On one of the hottest days of the year, Chloe Heale wasn’t outside playing with her friends but in the kitchen, baking cakes for a charity sale.

The nine-year-old, from Gillingham, held a cake sale at Medway Maritime Hospital to raise money for Kidney Research UK.

Chloe’s grandad, Robert Jarmak, 53, from Gillingham, has kidney failure and is on dialysis.

So she decided she wanted to help the charity, which funds research into developing treatments, provides information for patients, and raises public awareness of the condition.

Around three million people in the UK suffer from kidney disease, but there is no cure.

Mr Jarmak has had problems with his kidneys since he was born and had a transplant that lasted 25 years.

But a bout of food poisoning eight years ago meant he needed to have dialysis.

Chloe’s mum, Gemma, said: “I have fundraised before for the renal unit and then this time we decided to raise money for Kidney Research.

“I’ve held bake sales before and they’re an easy seller because everyone loves cake.

“Chloe decided to do this one. She really enjoys baking, especially bread pudding because it’s messy!

“We had some donations but most of them were made by Chloe, me, and her brother Liam.

“She’d been cooking the day before the bake sale on the hottest day of the year, but it was worth it.

“We’re all really proud of her.”

Mr Jarmak also helped out at the bake sale. Mrs Heale joked that he was “Dad’s taxi”.

Chloe raised £164.90 on the day, but after Mrs Heale posted the total on Facebook, more people have come forward to bring the total to more than £180.

There has been a huge rise in the number of young people taking up baking as a hobby, due to the popularity of the BBC’s The Great British Bake Off, which is now in its seventh season.

Cakes were also on the menu last week at Sun Pier House as keen bakers celebrated National Sponge Cake Day.

Visitors could try a number of homemade cakes, including a rainbow sponge, vegan chocolate and peanut butter cake and a red velvet sponge, made by Amanda Gransden.