A NORTH Yorkshire business has just re-opened following a major refit of its Gift Hall.

The project was so big that Country Harvest, Ingleton, which also comprises a Foodhall and busy 65-seater coffee shop, had to close for a week while the works were carried out.

The transformation of the Gift Hall follows a similar investment in the Foodhall which was unveiled in 2013.

It has been a heady two years for the business, which won The Westmorland Gazette’s prestigious ‘Retailer of the Year’ award at the end of that year.

To kick start 2014, owners Mike Clark and Gay Penn also bought Oakroyd Bakery in the nearby village of Bentham, taking the number of people they employ in the locality to more than 60.

The momentum continued into 2015 when the shop’s butcher, 23-years-old George Taylor, who is from Ingleton, was named UK Young Butcher of the Year.

“It’s been quite a whirlwind start to the year with the refit,” said Mr Clark, who bought Country Harvest in 2008. “But it has been worth all the effort because of the positive feedback from our customers who say they love the new look.”

Country Harvest has a packed programme of evening events and the next exciting evening will be ‘Fashion & Food’ on Tuesday, March 31.