A SOUTHAMPTON charity has today launched its new community bakery following a successful community Crowdfunding appeal and will now raise money to help fund its work to eradicate loneliness in the city (November 25, 2021).
Communicare has launched its commercial strand by taking over Love Cake on St James Road in Shirley and rebranded it to CommuniBakes to offer residents a community hub while continuing to sell bread and cakes.
Annie Clewlow, Communicare’s Manager, says: “We are thrilled to have finally reached this point with a project that has required a great deal of time and careful planning to come to fruition.
“We are especially grateful to the staff, who will remain with us, the Board of Directors of CommuniBakes and Paris Smith, the solicitors that have guided us through this process. We are also grateful to the owners of Love Cake, who exercised extreme patience as we navigated through a complex series of negotiations to reach this marvellous end point.
“We look forward to an exciting future with this new venture for the charity.”
Communicare raised more than £6,400 with its Crowdfunding campaign back in May, which gained the support of 111 backers, and this will help pay for future work on the new venture, now it is up and running.
Communicare’s Development Officer, Nick Thomas, explains: “It was fantastic to receive so much support through our Crowdfunder from the residents of Southampton. Our services are a vital lifeline to lonely and isolated people in the city, and having the bakery as an additional revenue stream to help us deliver these services to meet demand is wonderful.
“Current loyal customers can rest assured that it’s business as usual with the same friendly team and delicious baked goods, but now with each purchase you will be supporting Communicare as we help vulnerable people in Southampton. It’s a great way to give something back to the community, as well as somewhere to get some wonderful bread and cake items too.”
Anyone interested in finding out more about CommuniBakes can now visit its new website: www.communibakes.co.uk. The bakery is open Thursdays and Fridays between 8.30am-12.30pm and on Saturdays between 8am-12pm.
CommuniBakes’ Director, Matt Baker says: “It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to support Communicare as a Director of CommuniBakes. I am looking forward to being able to build on the solid foundation left by Love Cake as we go into the future.”
Communicare, which is a friendly, neighbourhood charity, provides services that enrich the lives of lonely and isolated people in and around Southampton. Its services are staffed by its committed, kind-hearted volunteers, known as Communiteers, who give their time freely.
Communicare’s Good Neighbours’ Network currently supports more than 560 individuals/families through tasks including one-to-one telephone befriending, transport for essential appointments and assistance with shopping.
The services Communicare provides are free to users, although beneficiaries are invited to make a donation if they are able to, and Communiteers are offered expenses.
Anyone interested in finding out more about CommuniBakes can visit its new website here: www.communibakes.co.uk or call 023 8070 1888. The community bakery at 21, St James Road, Shirley is open on Thursdays and Fridays between 8.30am-12.30pm and on Saturdays between 8am-12pm.
You can also find CommuniBakes on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/communibakesouthampton, Instagram https://www.instagram.com/communibakes.southampton/ Twitter https://twitter.com/communibakes and Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/communibakes/.
