The owner of Stockport’s beloved Lord of the Pies is fighting to save his business – while at the same time fighting to save his own life.
Oliver Doyle, 41, recently launched a crowdfunder campaign to future proof the independent business for his wife and children.
The award-winning cake maker was diagnosed with a rare genetic disease that has led to the development of tumors, and although he rejects any talk of reduced life expectancy, he says he will now be cared for for life.
Read more: At the Savoy Cinema in Stockport as it is open to the public again after the lockdown
The illness has left him unable to do many of the physical parts of the job, leaving his wife Lindsay Meckie – or Lins, as he calls her – to manage the business and look after their two young daughters.
Oliver was diagnosed with metastatic pheochromocytoma paraganglioma and now has five tumors, including one painful one in the sacrum.
Speaking to the MEN, he said, “When I got this bad news at the hospital, my first instinct was to close the shop.
Oliver with his wife Lindsay and their two daughters
(Image: Macclesfield)
“I just thought Lins couldn’t take care of it, and two babies and me.
“But then when you’re in the hospital it’s a bit dark and I soon went into combat mode and thought, ‘No, come on, we need the business.’
“My entire household runs off this business and without it we don’t have a single salary – we have to make things better and stronger and protect my family’s future.”
He says the reality of their current situation is “brutal” as the pandemic decimates their sales.
“We lost so much with Covid,” he continued.
Continue reading
On the subject of matching items
Continue reading
On the subject of matching items
“We had to close our Stockport store because it was so small we couldn’t do social distancing at all.
“It would have been one, one out, we would have run into so much debt so we had to close that.
“We’ve lost all of our outside catering to offices, all of the weddings we do, and that’s a big part of the business.
“We lost around 75 percent of our sales. That’s crazy.
“Business is in dire straits anyway, then you throw that diagnosis into the mix and it’s too much to bear.”
Oliver and Lindsay
(Image: Stockport-Express)
He hopes the crowdfunder will allow them to grow Lord of the Pies and expand the wholesale section of the store so that their award-winning cakes can be served in pubs.
They also hope to open new delivery points.
Regarding the crowdfunder, which at the time of writing has already hit £ 6,000, he said, “It’s amazing, it’s emotional – you put something like that on the market and you don’t know what will come of it, but people have it helped us very quickly.
“We have an opportunity here to save the business.
“The stress I and Lins are exposed to without any income is brutal and very stressful, even without considering the disease.”
Commenting on his rare illness, he said, “I had some problems with my back, it felt like I broke my tailbone, and I had numbness in my lower back.
“I went to the emergency room, waited 10 hours, got an MRI, and then had two nurses sit down and say, ‘We need to talk to you and you need to bring your wife in’.
“They told me I had a tumor in my sacrum and a tumor in my spine, they found two on that scan and they said it must be cancer.
He hopes to be able to sell his cakes in pubs
“It turns out it didn’t, but because I have about five tumors that have metastasized, that’s a much worse scenario.
“It will be a lifelong care now because it is unlikely to go away and is incurable – we just have to keep it in check.”
“Doctors were quick to talk about things like a five-year life expectancy, but I just don’t think so.
“I just don’t like talking about life expectancy.”
A portion of the money raised by the Lord of the Pies Crowdfunder will be donated to The Christie, who Oliver is now in charge of.
“I was blown away by The Christie when I was introduced to them,” he said.
“It’s unbelievable, it’s a different world and so different from a normal hospital – they are just the best.
“The aftercare that I will receive for the rest of my life will come from the Macclesfield Christie that they are currently raising money for.”
The campaign itself says: “My plan is to leave this legacy behind me.
“I want everyone in this country to have the opportunity to buy one of my cakes in a big supermarket. I want Lord of the Pies to be a name everyone has heard of.
“I want my wife and co-workers to have lifelong jobs and my daughters to choose to join if they choose.”
You can donate to the Lord of the Pies crowdfunder at crowdfunder.co.uk/save-the-lord.
Rewards include a cake-making lesson, investment opportunities, and the chance to receive a cake named after you.
Get the latest What’s On news – everything from food and drink to music and nightlife – straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter.
