A pioneering women’s bakery in Leeds has taken up new residence at Mabgate Mills in Leeds as part of a deal negotiated jointly by CHP Management and Carter Towler.  

The Wren bakery, a social enterprise that originally started in a van, has now opened up a coffee shop with the aim of ‘supporting women in the workplace’.

It offers training and employability skills to local women who face devastating challenges in their lives which impact their ability to work. 

This includes women who live with domestic violence, criminal records, poor mental health, and other barriers that exclude them from participating in society.

Speaking about the enterprise, Wren Bakery co-founder Clare Sanderson said: “Here at Wren, we believe in second chances and see the potential in every one of the women we work with. We seek to empower and equip these women, giving them the tools they need to build a better future for themselves.

“Our training provides a safe and supportive environment for women to make steps towards employment.  We use baking and barista training as tools to develop opportunities for our women and to give them valuable transferable skills. We invest in their well-being, supporting them to be healthy in life and work. We are a fabulous community of women, journeying together, facing our fears and doing it anyway!”

Eventually, the pair moved out of the van and began serving their beloved treats from the Coffee House in Mabgate Mills. After renting the space from the owners of the Coffee House, Mark and Jean Armstrong, they decided to move to bigger premises.

They are now the new owners of Mabgate Mills and have been transforming the space into a larger coffee house and training space.

Siobhan Riley of CHP Management who manages Mabgate Mills said: “Clare and the team at The Wren Bakery are doing an amazing job. I’m so pleased that they are taking over the café at Mabgate. Now the business will have a fabulous base for them to further develop their successful enterprise.”   

Commenting on the deal, Carter Towler director Rick Fraser added: “This is such great news for Mabgate Mills, not only does this fantastic business get the opportunity to offer more women the help they need but the other tenants and visitors to the mills get a great place to go for coffee and delicious cakes! I hope the new location proves to be a really positive move for The Wren Bakery.”