The owners of Stump Cross Caverns are to raffle their flat in Pateley Bridge to raise more money for the site.
Lisa Bowerman and Nicholas Markham hope to sell 20,000 tickets for £10 each to generate funds to maintain the ancient limestone caves.
The couple. who live on the site of the caves, recently raised £70,000 by raffling their camper van to keep the business open.
But they say more money is needed for essential work — hence the new crowdfunding appeal.
They’re also campaigning to get Chancellor Rishi Sunak to visit the caves after previous bids for grants were unsuccessful.
Ms Bowerman said:
“I’m desperate for Rishi to see our amazing cave. I’ve got his hard hat ready. We bring 60,000 visitors to the Yorkshire Dales each year and if he can see what we do I think he would agree to help us.
“I don’t think it should be down to the public to help us, but I’m grateful they do. The government should be helping.”
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The caves are due to reopen on May 17 and Ms Bowerman said she expected the best year ever.
But she estimated the couple had lost £500,000 over the last year of enforced closure and lack of government support meant further funds were required for essential work, such as renewing the lighting system.
A Save the Caves petition to get Sunak to listen to their plea for help has already received almost 2,500 signatures.
Other heritage organisations, including Kents Cavern, in Torquay, Margate Caves and Creswell Crags in Derbyshire received financial boost from the government’s Culture Recovery Fund to help them through the pandemic, said Ms Bowerman.
But Stump Cross Caverns has not received anything.
Ms Bowerman said:
“Now that we have raised the funds to reopen and secure jobs we need to focus on the essential maintenance and repairs, including the renewal of the caves lighting system.
“It’s a massive blow to us to have to sell another personal possession but we’ve got nowhere else to turn. Unlike other heritage sites, similar to ours, who’ve benefited from funding, we’ve been left to fend for ourselves.
“Over an 18-year period we’ve worked hard to sustain a successful business, but this pandemic and the associated loss of trade has left us fighting for survival.”
She added the caves played a vital role in supporting the wider Dales economy because they boosted tourism to other areas.
