A COMMUNITY bakery aiming to help improve a deprived area of Newcastle has raised enough cash for its first permanent base, thanks to generous donations from the public.
After a nail-biting 24 hours before its fundraising deadline, the Artisan Baking Community has managed to raise the £22,230 it needed to secure its first permanent home in Shieldfield, Newcastle
The bakery, which is currently based at the Biscuit Factory, aims to be a community hub that will provide opportunities for local people and businesses.
It launched a crowdfunding page to transform a former supermarket in Shieldfield into its new premises.
The fundraising target target was still unmet six hours before its deadline. However, the project was saved by a last minute surge in donations.
Andy Haddon, who has been planning the project for six years, said: "It's fantastic news. It was really close to the wire.
"Regardless of the money, the crowdfunding let people understand what we're trying to do. It was a great way of getting awareness", he said.
"It's about collaboration, community and making a circular economy real and tangible."
Building on existing programmes, the new space will offer greater capacity for employability training targeting individuals in one of the most deprived wards of the city.
Baking courses will be made accessible for everyone from disabled groups to company workshops, and the bakery itself promises to take on local residents in its expanding team.
The new bakery has also reached the final application stage of a Newcastle City Council programme designed to drive community lead local development, and will continue with collaborations such as 'Brew and Bake' events with the local brewery.
With the bakery set to move before August, Mr Haddon says they will be 'working day and night' to transform the formerly abandoned supermarket into their new storefront and kitchen.
Local people can expect to celebrate the fundraising success with the return of the bakery's popular stottie rolling competition in August and an official opening event in September.
Mr Haddon added: "It's not our project, it's the community's project. There's so much potential around Shieldfield and we want local people to benefit".
