Company which provides tipi for York's 'Thor's Tipi' ceases trading due to coronavirus

'PapaKata', which is based in Sherburn-in-Elmet, say their revenue this year has been down 93%

Author: Edward BreslinPublished 16th Nov 2020
Last updated 16th Nov 2020

A local company which provides the tipi for York's popular 'Thor's Tipi' bar at Christmas has ceased trading due to coronavirus.

'PapaKata' in Sherburn-in-Elmet say they can't carry on, after seeing a drop in revenue this year of 93 per cent.

They were also responsible for supplying the tipi for the summer 'Sol Ast' bar to York's Principal Hotel.

In a statement on the company's website, owners Amanda and Richard said:

"It is with a heavy heart that PapaKata ceased trading on Monday 2nd November.

"2020 would have been PapaKata’s most successful year to date, in March we were primed and ready to deliver a fantastic season of events. Then coronavirus struck…

"We thought we’d weathered the worst of it through the Summer. However increasing restrictions have, one by one, sunk our lifeboats.

"Our industry has been devastated, not qualifying for direct support from government seen in other sectors, and the scale of the impact is immense: our revenue this year is down 93%.

"As a team & company we’ve done everything possible to ride out the storm: diversified, hustled, begged & borrowed, we’ve worked our socks off… but we’ve been in the fight of our lives with our hands tied behind our back.

"The PapaKata team delivered over 3,000 wonderful events in our 15 years, with a perfect 100% completion record of which we are incredibly proud.

"We are so sorry that we couldn’t find a solution to allow us to survive the pandemic.

"Richard and I are heartbroken, for both our wonderful team of Event Professionals, but also our clients. We are so sorry it has come to this."