Rebecca Pattni on the Finchley bakery offering opportunities for people with learning disabilities

Four people in different coloured aprons standing behind a work service with various cakes on it — Bakers and volunteers at CJs – (Credit – CJs)

There are “nowhere near enough opportunities” for people with learning disabilities in Barnet. That’s the view of Sian Chadwick, co-founder of Finchley Central-based social enterprise CJ’s Bakery.

CJ’s, which was started in 2021 by Sian and her son James is a not-for-profit bakery providing opportunities for adults with learning disabilities to do meaningful volunteer work as bakers in a sociable, supportive friendly environment.

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of volunteering at the bakery with a friend. We spent four hours working and chatting alongside bakers and volunteer support workers, weighing up ingredients, and mixing frosting for a chocolate cake. The atmosphere was inviting, warm and enjoyable.

Sian tells me that the bakery was originally self-funded and all surplus earnings are reinvested in training and supporting their bakers.

She also explained that a year after launching the bakery, it received a donation from a local foundation.

Now, with 15 adults with learning disabilities and three support workers on the team, CJs is a wonderful opportunity for people with learning disabilities in North London to develop and showcase their abilities.

During my visit, the system in the kitchen was efficient, manageable and sanitary. Sian ensured that we knew where to wash our hands, access aprons and hairnets. This approach enables CJ’s to maintain its level five food hygiene rating.

At lunch time, we all ate at the table together, sharing a healthy array of food whilst learning more about each other and our interests. This community feel contributes to the positive environment at CJ’s.

“The idea for the bakery was born in lockdown,” Sian tells me. James, who has a learning disability, and his sisters Josephine and Alice enjoyed baking together, so it seemed like the logical next step to create the bakery, as Sian, “always had a feeling we’d end up doing something together”.

The bakery started at home in their kitchen and has remained there, because this is a safe environment which suits many of the bakers well, especially those who suffer with anxiety.

CJ’s started out by selling to friends, neighbours and family but they now have a wider network of customers they supply to.

The bakery has a wide selection of breads and buns, brownies and cookies, cakes, jams and granolas, quiches, tarts and gifts, which can be ordered through their website and are promoted via instagram.

There are many vegan and vegetarian options and CJ’s can cater to intolerances such as gluten and dairy.

The quality of the bakes is consistently high because locally sourced ingredients like organic flour, high quality butter and chocolate are used.

CJ’s bake to order, so they guarantee fresh products either through local delivery or collection from the home bakery. The bakery is environmentally conscious using recyclable and compostable packaging, and baking to order reduces food waste.

Sian tells me that over the past three years, she has become more passionate about baking and

has seen several of the bakers pick it up as a regular hobby.

She has also received “very positive feedback” from parents of bakers who have noticed a marked improvement in the mental health of their young adults since starting at CJ’s.

CJ’s bakery is one of very few examples of comfortable and welcoming environments for people with learning disabilities in Barnet.

With around 1.5 million people in the UK who have a learning disability and but 5.1% of these working age adults in paid work, there is a lack of opportunities. Sian says working as a baker at CJ’s gives people an “opportunity to do something meaningful and safe”, which is important for maintaining a positive sense of wellbeing.

Some other organisations which provide opportunities for people with learning disabilities in Barnet include the Wave Hub in Muswell Hill, which CJ’s supplies with baked goods each week.

Wave Hub is open on Wednesdays and Thursdays and open from 10am until 5pm during each week. This is a place where anyone can meet, take part in yoga, art and knitting classes and enjoy a delicious healthy lunch and some of CJ’s bakes.

There is also Mencap in Barnet which offers unpaid internships for people with learning disabilitie and the Hilton Hotel which partners with the Down’s Syndrome Association’s WorkFit programme, to bring together employers and job-seekers who have Down’s Syndrome.

The Saracens disability programme is another local opportunity, which James attends as he is a fan of rugby. This is also how he met many of his friends and fellow bakers.

Whilst CJ’s provides social activities like these, for people with learning disabilities, such as winter and summer parties, Sian expressed that she would love to create more “social opportunities” for her bakers.

This is one reason why CJ’s is fundraising to create a professional marketing video, upgrade kitchen equipment and the website. Sian hopes this will bring in more opportunities to cater for corporate events, something they have done before, when they catered for an inclusivity day at London’s Netflix headquarters.

Given that there is a lack of representation of people with learning disabilities in the media, Sian believes that a video showcasing the skills and abilities of the bakers at CJ’s will “show the world what amazing things adults with learning disabilities are capable of when given a nurturing, meaningful, safe space.”

To keep in touch with the work of CJ’s Bakery, sign-up for their newsletter through their website https://cjsbakery.org.uk/

Follow their instagram for more updates on @cjs_bakery_ and donate to their GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/cjs-bakery

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