Staff at a North Wales hospice who care for families in their toughest moments were given a special treat by one of their biggest supporters.
Sixteen members of staff from the Nightingale House Hospice were invited behind the scenes at the city’s Jones Village Bakery as the business thanked them for their “life-changing” work.
The visit gave them a rare chance to step away from their demanding roles and spend time together, while discovering how the successful bakery operates.
They also heard how the bakery bounced back from a devastating fire in 2019, growing from around 350 employees to a workforce of around 1,200.
Sarah Povey, corporate and donor relationships manager at Nightingale House Hospice, said: “We’re so grateful to Village Bakery for hosting our team and giving staff from across the hospice the opportunity to come together.
“Their longstanding support of the hospice means a great deal to us, and their generosity over the years has helped us save valuable funds through donations of products and support for numerous initiatives.
“The tour was incredibly insightful, giving us a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the journey from raw ingredients to finished products.
“Just as importantly, everyone at Village Bakery made us feel so welcome and looked after throughout the visit.”
“Taking time away from our day-to-day roles to learn more about such a successful local business was a real privilege.”
“It left us feeling inspired, motivated, and even more passionate about returning to our roles and continuing to provide compassionate care to our patients and families.”
The hospice’s corporate partnership officer Kara Lindsay took part in the visit.
Kara, from Wrexham, who has worked at the hospice since April last year, said: “The tour was really insightful, I didn’t realise how many products were made here, and how they stock so many stores such as M&S.”
“Village Bakery are such a big supporter of the hospice.”
“Any requests we’ve ever made to them, they will be there, and we are so grateful, nothing is ever too much trouble.”
Angela Smith from Wrexham, who has been a staff nurse at the hospice for 19 years, said: “The tour was very good, we’ve learned so much.”
“It was amazing to see the scale of the operation and how many products are baked here, you are blown away by it.”
According to the Village Bakery’s sales manager, Tracie Edwards, the tour was offered to recognise the long-term relationship between the hospice and the bakery, and as a thank-you from the company to the hospice..
She said: “We love supporting the hospice because of what they do, we think they’re amazing.”
“What they do is life-changing and we fully support them in their work.
“Everybody locally knows somebody who has been cared for at Nightingale House and the stories of how they were looked after by the dedicated staff there are incredible.”
“It is sad people are going in there because they are very poorly but the way people are cared for by the hospice is phenomenal.”
“We have been supporting the hospice for a very long time, whether that is providing Welsh Cakes and sausage rolls for their Midnight Runs, or through backing their fundraising activities.”
“As a company we are rooted in the community and support events throughout the year whether that is donating hampers, providing particular products, or supporting local groups.”
The tour is the latest initiative by the bakery to show its dedicated support for the hospice, which costs £5.6 million a year to run while receiving just 20 per cent of its funding from government.
Village Bakery donates Welsh Cakes and sausage rolls throughout the year to the hospice’s Caffi Cwtch, with every penny raised going to support the charity’s work.
And the firm’s supply chain coordinator Jack Davies will be stepping up to raise money for the hospice when he takes part in its Strictly Come Dancing-style dance competition on October 17 at Carden Park near Chester.
Tracie added: “Our support isn’t just for particular events, it is all the year round.
“We supply for free all the tea cakes and sausage rolls that go into the cafe at the hospice because that way we are helping to ensure the hospice has a constant income.”
“For me, the visit allows the hospice staff to understand what we do and the operation which goes into making our products, and the pride and passion our staff have in their roles.”
CEO Simon Thorpe told the hospice staff about the history of the company which was started by the Jones family initially in the village of Coedpoeth.
He said the firm first opened a site in 2007 on Wrexham Industrial Estate and he said the company suffered a huge blow when its flagship bakery there was destroyed in a fire in 2019.
He said: “It is an honour for us to have them here, because what they do is absolutely outstanding and we are delighted to be able to give a little back to them through this visit.”
“I don’t think they often have the opportunity to spend time with each other away from the hospice and get to do something which is a bit different.”
“The work they do is incredible and we really take our hat off to them.”
Group head of operations Andy Beckett showed the visitors how the Village Bakery creates its pancake products from their baking to their packing, and the group was also told about the sour dough manufacturing process and saw a production line of rolls coming through the factory, ready to be delivered to customers.
Andy said: “It was an honour to show the hospice staff around the site.
“The hospice is such an important part of the community and something which we as a company are delighted to recognise and support.”
