Student and trainee bakers up and down the country are gearing up for the annual Alliance for Bakery Students and Trainees (ABST) conference, which takes place from 1-3 May 2009.

The conference is being held at the TLH Leisure Resort in Torquay, Devon, and features a host of activities, as well as student bakery competitions and the AGM.

The Friday night is Silly Hat Night, and there will be a buffet dinner, pub quiz and karaoke. Saturday will see the judging of the bakery competitions, as well as a ten-pin bowling competition, gala dinner and live band.

The AGM will take place on Sunday, as well as the prize- giving, the ten-pin bowling final, a disco and a casino.

Students can attend for an all-inclusive price of £75, and a maximum of two tutors can go for the price of one student.

There are many cash prizes on offer for the various contests, including Calfornia Raisins’ competition, where a top prize of a £500 travel voucher is up for grabs. There are two categories - one for baking and one for confectionery - and students need to create innovative recipes using California Raisins, raisin paste or raisin juice concentrate. For more information contact dc@ukraisins.com.

Free transport pick-ups are available from Leeds, Black- pool, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Sheffield and London.

l To book tickets and rooms, please contact jane.burgess-stocks@ bakemark.co.uk.