Bake Away Plus Extended Across Summer Holidays After Helping Families In Halewood Learn And Bake Together

An innovative family food project helping parents and young children cook, learn and spend quality time together has been extended in Halewood following its successful pilot.

Bake Away Plus, funded by Knowsley Council and Stronger Communities, has been running at New Hutte Children & Family Hub in partnership with We’ll Care Liverpool CIC and Knowsley Council’s Early Years Service.

Following overwhelmingly positive feedback from local families, the initiative will now continue throughout the summer holidays and run until October 2026.

Free baking kits helping families learn together

Bake Away Plus provides families with free recipe cards and pre-measured ingredients, allowing them to recreate simple baking recipes together at home.

The baking packs have been distributed during the Early Years Service’s popular Story and Rhyme Time sessions, giving families the opportunity to continue learning and having fun long after the sessions have ended.

The project has been praised for encouraging children to develop new skills while giving families an enjoyable activity to share together.

Parents who have taken part have spoken positively about how easy the kits are to use and the quality time they’ve created at home.

One parent said: 

“We’ve loved the food boxes. It was good fun making them together and teaching the children more about cooking.”

Even families with very young children have embraced the initiative.

Another parent said: 

“I love the baking boxes, my baby is only four months old but I make them with her in the kitchen and look forward to making them when she’s bigger.”

Parents also welcomed the opportunity to continue activities started during the Story and Rhyme Time sessions.

One family said: 

“We have really enjoyed the bakery boxes and would love to see them more often. 

“It is great to go home and continue learning from the session with the children. It’s great that the ingredients are all measured out and it makes it so easy to do at home.”

Project to continue until October

Following the success of the pilot, We’ll Care Liverpool CIC has confirmed Bake Away Plus will continue throughout the school summer holidays before running through to October.

Brian Powell from We’ll Care Liverpool CIC said: 

“I’m delighted that our Bake Away Plus project has had such an impact on families in Halewood. 

“Not only are we supporting with a food offer and ideas of how to use ingredients, but based on the feedback we’ve received, it really is an activity families can enjoy together.”

Councillor Sean Donnelly, Knowsley Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, added: 

“This is a great example of Knowsley Better Together in action, partners coming together to pool ideas and resources to deliver more for Knowsley’s residents.

“It’s an amazing project which covers a wide range of skills from reading and rhyme through to teamwork and culinary skills for the benefit of the whole family. 

“Well done to Brian and his team for bringing this great initiative to Halewood and for their commitment, passion and support they provide to our children and families.”

Families wanting to take part can attend the Story and Rhyme Time sessions held every Thursday from 10 am until 11 am at New Hutte Children & Family Hub, Lichfield Road, Halewood. Visitors can also find out more about the project through We’ll Care Liverpool CIC’s Facebook page here.