A CITY bakery is going from strength to strength as it looks to expand with a move to a bigger location. 

MWD's Bakery, which is currently based on Cecil Street, has announced that they will be taking over the Lounge on the Green building in Houghton when it closes in September. 

Owner Martin Douglas is excited about the move which will see his business returning to its roots in the village.

"I'm super excited, I got a really good response last night (Monday) from social media because my customers have been really loyal with me," he said.

"They followed me from Houghton to the one in town, and then they're going to follow me back to Houghton.

"I'm really, really grateful because I have got a very good customer base."

The new location is much more accessible and comes with a bigger kitchen and better parking which Mr Douglas hopes will help to expand his customer base further. 

He's hoping that the bakery will become a hub for the village giving everyone from elderly people and mums to school children and walkers a place to gather. 

"The village has already got a lovely community, and I believe that you could make this a hub for the community," Mr Douglas said. 

"We'll be able to do pensioner specials on a Monday. We'll be able to do something for the mums and the toddlers on a Tuesday. We can open later on a Friday night for the kids after school, for ice creams and treats.

"There's just going to be so much more opportunities up there than what I've got currently here."

Although Mr Douglas owns the business and spends countless hours baking the delicious treats on sale, he is also supported by his mum and dad making it a proper family business. 

And, going forward, he's hoping to take on a young person - ideally from Houghton - as his apprentice. 

He added: "I've got some really good staff as well, so I'm hoping with the model I've got when we take it up there, we just make it even better.

"I'm probably going to need to recruit maybe another couple of members of staff as well, so that hopefully will add value to the community."