AN independent business has shared a sad decision about its future.

The Duck Pond, on Kirkgate in Silsden, serves craft beer along with hand-roasted coffee and homemade cakes.

It opened its doors in the town back in 2019, but today its owners said they had made the difficult decision to not renew the lease for the premises in the New Year.

They said the past three years had thrown up a lot of challenges and the current climate is very different from when they first opened.

The post said: “We opened our doors here at The Duck Pond back in 2019. We set out with the goal of creating a relaxed social space where people could gather with friends or family and enjoy a carefully considered selection of drinks and homemade cakes.

“Looking back to where we started, we are so immensely proud of the space The Duck Pond has become.

“Each and every person that has walked through our doors has contributed to the personality of The Duck Pond and has helped create a warm and welcoming 'home away from home' atmosphere.

“The past 3 years have thrown up more challenges than we could have ever imagined and the whole country is in a very different place to where it was back in 2019.

“People's shopping & social habits have changed, price increases across the board are stretching already tight margins to breaking point and overheads keep on rising to put even more pressure on.

“After much deliberation and discussion, we have decided we will not be renewing the lease for the premises here at The Duck Pond in the New Year.

“This decision has certainly not been taken lightly and we have spent the past several months going over countless scenarios and situations that would allow us to keep trading and grow the business we have built here but sadly, this premises is no longer suitable for our business needs.”

It added: “We pride ourselves on being honest and fully transparent in every aspect of our business, which is why we felt the need to share this important news with you all.

“We would like to say a massive thankyou to everyone who has supported us on our journey so far and to remind everyone that we'll still be here and open as usual for a few more months yet!

"We've still got all our tasting evenings to look forward to, and not to mention our bigger than ever New Years Eve bash.

“Other small independent businesses like ours are also struggling to operate, with more closing everyday, so we ask of you to please support them wherever possible; whether it's your favourite coffee shop, bar, restaurant or even takeaway.

“If you can't go to them in person, support online with a share on social, a review on Google or TripAdvisor or simply recommend by word of mouth. Thank you again.”