Welcome to the award winning Ilkley Chat!

Staff at Ilkley Pre-School A much-loved Ilkley pre-school that has supported local families for over 60 years will be forced to close its doors at the end of April 2026 unless it raises £30,000 in emergency funding. Ilkley Pre-School Playgroup, which has served the community since at least 1968, is facing a critical shortfall after being forced to leave its previous home of more than six decades. During the period of uncertainty over its relocation, the setting was unable to

The team from Horsforth Brewery [Fuggle & Golding Facebook] The craft beer and bottle shop on Leeds Road, which announced its closure last month, has been saved by Horsforth Brewery. Fuggle & Golding was due to closed at the end of February until the Leeds based brewery stepped in and saved it, announcing the news last week on Facebook: "When we saw they [Fuggle & Golding] were going to close we were determined to not lose another great venue from the local beer scene. We owe

Joanna was on holiday in Greece when receievd the news Joanna James from Ilkley has launched an appeal to get potential life-extending treatment in Germany following her brain tumour diagnosis. 50 year-old Joanna, a jewellery sales manager, was on holiday last September when she suddenly lost the ability to speak and was taken straight to a local hospital, where CT and MRI scans revealed the devastating news. Two weeks later, Joanna had urgent surgery at Leeds General Infirma

The 2026 Ilkley Business Awards winners The winners of the 10th Ilkley Business Awards have been revealed. Marking the 10th anniversary, the night on Friday 6 March was a resounding success, bringing together the vibrant Ilkley business community to celebrate a decade of local excellence and innovation.   The black-tie ceremony at the Craiglands Hotel, was a milestone event attended by key dignitaries including Robbie Moore MP, Town Mayor, Cllr Jane Gibson, Dep Town Mayor, Cl

Children from Addingham Primary School with Laura Hepworth from Airedale Hospital & Community Charity Airedale Hospital & Community Charity hit the open road once again for its fifth annual World Book Day road trip, bringing stories, smiles, and plenty of book‑themed fun to local schools, including Addingham Primary School. This was all made possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of CAD21.   As part of the charity’s ongoing Acts of Kindness campaign, the team spent the d

One of Yorkshire Water's sites at the Riverside Gardens [Photo: Ilkley Chat] Ilkley Civic Society have invited fifteen different organisations with an environmental interest, or are currently working with Yorkshire Water locally, to its next public meeting. The meeting will take place on Thursday 26 March in Church House, Church St, Ilkley at 7.30pm.   Yorkshire Water have been working in Ilkley for over three years and their blue hoardings or fencing remain at four sites wit

Ilkley Cemetery’s Beanlands Parade Gates will be removed for repair and refurbishment on Monday 9 March and will be replaced by temporary fencing for a period of about six to eight weeks.   Pedestrian access should not be affected but all vehicle access to the Cemetery during this time will need to be via the Ashlands Road entrance.   The repair and refurbishment of the Beanlands Parade gates is being undertaken by Tomas Bromley, local forger and metal worker, whose business,

Tobias Hammond and MP Robbie Moore Ilkley's MP Robbie Moore has met with Tobias Hammond, County Lead Volunteer for West Yorkshire Scouts to hear concerns about the potential impact of a proposed visitor levy on residential experiences for young people. During the meeting, Tobias discussed how additional costs on accommodation could affect the ability of youth groups, schools and voluntary organisations to provide affordable nights away for children and young people. Nights aw

Claire Baxter was the 2025 Yorkshire Day official artist Claire Baxter Gallery, with galleries in Ilkley and Knaresborough, has announced this week the closure of the Ilkley gallery due to the increased demand running two galleries, and Claire's wish to spend more time painting. In a video post on the companies Facebook page, Claire shared the news giving an insights into where the Clare Baxter brand and galleries are going to go: "I wanted to use this opportunity to bring so

The Ilkley Town Meeting is at the Clarke Foley Community Hub on Cunliffe Road Ilkley Town Council says it is looking forward to hosting the 2026 Annual Town Meeting, which is being held on Wednesday 18 March at the Clarke Foley Community Hub. The Annual Town Meeting is convened by the Chair of Ilkley Town Council and is a meeting of local electors, not a Council meeting. The meeting will focus on the amazing work of community organisations and will celebrate the impactful con

OTB Music Group  Two local charities, Outside the Box and Ilkley Live, have come together to promote support music making and performance by people who have a learning disability or autism. Building on the success of the Ilkley Live Community Music Festival, the charity has recently made a donation to Outside the Box to support its inclusive music making. Louise Hale, CEO of Ilkley Community Enterprise, the charity that runs Outside the Box, said: “We really do appreciate

Brayden Davies of The Box Tree Restaurant is shortlisted in 'Chef of the Year' The finalists for the Leeds Oliver Awards 2026, Yorkshire Evening Post's food and drink awards, have been announced and four Ilkley businesses are in the running. The awards , which are in their 17th year, celebrate best restaurants, bars, pubs, cafes, hotels, chefs and more across the Leeds district. Hundreds of businesses put their names forward across 17 categories. The panel of independent judg