For decades British Oil and Cake Mills (BOCM) dominated local community life in the Barlby area of Selby. When the company was bought out by a Dutch firm, volunteers from the Parish of Hemingbrough Historical/Heritage Society (PHHHS) took the opportunity to rescue the company archives and add people’s memories and stories of working at the BOCM factory to create a new website, book and series of talks.

Volunteers from PHHHS have investigated the important role the company played in the area’s heritage and development. They have been trained in research and oral history interviewing to enable them to gather information about the company, its workers and the social life, clubs and benefits for the workers. Those interviewed commented on the family atmosphere of BOCM with real investment made in their health and well-being.

The facilities for workers at BOCM were second to none only bettered by Rowntree’s my father used to say – I remember the scones were fantastic.

BOCM apprentice Mechanical Engineer

Volunteers have recorded over 15 interviews and uncovered some real characters amongst the bargemen, machinists, sewing staff and more. Some even travelled from Cambridge to take part in the project. Stories of how workers coped when the local area flooded and had to row to work, canteen stories, onsite surgeries and sports teams reflected how the company touched many parts of people’s lives.

A BOCM apprentice Mechanical Engineer remembered: "The facilities for workers at BOCM were second to none only bettered by Rowntree’s my father used to say – I remember the scones were fantastic."

Hidden stories about the site’s wider uses and the people that worked there have helped to bring to life the history of the area and add colour to the archive material. The work is being compiled in a book and will be available on the PHHHS website.