Communities around a factory. The story of Rowntree/Nestlé in Fawdon

Our new project was launched in 2023 and was developed in collaboration with Fawdon Community Library, with the backing of Fawdon Nestlé's factory management and the trade unions.

There was great sadness when Nestlé confirmed the imminent closure of its Fawdon factory. Operations will stop later this year and bring to an end 65 years of local production of such well-loved brands as Fruit Pastilles, Fruit Gums, Rolo, Toffee Crisp, Munchies and Matchmakers. A task force involving management, unions, the City Council and others is supporting the workforce to find suitable alternative employment, where required, and also exploring future options for the site.

We felt that as a local community we did not want to risk losing the memories made by the community that worked and lived around the factory. Therefore we plan to capture the story of the factory, its journey  from Rowntree to Nestlé and, more importantly, the memories of those who worked there over many generations. 

We want to collect and record people's stories about their life in and around the factory and we will archive any records in our local library, shared with Tyne and Wear Museums, for future memory. We aim to develop an exhibition and write a book out of this project, to ensure memory of such an important part of the life of our community does not get lost. 

If you have stories to share, please email us at fawdonandcoxlodgetogether@gmail.com.