Village Bakery in Bellingham to close on december 23

Neale and Bridget Arnup, owners of Village Bakery in Bellingham, closed the doors of the much-loved family bakery after 52 years of business on December 23.

Orginal baker owners Tom and Hazel (Image: Jason Arnup)

The business started after Neale's father Tom Arnup took over the bakery in 1972 and now with no one to follow in the footsteps of Neale's three sons and nephews, it is now on sale.

Neale's son, Jason, said: "My parents feel it is time to slow down, and this is part of the reason why it is closing.

"My brothers and I always helped in the bakery before school and after school since I was a teen until we decided to follow our own paths.

"I loved helping my family in the bakery and didn't mind it except when I had to get up early, around 4 am. I know it was hard for my grandad and dad as I sometimes caught them sleeping or having a power nap in the early hours.

"It is sad how the younger generations of the family, such as myself, won't be carrying the family business on. I would have 100% if I didn't have a passion for music; my other brothers didn't show any interest either, as they became decorators and machinery testers, and my cousin lives in Canada.

"I still think my grandad would be proud of us for keeping the business for this long. I don't think he would believe it. He was a softie and very emotional, so I know if you had told him we kept it running until 2023, he would be amazed.

"Not many businesses now make it past a few years, so we have been very lucky to survive many difficult situations such as COVID.

"I think we survived because we had a lot of support from our local community and tourists who have been with us through thick and thin.

"We would just like to say a huge thank you for everything on behalf of my parents, myself and my brothers.

"There is a sale going on for the business at the moment, so we hope the new buyer will open soon."