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Eves Corner, Danbury, CM3 4QB 01245 225876 info@bakersofdanbury.co.uk

Corporate Social Responsibility

Here at Bakers of Danbury, we believe in taking our corporate social responsibility very seriously. We have developed a successful corporate social responsibility programme in which we support both our local community and the communities in which we work - sometimes through sponsorship or even offering a helping hand.

2023 Sponsors of the Danbury Society

We are delighted to continue with our sponsorship for the Danbury Society. The aim of the society is protect and enhance the natural beauty of the local Danbury landscape as well as keeping residents informed and involved in village life. Through the money raised, the Danbury Society supports village activities and different organisations. They also provide grants to support the preservation of local buildings which have included improvements at Eves Corner, refurbishment of the Village Hall and restoration of the Grade 1 Listed Parish Church. As a long-standing company in Danbury, we are delighted to continue our support with this hardworking and important charity.  

You can find out more about the Danbury Society, how to get involved and their upcoming events by clicking here. 

Kings Coronation Danbury Village Fete 2023

The Danbury village fete in May 2023 was a right royal success and Bakers were happy to get involved as one of the sponsors. Organsied by the Danbury Parish Council, the sun shone and the crowds came to enjoy a traditional day out with cream teas, great music and entertainment. It was a great event and a wonderful way to celebrate our new King.

Bourn Windmill Tour

The general public were given the opportunity to see and learn about the major conservation and restoration work we are carrying out to save Bourn Windmill. This open trestle post mill is the oldest surviving windmill in the UK, and is Grade II Listed and designated an Ancient Monument.

The mill is currently closed because the supporting beams have rotted – however work to save the mill is underway and the general public enjoyed seeing the work in action during to project tours which took place in July and August.Visitors learnt how the entire weight of this windmill is supported on a central post (which is supported by a trestle), and how we raised the buck by approx. 100mm clear of the main post to carry out the urgent repairs to the timber trestle.

To find out more about the repairs works being carried out to Bourn Windmill click here.

A Time For Essex 

As one of the oldest established companies in the area we are very proud to be invited to exhibit at this family fun filled day – please pop over and say hi!

This multi-period event features Vikings, Witchfinders, Great War and WW2 living history activity, air display, local produce, café, BBQ and access to all of the museum exhibitions and aircraft hangars.

Accessible, dog friendly site with ample free parking. 10am to 4pm.

To find out more about the event visit www.stowmaries.org.uk

Air Ambulance Corporate Sponsorship

Bakers are proud to become corporate sponsors of the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance.

Established in 1997, Essex and Herts Air Ambulance does not have access to National Lottery funding and only receives limited support from Government. They continue to rely upon the generosity and goodwill of the people and businesses of Essex and Hertfordshire to remain operational and keep saving lives. The charity remains airborne thanks to everyone who makes a donation, plays their Lottery, attends events, fundraises and volunteers.

To find out how to become a corporate sponsor visitthe website for Essex and Herts Air Ambulance..

Cressing Temple Barns Site Visit

Earlier this week attendees for the Historic Building Surveying: Structural Assessment & Repair training day visited our site at Cressing Temple Barns to learn about the sole plate and stud repairs currently underway at one of the medieval barns (which were one of the earliest and largest possessions of the Knights Templar).

The course tutor was Ed Morton

To find out more about the Cressing Temple Barns visit click here.

Danbury Jubilee Festival

Bakers of Danbury were very happy to cover the cost of the bouncy castles at the Danbury festival, to ensure that all of the entertainment and games were free at the festival which celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

On 6th February Queen Elizabeth became the first Monarch to celebrate 70 years on the throne. The extended bank holiday weekend will provide an opportunity for communities and people throughout the United Kingdom to come together to celebrate the historic milestone.

Wheels and Paws Event 2022

Bakers were proud to sponsor the Wheels and Paws event this Summer. The annual charity event helps to raise funds for three local churches in need of repair – All Saints’ Church in Creeksea, St Lawrence & All Saints Church in Steeple and St Andrews Church in Althorne.

The event featured a dog show, car show, a gathering of historic vehicles including military vehicles.

To find out more about the charity event, visit the Wheels and Paws facebook page.

SPAB London – Hard Hat Tour

In May 2022, a group of over 50 SPAB (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings) members took part in a hard hat tour to find out more about the repair and restoration works Bakers of Danbury are currently carry out at St Lawrence Jewry in London

During the tour the attendees found out about how the current repair and restoration works are sensitive to the late 17th century construction including both the traditional materials and the quality of workmanship and how the works were designed for longevity using materials with longer service lifespans to ensure the ongoing preservation of the building.

To read more about the hard hat tour at St Lawrence Jewry, London click here.

Careers Event – The Basildon Academies

Bakers recently exhibited at a careers event for students attending The Basildon Academies. At that event our Construction Ambassadors enjoyed speaking with many young people who are studying for their GCSEs and A Levels about the many career opportunities available to them within the construction industry and suggesting possible routes they may take to work with Bakers of Danbury or other construction companies.

Donations to Ukraine

We’ve just delivered a car load of donations to Guys Farm, Woodham Walter, who are collecting donations for Ukraine until Saturday evening (5th March ‘22). The items requested included:

  • Batteries (AA or AAA)
  • Torches
  • Candles
  • Dried food items: Pasta, Noodles, Soup & Oats
  • Sanitary Products, Razors, Soap, Toothpaste, Toothbrushes
  • Baby food, Formula, Bottles, Nappies
  • School supplies, Soft toys
  • Pain Killers, First aid kits

The Africa Trust

We are delighted that a new water pump was recently installed on our behalf in Manicaland – a province in the north eastern highlands of Zimbabwe, Africa.

By sourcing our watercoolers from AquAid it has given Bakers of Danbury the opportunity to help those less fortunate than ourselves, because with each purchase we make, a donation is made to The Africa Trust. The new water pump installed by The Africa Trust on our behalf is a much-needed source of clean and fresh drinking water for many.

To date AquAid have built over 8,000 such water pumps across parts of Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe; and have donated in excess of £17 million to charity.

To find out how click here

Bakers of Danbury Accredited Trainee Programme

We are actively helping to reduce the skills shortage within the construction industry, in particular the heritage sector, by creating two new places for Trainee Heritage Building Craftsman within our Church Works department.

Our 18 month internal training programme is built around an onsite based NVQ, together with externally accredited in-house training modules. Our onsite, externally assessed training programme will enable the trainees to become qualified and skilled Heritage Craftsmen.

The trainees will carry out a variety of conservation and restoration projects on churches, cathedrals and ancient buildings. On successful completion of the accredited training programme the trainees will have a varied and valuable skill set, and will continue to work on many interesting church projects with the opportunity for subsequent training and internal promotion.

If you would like to register your interest, please email info@bakersofdanbury.co.uk or apply in writing to: Managing Director, Bakers of Danbury Ltd, Eves Corner, Danbury, Essex CM3 4QB.

A Christmas Tree for Danbury

As we continue to invest in our community as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility Programme, we donated a large Christmas Tree to the village of Danbury again for Christmas 2021, and on Monday 6th December Danbury Parish Council invited the whole community to an event to switch the Christmas Tree lights on. As the event is becoming more popular every year, it was attended by record numbers again, according to the Parish Council Chairman Stuart Berlyn.

To read more about the “Christmas Lights Switch On” event visit our Latest News

Farleigh Hospice Christmas Tree Collection and Recycling 2022

Bakers of Danbury are proud to be the main sponsors for the Farleigh Hospice Christmas tree recycling again this year.

To pre-book your Christmas Tree to be collected and recycled (minimum suggested donation £5) register on www.farleighhospice.org/trees before 12 noon on Tuesday 4th January 2021.

Trees will be collected in return for a donation to Farleigh Hospice. 90% of the monies raised go directly to Farleigh Hospice and the remaining 10% will be donated to other local charities. Farleigh Hospice is a registered charity which provides hospice care to people affected by life-limiting illnesses across mid Essex. With approximately 38% of the yearly running costs being funded by the local NHS, Farleigh Hospice rely on the support and goodwill of the local mid Essex community to contribute the rest of the costs to provide their services.

  • £15.72 could go towards funding a delicious Christmas dinner for a Farleigh Hospice patient
  • £20.54 goes towards funding an hour of care in the Farleigh Hospice inpatient unit which is open during Christmas
  • £31.20 could go towards providing a much-needed bereavement support session over the festive period
  • £55.18 could go towards providing a home visit over Christmas by one of the Farleigh Hospice community team

Danbury and Bicknacre FC

Bakers of Danbury are proud to sponsor the Danbury and Bicknacre FC under 11s team, who were recently promoted to the first division of the Blackwater and Dengie Youth Football League.

We actively support our local community and the communities in which we work. Run by volunteers, Danbury and Bicknacre FC is a local community football club that provides training and playing opportunities for boys and girls aged between 7 and 16.

To visit the Danbury and Bicknacre FC Facebook page click here.

Sponsored Yorkshire Challenge 2021 – raising money for CALM

Jeremy Wade, Director of our sister company Collins & Curtis Masonry Ltd, and his family took part in the Yorkshire Challenge 2021 raising over £1,000 between them for CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably).

The Yorkshire Challenge takes place in the Nidderdale area, on the south east edge of the Yorkshire Dales. The full 100 km route is a varied figure of 8 style route which takes in the famous Nidderdale Way, Ripley Castle and Gouthwaite Reservoir.

Jeremy said;

“On the hottest day of the year and with very little shade, all five of us completed the 27km in 7.5 hours, which included many stops, dips in the river and the consumption of 8 litres of water each (all of which we had to carry with our lunch, snacks etc ). Thank you so much to everyone who sponsored us for this challenge”

To find out more about CALM please visit www.thecalmzone.net

Little Baddow Festival

Bakers are proud sponsors of the Little Baddow Festival – Don’t forget to book your tickets, it’s going to be so much fun!

Saturday 11th September 2021 – Little Baddow Cricket Ground

Daytime tickets and evening open air cinema tickets can be booked online at: www.littlebaddowfestival.co.uk

In the afternoon (1pm to 5.30pm), there will be a traditional village festival with inflatables, Go-karts, Fun dog show, Food stalls, Car show, supervised children’s play area, Cider tent, and much more. In the evening, the festivities will continue with an open-air cinema presenting The Greatest Showman, a Jazz band, Belly dancing display, Food stalls and much more.

Work Experience Placement

Alex Bishop, a year 12 student joined our Church Department for one week in July 2021 to gain some work experience. Alex shadowed our Contract Managers. He visited our restoration project at St John the Baptist Church in Royston which was devastated by a fire back in 2018, a re-ordering project at Christ Church in North Finchley, learnt about the lath and plaster repair works taking place at St Peter and St Paul’s church in Shorne, Kent and attended a prestart meeting at Bruce Castle in London.

Alex helped the church department by making a list of materials needed for a forthcoming project, which will be used by the Contract Manager and Site staff as a quick guide reference when looking at what materials are needed. From the list Alex created, the Contract Manager can quickly identify what is needed on the project and then refer to the drawings to calculate the quantities before placing orders. Alex extracted the information he needed to compile the list by reading through the schedule of works for the project.

Inspiring the next generation

As part of our corporate social responsibility programme, we work with a number of local schools and colleges to help make students aware of the wide range of opportunities available within the construction industry that may suit their interests and skills set.

Our long term goal is to help reduce the skills shortage within the construction industry. We are working towards our goal by encouraging talented young people to consider a career in construction, challenging perceptions and improving the image of the industry.

If you are arranging an event for students and would like Bakers of Danbury to get involved, or if you would like to arrange for a small group of students to visit a working site and learn more about building conservation and construction, please do not hesitate to contact Kate Gunner by emailing kate.gunner@bakersofdanbury.co.uk

We offer apprenticeships to students who are looking to continue with their education whilst gaining practical experience at the same time. If you would like to find out more about Bakers of Danbury’s apprenticeships, please email info@bakersofdanbury.co.uk

Supporting our Employees – 2021

One of our Stonemasons, David Brocklesby belongs to the territorial Army (part time). As part of his commitment, he attends periodical training with the army. Since David joined three years ago, we have supported him, by providing the leave he needs to meet his territorial army commitments.

Loved by Danbury – Christmas Gift Appeal

This December staff at Bakers of Danbury and its sister companies collected donations for the Loved by Danbury Christmas Gift Appeal. The Danbury Community Volunteer Group, which was originally set up to help the vulnerable during the first national lockdown by collecting essential shopping, prescriptions and offer friendship to the self-isolating, had identified a number of families and individuals within the local community who were particularly struggling as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. Together with other initiatives set up by the Volunteer Group, they formed the Loved by Danbury Christmas Gift Appeal, which was led by their volunteer member Stephanie Smith, to provide gifts and hampers to the most vulnerable in the local community.

Bakers of Danbury donated a car boot full to the brim with new toys and gifts suitable for all ages, from children to the elderly. As we knew the volunteer group were also making hampers we donated luxury items, as well as every day essentials from tea bags to toothbrushes to go in the hampers.

We would like to thank all of our staff for donating with so much generosity, and also thank Stephanie Smith and the rest of the volunteers who dedicate so much of their time to help and support the vulnerable within our local community, not just at Christmas but throughout the whole pandemic.

To find out more about how you can support the initiatives led by Danbury Community Volunteer Group or to find out more about how the volunteer group supports the most vulnerable in our local community, visit www.danburycorona.com

Farleigh Hospice Christmas Tree Collection and Recycling 2021

Bakers of Danbury are proud to be the main sponsors for the Farleigh Hospice Christmas tree recycling again this year.

To pre-book your Christmas Tree to be collected and recycled (minimum suggested donation £5) register on www.farleighhospice.org/trees before 11am on Tuesday 5th January 2021.

On the 8th, 9th, and 10th January, a dedicated group of staff and volunteers will be collecting trees from Braintree, Burnham, Chelmsford, Coggeshall, Dunmow, Kelvedon, Maldon, Southminster, South Woodham Ferrers, Stock and Witham. To see a complete list of collection postcodes visit www.farleighhospice.org/christmas-tree-recycling-collection-postcodes.

Trees will be collected in return for a donation to Farleigh Hospice. 90% of the monies raised go directly to Farleigh Hospice and the remaining 10% will be donated to other local charities.

Farleigh Hospice is a registered charity which provides hospice care to people affected by life-limiting illnesses across mid Essex. With approximately 38% of the yearly running costs being funded by the local NHS, Farleigh Hospice rely on the support and goodwill of the local mid Essex community to contribute the rest of the costs to provide their services.

Christmas Tree for our Village

In an effort to continue to invest in our local community, Bakers of Danbury donated a large Christmas Tree to the village again this year. Sadly, due to restrictions caused by Coronavirus Danbury Parish Council were not able to hold their planned event to switch the Christmas Tree lights on this year. Although plans are already in place for a bigger and better Christmas event next year!

£37,500 raised for Farleigh Hospice

 

Bakers of Danbury were very proud to be the main sponsor for the 2020 Farleigh Hospice Christmas Tree Recycling Campaign which raised a massive £37,500.

2019 was the sixth year that Farleigh Hospice has organised their Christmas Tree Recycling campaign. Growing in popularity every year, the Christmas Tree Recycling campaign raised a over £10,000 more than last year.

Farleigh Hospice asked Bakers of Danbury in 2018 if we would like to be the first ever sponsor of their Christmas Tree Recycling event, as they had seen we actively support local charities as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility Programme. We have been proud to be the main sponsor for the campaign over the last couple of years, and look forward to doing the same this year.

To find out about the services Farleigh Hospice provides visit www.farleighhospice.org

£100 raised for Alzheimer’s Society

Bakers of Danbury and their sister company Pickford Builders took part in Christmas Jumper day in December 2019 and as a result have donated £100 to The Alzheimer’s Society.

Our donation will help Alzheimer’s Society to support people affected by dementia today and search for a cure for tomorrow. The Alzheimer’s Society is the only UK charity investing in research into dementia care, cause, cure and prevention.

A Christmas Tree for Danbury

In an effort to continue to invest in our community as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility Programme, Bakers of Danbury donated a large Christmas Tree to the village of Danbury again this year, and at the beginning of this month Danbury Parish Council invited the whole community to an event to switch the Christmas Tree lights on.

After Mrs Jennifer Tolhurst, Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Essex had switched the lights on, Baker’s Contracts Directors Mark Holland and Ron Lowe were introduced to Mrs Jennifer Tolhurst, Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Essex, who thanked them for all that the company does for its local community, mentioning the new duck house Bakers made for the village earlier in the year.

To read more about the “Christmas Lights Switch On” event visit our Latest News

Farleigh Hospice Christmas Tree Collection and Recycling 2020

Bakers of Danbury are proud to be the main sponsors for the Farleigh Hospice Christmas tree recycling again this year.

To pre-book your Christmas Tree to be collected and recycled (minimum suggested donation £5) register on www.farleighhospice.org/trees before 12 noon on Wednesday 8th January.

On the 11th and 12th January, a dedicated group of staff and volunteers will be collecting trees from CM0, CM1, CM2, CM3, CM7, CM77, CM8, CM9, CM6 1 & CM6 3 postcodes.

Trees will be collected in return for a donation to Farleigh Hospice. 90% of the monies raised go directly to Farleigh Hospice and the remaining 10% will be donated to other local charities.

Farleigh Hospice is a registered charity which provides hospice care to people affected by life-limiting illnesses across mid Essex. With approximately 38% of the yearly running costs being funded by the local NHS, Farleigh Hospice rely on the support and goodwill of the local mid Essex community to contribute the rest of the costs to provide their services (which amounts to £16,500 every day).

Last year the Christmas Tree recycling raised £27,000. Lets help Farleigh raise more this year!

£225 raised on National Wear it Pink Day 2019

As part of Breast Cancel Awareness Month, Bakers of Danbury has taken part in the National Wear it Pink Day (Friday 18th October).

We’ve been busy raising money for research into breast cancer by making donations to wear pink to work, as well as treating ourselves to scrumptious homemade sausage rolls and cakes from our Cake Sale and taking part in a raffle and sweep stake games! We are so happy we raised a grand total of £225 in just one day!!

Wear it Pink Day was set up by Breast Cancer Now; the UK’s largest breast cancer charity which is dedicated to funding research into this devastating disease. To find out more about how to raise money for breast cancer research or you would like to make a donation please visit ww.wearitpink.org.

Bakers become main sponsor for Danbury Society

In an effort to continue to invest in our community as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility Programme, we have recently become the main sponsor for Danbury Society (2019 to 2020). Danbury Society is a village Conservation Society which was set up over 50 years ago. The Society works to ensure that changes within the village are undertaken with sensitivity to the character of Danbury.

 

Danbury Society also works to protect the natural beauty of the local landscape and to promote its maintenance as well as involve residents in interests and pursuits to enrich village life. The Society publishes three newsletters a year. The most recent newsletter talks about the traffic which passes through our village daily and the noise, dirt and air pollution that is close to or exceeds the legal limit in parts of the village. The subscription to the newsletter is just £2 a year per household. If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter visit www.danburysociety.org.uk

As part of its charitable activities, Danbury Society makes grants to village activities and organisations of all kinds. Since its formation in 1967, the Society has donated thousands of pounds ranging from improvements to Eves Corner, refurbishing the Village Hall, restoration of the Grade 1 listed Parish Church to helping out with youth organisations.

Students Site Visit October 2019

Bakers of Danbury works with a number of local schools and colleges as part of our corporate social responsibility programme, and our long term goal to help reduce the skills shortage within the construction industry.

Bakers are currently carrying out conservation works to St Leonards Church in Shoreditch. This presented the opportunity for the SPAB Repair of Old Buildings Course to visit

Students had the opportunity to have a tour around the site to view the restoration works currently taking place, and a Q&A session with their hosts Roger Meers Architects and Thwaits and Reed the clockmakers who are currently refurbishing the clock.

If you are arranging an event for students and would like Bakers of Danbury to get involved, or if you would like to arrange for a small group of students to visit a working site and learn more about building conservation and construction, please do not hesitate to contact Kate Gunner by emailing kate.gunner@bakersofdanbury.co.uk

Wildlife Conservation

2019 marks the 20th year that Bakers of Danbury Ltd have been corporate sponsors for Essex Wildlife Trust.

Bakers work in partnership with Essex Wildlife Trust whenever the opportunity arises. Financial support from Corporate members such as Bakers of Danbury is vital in enabling Essex Wildlife Trust to carry out Wildlife Conservation work across the County.

The aim of Essex Wildlife Trust is to protect Wildlife for the future and for the people of Essex. Essex Wildlife Trust is the county’s leading conservation charity and is supported financially by members, local businesses and grant making organisations. It has more than 37,000 members, manages and protects over 8,400 acres of land on 87 nature reserves, 2 nature parks and runs 11 visitor centres.

Grant Maton, Corporate Communications Officer for Essex Wildlife Trust said; “Your membership is greatly valued by the Trust and enables nature conservation to be undertaken around the county. Thank you for your continued support, it is very much appreciated.”

As part of our corporate social responsibility programme, Bakers of Danbury offered additional support Essex Wildlife Trust’s recent Danbury Ridge Living Landscape partnership project, which was set up to help conserve local wildlife after a survey was carried out to identify the potential planting sites throughout Danbury Ridge Living Landscape. To read more about the Danbury Ridge project visit www.essexwt.org.uk.

St Mary’s Flower Festival 2019

Bakers of Danbury Ltd were proud to sponsor a Flower Festival held by St Mary’s Church, Saffron Walden during the August Bank Holiday Weekend, 23-26th August 2019. The church flower co-ordinator and festival designer enjoyed the challenge of depicting the saints in flowers and accessories.

In addition to the 2,000 visitors over the weekend, there was a private viewing on the preceding Thursday evening to which about 80 guests were invited. The evening was enhanced by piano accompaniment played by the organ scholar at St. Mary’s. There was also a concert by the Claydon Chamber Orchestra in the church on the Saturday, which performed works by Handel, Suk, Ravel, Elgar, Tchaikovsky and Vaughan Williams.

In total over £9,000 was raised which will go towards the church’s current building project, which has already provided an award-winning servery, welcome desk and accessible toilet.

At Bakers of Danbury we take our corporate social responsibility very seriously. We have developed a successful corporate social responsibility programme in which we support both our local community and the communities in which we work – sometimes through sponsorship or even offering a helping hand.

As our corporate social responsibility programme continues to expand, if you would like Bakers of Danbury to sponsor your activity please do not hesitate to contact email kate.gunner@bakersofdanbury.co.uk

£3,750 raised for MIND!

All at Bakers of Danbury would like to congratulate our Joinery Workshop Manager Paul Revill and his friends, who took on the Three Peaks Challenge to raise money for the mental health charity MIND, in memory of their friend Ibish Peri who they sadly lost in September 2018.

Paul climbed all three peaks in an amazing and inspiring time of only 24 hours 17 minutes! The Three Peaks Challenge is considered one of Britain’s toughest outdoor challenges, taking on Ben Nevis in Scotland (1,344 metres), Scafell Pike in England (978 metres) and Snowdon in Wales (1,085 metres).

Paul and his friends took on all three peaks within one day and so far have raised a massive £3,750!

By raising money for MIND, we will be helping the charity offer advice and support to anyone experiencing a mental health problem. MIND offers two confidential mental health information services, the MIND Info Line and the Legal Line. MIND also campaigns to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. This includes health services; legislation; protection of legal rights, and employment. For more information on MIND visit www.mind.org.uk.

For every £3 donation made to the just giving page you will receive one ticket to enter the Grand Raffle which will be drawn 27th July 2019. Raffle Prizes include 2 night Hilton break, £2000, £500, £300 to spend on power tools plus more (all prizes are listed on the Just Giving Page). To enable Paul to allocate a raffle ticket for every £3 you donated, please email Paul at paul.revill@bakersofdanbury.co.uk telling him how much money you have donated and your email address.

Well done Paul – we are all very proud of you here at Bakers of Danbury!

Please help us raise money in aid of MIND (for better mental health) by donating what you can by visiting the just giving page.

A quacking new duck house

As part of our corporate social responsibility programmer, our onsite joinery workshop recently built and donated a new duck house to the village.

On Friday 1st February 2019 representatives of Danbury Parish Council, Bakers of Danbury Ltd, children from the ECO Council for St John’s C of E Primary School, children from Heathcote Preparatory School and some local residents all braved the cold, wet and snowy weather and met on Eves Corner to watch the ducks officially take up residence in their new home.

Stuart Berlyn, Chairman of Danbury Parish Council said;

“Once again Bakers of Danbury has supported the village and Parish Council with this fantastic donation to celebrate their 140th Anniversary. So much thought and hard work has gone into this duck house. It’s the poshest duck house we’ve ever seen, but only the best for our ducks!”

The duck house design has taken inspiration from the The Parish Church of St John the Baptist. St John’s stands high on Danbury ridge, as a landmark whose spire is visible from the A12 and from many local vantage-points.

Peter Smyth, Managing Director of Bakers of Danbury Ltd said;

“The guys in our church department, who overlook Eves Corner, felt sorry for the ducks in their wonky house with holes in it.

So, we decided to build a new duck house. We have a Joinery shop onsite, so it was a nice little project for someone to work on. We asked our Bench Joiner Robin Palmer to build the duck house, because he has taken his lunch by the pond almost every day, since he joined Bakers over 14 years ago!”

To read more please visit our latest news page.

£27,000 raised for Farleigh Hospice

Bakers of Danbury were very proud to be the main sponsor for the Farleigh Hospice Christmas Tree Recycling this year. The Christmas Tree Recycling event raised an amazing £27,000 (a massive £7,000 more than last year), of which Farleigh Hospice will be sending £1,300 to two local charities. The two charities chosen by Farleigh Hospice this year are the Chelmsford Community Transport as they help Farleigh Hospice patients as well as those who live in rural areas, and Sanctus who provide services for the vulnerable and homeless.

Debbie de Boltz, Fundraising Manager for Farleigh Hospice wrote:

We rely so much on the support of the local community to help us continue providing all our specialised services totally free of charge, and your support for the Christmas Tree campaign has been very much appreciated.

Once again, thank you. It really is because you care, that we can.”

A Christmas Tree for the Village

Bakers of Danbury Ltd donated a 20 foot Christmas Tree to the village this year to show the company’s appreciation to the village for it’s support over the 140 years. This Summer Bakers of Danbury celebrated their 140th anniversary. Bakers have always been based on Eves Corner in Danbury, Essex. Many local men and women have either worked for Bakers or have relatives who worked for Bakers many years ago!

In 1878 William Baker opened business as a “Millwright, wheelwright, carpenter etc” with only £50 and a horse and loaned cart.

William Baker worked on many mills local to Danbury. Although with the demise of mills there were few mill jobs after the 1890’s, at which point William Baker concentrated on building and a small amount of church works. Today the company is very similar with recent projects ranging from the conservation and restoration project in Westminster Abbey completed earlier this year, to the new build of four apartments in Maldon.

As part of our corporate social responsibility programme we seek opportunities to support both our local community, as well as the communities we work within.

Three Peak Challenge in 24 hours

All at Bakers of Danbury are proud to sponsor our Joinery Shop Manager Paul Revill and his two friends Reza Sani and Paul Smeeton who will be taking part in the three peak challenge on Saturday 23rd March 2019.

The three friends will be taking part in the challenge to raise money for the mental health charity MIND in memory of their friend Ibish Peri who they sadly lost in September 2018. The three friends describe Ibish as being a person who spent his life making others happy. Ibish was the Manager of Mercy night club and had just opened a new bar/club called BISHED. On their just giving page the three friends say “We all have our problems and worries and like Ibish we never show it and just carry on pleasing others with a big smile on our face. Little did we no how much Ibish was hurting inside.”

The three friends will take on the three highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales in just 24 hours. Considered one of Britain’s toughest outdoor challenges, the National Three Peaks Challenge takes in the dizzy heights of Ben Nevis (1,344 metres), Scafell Pike (978 metres) and Snowdon (1,085 metres).

Over the course of the challenge, the three friends will trek around 26 miles and ascend to a total height of almost 3,000 metres. With the sponsorship money Bakers of Danbury has donated, together with that from Frank Howard Tools and Fixings Ltd; the three friends will buy walking boots and mountain jackets for the challenge.

By raising money for MIND, we will be helping the charity offer advice and support to anyone experiencing a mental health problem. MIND offers two confidential mental health information services, the MIND Info Line and the Legal Line. MIND also campaigns to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. This includes health services; legislation; protection of legal rights, and employment. For more information on MIND visit www.mind.org.uk.

For every £3 donation made to the just giving page you will receive one raffle ticket. To enable Paul to allocate a raffle ticket for every £3 you donated, please email Paul at paul.revill@bakersofdanbury.co.uk telling him how much money you have donated and your email address.

Please help us raise money in aid of Mind (for better mental health) by donating what you can by visiting the just giving page.

Christmas Tree Recycling for Farleigh Hospice 2019

Bakers of Danbury are very proud to be the sponsor for the Farleigh Hospice Christmas Tree Recycling this year!

This is the 5th year Farleigh Hospice have arranged the Christmas Tree Recycling event, and it is growing every year. Farleigh Hospice arrange for teams of volunteers to collect the trees over the first weekend in January. The trees are chipped and recycled – some are used in local parks and some to make fuel.

To pre-book your Christmas Tree to be collected and recycled (minimum suggested donation £5) register on www.farleighhospice.org before 12 noon on Thursday 3rd January.

Farleigh Hospice asked Bakers of Danbury if they we would like to be the first ever sponsor of their Christmas Tree Recycling event as they had seen we like to help and support local charities. To date Farleigh Hospice Christmas Tree Recycling events have raised the following;

  • 2015 – £3,700 collecting 450 trees
  • 2016 – £5,000 collecting 613 trees
  • 2017 – £12,000 collecting 1400 trees
  • 2018 – £20,000 collecting 2100 trees

The Christmas Tree Recycling is organised with the assistance of a charity called ‘JustHelping’ which has sophisticated software. Through the Farleigh Hospice website, the software enables customers to book online to have their Christmas tree collected, pay a donation (suggested minimum donation of £5), complete all their address and any relevant information such as where they will leave their tree.

Lots of local firms and individuals volunteer their time to drive around the countryside collecting the Christmas trees from people’s doorsteps and deliver them to the collection points, ready for chipping and recycling.

Debbie de Boltz, Fundraising Manager for Farleigh Hospice wrote:

We are delighted that you have agreed to help sponsor our Christmas Tree Recycling Campaign this year”

At any one time Farleigh Hospice is taking care of the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of around 1,400 people, free of charge. It costs £16,039 every day to care for people with life-limiting illnesses in mid Essex by providing doctors, nurses, counsellors and therapists. With approximately 40% of our income coming from the local NHS, we rely on the support and goodwill of the local community to raise the remainder. Whether someone requires relief from pain, expert advice, help to live positively, specialist care in a comforting environment or support for their family, we are dedicated to offering them compassionate care.

Once again, thank you. It really is because you care that we can.

Danbury Heritage Weekend 2019

Bakers of Danbury were proud to provide some interesting artefacts and photos to display during the Danbury Heritage Weekend, which took place at the Old Pavilion in Danbury on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd September.

We provided the original cross from the War Memorial in Danbury which is situated where Elm Green Lane meets Bell Hill in Danbury. The large bronze cross dating back to 1920 was removed from the Portland stone war memorial many years ago because it was discolouring the stone.

We exhibited a small collection of brickmoulds from Baker’s brickyards and antique tools from our joinery shop. Some of the tools have a number of names stamped on them. These names were of previous owners – it was common for tools to have had many previous owners, because wooden tools are easily restored and maintained. When a worker passed away, it was common practice for his Union or Employer to sell his tools to raise funds for his Widow and family.

Exhibitions were provided by many local organisations including Danbury Parish Council, St John the Baptist Primary School, Heathcote Preparatory School, The 1st Danbury Scout Group.

Michelle Harper, Clerk to Danbury Parish Council wrote

“Danbury Parish Council would like to thank your staff and company for the invaluable assistance provided before and during the event. The help provided contributed to the success of the weekend and was very much appreciated.”

At Bakers of Danbury we take our corporate social responsibility very seriously. We have developed a successful corporate social responsibility programme in which we support both our local community and the communities in which we work – sometimes through sponsorship or even offering a helping hand.

As our corporate social responsibility programme continues to expand, if you would like Bakers of Danbury to sponsor your activity please do not hesitate to contact email kate.gunner@bakersofdanbury.co.uk

CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably)

This year Bakers of Danbury sponsored a Charity Golf day in support of CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), a charity set up to help prevent Male Suicide in the UK. The money raised for CALM is mainly used towards their helpline and webchat to support men in crisis, as well as their very powerful campaigns that seem to get bigger and better and more publicity with each one. It really is all about raising awareness and letting our fellow men that it is ok to not be ok.

CALM do an amazing job to help prevent Male Suicide in the UK. One of their most recent marketing campaigns being #Project84 which was on ITV’s This Morning programme. The campaign saw CALM put 84 sculptures – each representing a real man who took his own life, on top of the ITV building in London. You can read more about the Campaign by visiting this link: www.itv.com/thismorning/#Project84

Mark Parsons wrote:

I wanted to write to you to thank you very much for sponsoring our Charity Golf in support of CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably). We held the Golf Day at the end of July at The Farleigh Golf Course in Surrey and despite tough windy conditions we all managed to have a great day to raise awareness and funds for CALM.

This was our 4th annual Golf Day and they keep growing year by year, we had 84 Golfers attend this years event which is our biggest number yet and something we are extremely proud of, however this wouldn’t have been possible without people like yourself and your companies sponsoring our day. We capped the number of Golfers at 84 as this is a significant number, as unfortunately 84 men take their own life each week in the UK and suicide remains the single biggest killer of men aged 18-45 in the UK.

We host the Golf Days in memory of my brother, Toby, who sadly took his own life in 2014 and statistics like the one above were unbeknown to me until then. We now hope that thanks to these events and the other challenges we have held, we are doing our bit to let, in particular men, know that it is ok to talk. We have managed to raise £2,157 from this years’s Golf Day which we are extremely pleased with.”

Students visit site

Essex Youth Build visited All Saints Church in Terling on Wednesday 25th July 2018 to learn about the conservation works underway.

The small group of 16-19 year olds who are currently studying City & Guilds course with Essex Youth Build attended All Saints Church for a site tour and Q&A whilst Bakers of Danbury Ltd were carrying out conservation and restoration works to the church.

Heather Cutler who is part of the All Saints’ Terling Spire Project Team said

“Thank you for your time and terrific input to making yesterday’s visit, to the work currently being undertaken at All Saints’ Terling, both interesting and safe. I do hope the lads got some ideas for future careers in heritage construction and I wish them well for their futures.”

If you would like to arrange for a small group of students to visit a working site to learn more about conservation and buildings works please do not hesitate to contact Kate Gunner by emailing kate.gunner@bakersofdanbury.co.uk

St Swithun’s Church Restoration Appeal 2018

Bakers recently supported fundraising for St Swithun’s Church Restoration Appeal by sponsoring their annual Summer’s Ball, which raised just over £13,500.

We recently carried out conservation and alteration works to St Swithun’s Church in Great Chishill, which involved extensive conservation of the church tower including repointing and replacement of external flint, refurbishment of the clock dials, replacement of the oak belfry louvres and new lightning protection.

Further works to the base of the tower included the addition of a disabled w/c facility and the provision of new mains water and drainage to the church.

Katherine West who organises fund raising events for the Church Restoration Appeal wrote:

The Ball on Saturday was a great success and thank you once again for Bakers of Danbury’s support. We raised just over £13,500, which is an amazing amount and we’re all really pleased and grateful to all those who helped and supported us.

 All Saints Arts Festival 2018

Bakers of Danbury were pleased to sponsor the All Saints Arts Festival again this year. The Festival took place between the 25th and 29th May at All Saints Church, Maldon, Essex. The annual Festival brings together Arts, Crafts and the Community.

The Festival was a great success, bringing hundreds of visitors into the church to enjoy the arts and crafts, whilst raising £8,325.

Reverend Canon Stephen Carter wrote:

On behalf of the parish, I would like to thank Bakers of Danbury for your kind sponsorship of the All Saints Arts Festival. We particularly appreciated your support, given your long association with All Saints, where you did the splendid re-ordering project a few years back, together with ongoing conservation work on the ancient vicarage.

Bakers of Danbury Sponsor Danbury Ridge Wildlife Conservation

This year marks the 140th anniversary for Bakers of Danbury. Having been based on Eves Corner all of that time, Bakers are not only an important part of the history of Danbury, but also part of the village and the local community’s future. With that in mind, Bakers of Danbury were pleased to make a contribution to Essex Wildlife Trust’s current Danbury Ridge Living Landscape partnership project, to help conserve local wildlife.

As part of our corporate social responsibility programme, we have been an “Investor in Wildlife Corporate Member” with the Essex Wildlife Trust nearly 20 years and work in partnership with the Trust whenever the opportunity arises. Support from Corporate members such as Bakers of Danbury is vital in enabling Essex Wildlife Trust to carry out Wildlife Conservation work across the County. Together with Bakers of Danbury; other local businesses have contributed towards the Danbury Ridge Living Landscape hedgerow planting project to help make it happen.

A survey was carried out by volunteers and co-ordinated by the Danbury Ridge Living Landscape partnership (which includes bodies such as Essex Wildlife Trust, Danbury Parish Council, Little Baddow Parish Council, Essex County Council, National Trust, Chelmsford City Council and British Naturalists’ Association) to identify the potential planting sites throughout Danbury Ridge Living Landscape. Following this, a dedicated team of volunteers will start planting a kilometre of native species hedgerow throughout the Danbury Ridge Living Landscape area this month.

If you would like to offer your time to help with the planting or make a contribution, please do not hesitate to call Emma Ormond, Living Landscapes Coordinator for Essex Wildlife Trust on 07912 267319.

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