Thousands donated to help Calderdale town's vegan shop expand and become cafe

Artichoke opened in Sowerby Bridge in 2020 as a low-waste vegan shop selling organic fruit and veg; local bread; refillable food, body care and household products; and speciality vegan goods.

Now the shop has launched an online crowdfunder to expand its kitchen facilities so it can do more outside catering and have a small number of tables for eating in.

Scores of people have donated so far, and the fund has reached past £3,000 of its £5,000 target.

Artichoke has posted that it always intended to extend its kitchen.

"The plan was to grow and adapt the premises to incorporate this as we reinvested in the business,” it has said.

"However, we have been hit time and time again with unforeseen obstacles: the repeated issues caused by covid, the fall-out from a no-deal Brexit, war in Ukraine, cost of living crisis, energy bills etc have meant that the modest margins we have for end product sales are under considerable pressure just to sustain the shop, and thus we haven't had the opportunity to grow, sadly.

"We still want to go ahead with this model, though, as it is so important for the long term health of the business and would be a fantastic wholesome addition to the food and drink offerings in the town.”

In return for a donation, people are offered three different levels of membership which includes discounts.

To donate, visit https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/artichoke-low-waste-vegan-kitchen