1,250 signatures have been collected to prevent the only bakery in historic Megen from having to close its doors. In addition to being a shop, the Antoon & Frans bread and pastry shop is also a daytime activity for people with disabilities. This makes it socially indispensable for the people of Megen. “This store gave my son his freedom.”
For Berlinda van Vught’s family, the bakery is a place that has changed their lives. Son Remco, a born and bred citizen of Megen who is now 31, has been working there for years. “He’s enjoying it so much,” his mother says proudly. “And it has greatly improved his independence.”
In the morning Remco walks to the bakery himself. No vans, no taxis: he can just walk. “He likes all the clients who work there and all the customers. This is life for him,” Berlinda explains. In the fifteen years that he has worked there, Remco may have been ill once. Every day he goes to the store beaming.
But it is not certain whether Remco can continue to do that. The municipality of Oss wants to pull the plug on Bakery Antoon & Frans. “It is a financial decision and there are too few clients,” says councilor and Megenaar Bas van der Voort. And he, like the majority of the village’s residents, disagrees with that.
“We have collected 1,250 signatures, which will be handed over to the municipality today,” says Van der Voort. They want a restart, or at least a solid alternative for the clients. Because they are very upset.”
“It’s not just a bakery, it’s mainly a daytime activity.”
“It is not just a bakery, it is mainly a daytime activity,” says the councilor. “They receive their appreciation here every day from the other residents, because it is also just a meeting place.”
And that is exactly what makes it so important for a mother like Berlinda. “People recognize Remco because they see him here at the bakery. When I walk through the street with him, people come up to him to greet him. ‘Hey, baker!’ they say. That’s so warm to see That you do not hide someone with a disability, but rather include them in society.”
“I am confident that there will be a restart.”
These same fellow citizens have now worked hard for the bakery. Anyone walking through Megen will see several posters in every street with the slogan ‘keep our bakery closer’. They collected 1250 signatures in a city with 1695 inhabitants. “I think that’s a huge amount and I’m also very proud of it,” Van der Voort responds. “I am confident that there will be a restart. Especially when the municipality and other parties see how much support there is.”
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