Spalding factory closure: George Adams' grandaughter feels 'so much for the people working there'

As one of the town's largest employers, the proposed closure of Spalding Bakery is a hammer blow.

Addo Food Group announced last week that it plans to close the Fulney Lane factory next year, putting 405 jobs at risk.

Production is to be switched to the company's Poole and Palesthorpe bakeries. Addo said the move is to "maintain our market-leading position and meet customer expectations as efficiently as possible".

Although a consultation is under way, it seems likely the closure will go ahead, with Addo acknowledging the disappointment the announcement would bring for staff.

The site has also been owned by Pork Farms and Tulip but for many it has and always will be known as George Adams.

The business started in The Crescent in 1910 and a butcher's shop in founder George Adams' name still remains, although the family has no involvement.

George's grandaughter, Carolyn Goodwin, said last week's news was a poignant blow.

"I was very sad," said Mrs Goodwin, who worked for the company from the age of 14. "I just feel so much for the people working there."

She was head of HR when the big step of building a factory at Low Fulney was taken,

"It was necessary because of the growth of the business and the move to wholesale. From what I can remember it started off with about 150 people at Spalding and there were five to six hundred when I left about 15 years ago," said Mrs Goodwin, who owns the nearby Unique Cottage Studios.

As well as the impact on jobs, there's the prospect of a large factory possibly standing empty for some time.

"I still remember when it was a nice paddock and we had cattle there," said Mrs Goodwin. "But it's just bricks and mortar. My main thoughts are with the lives of the people who will be affected."