Sustain / Real Bread Campaign / About
Together We Rise
Baking a better future, one loaf at a time!
- Introduction
- Who's this for?
- What we are doing
- Companions
- Get involved
- Download our Bethlem Baking Buddies report
- Download our Rising Up report
- Donate to help fund this project
See also:
- Breadsticks and chill: Our introduction to mindful baking
- Real Bread for good
- Baking Bedlam (pilot project)
- Healthy baking in mind
- Mindful baking
Introduction
Behind nutritious and delicious Real Bread, the process of baking by hand offers therapeutic, social and employment opportunities to the people crafting it. Together We Rise is our initiative working to ensure that these benefits can be enjoyed by many more people who, for one reason or another, have a tougher time than many of us.
There are many small, local, independent enterprises and initiatives in the UK and elsewhere that help people to benefit from Real Bread making. Most, however, operate in isolation and not always with adequate recognition or support. As such their learning and success tends not to be shared widely or remains virtually unrecorded.
Building on the findings of our Rising Up up report and Bethlem Baking Buddies pilot project, Together We Rise aims to help turn ‘islands of good practice’ into a landscape where the employment, social and educational opportunities of making bread by hand are available to thousands more people, and therapeutic/mindful Real Bread making is available on prescription.
Who's this for?
The inclusive nature of the Campaign means that we're working to ensure Together We Rise helps as many people as possible.
We have seen Real Bread making helping people facing challenges including:
- Working through periods of mental ill health
- Being differently abled, mentally or physically
- Recovering from serious brain or bodily injury
- Facing challenges arising from getting older
- Loneliness
- Adjusting to civvy street after life in the services
- Prisoners and ex-offenders finding their feet again
- Experiencing language, cultural or other difficulties having recently arrived in Britain
- Women who are survivors of torture, domestic, or other abuse
What we are doing
Great work is being done around the UK and beyond involving Real Bread making.
We have made contact with many enterprises and initiatives, learning examples of good practice and success they've had - what funders tend to call 'evidence of benefit.' We would love to hear from more!
We're now working towards creating guidance and training to help more charities, not-for-profit groups, social enterprises and other organisations to include Real Bread making for the benefit of people facing the sort of challenges listed above.
Throughout the project the Campaign welcomes people running and benefitting from Real Bread enterprises and initiatives to join our mutually-supportive international network.
Companions
Since 2013, we have come across more than 50 enterprises/organisations that use Real Bread making (or cooking or other crafts with which parallels can be drawn) in their work with people having a tougher time than many of us. They include:
Better Health Bakery
Big River Bakery
Bread Together
Breadwinners
Companions Real Bread
Derwen College
Good Loaf
Hot Bread Kitchen
Knead Good Bread
Lantern Community
Luminary Bakery
Planet Leicester Bakers
Proof Bakery
Rise/Providence Row Bakery
San Patrignano Bakery
Stoneham Bakehouse
Ujima Bakehouse
We've also published several personal stories:
Get involved
Run an enterprise / initiative that uses bread making / baking for good?
We'd love to hear and help share your story. Please email us a short line
Benefitted from a social/therapeutic bread/baking enterprise / initiative?
If baking bread has helped you face challenges in life*, feel free to share your experience on social media using #TogetherWeRise hashtag.
If you might be interested in writing your story for us to publish, please email us a short line or two of how you have benefitted and we'll tell you more.
*For example, battling depression, anxiety or other mental health issues; recovering from injury/illness; finding work as a differently-abled person; seeking companionship with people facing similar challenges to yours; finding your place in the workforce and world in general after time in the services or prison; disempowerment; rising above prejudice; setting up your own business when the cards life dealt were stacked against you...
Everyone
Here are some of the things that will really help the Real Bread Campaign to run Together We Rise:
- Join us: right now, the only income our charity receives to run the Real Bread Campaign are annual contributions from our network of supporters. In addition to our exclusive forum and magazine, to help say ‘thank you’ to our supporters we continue to secure discounts and other benefits. JOIN US NOW!
- Doughnations: This work can't run on goodwill alone - we need the dough to do it! We’re always extremely grateful for whatever you can spare, whether it's £5 or £5000. MAKE A DOUGHNATION
- Companions: Does your organisation use Real Bread making, cooking or other craft skills to help people in any of the ways outlined above? Would you share with us what you have learned?
Charitable trusts
Are you an employee or trustee involved with an appropriate fund we might have missed in our search? Please drop us a line: realbread@sustainweb.org
Other sources of income
We are always open to suggestions of other sources of income and offers of help to secure these.
Real Bread Campaign: The Real Bread Campaign finds and shares ways to make bread better for us, better for our communities and better for the planet. Whether your interest is local food, community-focussed small enterprises, honest labelling, therapeutic baking, or simply tasty toast, everyone is invited to become a Campaign supporter.
