Rising Up: Making Real Bread improves lives

Today the Real Bread Campaign publishes Rising Up, its report on the therapeutic and social benefits Real Bread making offers to people living with mental health issues, or otherwise facing a tougher time than most of us.

The report’s findings include the results of a new survey of people living with mental health issues, or facing one of a range of other challenges, 88% of whom said bread making gives them a sense of achievement, 87% said baking makes them feel happier, and 73% said it helped them feel calmer or more relaxed.  

In his foreword to the report, Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite writes: ‘Beyond measure I am excited by, and in full support of, the Real Bread Campaign’s endeavours to enhance awareness. As someone who has been offered a range of cognitive behavioural therapies, I would truly love to see more people who suffer from mental health issues, or who are simply going through a tough time, get the chance to try their hand at baking Real Bread to see how it could help them, too.’

As well as first-hand experiences of people who have benefitted from bread making, the report includes examples of organisations that have had success using the craft in their work, including:

• People living with mental health issues befitting from the therapeutic nature of bread making as trainees at The Better Health Bakery in east London;
• Ex-soldiers working their way back to Civvy Street at the Veterans’ Artisan Bakery in North Yorkshire;
• People with learning disabilities taking their places in the local workforce and community as trained bakers at The Lantern Bakery in Hampshire.

Campaign coordinator Chris Young noted: ‘Our report clearly shows how Real Bread making can, and does, help people to change their lives for the better. It also makes plain the woeful lack of official recognition for this great work, despite more than a hundred occupational therapists and other experts we’ve spoken to being unanimous in their experience of its benefits.’

Our research indicates that only a tiny fraction of the thousands of people who would benefit ever get the chance to do so.  The Real Bread Campaign is now working to secure funding to be able to run Together We Rise, a new project designed to change this.

**ENDS**

For more information please contact Chris Young: chris [at] sustainweb.org or 0203 5596 777​
www.realbreadcampaign.org       twitter.com/realbread     facebook.com/realbreadcampaign

NOTES

The new survey conducted by the Real Bread Campaign received responses from fifty four people living with mental health issues, or facing other challenges the Campaign’s new work will address, and thirty people working to help them, including occupational therapists.

Real Bread Campaign initiatives include…

• Together We Rise: The Campaign is working to secure funding for its planned new main project, which will help thousands of people around the UK living with mental health issues or otherwise have a tougher time than most to benefit from the therapeutic, social and employment opportunities Real Bread making offers. You can find details of our plans at: http://bit.ly/NVGPoi
• Knead to Know: the Real Bread starter To date, more than 2000 people have requested the Campaign’s guide to setting up a successful Community Supported Bakery or home-based microbakery
• The Real Bread Finder: The only online directory dedicated to helping people find where to buy Real Bread locally in now used by around 600 bakeries. Free for bakers to add, and people to seek, local places to buy Real Bread.
• The Real Bread Loaf Mark is helping more than 130 bakers to show, and countless shoppers to see, ‘this is Real Bread!’
• Membership The Campaign’s mutually-supportive national network helps bakers and everyone else who cares about the state of bread in Britain to connect with each other to ask for and share ideas and information to help the rise of Real Bread. Membership fees, at four accessible levels from individuals to large companies, help to fund the Campaign’s work. The Campaign currently has members in 15 countries.

The Real Bread Campaign is part of the food and farming charity Sustain. More details of the Campaign’s work, including success to date, future plans and supporter scheme can be found at: www.realbreadcampaign.org