The Sea Cadets proposed new building on Southdene

The current building was constructed as the Southdene Pavilion in the 1920s, it closed in the early 1960s and has been the base for Filey’s Sea Cadets for several decades.

Programme from the Southdene Pavilion Theatre

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Of course, an outdoor event is always subject to the vagaries of the great British weather. Over the weekend winds are forecast to be between 18mph and 20mph. Which equates to a ‘moderate breeze’ on the Beaufort Scale. The BBC are describing Saturday’s wind as a ‘fresh breeze’. However, there are stronger gusts amongst that average wind speed, so we presume that is the reason for the cancellation.

The organisers will be naturally risk averse where the public is concerned, but many of the stall holders will now be facing significant losses, especially those who will have been preparing perishable goods. In the current economic climate this is doubly concerning as the vast majority are small businesses. We can only hope that the cancellation does not stop stall holders returning to, what was becoming, one of THE food festivals in Yorkshire.

We understand that some are rescheduling their weekend events and these are being publicised by the Facebook page of Filey Food Festival.

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The distillery building is based on West Road in a 160-year-old former herring smoke house. Locals will remember it as John Burton’s Garage that was based at the premises for many many years. The building has been beautifully restored and is worth a visit in its own right, with a couple of ship’s masts in the roof and soot on the walls from years of smoking the kippers. However, the new star of the show is the copper gin still and its lovely products.

Visitors can buy direct the distillery’s Signature Gin and Pink Gin, both in 70cl bottles and 5cl miniature bottles. They also have on sale branded glassware. Drop in anytime office hours Monday to Friday, you are guaranteed a warm welcome.

The distillery is tucked behind the first row of terraced houses on West Road, down a muck track. It is literally a hidden gem and we wish Filey’s latest business all the success it surely deserves. For those out of town, the distillery offers free delivery UK-wide via their website.

Filey Distillery

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Filey’s main post box

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The ‘food festival with a sea view’ has become a firm-favourite among visitors and locals alike. A vast array of stalls extends from the Evron Centre and down the Crescent Gardens. Offering everything from Thai street food to fresh oysters, real ales to artisan breads, there is something for everyone at the festival. As we are on the run up to Christmas there will be a hot chestnut cart and local craft and gift stalls.

Of course, the days are getting shorter as we approach the end of the year, so the festival hours will be 9am to 3pm. As ever, entry is free, so spend freely!

Packed crowds at the October Food Festival, pic Filey Bay Today

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Bonhommes Bar is a well-deserved entrant. It is has been a staple of real ale in the town for years and has won pub of the year for the Scarborough area on several occasions. It is also the spiritual home of Seaside Danny Wilde, but we’re not sure whether that is taken into account when the boffins at CAMRA draw up their guide.

The lights of Bonhommes enticing drinkers.

In these enlightened times, real ales are available in virtually every venue that serves alcohol in the town. Which makes Filey’s single entry in the guide even more of a surprise. One particular notable absence is Cobblers. The tiny bay is firmly framed around its real ale offering and it always has an interesting range of real ales that are well-kept.

It’s a shame that national real ale drinkers might think that Filey isn’t worth a trip with only one entry, but we know better. Let’s raise a glass to Bonhommes and then stagger off on a pub crawl taking in Cobblers, The Star and many others. Filey is hardly the real ale desert that the Good Beer Guide might suggest.

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Sadly, post-covid passenger numbers have dropped significantly which has badly hit the buses income. The bus now needs a new engine, which will cost in the region of £6,000. A couple of his regular users have started a campaign to raise this money to help keep the service running.

The good news is that donations have been pouring in. Several fund raising events are planned in November. The Star is hosting a race night to raise funds for the bus on Saturday 20th November 6.30pm. You can be a race sponsor for £20. Pop into the Star if you would like to become a sponsor. There is also a Grand National Sweepstake and a raffle with a host of prizes. Staff from the Filey branch of Hunter’s estate agents are planning a sponsored walk from Flamborough Head to Filey on 21st November, to raise funds for the engine appeal.

You can donate directly and information on how to do this is on the Friends of Filey Town Service facebook page.

The bus service runs on weekdays Monday to Friday, it has a flat £2 fare or is free to those with national bus passes. The service has been funded for many years by Filey Town Council and Filey Bay Today. Unfortunately, there isn’t the funding, or manpower, to run the service at weekends, which is a shame given the chronic traffic congestion during weekends in the holiday season. There was a land train planned to link the West Avenue and Country Park car parks, but the pandemic stopped that in its tracks. Perhaps an expanded Town Bus service could do the same job and help ease traffic congestion and parking problems in the summer months? Something for the Town Council to ponder?

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As the night’s close in, and the festive season creeps ever closer, come and snuggle up at the Star with an evening of song and poetry. Let two of North Yorkshire’s most talented artists take you on a journey across snowy hills and down dark roads. Let the fire crackle in the grate and the sleet lash at the window, with an evening of warming winter themed music and poetry from Becky Mills and Wendy Pratt.

The evening is brought to you by Filey Literature Festival and the lovely people at the Star pub. It is a first collaboration for the festival and the pub, as well as the first collaboration between Becky and Wendy! An evening not to be missed. Tickets are priced at just £10 and are available in person from Red Box, Hope Street, or online by emailing christopherlee218@yahoo.co.uk

Becky Mills

Hailing from the wild moorlands of North Yorkshire, singer-songwriter Becky Mills brings a uniquely personal and touching slant to the modern folk genre. With a foot in both contemporary & classic traditions, her evocative songs take the listener through topics encompassing love, loss, motherhood, emigration, the regrets of old age, the nature of heroism, grief during wartime – even the joy of running away to the circus! – a kaleidoscope of subjects, but always with wit, humour, charm and feeling. Becky has supported acts such as Pentangle, Fairport Convention and Barbara Dickson. Her breakthrough album ‘Dandelion’ was released in 2013 to rave reviews. In 2018 the follow up ’Tall Tales and Home Truths’ was released and in 2020 Becky released “A Midwinter Miscellany” as one third of a trio with Ashley Hutchings and Blair Dunlop.

Wendy Pratt

Wendy Pratt is a poet , author and workshop facilitator living on the glorious Yorkshire coast, just outside Filey. Her latest collection of poetry won the Poetry Business Book and Pamphlet award in 2021. Her work has appeared on BBC Radio Four, in the Forward Prize anthology and widely in magazines, journals and anthologies. Wendy is also the founder and editor of celebrated print magazine Spelt which seeks to validate and celebrate the rural experience through poetry and creative non fiction. She recently won a bursary from the Steven Joseph Theatre to help her to complete her first novel.

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The line is being closed for nine days to enable the complete replacement of steam age signalling at Bridlington. For nine days engineers will erect new LED signals and remodel the track work at Bridlington station. Nearly a mile of track will be renewed during the works.

Rail replacement buses will run between Driffield, Bridlington, Filey and Scarborough. In the past a shuttle train service has been run between Scarborough and Filey, but in this instance it seems that Network Rail is taking the opportunity to undertake works on the entire stretch of line from Seamer southwards.

Passengers are advised to check their journey via National Rail Enquiries or with their train operator, and allow plenty of time. The rail replacement bus is expected to take around half an hour between Filey and Scarborough. Double the usual train time of fifteen minutes. The buses cannot carry the following:

Non-folding bicycles, prams or scooters
Animals (other than registered assistance dogs)
Hot food and drinks, alcoholic drinks cannot be consumed on bus services

After the works has been completed many trains travelling from Bridlington to Filey will use platform five at Bridlington, so as to avoid passengers using the footbridge.

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On Wednesday 18 August a ribbon was cut on the first 6 foot x 6 foot 4, North Eastern Railway Tile Map in over 100 years to be installed at a station on the national rail network. The ribbon was cut by Edna Bates, a Hunmanby resident, who was born in 1920, when the North Eastern Railway still operated trains. Edna was joined by neighbours and her friends from Hunmanby Methodist Church and St Catherine’s Hospice Shop, where Edna was still volunteering in her 100th year. In attendance also were John and Chris Edmonds who installed the tile map, and John and Monica Bridge who own the old station wall that faces the station platform.

Detail of one of the original maps that survives at Scarborough station

The North Eastern Railway Tile Map, was made at the original Victorian Works of Craven Dunnill Jackfield, part of the Ironbridge UNESCO world heritage site. The hand made tiles, were paid for by a kind person who wishes to remain anonymous. Hunmanby firm B. Edmond and Son installed the map, making no charge for their work or materials.

John Edmond said: “Our family has run a business from Hunmanby since 1967 and are gratefully for all the support we have received over many years from the community, myself and my brother Chris both used the railway to get to school in Scarborough every week day during the 1980’s, so we have a lot of fond memory’s.”

Hunmanby station will feature in the National Heritage Day on Saturday 11th September. A display of photographs of the station ‘then and now’ and a harvest giveaway will take place at the station. But the star of the show will be the newly installed map. Hunmanby railway station is a great community station and a ‘gateway to the village’ winning a first prize in the National Community Rail Awards in December 2020.

Recently at Filey station the cafe reopened as ‘Buffers‘, a great step forward for the station. It stands alongside the very useful taxi office. Filey Lions also look after the station garden and miniature train on the Muston Road side of the station. Perhaps the time is ripe for a tiled map to appear at Filey a la Hunmanby?

Newly opened Buffers Cafe with outdoor seating.

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