BUNTING, bikes, balloons and banners – the final touches are being put to preparations for this year’s Tour de Yorkshire.

Helmsley is inviting cycle fans to set up home for the day in the town, with the message that “Helmsley is open for business”.

Extra parking is being made available on the day in the town. As well as the usual long and short stay car parks in the town, the usually private car park at the North York Moors National Park’s head office will also be available for visitors to use.

Lizzie Rohan, a member of the Helmsley-in-Business Tour de Yorkshire committee, said: “We’re so excited the race is coming through Helmsley. We were going to put on a big additional event, but really the race in itself is such a huge thing, It seemed like we should focus on helping people make the most of being able to see such an exciting sporting spectacle.”

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A HELMSLEY deli is welcoming the Tour de Yorkshire with the creation of some specially-commissioned chocolate wellies.

Hunters of Helmsley decided to create the edible footwear both in honour of the Tour passing through, and also to raise money for the Tour’s chosen charity, the RNLI.

The deli asked local social enterprise and artisan chocolate specialists Ampleforth Plus to come up with some designs for yellow chocolate wellies, the symbol of the RNLI, which could be sold to raise money for the charity.

Christine Garnett, who owns Hunters of Helmsley with her husband Chris, said: “We wanted to do something to mark the exciting fact that the Tour de Yorkshire will be passing through the town.

“Of course we considered using chocolate bikes, but then we thought it would be nice to do something to raise money for the Tour’s charity at the same time, and the RNLI is such a worthy cause.”

Ampleforth Plus is situated on the edge of the Ampleforth Valley, and employs chocolatiers alongside co-workers with autism or learning difficulties, who create their own range of chocolates, and also tackle bespoke orders.

As well as selling yellow welly lollies for £1.65 – 50p of which will be donated to the charity – Hunters also commissioned a full-size welly to be raffled off for the charity. Made of white chocolate, coloured yellow, the welly is 10 inches high and weighs almost a kilogram.

Raffle tickets to win the welly will be sold for £1 each, with the winner being drawn on Monday.

Ms Garnett added: “The yellow welly theme also ties in nicely with the Knitted Welly Trail we have going on in the town on the day – with families having to count up how many are hidden around Helmsley.

"It should be a fantastic day all round – we can’t wait.”

Hunters last year was crowned Britain’s Best Small Shop at an event held at the House of Commons. For more information, visit huntersofhelmsley.com.