A COUPLE who dreamed of running their own bar have opened one in Shipley town centre in memory of a special person.

"It's something we always dreamed of and now is the right time," said said Zoe Carlton, who recently opened The Crafty Kernel on Kirkgate with her husband Reece. "It's also in memory of my dad, Patrick Wilkinson, a bit of a homage to him.

"He passed away four years ago but he always wanted us to have our own business in the hospitality industry.

"It's taken us some time to do it but I'm proud of what we've accomplished.

"We opened last Saturday and it's gone really well," said Zoe.

The building, which was the former Cellar Trust charity shop, took several months to renovate.

"It's taken us six months to renovate the property," said Zoe. "The building was in a state of disrepair. We started on October 24 and just finished last week. "It looks incredible."

The couple, who live at Wrose, chose to open a bar in Shipley because Zoe said "it's an up and coming area".

"I like the community spirit in Shipley," said Zoe. "People look out for one another.

"We felt it was the right time and Shipley has a very friendly environment."

She said that she and Reece have taken a "different approach to the bar scene" with the opening of The Crafty Kernel.

"It's a more exclusive bar and we specialise in high quality wines and craft ales.

"We have a good selection of high quality wines that you won't find in supermarkets.

"We had to spend quite a lot of time wine tasting," Zoe laughed.

She said Reece sorts the craft ales and the bar has a good selection to chose from, half of which are gluten free, as Reece himself is gluten intolerant.

"Reece is really into real ales and IPAs and has always been frustrated when you go places and cannot get a gluten-free beer other than a bottle of Peroni.

"There are a lot of good quality gluten-free beers out there and our customers appreciate that we offer them," said Zoe. "People, regardless of allergies, can get a quality drink."

In addition to the craft ales, fine wines, Zoe said The Crafty Kernel also offers great gins and rums that are not "run of the mill".

The bar is open five days a week, 4pm to midnight on Wednesdays, 2pm to midnight on Thursdays and Fridays, 12noon to midnight on Saturdays and 12noon to 10pm on Sundays. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.