Next year’s Real Bread Week is to look at enterprises and projects that help people benefit from the therapeutic, social and employment opportunities of baking.

The Real Bread Campaign, which organises the annual celebration of additive-free loaves and those who produce them, said it wanted to put the spotlight on businesses and initiatives that aided people who had experienced a tougher time than most.

Among organisations set to be featured during next year’s Real Bread Week, which takes place from 22 February to 1 March, are:

  • Bad Boys Bakery and Freedom Bakery, London and Glasgow: Employment and life skills training for inside and beyond the prison gate
  • Better Health Bakery, London: Training placements for adults distanced from employment by mental ill-health
  • The Bread & Butter Project, Marrickville, Australia: Helping people seeking refuge and asylum to shape their lives
  • The Good Loaf, Northampton: Employment opportunities to help vulnerable local women break the cycle of poverty, unemployment and offending
  • Hot Bread Kitchen, New York, US: Creating economic opportunity for women through careers in food
  • Knead Good Bread, East Midlands: Baking in ways that can contribute to a mindful and coping approach to life
  • The Lantern Community, Ringwood: Work and learning opportunities for people with different abilities
  • Luminary Bakery, London: Empowering women at social and economic disadvantage to build a future for themselves
  • Planet Leicester Bakers, Leicestershire: A range of community-focused projects, around mental wellbeing, growing old gracefully
  • Stoneham Bakehouse, Hove: Projects include BreadShed, helping older people to tackle isolation through getting together to chat and bake bread
  • Yangon Bakehouse, Yangon, Myanmar: Empowering women with work and life skills.

“There are many more small, local, independent enterprises and initiatives in the UK and beyond that help people benefit from Real Bread making. Generally, however, they operate in isolation and not always with adequate recognition or support,” said the Real Bread Campaign.

The Campaign has launched the Together We Rise works scheme to gather examples of good practice and the success such enterprises have. It then plans to create guidance and training to help more charities, not-for-profit groups, social enterprises and other organisations include bread-making in their work.

As in previous years, Real Bread Week 2020 will also encourage people to buy additive-free bread from local, independent bakeries, and to bake their own bread.

Each year, bakeries, baking schools, mills, schools, care homes, youth and other community groups around the world organise Real Bread events and activities, including classes and open days.

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