A BELOVED bakery is celebrating 60 years of crafting quality food — and puts its success down to the family traditions at the core of the business.

Allan Smart founded Greenhalgh's in 1957 and the company, now under the leadership of his son David, has since become one of Bolton's biggest employers, with around 950 workers across two manufacturing sites and 63 shops.

The company has pushed the boat out for its anniversary celebrations, starting with a family fun day at its Lostock headquarters for staff and family.

And celebrations continued at Rivington Barn at a special dinner for guests and suppliers who were shown an emotional video about the history of Greenhalgh's, featuring cameos from present day staff, many of whom started with the firm from leaving school and whose children went on to work in the bakery.

David remains passionate about the ethos handed down from his father and is passing the same values on to his children, Stephen and Georgina, who also work at Greenhalgh's.

He said: "This business has always been part of my family and part of my life.

"I would come in to the bakery from a very young age, starting helping out when I was about 13 and then went to bakery school in Salford before joining the business on a full-time basis.

"I always wanted to come here and work with my dad.

"I remember as a youngster I would wake my dad up at 3am to ask if we were going to work at the bakery.

"I was eight or nine when I made my first Christmas cake at our old bakery. The supervisors who were here at the time showed me how to make it.

"Before I knew it, I was making pies and bread. So by the time I went to bakery school at 16, I already knew my way around.

"From my dad, to me, to my children, this business runs through our family from one generation to the next.

"And as long as we keep craft as our core the business will be sound.

"I think we will always have a retail business, that is important for us. The supermarkets trade on cheap, but we are all about exceptionally high quality and diversity."

The original Greenhalgh’s Bakery Shop was owned by James Greenhalgh and was bought in the 1940s by the Bolton Palais de Danse Company, primarily to supply their dance hall with bakery products.

When Mecca took over the Palais Company in 1957, the bakery was sold to Allan — who was its manager — and he named his new enterprise Greenhalgh’s Model Bakery.

The bakery soon outgrew its small premises in Julia Street, Horwich and moved to the old Beehive Mill site in Lostock in 1971, where it remains today.

David, who turns 60 himself next year, added: "It is a different business now to what it used to be. I remember when we had four shops, now we have 65.

"But our principles are still the same. We are all about craft here and we have honed our skills over the last 60 years.

"We do make a lot of products for retailers and for export, but they are still made the right way.

"If you open up a cheap pie you will see that it is full of gravy, but ours are full of meat.

"Our pasties have real cheese in them and that is why they are a bit more expensive.

"We try to make an honest product for a fair price."

To celebrate the landmark anniversary, Greenhalgh's have also had a beer brewed, called Al’s Ale in memory of the company founder.