A BOLTON bakery put smiles on the faces of NHS staff after shutting its doors to customers amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Carrs Pasties delivered 100 baked goods to hard-working staff on the respiratory wards at Bolton Hospital.

Ward Manager Rebecca Alihemate said “It was a very kind, lovely and heartwarming gesture.”

On Monday, Carrs closed the doors to all its bakeries in light of the pandemic, promising to re-open when it becomes safe to do so.

It had kept three of the shops open so customers could stock up on frozen pasties and the business had also been offering a frozen delivery service to those who are vulnerable or in self-isolation to ensure they have food.

The company said they "had precautions in place to adhere to social distancing and maintained excellent hygiene standards."

However, on Monday they announced the shops will remain closed and there will be no delivery service until further notice.

Joe Carr, managing director said: “This has been a really tough decision, but we feel it’s the right thing to do in order to protect our staff, customers and their families, their health is the most important thing to us.

"Our staff will be looked after, and we’ll all be keeping in touch to check in on each other.

"We had an unbelievable response to our frozen delivery service and we hope that we’ve made some lives a little bit easier during this difficult time.

"We want to say a massive thanks to all our customers for their continued understanding and support. We’ll be back soon!”

This is the first time the bakery has ever had to close for this length of time. While it remains closed, Carrs say they will be looking for opportunities to help the community where possible.