The Grasmere Gingerbread Shop has been involved in the economic and social affairs of the region for more than 150 years.

“It is important that we support local Lakeland life, its traditions and its customs - for local people to enjoy and also for the visitors it attracts,” says Andrew Hunter, who bakes the Grasmere Gingerbread. “Tourists are the lifeblood of the Lake District and they come here to enjoy unique upland scenery and a more traditional way of life. Grasmere Sports, Cumbria Women of the Year and the Grasmere Rushbearing Ceremony are three very important community events on our sponsorship calendar.”


Established in 1852 and held every August Bank Holiday, Grasmere Sports attracts thousands of spectators who flock to see its world-famous attractions - Cumberland wrestling and hound trails. The thrilling Guides Race to Butter Crag overlooking the village is a fitting finale to the day. The one and half mile track reaches 900 ft above sea level and the current record is 12 minutes, 21.6 seconds set in 1978. The Grasmere Gingerbread Shop is proud to have supported the race for several years. “It’s a very emotional sight as the runners make their way across the mountain,” says Joanne Wilson, who manages the shop.
www.grasmeresportsandandshow.co.uk

This ancient custom inside St Oswald’s Church, next to the Grasmere Gingerbread Shop, dates back to the days before church floors were flagged. Parishioners would lay down rushes to purify the air and protect against the cold. Today, the children of Grasmere are rewarded with a piece of Grasmere ‘Rushbearing’ Gingerbread if they are lucky enough to carry one of the rushes! “My parents - who ran the shop for 40 years - used to make the special Rushbearing Gingerbread and we’ve resumed the tradition to help the local church and keep an important custom alive,” says Joanne.


Cumbria Women of the Year began in 1990 to support the work of Banardo's in Kendal. It honours unsung heroines, backbones of communities and those who work tirelessly for the good of other people. The announcement of the Cumbria Women of the Year winner is made at a special lunch every November at the  Wordsworth Hotel, Grasmere, near the Grasmere Gingerbread Shop, which sponsors the event. “Every year I feel honoured to be involved,” says Joanne. “It’s an enormous privilege to meet so many wonderful women whose life work is so inspiring. I am sure that had the awards been around in Sarah Nelson’s day she would have been a worthy winner. The founder of the Grasmere Gingerbread Shop endured great hardships and terrible personal loss during her lifetime to became one of the great creator-cooks of the 19th century.” 

The Grasmere Gingerbread Shop is a member of Cumbria Community Foundation, the Tourism and Conservation Partnership, supports several charities with donations, the NSPCC with food evenings and the Cumbria Air Ambulance Appeal and British Legion Poppy Appeal with donation tins inside the shop. 

To mark the shop’s 150th anniversary £1000 rewarded one lucky buyer of a gold tin of Grasmere Gingerbread. When the winner donated his prize to the Boxing Day Tsunami Appeal the Grasmere Gingerbread Shop matched the gesture. “It’s important that local businesses contribute to community endeavours when they can,” says Joanne.

Eight inch high letters made of Grasmere Gingerbread raised £374 for the BBC charity Children in Need.
This year’s event in Cumbria was held at Rheged, near Penrith. One hundred and fifty years ago Sarah Nelson - who invented Grasmere Gingerbread - created letters out of her famous confectionery to teach village children the alphabet. “We created Children in Need in Grasmere Gingerbread and auctioned off the individual letters on the night to help raise money,” explained Joanne, manager of the Grasmere Gingerbread Shop. “Sarah Nelson would have approved I am sure.”