South Cheshire firm Bakkavor celebrates loyal staff at Nantwich ceremony

South Cheshire bread suppliers Bakkavor has celebrated its loyal staff at a ceremony in Nantwich.

The garlic and speciality bread producer, with factories in Aston near Nantwich and Crewe, held its loyal service award ceremony at Nantwich Town FC for those who have between five and 20 years service.

Staff retention and long service across the three Bakkavor sites in Cheshire are well above the national average.

On average a UK employee changes jobs every three to five years, with around one in 10 people changing job every year, according to ONS figures.

Each employee who attended the awards night received a gift bag, framed certificate and a personalised glass.

Bakkavor colleagues also enjoyed music, quizzes, drinks and a fish and chip supper.

Maria Coleman, a Senior Team Leader at Bakkavor’s Crewe site, was at the awards evening to celebrate 20 years of service.

She said: “Bakkavor has always been really supportive of me being a single mother and managing the dual demands of work and parenthood.

“My career is of great importance to me, I have a strong work ethic and I genuinely look forward to coming into work.

“I have the pleasure of working with a great group of people both up and down the management chain and am always encouraged by my colleagues to develop my skills.

“I am known for always having a smile on my face and that smile is because I genuinely love my job. Here’s to at least another ten years.”

Vitoldas Balciunas, Operations Manager at Bakkavor Bread, added: “Celebrating the loyal service of our colleagues across all three sites in Cheshire is really important to us.

“Traditionally, we have run the awards from each site but this year we thought it would be fun to bring everyone together from across our three Cheshire sites.

“It was a great pleasure to see so many colleagues from across our Cheshire businesses coming together to celebrate loyal service as well as people’s career development over time.

“To see so many colleagues reaching 5, 10, 15 and even 20 years of service says a lot about the friendships forged in the workplace and also Bakkavor’s commitment to develop the skills of its people.

“Our colleagues are our greatest asset and these awards give us the opportunity to say thank you to our colleagues across the region – and to celebrate together as one big family.”