Squatters in Calderdale, West Yorkshire have taken over an empty grocery store and turned it into a cafe and free library, selling vegan cake, tea and coffee to locals.
The group has already installed signs in the windows reading "Squat the World" and "No Air B&Bs on a Dead Planet", and is now inviting locals to come and use the free library service and tuck into some comforting homemade vegan treats.
Their takeover of former grocery store Holts has received the most Hebden Bridge welcome possible from locals, with posts on a community Facebook group praising their efforts, calling them 'brave' and sticking up for their rights in the comments section.
One poster asked: "Sorry I'm not from the UK so have no clue about the right terms etc, but wouldn't that be classed as breaking and entering? I don't know much about squatting, I think I only ever heard uni students doing it to derelict factories back in Finland..."
They were met with a swift reply explaining that in the UK "squatting is classed as unlawful but not illegal.
"You can squat a nonresidential property for however long it takes for the owner to get an eviction notice to remove you, the law has been tightened in the last few years around squatting but some brave folks are still reclaiming empty building and they are often set up as temporary community spaces."
Whilst there have been some concerns from locals regarding suspected asbestos inside the property, the reaction to the new cafe has been overwhelmingly positive with many already planning trips down.
One person wrote: "Serving food teas and coffees from a building that’s long been empty… brilliant!"
Another said: "It's about time something was done with those premises. It such a shame it's been empty for so long and that the new owners want to destroy it and open yet another café/bar.
"If it can be used as shelter and a drop in community space, surely that's a good thing."
A third added: "The asbestos and roofing issues are a bit worrying, but frankly anything happening with the beautiful old shop is a great idea.
"Gives the kids somewhere else to hang out, the spirit in there seems really chipper and they aren't harming anyone.
"I hope a more permanent solution will be organised soon, but for now? Leave them to it until somebody gives a toss. It gives a poor impression of the town when it's sitting around empty."
A fourth said: "Great - about time something was done with that disgracefully neglected building"
Over the coming days, squatters are planning to host a film screening of alt-punk documentary Rebel Dykes and hosting a 'Disinfo Folk Session' at the grocery-store-turned-cafe.
They have set up a Facebook group to keep people informed, posting about the folk session: "Bring your instruments, bring your pals, bring your best tunes, and join us for our first open mic folk jam at your newest autonomous community squat!
However, not everyone seems as pleased as Hebden Bridge's residents about the new development.
The building is currently owned by Royds Catering Services, The Hoot understands.
A spokesperson for the firm said that they were told about the squatters on Tuesday morning and would be contacting the police to ask about their removal.
They added that Royds also owns the former Pennine Wine and Cheese Co, at 8 Bridge Gate next door, and is keen to merge the two spaces but has met with opposition from the council planning department.
Viral bakery Get Baked will be closing the doors of its Headingley bakery at the end of next month.
It’s safe to say that Get Baked is a proper Leeds success story, opening five years ago and fast becoming one of the most viral bakeries in the UK.
Customers had their fingers on the pulse to grab a slice of that oh so mighty chocolate cake week in, week out, and us locals felt very lucky to have a Get Baked on our doorstep.
But unfortunately, this won’t be the case anymore as today the bakery has announced they’ll be closing their Headingley site for good.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Owner Rich took to Instagram to announce the sad news, he said: “These are words I never envisaged myself writing, but I must share with you all the news that at the end of February, our Headingley store will be closing.
“When we opened the site 5 years ago, it was a requirement of the landlord that the lease was personally guaranteed — at the time I had little to lose, and didn’t think twice.
“Now our lease is up for renewal, with the same requirement for me to personally guarantee it — the difference being that I have a lot more to lose, and with a significant rise in rent and rates, paired with the obvious strains on hospitality that everyone’s more than aware of — I can no longer personally guarantee the lease.
"The new lease would mean that the price we lay out in Headingley would exceed the amount we pay for our site in Manchester City centre, which for the style of business that we are, is just madness.
"Being busy is no longer enough to make most hospitality sites work, you have to squeeze so hard to the point where there’s no real fun left — record sales weeks become less of a joy, and more of a necessity.
"For complete transparency, the business has grown to a point where we have to take £500,000 a month to break even — it’s very scary, but it’s all a result of the rapid growth that we’ve undergone over the last few years.
"We are extremely lucky to have a very strong online business. We serve thousands of customers every week delivering desserts all over the country — online is very much the future of GB.
"I have an enormous amount of gratitude for the teams that we’ve had in Headingley over the last five years — we’ve employed some incredible people that played a pivotal role in the businesses success.
"Without them, we wouldn’t be where we are — I’m extremely grateful. I must also thank our customers — when we relaunched the business from nothing in 2021, we were welcomed with open arms.
"OG customers from the previous iteration of GB came back like it had never left, it was truly remarkable. I’m conscious that Headingley serves some of our most loyal and regular customers, and I am so grateful to you all for your support over the years. We will close the doors on Saturday the 28th of February."
If you’re still looking to get your Get Baked fix, you can either order online or take a trip across the Pennines to visit their bakery in Manchester City Centre.
Leeds pub requests extended opening hours after Otley Run ban
Ownership The Hoot
A pub in Headingley which failed in a bid to join the Otley Run has applied for later opening hours.
You may remember back in December when The Golden Beam in Headingley requested to join the ever so famous pub crawl, The Otley Run.
The application was denied by Leeds City Council, but now they're focusing their efforts on a different application in a quest to extend their opening hours.
The pub which serves until 10:30pm on weekdays and midnight on Friday and Saturday, has applied to operate until midnight Sunday to Thursday and until 00:30 at weekends.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Leeds City Council will consider the application at a hearing next Tuesday 20 January.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, 22 objections have been made by locals and from Headingley and Hyde Park councillor Tim Goodall.
Goodall said in a letter: "Allowing the Golden Beam to open later is likely to lead to increased consumption of alcohol, which is then likely to lead to an even higher rate of drunk and disorderly crime."
At the hearing councillors will have the option of granting or refusing the application, or allowing it with additional conditions when considering the extended hours.
A spokesperson from The Golden Beam said: “The Golden Beam has extensive seating and lavatory facilities within the pub, CCTV throughout, no music, food availability until 10pm Sunday to Thursday and 11pm Friday and Saturday and highly trained staff."
Georgina Pellant -
26th July 2022 
