How community spirit is helping sustain one Liverpool business during coronavirus shutdown

Although undoubtedly the safest course of action, the decision to suspend Premier League fixtures in light of the coronavirus pandemic left many small businesses fearing for their futures.

As detailed by Standard Sport earlier this month, the loss of Liverpool and Everton games scheduled to be played in the coming weeks was expected to hit traders on Merseyside particularly hard.

Anfield-based bakery Homebaked was just one of the many local businesses placed in a precarious position by the postponement of professional football in the UK.

And its status as a not-for-profit community hub and training provider for local people made sustaining it all the more important.

Thankfully, two weeks on, the bakery represents a shining example of how solidarity is key to overcoming any setback.

It began with a pre-lockdown call to arms resulting in the sale of over 1,000 frozen pies to local residents.

Homebaked were then tasked with baking 70 loaves of bread a day for the next three months to be donated to the North Liverpool Foodbank.

That order was placed courtesy of a grant from the Steve Morgan Foundation, a charity founded by and named after the former Wolverhampton Wanderers chairman and lifelong Liverpool supporter.

A nearby Asda store is also purchasing 50 lunches a day for staff who are working hard to keep shelves stocked during lockdown.

These cash injections have helped ensure that just five of Homebaked’s 20 employees have had to be placed on furlough - a remarkable figure considering the circumstances.

And the hope is that this number can be further reduced by a renewed effort to sell frozen pies - 600 a week, to be exact - in the coming weeks.

Should this trade sustain throughout the coronavirus pandemic, then Liverpool and Everton supporters will be able to look forward to their matchday pie at Homebaked when football finally does resume.