“I just had to take the jump” – the award-winning Salford baker opening her first shop in Lockdown 2.0

A home-based baker from Worsley is set to open her first shop amid the coronavirus pandemic this week.

Beth Wakefield, 25, has been hoping to establish The Wakey Bakery on Chorley Road in Swinton since the beginning of this year.

The business owner, whose love for baking comes from studying food technology at college, said: “For most of the year, I was like, it’s completely out of the question, we’re in lockdown, it’s not going to happen, but I just had to take the jump and get it.”

Having closed her business, which has operated since August 2018, to protect her terminally ill grandfather in the first national lockdown, Beth was delighted when the shop’s estate agent contacted her in October to offer first refusal.

She explained: “It’s just all happened so fast!

“At the start of the year, I was having a bit of a bad time and I started reading The Magic.

“You have to write down affirmations and things you’re thankful for that haven’t happened yet, and I had this vision in my head of my shop and how it would look and how it would be near the corner of a street…

“I’ve had my flower wall put in now and it’s amazing – it’s coming to life, my vision.”

Another surprise for the owner of The Wakey Bakery came in the form of a High Sheriff Special Recognition Award to celebrate her efforts baking cupcakes for key workers.

Nominated by Barbara Keeley, Labour MP for Worsley and Eccles South, Beth’s prize recognises ‘the appreciation of the people of Greater Manchester for the altruistic acts of thoughtfulness and kindness during the C-19 Pandemic’.

She remembered: “The postman brought me the post and there was this envelope, and the writing was all handwritten in amazing English writing.

“I was wondering what it was, and I opened it like, oh my god, I’ve actually got this award!

“I didn’t do it to receive anything, I wanted to give back because the start of lockdown for them must have been so hard.”

It’s just all happened so fast!

Whilst her bakery has managed to make the most of the opportunities presented by lockdown, Beth wants to urge shoppers to think of local businesses struggling with coronavirus restrictions.

She suggested: “Over Christmas, support local businesses rather than buying things off Amazon because we are the ones that are struggling in this time.

“I would definitely say shop local.”