The former owner of a well-known Harrogate restaurant says he still has fond memories on the 10-year anniversary of its closure.
Monday (16th March) will mark a decade since Bed, a restaurant and bar on Kings Road, closed its doors in 2016.
The venue was owned by local businessman Dave Burns, who said the restaurant had played an important role in Harrogate’s dining scene.
He told Your Harrogate:
“The whole idea of Bed was to be anti-establishment, because I’m a bit of a rebel! The whole idea was not to be too serious about ourselves.”
Bed became known for its distinctive interior and social atmosphere - and free Curly Wurly chocolate bars.
Dave said:
“Most people get an after dinner mint or a chocolate, and I just wanted to be a little bit different and to give the sort of age group we were aiming at something to remember.
"When it wasn’t stressful, like it was towards the end, it was just fun. We had absolutely brilliant staff and it didn’t feel like work."
The three-floor restaurant, which launched in 2002, was Harrogate’s second highest rated restaurant on Tripadvisor before it closed in 2016.
Despite being fully booked most Friday and Saturday nights, the venue suffered due to low footfall during weekdays.
Since the restaurant closed, Dave has moved into cycle coaching and training in the Harrogate area.
He now works as a British Cycling-accredited instructor and coach, delivering cycling lessons for both children and adults.
Dave told Your Harrogate:
“I’ve always loved cycling. Even at school I was ‘Dave the Bike’!
“When I went to a party, I didn’t get a lift, I’d ride my bike! I’d get all dressed up and turn up absolutely soaked and sweaty. I just loved riding my bike.”
Dave's sessions include Bikeability Levels 1, 2 and 3 training and are often delivered at Bilton Grange Primary School and Killinghall Moor.
He continued:
"I wanted to put something back into cycling. When I knew Bed was closing, I thought I could sit and dwell, or I could move on.
"I enrolled with British Cycling to become a bike-ability instructor, cycling proficiency, and then was working in Leeds.
"My wife had a friend whose little girl couldn’t ride a bike, so I taught her.
"A friend of this lady then got in touch to teach her son, Archie, and she put a video up on social media, and it just went through the roof! Ten years on, I’ve taught over 10,000 kids to ride a bike for the first time.
Dave focuses on helping people build confidence on two wheels - from young riders learning to balance and pedal for the first time to adults looking to develop cycling skills.
He also brings decades of experience as a keen cyclist and former test consultant for cycling magazines, offering advice on equipment, route planning and riding safely.
To find out more about I Want To Ride My Bike, contact dave@iwanttoridemybike.co.uk or head to the website here.
Listen to Your Harrogate's Pete Egerton chatting to Dave about his time at Bed and now with his passion of cycling via our highlights page.
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