Luminary Bakery has expressed its delight at receiving a handwritten note from the Duchess of Sussex.

Meghan Markle sent the Stoke Newington-based social enterprise a thank you note, praising them for the work they do in helping women from disadvantaged backgrounds build a future for themselves.

The Duchess, who guest-edited the September issue of Vogue, in which she mentioned the bakery, included a ‘Forces for Change’ personalised notebook – the name of Vogue’s September issue – alongside the calligraphy-crafted token of appreciation.

The note, addressed to Alice Williams, who founded the business in 2013, read:
“Dear Alice, When I knew I would be secretly guest-editing the September issue of British Vogue, including Luminary Bakery was non-negotiable. The work you do, what you represent to the community, the spirit of the women there – you all embody what it means to be “forces for change”. Thank you for being a part of this special project.”

At the time of writing, the post had attracted more than 1,460 likes on Luminary’s official Instagram page.

“It has been incredible to have the Duchess take notice of Luminary and use this platform that she has been given in Vogue to highlight organisations like ours,” Allison Tash, head of sales and operations told British Baker.

“Receiving the note was so kind and shows her investment and engagement with us, which is lovely. We knew we would be a part of Vogue, but didn’t know it would be at the Duchess’ request. We had a copy in the bakery over the weekend. It was exciting for people to see their little local café featured in this way.”

Luminary Bakery aims to help women break cycles of poverty, violence and disadvantage by equipping them with transferable skills for the working world via courses, work experience and paid employment.