Friday was a fabulous day when one of our Trust family of schools hosted the 2025 Batley Bake Off. The Jo Cox Conference Centre at UBHS was the location for this fantastic event, which is now in its 9th year, and each year the standard of entries gets higher and higher! 

The Batley Bake Off runs as part of our Great Get Together annual events where we bring our community together. Who doesn't enjoy a slice of cake and a cup of Yorkshire Tea?! We were joined by Jo's family - her fantastic dad Gordon, and her sister Kim were on the judging panel, together with Trust Central Team staff, Christina and Melanie, and Rory from the Jo Cox Foundation. 

The competition entries this year were sensational and to name just a few; we had a beautiful tiered rainbow cake with a poignant message about the power of community and a great education, a cheesecake which is so unique and delicious that Asda are putting it on sale in their stores across the country, a fabulous More In Common Batley cake (made by one of our very own Headteachers), a taste sensation from the brilliant Janice at BGHS whose cakes are famous across our Trust family of schools, a cake themed around the Trust logo made by our very own Attendance Lead, Becky, and a handcrafted work of art depicting a school's curriculum offer around horticulture, barnyard and bees - wow!

Then there was a rhubarb spectacular in which learners from across several year groups of Batley Grammar School had thoughtfully researched forced rhubarb, The Rhubarb Triangle in West Yorkshire, Jo Cox and her work. The learners had grown the rhubarb (and even grown the flowers on their table display) then carefully crafted rhubarb cheesecake, rhubarb muffins, rhubarb crumble and even made rhubarb-ade to drink! This entry was amazing not only in taste, but in thought, care and attention to detail. Every aspect of their presentation was linked to the red and white gingham of the Great Get Together colours - down to the intricate little red and white bows on the miniature cheesecakes. It really was a showstopper! Well done Team BGS and a massive thank you to everyone who has supported our Great Get Together events this June! We are the Trust at the heart of the Batley community and we have far more in common than that which divides us.