St Sidwell’s cooks up a storm with new bakehouse and cookery school
Published: 5 August 2021
A community organisation is flourishing and cooking up a storm in the heart of Exeter thanks partly to funding from the City Council.
St Sidwell’s Community Centre received £19,826 from Exeter City Council’s Strategic Fund to help serve up a Bakehouse and Cookery School in the former Halfords shop in Sidwell Street, Exeter.
The Sidwell Street Bakehouse and Cookery School is already up and running in the three-storey building, providing training and opportunities and experiences for individuals and community groups across the city, as well as locally made produce for sale.
The building also houses a carpentry and DIY enterprise and other social enterprises. offering volunteering, work-experience and training opportunities as well as locally made produce for sale.
David Wright, Manager of St Sidwell’s Community Centre, said it was great to have the space to expand the Bakehouse and offer more volunteering, work experience and training opportunities as well as more cookery classes and workshops.
“We took a risk starting this move during the lockdown last year but we wanted to do something that would help the local community to reconnect and rebuild as we move forward,” said David.
“It’s a risk that has paid off. Huge thanks to all the people and organisations – including the City Council - who have supported us,” he added.
St Sidwell’s originally launched the Sidwell Street Bakehouse and Cookery School initiatives in 2018, operating out of a converted office at the Community Centre. Over the past three years, it has managed to raise more than £137,000 for the project itself, including over £10,000 from a crowdfunding initiative.
The move last year into the old Halfords building required major work and much of the money raised was spent on refurbishment, including plumbing and electrics, the installation of stainless steel work surfaces and a walk-in freezer for the cookery school, deck ovens for the Bakehouse and a fully accessible disabled toilet.
Exeter City Council’s Strategic Fund was launched in March to help pay for the refurbishment of community buildings. To be eligible, groups had to be close to completing their fundraising target and have their refurbishment project ‘on the shelf’ and ready to go.
Cllr Amal Ghusain. Lead Councillor for Communities and Culture, said: “This is another great addition to Sidwell Street alongside the nearby Positive Lights project.
“Both initiatives are playing an important role in reinvigorating Sidwell Street and I have no doubt that the Bakehouse and Cookery School will be successful, offering real opportunities for our local communities,” she added.
To find out more about the initiative go to the St Sidwell’s Community Centre website at https://stsidwells.org.uk/