Bake N Bite celebrate 20th anniversary in Largs

No pupil in Largs went away empty handed with ice creams being distributed from their ice cream van last Friday morning as the school was involved in a sponsored walk event.

The Moorburn Road business helped to melt the hearts of the community in more ways than one as it celebrated two decades in town.

Bake 'n' Bite, in Moorburn Road, gave every school pupil in the town - including Largs Academy, Largs Primary, St Mary's Primary and all the early learning classes - a free ice cream to mark the milestone.

Explaining the thought process to give out free ice creams to pupils, John said: "I just thought it would be a special thing to do.

"I have spoken to all the head teachers and they are in agreement, and it was wonderful to hand out 2,000 free ice creams to every pupil as a special thank you to the Largs community for all the support we have received."

John has been running the business successfully with wife Susan for the past two decades.

He said: "I like to think we are people's people and we can relate to our customers.

"The big reward goes to all the people of Largs who have supported us over the years.

"This is why we were very keen to give something back to the community.

"Without them we wouldn't have been here and they have supported us wonderfully over the years.

"The headmaster at Largs Academy thanked me on behalf of all the schools and the kids were great and just loved it from playgroup right up to secondary school pupils. 

Ice cream giveaway in Largs with head teacher John Doherty and John Harkins (Image: Largs Academy)

"We received some lovely feedback too and Susan received flowers and chocolates. The people of Largs are worth their weight in gold.

"We were initially told when we opened our business 20 years ago that it would never work but we are living proof that people can really get behind a small business.

"The people of Largs don't who how decent they are, and we have always been keen to give back to the community early since the early days when we used to provide treats for Helter Skelter, the former teenage cafe, in town, as well as cheques to charity and buying match balls for kids football teams.

"I feel you have to earn yourself respect in the community and we got it right back in spades."

The complex operation involving John's son, also called John, and wife Sarah-Jane of Bay Ices in Wemyss Bay in the making and presenting of the 1.970 ice creams which required two ice cream vans at each end of the playground to cater for all the schoolchildren who devoured the treat on another mild day in Largs.