key provider in oil and gas offshore container rentals in the Gulf of America. Its workforce of around 80 skilled employees now becomes part of OEG. 'We expect it to be quite a smooth integration,' said Heiton. 'It was a direct competitor so we expect the integration to happen pretty quickly. There are some common customers. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We won a major new contract in the US and that led to a drive for more equipment and one way to fulfil that was to buy a competitor. Also, we admired Trinity for a long time and had talked about acquisitions with them for five or six years. This was the right time for them to do a deal.' Part of the business specialises in the supply of containers to the global oil and gas industry. OEG's predecessor companies - Ferguson Seacabs, Containental and Vertec Engineering - were among the pioneers in the supply of equipment to the North Sea oil and gas industry, but the group now derives about 55 per cent of its business from renewables work. That split is expected to remain about the same this year, even with the Trinity deal. During 2023, the group launched OEG Renewables in a move that brought all subsea, topside, cable handling and marine specialist services under one roof to service both the construction and operational phases for offshore wind farms on a global basis. Heiton said the TRS deal, though a milestone one, did not mark a change in the group's strategy. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'If we do one or two acquisitions in containers over five years and probably do ten-plus in renewables, that is the weighting we expect to see in the business,' he noted. OEG's renewables business helps with the construction and operational phases for offshore wind farms on a global basis. Buying a US-domiciled business like TRS puts the group in an advantageous position with regards to tariffs, though the wider business has suffered some fallout amid President Trump's see-sawing trade levies. 'They have caused some delays and issues in terms of our US business and led to a general slowdown in the world economy,' Heiton cautioned. 'That then drives a slowdown in demand for energy. Anything that increases costs and complexity - tariffs and taxes - can put you off investing.' The group's fast-growing renewables business recently won a multi-million-pound contract to support the construction phase of the vast Inch Cape offshore wind farm, which is due to be operational in 2027. Once completed, the development - some ten miles off the Angus coast - will feature 72 giant wind turbines and an onshore substation, generating sufficient clean energy to power the equivalent of more than half the homes in Scotland. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Under the terms of the contract, OEG will supply a package of specialist services including marine coordination, high voltage and ancillary port services. These will all be delivered from the company's new flagship facility in Edinburgh, which is equipped with the latest state-of-the-art technology for round-the-clock monitoring of operations. OEG will also operate up to ten vessels to help support the ambitious project. Heiton said the contract award reinforced the group's position as a key partner in the offshore renewables industry. And, despite the Trump administration blowing cold on wind, the US is likely to be OEG's second largest market this year for renewables, behind the UK. 'These were projects signed off in the Biden era that are in the construction phase,' noted Heiton. 'But in three or four years time that business will probably fall to almost zero as there are no projects coming through. However, we are in pretty much every major offshore energy market.' Headquarters Last year saw the group move into a new global headquarters at the ABZ Business Park in Dyce. The office can accommodate up to 100 personnel across three floors and supplements a number of operational bases in the Aberdeen area. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Some 250 out of the 1,500 people employed by the group globally work out of the North-east and while Heiton said the firm was proud of its Scottish roots, the UK now accounted for just 10 to 15 per cent of its business.
Time Out
2 hours ago
- Time Out
This app is saving Sydneysiders hundreds of dollars on their groceries (and diverting heaps of food away from landfill)
A few months ago, while I was in line for a drink at the Flickerfest bar, a stranger turned to my friend and asked him: 'Have you heard of Too Good To Go?' He responded: 'Have you tried kiwi berries?!' But she had a point, and clearly wanted to spread the word about an app that's saving Sydneysiders heaps of money on their groceries and diverting a whole lot of food away from landfill. Founded in Copenhagen back in 2015, Too Good To Go is the world's largest marketplace for surplus food, offering customers 'Surprise Bags' from their local shops, cafés, bakeries and restaurants from as little as $6.99. Now alive and kicking in Sydney, the sustainability-focused app has partnered with more than 500 businesses across Sydney to offer Sydneysiders cut-price food (and save businesses the hassle, cost and environmental labour of binning food). Since November last year, the app has diverted more than 175,000 meals away from landfill in NSW alone. That means Too Good To Go's NSW-based users have prevented more than 472,500 tonnes of CO₂ from entering Earth's atmosphere and saved 490,000 square metres of landfill. So how does it work? Sign up for free, and you'll be able to browse the online marketplace of nearby cafés, grocery stores and restaurants, who will give a brief description of what you'll find in your "Surprise Bag' and outline their available pick-up times for that day and the following. Reserve your bag (they range in price between $6.99–$15 and from my experience, contain food to the value of around $60 on average, saving Sydneysiders around $30-50 per haul), and swing by the store at the allotted time to collect your bag of goodies. Businesses featured on the app range from bakeries to sushi spots to grocery stores, with top picks including Harris Farm, Bake Bar, Avner's and Omeio. The catch is, the food you'll get is fresh food that's about to expire – so you'll need to use it (or freeze it) pretty quickly.
