Three Peaks Challenge
30 colleagues from Bakers took on the Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge on Saturday 30th September. The 25 mile distance had an overall climb of 1585m and needs to be completed under 12 hours to be successful. The faster, younger, fittest pair hiked the distance in just over 7 hours to complete the challenge. The majority of the group took just under 10 hours and a few more made it under the required 12 hours. With only a couple of minor injuries, the weekend trip to Yorkshire was a huge success and helped to raise over £1200 for the charity Wipe Away Those Tears.
The Bakers Foundation
Since moving to Brentwood in 2011, Bakers has placed a huge importance on charity and the community. This has been through financial donations, fundraising, volunteering, sponsorship and supplying printed material. Over the years Bakers has regularly made these donations to various charities and local clubs. As a well as supporting these charities, it provides Bakers’ staff with the opportunity to learn about the amazing work the charities do, and a great feeling knowing their hard work means the company can make these generous donations.
In Baker Labels’ 50th year Steve Baker has made a commitment to donate a fixed % of annual profits to charity.
Established in 1973, this year Bakers celebrates their 50th year of business. For this milestone anniversary, MD Steve Baker wanted to add more structure and commitment to Bakers already substantial charity contributions. The Bakers Foundation is a new sector of the company with the sole focus of donating a fixed percentage of profit every year to various good causes.
By the end of business year in August £150,000 was the final amount shared amongst good causes.
For the inaugural launch of Bakers Foundation an amount of £150,000 was donated to multiple charities. This large donation is to be shared between local charities that Bakers have previously supported, as well as new charities that staff members have suggested.
Bakers had already donated to a number of charities over previous months but in August the Bakers Foundation carefully considered where larger donations could make the biggest difference to local charities.
August 2023 Charity Donations
- Kids Inspire – £25,000
- SNAP – £25,000
- Brentwood Foodbank – £7,000
- Billericay Foodbank – £3,000
- Aching Arms – £10,000
- Wipe Away Those Tears – £15,000
- Brentwood Theatre Trust – £5,000
- POD Charitable Trust – £2,000
- Challenging MND – £10,000
Kids Inspire £25,000 donation
Kids Inspire has been one of Baker’s chosen charities since 2011 and has now donated a total of around £100,000 to the charity to date.
The Chelmsford based charity supports children, young people, and their families who are dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma, and other mental health issues. More young people than ever are seeking specialised help. That’s why Kids Inspire are taking the lead in delivering long-lasting mental health and trauma recovery support in Essex and beyond. They provide creative therapy, where a young person can have a weekly session with one of their specialist team members, and trauma resolution services to help children process difficult experiences. Through this therapy, they learn various skills to help them cope with and overcome life’s challenges. The charity takes a holistic approach by involving the entire family in their work ensuring that the child at the centre receives sustainable support and outcomes.
“Kids Inspire are delighted to receive this generous unrestricted donation from Baker Labels and are so grateful for their continued support. The funding will help the increasing number of children and families referred to the charity for mental health and trauma recovery support to ensure they become healthy adults who lead complete and fulfilling lives. “ Paula Ashfield, Head of Fundraising
SNAP- Special Needs And Parents £25,000 donation
SNAP is an Essex charity which provides support and advice for families with children that have special needs or disabilities. The charity’s vision is to provide a safe environment offering a wide range of support and specialist services with the aim to increase resilience and empowerment within families. SNAP has been one of Bakers’ chosen charities for a number of years. In 2022 Bakers even completed a Mud Run and the National 3 Peaks Challenge to fundraise for SNAP.
“We are extremely grateful to you for your incredible donation of £25,000. We completely overwhelmed by your continued generosity. This donation will help to fund our variety of services including the Helpline, advice sessions and activities for our children and young people. It has also covered the costs of hiring the ice-cream van and the helter-skelter inflatable for SIBS4FUN this year. Please pass along our sincere thanks to the everyone at Baker Labels for this astonishing donation and for their continued support.
With more than 4,000 families accessing SNAP, meeting the growing demand on our services is an ever-increasing challenge. Thanks to wonderful supporters like you that we can ensure local families who have a child or young person with an additional need get the essential help they need. Thank you again for your continued support.” Karen Boath, CEO of SNAP
Brentwood and Billericay Foodbank £10,000 total donation
https://brentwood.foodbank.org.uk/ https://billericayfoodbank.org.uk/
Both foodbank locations work with the most vulnerable members of our community. Unfortunately, each year more people are finding themselves unable to afford to feed their families and having to depend on foodbanks. It is vital that foodbanks have the support of their local community. Over the years Bakers has made financial and food donations regularly to Brentwood Foodbank. For this most recent donation, Bakers decided to expand the kindness to a neighbouring foodbank.
‘A huge thank you for your very kind donation. Your continued faithfulness to the Foodbank is amazing. Thank you seems such a small word to say for your gift. Sadly, we are still seeing more and more families in need and the stories we hear of peoples’ circumstances is heartbreaking. These past few months have shown a weekly increase in need, and this is a grave concern for us all. The amazing donations we receive help us to ensure, hopefully, that no one goes hungry.’ Julia Bowler, Brentwood Foodbank
Aching Arms £10,000 donation
Aching Arms provides comfort to bereaved parents who have lost a baby during pregnancy, birth or soon after. They provide comfort bears to 170 hospitals and hospices so they can be given to families in their darkest moments. Parents can also request the bears directly from the charity. In 2022 Aching Arms donated 5,000 bears to parents. Along with providing bears they also offer support services and raise awareness. Aching Arms first got into contact with Bakers in 2021 to ask for help with their packaging. Since then, not only have Bakers provided address and logo labels to Aching but they have also donated and sponsored programmes.
‘Wow! £10,000 is a such a fantastic donation to our small, but rapidly growing charity, thank you all so very much. It has come just as the budget for our next financial year has been finalised. With costs rising and fundraising quite a challenge, this Baker Labels donation allows me and the team to breath a bit easier. It is incredibly powerful to know that businesses like yours are there to support us through these tricky times.’ Leanne Turner, Founder and CEO
Wipe Away Those Tears £15,000 donation
Wipe Away Those Tears is another Essex based charity. Its aim is to grant a wish and ‘bring a sparkle’ into the lives of terminally ill children. Every penny raised goes directly to funding a wish for these children, no matter how big or small. MD Steve Baker has previously attended and participated in charity events in support of the charity, so he wanted to include it with the launch of Bakers Foundation
“I honestly cannot begin to tell you how grateful we are to everyone at Baker Labels for such a kind and generous donation. This has given Wipe Away Those Tears a much-needed boost, to enable us to continue granting special wishes for children in Essex with life limiting or life threatening illnesses.” Gail O’Shea, Founding Trustee
Brentwood Theatre Trust £5,000 donation
Brentwood Theatre is a local theatre that has regular show performances and cinema screenings. They also promote performing arts and culture events within the community. Bakers have previously worked with Brentwood Theatre in the Brentwood Half Marathon organising team. As a charity the theatre receives no public subsidy so financial donations are a great support.
The £5000 donation will form a kind of sponsorship of Brentwood Theatre to aid running costs. Bakers recognises the value in supporting such an important and valuable community venue that provides art and culture.
POD Children’s Charity £2,000 donation
POD is a charity that funds entertainers to visit children in hospital and perform for them every month. The first visit was in Great Ormond Street Hospital in 1977 and they have been creating smiles ever since. They provide fun, magic and laughter to children in over 150 hospitals and hospices throughout the UK.
“The Pod visits to our ward, Rainbow Centre, at Newham university hospital make such a difference to the daily routine of the children and young patients and their families. Craig’s (Skittleman) visits bring so much laughter, smiles and excitement from not just the patients but their families too, as well as the staff working here, it brightens their day.” Hamera Elahi, Healthcare Play Specialist
Challenging MND £10,000 donation
Challenging MND is a charity which provides financial support and assistance to those living with motor neurone disease, to complete any challenges or experiences. Motor neurone disease causes the deterioration of muscles over time so the charity aims to remove any financial obstacles that someone may have to creating long-lasting memories.
“We are absolutely blown away with your generosity and enthusiasm for our charity. Thank you so very much. It comes at a time where sustainable resources are so important to us as we have grown exponentially in the last 6 months… and where we were supporting 5 families per month it is now around 15.” Liane Iles, CEO
Bakers was delighted to make these donations and looks forward to seeing how their contribution has supported these good causes.
Through the continuing success of the business, Bakers looks forward to seeing the Foundation’s donations growing each year and supporting and more charities. As well as charity donations Bakers sponsors local sports teams Brentwood Rugby Club and Great Danes Womens Football. This year, they are title sponsors for local charity event Brentwood Half Marathon. To see more on Bakers’ work with charity and community visit their website.
2023 has been a big year for Bakers
As the company’s 50th year it not only saw the launch of The Bakers Foundation but they also were extremely proud to receive ‘Global Converter of the Year’ award at Labelexpo. This award was ‘given to a printing/converting company who has encouraged a diverse and inclusive work environment, developed a comprehensive training programme and contributed to community/charity initiatives.’ This global recognition for Bakers’ commitment to their staff wellbeing and community, confirms the impact they have been able to make. Not only are they proud of the change they have been able to make in their community, but they also hope to serve as an inspiration for other printers and local businesses.
About Baker Labels
Baker Labels has been established for 50 years this year and has become the leading trade label printer in the UK. They are an independent family business with a family ethos at the centre of how they operate. Bakers pride themselves on being forward-thinking, well-respected innovators, consistently growing and investing in the latest print technologies.
- 2023 Global Label Awards Converter of the Year
- 2022 Digital Printer Award Winner – Closing the Skills Gap
- 2021 Brentwood Employer of the Year
- 2022 Working Well Accreditation Level 3
- 2021 Essex Activity Awards Active Workplace of the Year
- 2020 Essex Employer of the year
- 2019 Brentwood Business of the year
Label Industry Global Award Winners 2023
Bakers announced as Converter of the Year at the Label Industry Global Awards in Brussels
On the first night of the 2023 Labelexpo in Brussels, Baker Labels were announced as winners at the Label Industry Global Awards finals. In the Converter of the Year shortlist that included Italian based Pilot Italia and Singapore based Honsen, the UK based independent family business triumphed.
The Converter of the Year Award is awarded to a label printing/converting company that best meets the following criteria:
- Encouragement of a diverse and inclusive work environment
- Development and training programs for individuals within the company
- Contribution to community/charitable initiatives
- Initiatives on sustainability within the company
- Introduction of innovative products or programs contributing to end user satisfaction
Encouragement of a diverse and inclusive work environment
Bakers currently employs 112 staff, with 38% of them being under 35 years old and 36% being female – both higher than the industry average. We have achieved top Level 3 Wellbeing Accreditation by showing how the company values staff health, wellbeing and development. By listening to staff through the team of workplace health champions and a staff survey we put together a program of events, workshops, and training.
Staff Support
Looking after staff wellbeing is both valuable for the staff but also makes good business sense. It reduces time off for sickness and increases loyalty and staff retention. Over an 18 month period we have helped 12 employees receive just over 40 private counselling sessions. We regularly signpost the EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) providing free advice and support for medical, financial, legal and other matters.
We have staff trained as Mental Health First Aiders or completed MHFA courses as well as suicide awareness training. We also arranged for an onsite NHS Health check visit for all staff
With a large workforce it can be a challenge for everyone to feel included. At Bakers we make a great
effort to share news and feedback throughout the company.
- Monthly staff newsletters
- Large internal comms screens around the factory and offices
- Staff Facebook group
- Monthly full company meetings
- Workplace Health Champion team
- Regular staff appraisals with supervisors / managers
- Frequent social events
Some of the events and clubs in the last year
Comedy Bingo Night
Quiz nights
Mud Run Obstacle Race
Full Company London Day out for 50th anniversary
Brentwood Half Marathon and Fun Run
National 3 Peaks Challenge
Essex Wildlife Trust Lunch & Learn session.
Bakers Book Club
Golf Day and Top Golf Event
Bakers Gym – on site and free for all staff to use.
Radio Taiso daily 3-minute exercise at 11am everyday
Strava monthly challenge for staff to support and share walks/cycles/runs and workouts.
Development and training programs for individuals within the company
At the end of 2020 we created Bakers Academy to be a launch pad for new members of staff and a place of resources for current staff to use. It has been developing ever since and now covers all training that goes on in the business including:
- Active development within an employee’s role – monitored by evaluation cards
- Ad-hoc training sessions – presentations or discussions about any element of the business
- Structured training modules
- External training providers
In 2022, we built a training database to help us evaluate the skills of our staff and record any training going on in the business. The goal of this is to make sure that people are improving in their role and are getting the right support. It also gives people more opportunity to cross-train and learn different roles in the business. This lines up with our ultimate goal for the Bakers Academy which is for everyone to not only understand their own role but also the stages before and after them. This makes people more efficient in their own role and they also have more appreciation for the challenges that their colleagues are facing & are more willing to support.
In a 12 month period we recorded:
- 696 hours of ad-hoc training
- 216 hours of Academy sessions
- 370 evaluations of staff abilities
Contribution to community/charitable initiatives
Over £150,000 was donated to around 20 different charities by Bakers in the last financial year. Some of the good causes that have been supported this year were nominated by staff, while others were through customers or suppliers. Employees at the company have also had opportunities to support charities directly through volunteering. This has had a positive effect on them gaining a better understanding of what the charities do. For SNAP we volunteered at their SIBS4FUN event, while at Kids Inspire we have wrapped Christmas presents for their Christmas Appeal and for the Foodbank we have helped deliver and unload huge loads of groceries.
Bakers is always happy to support local events in the Brentwood community. A few examples of what we have supported in the last year include:
- Brentwood Theatre – funding performances for children and adults with PMLD (profound and multiple learning difficulties)
- Sponsorship and organising of Brentwood Half Marathon & Try-a Tri
- Sponsorship of both a local rugby team and a women’s football team
- Local school Christmas Santa’s Grotto and sports kit.
Initiatives on sustainability within the company
Specific initiatives we have focussed on in last 12 – 18 months.
- Energy saving project to map and highlight all appliances and equipment that are switched off but in sleep mode so still draw power. Now all PCs are automatically turned off fully every night and weekend.
- Created a “switch off team” for everything that cannot go on a timer.
- Investment in our front-end workflows to compliment paperless production and also synchronising this with our new colour management system to reduce makeready raw material waste on a job by job basis
- Recycling all our flexible packaging waste and have increased the number of recycling bins for staff.
- Installed EV charge points for staff and visitors
- Regularly send the cardboard cores to wildlife parks for animal enrichment.
- We instigated the establishment of Brentwood Environmental Business Allince (BEBA) with Brentwood Borough Council in 2021. This is now an established alliance of local businesses and organisations striving to improve their green credentials
Become Platinum Corporate Members of Essex Wildlife Trust
- Gained FSC Accreditation
Innovation and Collaboration
Our business philosophy has always been to be as versatile as possible. Always re-investing in the latest quality equipment and being at the forefront of label printing technology. As a trade supplier we are not focused on end users but rather the services we can offer our trade customers to be able to provide their end user customers the best possible products and services.
Flexible Packaging for Trade Label Customers
Opening this whole new market up to our customers without them having to make the financial investment of buying the new equipment and training operators. To share our knowledge and expertise we have provided factory tours, virtual tours, online workshops, artwork guidelines and sales toolkits.
The digital flexible packaging market is an exciting area to be growing in and we are providing our trade customers an opportunity to grow their market share
Different to conventionally produced flexible packaging, customers can now order:
- Very low MOQs – so less waste in the first place
- Fast turnarounds – can be as little as a few days but 10-12 days as standard
- High quality print across multiple types in one order
- Addition of spouts and valves, with the same MOQs and fast turnarounds
- Range of sizes to suit weight and product
- Range of sustainable materials – compostable, kerbside recyclable, recyclable and biodegradable
About Baker Labels
Baker Labels has been established for 50 years this year and has become the leading trade label printer in the UK. They are an independent family business with a family ethos at the centre of how they operate. Bakers pride themselves on being forward-thinking, well-respected innovators, consistently growing and investing in the latest print technologies.
“Our customers expect us to produce labels and packaging of excellent quality with fast turnarounds. We strive to go beyond expectations. Our aim is to never say no to an enquiry, therefore many label printers come to us when they don’t have the time, equipment or capabilities to complete a job. We solve customers’ problems for them quickly and to a very high standard.”
Established in 1973 by Roy and Marian Baker.
- Company moved to Brentwood from Walthamstow, London in April 2011
- Managing Director – Steve Baker.
- Annual turnover – £16 million
- 112 members of staff
- Address Unit 2A Hubert Road, Brentwood, CM14 4JE
- Bakers divisions (all based in Brentwood):
- Baker Labels, trade printer of self-adhesive labels,
- Baker Materials, label material distributors
- BakPac, manufacturer of flexible packaging
- Sportstiks, produces athlete ID (race bibs, wristbands, temporary tattoos)
- 2023 Global Label Awards Converter of the Year
- 2022 Digital Printer Award Winner – Closing the Skills Gap
- 2021 Brentwood Employer of the Year
- 2021 Essex Activity Awards Active Workplace of the Year
- 2020 Essex Employer of the year
- 2019 Brentwood Business of the year
