I went inside the 137-year-old Merseyside factory getting churches ready for Easter
Explore how the Hayes & Finch factory in Aintree merges tradition with technology to prepare churches for Easter.
Chocolate eggs fluffy chicks and a bank holiday - even though you can't always guarantee the weather - Easter is a time of joy for many.
One of the most important times in the Christian calendar, the date Easter falls on changes each year but the grand religious celebrations remain the same and one local business plays a huge role behind the scenes.
Our video journalist, Emily Bonner, visited Hayes & Finch in Aintree who have been supplying churches with everything they need for this moveable feast since 1882.
Managing Director Andrew Ware told us: “We are an ecclesiastical supplier so we supply everything you see in the church, right the way down to the pews you sit on, the wine you drink to the altar bread you eat and then obviously all the candles, all the vestments that the priests wear and all the altar servers wear.”
For over 130 years, Hayes & Finch have committed to supplying the requirements of the church Emily was lucky enough to get a behind the scenes factory tour. Emily said: “I was like a kid in a candy shop getting a glimpse into the inner workings of production.
“I couldn't quite believe my eyes when I saw how their candles were made they are so long. The factory tour was really extensive and they were really keen to show me around the woodwork metal and garment rooms where a mix of craftsmanship and automation is used to create objects which will be used not only here in Merseyside but around the world.”
Andrew added: “ What we've found is tradition still works so, if we've got some machines that are old but they still work, then that's that's great we'll keep using them and then we'll look for automation with some new machinery as well.
“We've got a balance I would say of old tradition and then some new technology which definitely works for us.”
Hayes & Finch first began on Leeds Street 1882 with William Hayes and James Finch. The businesses survived two world wars and in 1969 they moved from the city centre to new premises in Aintree, at the site of the former Meccano factory where they remain today.
Sales coordinator Emma Owen said: “It is very cheesy but it is like a family.
“We have a meeting every Wednesday morning just to catch up see how everyone is, any problems, but like I say it is a family. From an outsider coming in, I have just slotted right in.”
Between 1960 and 2015, the UK experienced one of the steepest drops in manufacturing employment among advanced economies second only to Switzerland, so it's great to see it's still alive and well right here in Aintree.
Andrew said: “So we've had to move with the times definitely as a business but then probably about 20 years ago we did look to diversify the business in some way. We looked at period furniture. We now supply our skill set of the metal shop into stately homes or town halls and then from the candle side we've moved into scented candles and diffusers.”