A THREE-GENERATION family bakery in Ryde has been recognised with a national award for the way it navigated its way through the first Covid-19 lockdown.

Graces Bakery, which was established by the Redrup family in 1997, received the award from the Independent Retailers’ Confederation (IRC) for showing specific innovation to combat the impact of the virus.

During lockdown, Graces continued baking, supplying St Mary’s Hospital in Newport with sandwiches when it was unable to keep its cafeteria running.

The Graces team began bagging small bags of flour by hand due to the nationwide shortage, keeping their own shop and local supermarkets stocked with flour, yeast, bread and cakes.

Within a week of lockdown being announced, they had created a brand new website and online shop, and had begun delivering Island-wide for free.

They also sourced any other products customers asked for, including yeast, milk, eggs, vegetables and other essentials.

The shop delivered to between 150 and 250 customers a day, five days a week.

Marketing manager, Sarah Redrup, who is also the daughter of the owners Carole and Ray, said: “I think this year of all years, it feels really good to be recognised nationwide for our efforts during this time, and especially being the only shop on the Isle of Wight to be shortlisted.

"But to win is absolutely amazing. It’s been a really difficult year and this really means a lot.”

Judges said Grace’s Bakery was “a great example of an independent retailer being at the heart of its local community ­— not just the quality of the products or the commitment to serve the community in unusual times, but the imagination with which it has done so and its determination are really admirable.”

The IRC is a collective of trade associations, which between them represent approximately 100,000 independent retailers throughout the UK, and the award is sponsored by Booost, the loyalty, gifting and promotions app.