THE achievements of a Roberts Bakery stalwart have been recognised with a lifetime honorary award.

Hot on the heels of being awarded the Freedom of Northwich, David Roberts has been recognised by the British Society of Baking.

David is from the third generation of Roberts family bakers and has dedicated more than half a century to developing the brand.

The grandson of bakery founder Robert Roberts, David joined the company in the mid-fifties following the death of his father Frank in 1954.

Under David’s leadership, investment into capacity saw an increase to 90,000 loaves a week, made by 200 employees and delivered by a fleet of 50 vehicles.

Fast-forward to today, 131 years since Roberts first opened for business, with Roberts serving major supermarkets across the UK and employing 900 people – still run by the fourth generation of the Roberts family.

Richard Hazeldine, chairman of the British Society of Baking said: “David joined the British Society of Baking in 1971 and contributed greatly to the its advancement in the 1970s and 80s from his work on various committees.

“He also played a key role as our Chairman from 1981 to 1982. He also contributed to the success of our Golden Jubilee Conference in 2006 as a key speaker at its evening dinner.

“David continues to support our us and conferences to this day and embodies everything that is good about being a member of the BSB.”

David said: “I’m very happy to have received the Lifetime Honorary Award from the British Society of Baking.

“The bakery industry is quite literally in the family’s blood and it’s most rewarding to look back on where we have come and to where we are now heading with the future of the brand.

“There are many exciting time ahead that I’m looking forward to being part of as a family member.”

David was given the Freedom of Northwich in July, aged 82, for his contributions to the community and notably the recently-adopted Northwich Neighbourhood Plan.

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