THOUSANDS of people are set to march through Warrington later this month in a bid

to save 500 jobs at the town's Memory Lane Cakes factory.

A massive rally, organised by the Bakers' Union, will be taking place in the town centre on Saturday, July 26.

And union bosses are hoping that the whole town will get behind their campaign to keep Memory Lane in Warrington.

Stunned workers have been told that the Delamere Street factory will be closing down, with production and distribution switching to Memory Lane's site in Cardiff.

But union officials hope that the rally may help to persuade the factory's new boss, businessman Richard Ashness, that the firm still has a future in Warrington.

Bakers' Union spokesman Eddie Pritchard said: "Our main aim is to promote job retention at the Warrington site, and it's now time to step up our campaign.

"We'll be holding a march and rally in Warrington on July 26 and we're now in the process of contacting as many people as possible.

"We're hoping that the town's MPs will be there, along with the MEP, councillors, and representatives from local churches, the Chamber of Trade and other organisations."

Mr Pritchard said it was vital that as many Warrington folk as possible should join the march and make their feelings known.

"I hope the people of Warrington will rally round, join in, and let Mr Ashness know just what they think," he said.

"If Memory Lane closes, it will have a serious effect not just on the staff who are made redundant but on the local economy as a whole."

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.