Meghan Markle Thanks East London's Luminary Bakery

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Meghan Markle has used the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Instagram to shine a spotlight on an east London bakery helping disadvantaged women.

Luminary Bakery, which the Duchess of Sussex also featured in the issue of Vogue she guest-edited, is a social enterprise in Stoke Newington which aims to empower some of the UK's most socially and economically disadvantaged women.

It offers training programmes which teach women to bake to a professional standard, and achieve a Level 2 Food Hygiene Qualification.

According to its 2019 Impact Report, Luminary has supported 66 women since being founded in 2014. The majority of these women have previously experienced homelessness and have struggled with mental health issues including PTSD. Nearly one in four is a survivor of trafficking.

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Since we have some new followers around here ? (#thanksvogue) we thought we would share a bit more about who Luminary is and what we do! ⠀ ⠀ Luminary is a social enterprise working to empower the UK's most disadvantaged women. We offer skills training in the art of baking, paid employment in our business and a supportive community to help women thrive. We provide a safe and professional environment where women can grow holistically – encouraging ambition, restoration and second chances. Since Luminary began in 2014, we have supported 66 women to build their career and are continually inspired by all they are achieving-- from finding employment, starting their own business, raising families, going to university-- they are accomplishing amazing things! We have recently compiled an impact report that looks at our graduates progression and measures of independence! So, if you're looking to learn more about how Luminary works, check that out (link in bio). ⠀ ⠀ #purchasewithpurpose #socialenterprise #socent #empoweringwomen #luminarybakery #bakersofinstagram

A post shared by Luminary Bakery (@luminarybakery) on Aug 5, 2019 at 8:56am PDT

In an Instagram post, the Duchess of Sussex hailed Luminary as "exceptional" and "a space for baking, healing and rebuilding".

"When I visited earlier this year I was struck by how the baking, itself, is a means of therapy for these women - which in many ways makes complete sense - feeling they had no control over their lives based on their previous (and often harrowing) circumstances, they found comfort in the measured nature of baking," she said.

"Mixing equal parts of one ingredient and another could yield the perfect dessert, but the act of doing so provided personal balance. So while the baked goods are absolutely delicious, it’s the story of how the program at Luminary reshapes lives through baking that is the actual icing on the cake."

The Duke and Duchess have also supported Luminary by commissioning their bakers to make the Duchess's delicious-sounding 38th birthday cake.

Luminary Bakery's founder Alice Williams previously thanked the Duchess for her high-profile support, saying: "I think it will open a lot of doors for us. There's so many more women that need opportunities."

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