A flapjack machine which produced around 13 million individual flapjacks over 85 years has been sold back to its original creator, raising money for Pendleside Hospice in the process.
Nelson-based Farmhouse Biscuits had kept the 90-year-old machine for prosperity before the original manufacturers, BCH Limited in Rochdale, asked to buy it for their historic display.
The £650 fee has gone towards Farmhouse Biscuit’s fundraising total for the hospice’s corporate challenge, which they are taking part in for the second year.
Louisa Mayor, Sales and New Product Development Manager at Farmhouse Biscuits, said: “We’d kept this historic piece of machinery as a tribute to the very beginnings of flapjack production in this area and we’re glad it’s going to its spiritual home to be preserved for years to come.
“Many of the people from the local area who’ve worked at Farmhouse over the years will remember this machine well – its flapjacks were always best eaten warm and it attracted many supervisors while it was running!
“This is the first contribution to our fundraising pot for Pendleside and after raising over £7,000 last year, we’re hoping to beat our total this time around.”
Farmhouse Biscuits acquired the historic mixer when the company purchased Kippax Biscuits in Colne in 1993. Originally built by BCH in Rochdale, the machine began operation in July 1930 and would have cost around £100 at that time.
The machine was known for producing the ‘Moorland Munch’, a flapjack-type product which was on sale until 2017.
Stuart Grogan, Operations Director at BCH, said: “Due to the history of our company and its reputation over the years, I’m really keen to create a museum of sorts, so it was nice to hear from Farmhouse about the mixer becoming available for us to buy.
“As an engineering company, we’re lucky to have been around for as long as we have and we hope creating a display of our history will prove to be fascinating for employees and visitors alike.
“It will be a nice addition to customer visits and pupils aspiring to become engineers. We’ve had a few schools come round previously and they’ve been amazed at the transformation of designs and manufacturing practices – this will only add to their experience.”