Furniture from Harrogate's Ales in the Dales to be auctioned off for Horticap charity

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Although it has had its challenges - the Great British weather being one - the reopening of outdoor hospitality has been a big success in Harrogate and businesses have made the most of the opportunity, getting creative to give people an experience they'll never forget.

One of those was the 'Ales in the Dales' experience at The Yorkshire Hotel, which has proved hugely popular over the last month.

And as the party begins to move indoors, this weekend will be the last time guests can enjoy the Ales in the Dales as it will all be removed from Monday, as the next stage of the roadmap out of lockdown unfolds.

Simon Cotton Managing Director at HRH Group which owns the hotel, said: “It’s been such a great project and I’ll be eternally grateful for all the help and support of those that made it happen, however all good things must come to an end.”

The outdoor drinking and dining experience was put together with the help of a number of local businesses and Harrogate charity Horticap.

One of the companies which supported the project was Wetherby-based Akula Living which provides outdoor furniture, selling to some of the world’s leading hotels across Europe, America and the Middle East, such as The Atlantis in Dubai and the Venetian in Las Vegas.

Akula Living provided all of the outdoor furniture for Ales in the Dales on loan but as the business does not normally deal in second-hand furniture, the owners have decided to auction off the items, with a percentage of each sold going towards supporting the amazing work of Horticap.

Tim Appleton, CEO of Akula, said: “It was our pleasure to support Ales in the Dales as an outdoor hospitality pop up.

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“The HRH Group is a great client of ours so to be able to support it at this difficult time for the industry was a simple decision.

“Along with being a fun project, it was a great opportunity to showcase some of our stunning outdoor furniture collection.

“Whilst only used for five weeks, we don’t normally sell items once used, so when Simon suggested we auction it off and take the opportunity to also donate some money to Horticap I jumped at the chance.”

There is a fantastic mix of outdoor summer furniture ranging from sofas through to bistro tables and full dining sets, along with a couple of sun loungers.

All of the furniture needs to go and could be sold at anything up to 80% off the list price as the reserves have been set so low, although each item will go to the highest bidder.

The auction will take place at 10am this Sunday, May 16 , outside The Yorkshire Hotel, with payment required on the day.

However, items won’t be available to take from the venue until Monday morning.

To see the type of furniture provided by Akula Living, visit: www.akulaliving.com

Mr Cotton added: “With reports that outdoor furniture is so hard to purchase right now due to supply chain issues from abroad, we’re expecting a lot of interest and whilst we want people to be able to bag a bargain, we also hope people will be generous in donating to Horticap too.”

Phil Airey, Assistant Manager at Horticap, the horticultural charity which supports people with learning difficulties in the disrict, said: “This is such brilliant news and we can’t thank Simon, his team and those at Akula Living enough. We’ve had such a great time getting involved in the project.

“I’ll be there at the auction on Sunday and I can’t wait.”

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For more information on the auction, contact The Yorkshire Hotel.