YORK'S recovery from the floods is gathering pace as three more venues re-open their doors.
The Storehouse Youth & Children's Work Centre in Mansfield Street - run by St Michael Le Belfrey church - was badly damaged on December 27 when the River Foss burst its banks, flooding it to a depth of a foot.
At the same time, the foyer bar and entrance to the Grand Opera House were severely damaged by floodwaters from the River Ouse after it rose to more than five metres above normal summer levels.
Above & below: The Storehouse was flooded in December but has now re-opened
Lee Kirkby, head of youth and children at St Michael le Belfrey, said the centre just off Foss Islands Road had only opened in January 2015, and it was 'sad' it had been flooded before its first anniversary.
"However, 50 people from the church came to help us during and after the floods, and our insurers have been very helpful throughout the process," he said.
"It has taken three months but the centre is now fully operational again. The venue holds groups and events for young people and families most days of the week."
Lizzie Richards, general manager at the Grand Opera House, said the foyer bar and entrance, situated at the lowest part of the theatre in Cumberland Street, were closed to the public whilst repairs were carried out, although the other entrance could still be used.
"Thankfully we only lost seven performances due to the flooding, but our front-of-house operation was severely compromised and we and our customers have been restricted in the experience they received from us," she said.
"Thirteen weeks later and we’re pleased to say customers can now enter and leave the building via our Cumberland Street entrance, more toilets are available pre-show, the bars are not as cramped and we’ve got three sump pumps in our lower areas to help, should the River Ouse rise to the levels we saw last Christmas."
She added that there could have been no better way of marking the re-opening than with the spectacular musical Let It Be.
The Kiosk business at 41 Fossgate has also reopened, as Kiosk Cantina, expanding from art and ceramics to become a cafe and takeaway as well.
Manager Rebecca Carr said the new angle for the business had grown out of the floods when she and husband Russell realised they were going to be out of the space for a long time while repairs were carried out and decided to grasp the opportunity to relaunch the venture.
Russell, a chef, has brought his cooking skills from Bicis y Mas on nearby Walmgate and the couple have been joined by their friend James Gilroy, a barista.
The new cafe opened for the first time yesterday [Friday] and the food will be on offer for the first time today [Saturday].
Rebecca said: "The first day went really well. We've mainly had friends and family in, that's to be expect, but we did have a few strangers which is exciting. That's when you know it's actually a business."
The cafe will be open 8am - 5pm and will serve coffee as well as healthy plates and salads, and takeaways for the many office workers in the area.
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