Devizes cleric has crumb of comfort for bakery
One of Devizes’ biggest employers is praying a recovery from the recession will continue. 
To help with divine intervention Hayden’s Bakeries has appointed Justin Bradbury, curate of St James’ Church, as company chaplain.

Managing director Paul Smith said: “Justin comes in once a week to chat to staff about their problems. He is starting up an Alpha course at the factory, which is proving incredibly popular.” 

During its bleakest spell the bakery at Hopton Industrial Estate was losing up to £40,000 a week and had to lay off 15 staff.

But it is now back on track, having seen a 20 per cent growth in its business in the last six months and is hoping to recruit up to 50 new workers in the next few months to cope with demand.

Mr Smith said: “Prior to the last six months we had a very bad 12 months. The company was losing as much as £40,000 a week.

“We can’t really blame the recession. We were just making too much of the wrong kind of things and it was unsustainable.

“We needed a clear leadership to get us back on track and we now have a team of fabulous managers who want to make things happen.

“Because the team has stabilised the business so well, we could be taking on as many as 50 new members of staff in the next few months.

“The weather was terrible this summer but people were still buying summer desserts. I suppose they wanted to eat sweet things as comfort food.”

The company’s workforce now stands at 316, of which 196 are British.

Others hail from Afghanistan, Brazil, Bulgaria, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Latvia, Morocco, Nepal, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Somalia, South Africa, Thailand and Turkey, so the company is assessing staff to improve language and numeracy.

Hayden’s also wants to give local charities, such as those who work with the homeless, with leftovers. “I hate waste and don’t like to see this food thrown away, said Mr Smith