Popular Calderdale bar and restaurant reopens after fire

The Honest John on Rochdale Road in Todmorden was hit by a fire in January and had to close for four months.

Owners Daren Derrick and Alison Baldwin said it had been a difficult period of time but all the staff mucked in to help with the rebuild.

Daren said: “It’s heartbreaking to see something you invested so much of yourself into destroyed so quickly.

"This is our life. Any of the guys here will tell you. We go home, we have two cats, we have this. This is our child.”

The couple have owned The Honest John for six and a half years.

The fire took over suddenly in the early morning but staff and firefighters from Todmorden, Halifax, Mytholmroyd and Manchester were on hand to help.

The cause of the fire remains unclear.

Daren said: “We were very lucky. The initial fire was picked up on a motion sensor camera. Alison happened to be awake and picked up on the smoke.

"Our chef who lives over the road came to check and in the meantime we realised there was a major problem.

"Luckily he didn’t open the storeroom door, where the fire started. It used to be one of the vaults of the bank the building used to be so it’s very thick and heavy.

"If he did it could have a whole different story.”

Alison said: “Had we not had smoke detectors and had I not been up this building wouldn’t have existed anymore.”

The owners said other small business owners should make sure they have smoke detectors, cameras and an up to date insurance policy in case the worst happens.

After the fire the owners thoughts turned to the staff, who took up new roles reconstructing the venue.

Daren said: "The first thing I thought was we have to tell the staff not to go to work. What are we going to do with the staff? How long are we going to be closed for?

"I’m very conscious of our responsibilities to our staff and that was my main concern – what are we going to do with these guys? It’s their jobs and livelihoods.

"So then everyone mucked in. The floor has been sanded to within an inch of its life, the bar staff varnished it four times, they painted and cleaned the windows, they’ve been up a scaffolding tower.”

The town supported the bar throughout its time when it was closed, including a crowdfunding page to help pay the staff wages while the bar was unable to make money.

Daren said: "The messages of support we’ve had are what’s kept us going.

"I’d like to publicly thank everyone who has supported us, everyone who sent messages, everyone who has offered to help, and all the staff.”

The fire broke out in the early hours of the morning.

It was contained to one room at the back of the building but a lot of stock was damaged and the rest of the building was affected by smoke.

The building’s ornate lounge area was not directly affected by the fire.