Tributes are pouring in for a bakery “hero” whose sudden death has devastated colleagues.
Phil Lancelotte, 63, spent more than four decades at the Jones Village Bakery where he mentored generations of young bakers starting out in the business.
He was held in such high regard that there are plans to erect a plaque to honour his memory.
Phil passed away following a short illness, after what he thought was a bad back turned out to be an aggressive cancer.
The funeral service will be held at Pentrebychan Crematorium on the outskirts of Wrexham at 12pm on Monday, May 11.
After joining the Village Bakery in 1985, Phil spent a major part of his career working on the production line and later became a despatch driver shuttling goods between the company’s different sites.
During his 41 years with the company, he saw it grow from a small back street bakery into a major employer with five bakeries – in Minera and on Wrexham Industrial Estate – with a total of more than 1,000 staff
Pie room manager Kerry Wilson worked with Phil for 36 years.
Kerry said: “Phil was my supervisor when I started at the original bakery in Park Road in Coedpoeth and there were only about 12 of us altogether.
“He was a one-off and he had a heart of gold. You don’t say it about many people, but he was an absolute legend, a genuine Village Bakery hero.
“Phil had a very dry sense of humour – you always knew exactly where you stood with him. Beneath that gruff exterior, there was a heart of gold.
“It was a terrible shock when we heard the news. It was devastating. He’ll be massively missed because he was a right character.”
Phil had a track record of raising money for good causes and in 2009 was named as the company’s first ever Village Hero because of his dedicated support for a local charity, the Wrexham PHAB Club, Physically Handicapped and Able Bodied Club.
Then in 2024 he was inspired to shave off his bushy beard to raise money for Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool by the courage of the then six year old daughter of workmate Wayne Jones.
Wayne, who’s now in charge of crumpet production, said: “Phil was a great guy, very giving and did a lot of fundraising for lots of charities.
“He even shaved his beard, which was his pride and joy, for my daughter who had cancer – she’s three years in remission now so everything’s going really well with Bella.
“I think I will take Bella with me to the funeral. She shed a tear when she heard that Phil had passed away. She remembers him fondly for what he did.
“Phil taught me everything when I started at the Village Bakery when everything was done by hand.
“Whenever we had anyone new, they were always put with Phil, he had a lot of patience and you could always have a laugh.
“Over the years he’s been a very close friend. I can never thank him enough for everything, all the knowledge he’s given me and everything he did for my family at that difficult time. He was a diamond of a bloke and everybody at the bakery is going to miss him deeply.”
Tom Breeze, the manager of the bakery in Minera, was also mentored by Phil when he first started there as a wet-behind-the-ears 16 year old.
He said: “Phil was quite tough on you when you started but he genuinely made you a better person and taught you respect. I can only thank him for what he did for me and countless others.
“There’s been so many people in this business who have there own personal memories of Phil. He had banter with everyone and he was a really well-liked guy.
“Generations of people who work here have come through the Phil Lancelotte school of bakery, teaching you the basics of baking. He was a brilliant mentor who also taught you life skills.”
“Phil wanted the best for people. There are so many people here who he has trained and developed and his legacy lives on.”
It was a sentiment echoed by Village Bakery CEO Simon Thorpe who said: “Phil represented the best of the Village Bakery. If anybody represented our ethos, it was Phil.
“His legacy is woven into the fabric of the Village Bakery through the countless colleagues he guided and inspired. He will be remembered not only as a great baker but also a great man with a very kind heart.”
