When it was suggested that a memorial plaque be erected in the memorial gardens to remember the lads who came across to help Britain in its time of need, Filey Town Council dragged their feet. They said that other service personnel from several countries also trained and were lodged at Filey. Frankly, it felt like an excuse. It reflected poorly on our town.

Thankfully, some enterprising Filey-folk took matters into their own hands and on Saturday a plaque was erected on a house on Queen Street. Hundreds turned out to witness the unveiling and a handful of veterans with West Indian heritage came along.

The BBC picked up on the event and made it a lead report on their North Yorkshire website. Our friends at the twitter account Filey_UK grabbed some fabulous photos.

Time for the Town Council to undertake a period of reflection. Let’s be blunt, they got this one wrong.

The post Blue Plaque Unveiled on Queen Street to West Indian Servicemen of WW2 appeared first on Filey.

The club felt it needed a fresh challenge and the move to the YPLN offers just that. Good luck to the lads for the coming season. Read an in-depth article at the fabulous Cricket Yorkshire website.

The post Exciting New Dawn for Filey Cricket Club appeared first on Filey.

Filey now has its own giant seal sculpture, which doubles as a recycling depository for empty drinks cans and plastic bottles. The metalwork sculpture of the seal, named Bonzo after Filey’s famous seal that was saved by local fishermen and became a local attraction for many years, will hopefully encourage folk to recycle their disposable drink containers, rather than leave them on the beach where they end up in the sea.

The new Bonzo is located at the bottom of Cargate Hill, next to the water fountain, looking out towards Filey Brigg. The sculpture was hand-forged by Godbold Blacksmiths of Egton, and was unveiled by the Mayor of Filey, Councillor Jacqui Houlden-Banks.

Children from Filey Junior School and Filey Church of England Nursery and Infants Academy were amongst the first to see and ‘feed’ Bonzo. They also joined representatives of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Keep Filey Tidy and Active Filey in a beach litter pick.

Scarborough Borough Council led the commissioning and installation of Bonzo in partnership with Filey Town Council. The sculpture has been funded by SBC’s Project Sunshine scheme, which aims to tidy up and improve areas of public realm throughout the borough.

Councillor Tony Randerson, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said:

“Not only does Bonzo looks fantastic on the promenade, he is all set to play an important role in helping to prevent rubbish from ending up the sea.

“I encourage people to do their bit to protect our marine life and keep Filey rubbish free by filling Bonzo with their empty cans and plastic bottles during their visit to the seafront.”

Councillor Jacqui Houlden-Banks, Mayor of Filey, said:

“Filey welcomes Bonzo the seal to his new home on our beautiful seafront.

“Not only is he a lovely modern sculpture he will carry out an important function.

“We hope he will provide a focus and reminder to people to recycle their rubbish in a fun way, which will help us to keep our award-winning beach in perfect condition for all to enjoy.”

The post Bonzo the Recycling Seal! appeared first on Filey.

The much-loved Doggy Deli has served up its last treat to our four-legged friends, as the owners have decided to opt for a semi-retirement. It’s rumoured that Shoe Boot-ique will be moving into the premises, but that’s a Filey rumour, so handle with care!

Farewell to the much-loved Doggy Deli

The Three Tuns is under-going a much needed refurbishment. Ignore the rumours that is becoming a Wetherspoons, it definitely isn’t! The good old rumour mill has it that new owners will be developing a high-end hotel above the pub, whilst concentrating on food downstairs.

On Mitford Street, Old Father Time has called time on the short-lived clock shop, it has closed and Baxter’s have butter their last sandwich, as they are concentrating on an enlarged shop on Aberdeen Walk in Scarborough.

Baxter’s on Mitford Street has closed

Usually, empty shops don’t remain empty for very long in Filey, but in the current uncertain climate who knows? Doubtless, when spring is on the horizon things will look very different.

The post Several Filey Shops Close for Good appeared first on Filey.

Downcliffe wrapped in scaffolding begins its conversion into private apartments

The plans will see the former hotel become two three-bed flats and three two-bed flats with an existing single-storey rear extension being demolished to make way for a four-storey extension that will house a communal stairway, lift, bicycle storage and a refuse bin room. Five parking spaces are being created, one dedicated for each apartment, and will include electric vehicle charging points.

Downcliffe was built as a Victorian house in 1840 for the developer of Filey’s Crescent, Birmingham solicitor, John Unett. It became a hotel in the mid-20th century and has received consistently good reviews. It was voted one of the top 10 seaside hotels in Europe by The Independent and won a TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Award in 2021, ranking it within the top 10 per cent of businesses.

However, it was no secret that the hotel has been for sale for many years. It’s subsequent closure is a disappointment for the town as it leaves Filey with only one high-class hotel and restaurant in the shape of the White Lodge Hotel on South Crescent.

Downcliffe House Hotel, soon to be private apartments

The post Works begin in earnest at Downcliffe appeared first on Filey.

The Star has been a regular in the guide and rightly so, as the pub’s selection of ales has been exceptional for many years. It’s a testament to the hard work of Lynn and Chris, and their staff, that the Star has become a staple of the guide.

The Star, Mitford Street, Filey

A new arrival in the guide is the Cobbler’s Arms, Filey’s favourite micro-pub. The range of real ales is ever-changing and the pub has become a popular haunt of visitors and locals alike. There’s often impromptu music sessions in this dog friendly pub. We’re genuinely delighted for the lovely Vicky, again it is a recognition of her work of taking the pub to new heights in recent years.

Cobbler’s Arms

The post Filey Pubs in Good Beer Guide! appeared first on Filey.

Five hundred gins from across the globe were entered into the Spirits Business Gin Masters 2022 awards. One Pink Gin stood out from the rest: Filey Pink Gin. It was the only Pink Gin in the competition to receive the coveted Master Medal. Filey Pink Gin is simply the best of the best.

The good news kept rolling for Filey Distillery, as their Signature Gin won the first Master Medal of the Super Premium bracket. The gin won the top award for its “very tasty, herbal” qualities. The Signature Gin also bagged a Gold Medal in the Contemporary category.

The Spirits Business is the only dedicated international spirits magazine and website in the world. Its circulation reaches out to more than 50,000 spirits professionals worldwide, from the most senior drinks buyers in the on- and off-trade, through to the best known and most influential bartenders at the world’s hottest venues.

The Spirits Business magazine hosts an annual Gin Masters competition which aims to highlight those brands that are producing the world’s best gins and are in some cases breaking boundaries. The number of gins on the market has seen The Gin Masters grow to dizzying heights, and this year’s blind-tasting competition attracted close to 500 submissions.

An army of judges were called upon to tackle this year’s entries, with nine panels of experts in total. The group assembled at Lola’s at the Hippodrome Casino in London in June, and the bottles’ identities were kept hidden from the judges.

Filey Distillery entered both of its gins into the competition. The Filey Signature Gin took its place in the Super Premium and Contemporary categories. In the Super Premium contingent, the first Master medal rolled in. Filey Gin secured the top award for its “very tasty, herbal” qualities.

Generally, the judges were impressed with the standard presented in the super-premium round. Kennard said: “These were solid examples of gin, with some interesting experimentation going on. You want some experimentation in the category, holding true to its definition; you still get juniper in them. In the Contemporary category Filey Signature Gin was awarded a Gold medal.

Finally, Filey’s Pink Gin was entered into the Pink Gin category and the good news kept on coming. As the Spirits Business website noted:

Pink Gin has been an increasingly popular category over recent years, and there was one gin in particular that stood out from the rest in this year’s tasting: Filey Pink Gin. The judges enjoyed the Master medallist for its “coriander leaf, mint” aromas, leading to an “open, flavourful palate, well-balanced herbs and red fruits – refreshing”.

The award-winning gins can be purchased directly from the distillery on West Road or online via the Filey Distillery website, they offer free delivery across the UK.

Filey Distillery off West Road

The post Filey’s little distillery gains big global accolade appeared first on Filey.

Filey Distillery

The post Filey is on the up! appeared first on Filey.

After two ‘pandemic-fuelled staycation summers’ the Sunday Times believes that many resorts have rediscovered their joie de vivre and have become ‘magnets for creative, outdoorsy and resourceful types who have found that they really do like to be beside the seaside’.

Filey is praised for  ‘its laid-back atmosphere and lengthy sweep of golden sands … no rinky-dink seaside nonsense here; instead, you’ve back-to-basic pleasures in pony rides and sandcastles, deckchair snoozing and by-the-week beach-hut hires’.

The other resorts in the six to watch are: Bournemouth, Fistral, Harwich, Tynemouth, and Worthing. It’s an entertaining read, with Harwich being described as having a ‘Captain Pugwash’ feel, Tynemouth is apparently known as the “Hawaii of the north” and Worthing has transformed itself from “Costa Geriatrica” to “Hip Worthing”.

Filey’s description does raise a few eyebrows. In particular a claim that the town has ‘burgeoning boutique hotels mix with artisan cafés and craft ale pubs’. We do have all those elements, but largely in the singular. It is a bit embarrassing that the recommenced hotel, The Downcliffe, has closed.

But, as the Sunday Times points out it is Mother Nature that ‘steals the show here’. The Brigg and the rock pools are rightly trumpeted. In that regard we have no peers. That, allied to a promised boutique hotel and restaurant on Rutland Street and the very exciting news of the imminent opening of a gin distillery, then perhaps the town can stand tall among the six that ‘everyone’ will be talking about this summer?

Filey Brigg

The post Sunday Times Names Filey as one of ‘the 6 seaside towns everyone’s going to be talking about this summer’ appeared first on Filey.

NCI watchkeepers provide the eyes and ears along the coast, monitoring radio channels and providing a listening watch in poor visibility. They are trained to deal with emergencies offering a variety of skills and experience, and full training by the NCI ensures that high standards are met. Subject to planning permission, the Filey Station will be situated at the south end of the Royal Parade.

NCI offer full training to become a Watchkeeper. If you can offer a few hours either on weekdays or weekends, why not bob along to the Evron Centre from 2.30pm on Thursday March 17.

Mike Johnson, Sector Manager (North East Coast), said: “We would like to invite people to come and see us for a couple of hours and bring a friend if they wish. We will tell attendees everything they need to know about NCI and the new station with lots of time for questions.” There’s no requirement to book and free tea and biscuits will be available!

The first NCI Lookout was opened in 1994 when two fishermen lost their lives off the Cornish coast near a Coastguard lookout which had recently closed. The most northerly NCI station on the east coast is at Hornsea, occupying a former Coastguard Lookout, it opened in 2018. It is one of fifty-six watch stations manned by some 2,565 volunteers.

NCI Station at Hornsea

The post Filey’s New National Coastwatch Station Needs You! appeared first on Filey.