A Harrogate woman is keen to put on her walking boots and head to the Nidd Gorge after the council restored a memorial bench dedicated to her late husband.

Colin James died aged 55 from cancer in 2015. He was born in Manchester but moved to Harrogate to be with Sylvia and loved to go on dog walks in Nidd Gorge.

For that reason Sylvia bought the bench and was devastated earlier this year when she saw its slats had been broken.

Her family set up a fundraiser to replace the bench but Harrogate Borough Council offered to replace it for free.

Nidd Gorge Community Action, which protects the area, has now reported on its Facebook page that the bench has been restored.

Read more:

• Memorial bench vandalism devastates Harrogate families
• Vandalised Nidd Gorge bench to be replaced for free

The broken bench, pictured in May.

The £540 raised for repairs will now go to St Michael’s Hospice, the charity that cared for Colin before he died.

Sylvia James told the Stray Ferret today she was “so happy” and added:

“I found out on Father’s Day so it could not have been better timing really.

“Ever since it was vandalised I have avoided going to visit the bench, I did not want to see it like that. It would have torn me apart.

“Now that it has been restored I cannot wait to visit.”