Stump Cross Caverns issues plea for survival

The family which owns Stump Cross Caverns near Pateley Bridge is raffling off its prized camper van in an effort to save the business from going under.

Stump Cross Caverns is a popular tourist attraction where visitors can walk around an ancient limestone cave system.

But it’s been hit hard by covid restrictions which have left owners Lisa Bowerman and Nicholas Markham in a precarious financial position.

Lisa took over the business 18 years ago and told the Stray Ferret that 2020 was “shaping up to be our best year yet”.

The couple had just invested £500,000 into the business including a 4k cinema and new cafe.

But covid has meant they have been unable to welcome visitors for much of the last year.

And although they managed to open during summer and autumn, it was with reduced numbers.

Lisa said:

“We’re looking down the barrel of a gun. It’s tough, and there’s a real danger we won’t make it.

“But I’ve put my heart and soul into this business and I cannot just sit and do nothing.”

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The business received a bounce-back loan from the government last year but the money has almost run out.

To fundraise during the first lockdown Lisa and Nicholas took part in an “Everest” challenge which saw them walking the steps to the cave 1000 times — the same distance as climbing Mount Everest twice.

This time they hope to raise £50,000 through raffling off their beloved VW camper van which they say will give the business a fighting chance of survival.

Lisa added:

“We can buy a camper van back but we won’t be able to get our cave back if it’s gone.”

Click here to buy a ticket to be put into a raffle. One ticket costs £10.

Harrogate district reports 17 more covid cases

17 more coronavirus cases have been reported today in the Harrogate district.

It takes the total number of reported cases to 7,178 since the start of the pandemic.

Yesterday the district reached a sombre milestone as the 150th person died in hospital after being diagnosed with covid.

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Tomorrow a new vaccination site will open up in Knaresborough, at the site of the former Lidl supermarket on York Road.

The site will be run by Homecare Pharmacy Services, a Knaresborough-based pharmacist.

Prime minister Boris Johnson is due to announce the UK’s roadmap out of lockdown tomorrow, with schools expected to reopen on March 8.

To bring home the human cost of the pandemic in our district, the Stray Ferret would like to publish tributes from those who have been hit hardest by covid and help to tell their story.

If you have lost someone close to you due to the virus and want to pay tribute to them, get in touch on contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Harrogate has ‘much more to do on climate change’

International charity Friends of the Earth says the Harrogate district has much more to do to tackle climate change.

Using data from December 2020, the charity analysed how different local authority areas across England and Wales are taking action to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

It found that Harrogate is falling behind other areas when it comes to green transport, renewable energy, and housing emissions.

‘Shocking waste of energy’

Friends of the Earth’s research found 31% of homes are well insulated in Harrogate which it said represents “a shocking and avoidable waste” of energy.

Currently, Harrogate produces 66,048 megawatt hours of renewable energy per year but the charity says at least seven times this amount is needed.

Regarding transport, it suggested that 23% of commuter journeys could be taken on a bicycle every day, yet only 2% are at the moment.

York performed much better where 12% of commuters cycle to work.

Rod Beardshall, transport lead for Zero Carbon Harrogate said the research shows that North Yorkshire County Council should “accept the scale” of climate change and invest in better cycling infrastructure for the district.

NYCC has been in the eye of the storm this week in over its six-month closure of Beech Grove, which provoked a fierce debate around the future of transport in Harrogate.

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Harrogate fared better with waste. The research found the district reuses, recycles and composts 41% of its household waste, slightly higher than Leeds on 39% and Scarborough on 36%.

However, the charity says the figure needs to be closer to 70% if it’s to make a meaningful difference.

Whilst the charity said Harrogate has made average progress in tackling climate change it said there is potential to create over 3,000 local green jobs in areas such as heat pumps, insulation, and renewable energy.

Kirsty Hallett from the Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition welcomed the data and said it provides meaningful evidence on what needs to be prioritised in the district’s battle to improve the environment.

Climate breakdown

The government has a target for the UK to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050.

Friends of the Earth says to avoid “climate breakdown” we need to make deep cuts in emissions by 2030.

Researchers at the Tyndall Centre have published a detailed carbon report for every local authority and say that Harrogate should reduce its emissions by at least 13% per year.

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said itself, North Yorkshire County Council, and individuals, all have a part to play in cutting emissions.

They said:

“The latest figures show the Harrogate district has had a 29% reduction per person in CO2 emissions over the past ten years which is positive news.

“However, we have ambitious targets and have agreed a package of measures that form part our climate reduction strategy. This strategy outlines an action plan for a number of priorities with an overall vision of having net-zero carbon emissions by 2038.

“The most effective projects for achieving our ambitious targets are not going to happen overnight but we are committed to working hard to we implement the right measures in the best way possible.”

Harrogate Railway FC raises £2,000 for school defibrillator

Harrogate Railway FC has generated almost £2,000 for a defibrillator at Starbeck Primary Academy and sports equipment at Hookstone Chase primary school.

To raise the money, the club spent two years organising events, including Halloween and Christmas parties.

In total, the club raised £950, which was match-funded by Barclays Bank, taking the amount raised to £1,900.

Railway’s juniors recently made Harrogate High School their new home base.

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Railway’s youth chairman Lee Holmes paid tribute to Rob Warren, Claire Hayden, and Jenny Vincent for their efforts organising fundraising events.

He said:

“We’re big on giving back to the community and we do as much as we can for our local schools.”

“Starbeck is a really close-knit, fantastic community.”

 

Appeal for witnesses after jewellery stolen from Harrogate home

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses and information after thieves stole jewellery from a house on Kirkstone Road in Harrogate.

It happened between 5.30pm and 6.30pm on Wednesday February 17.  Access was gained to the house through a back window.

The items stolen included a gold wedding ring, a gold engagement ring with platinum diamonds and an Armani watch.

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Police are appealing for information about any discarded items or suspicious behaviour in the area of Kirkstone Road and/or Coniston Road around the same time.

Officers would also like to hear from anyone who has any CCTV or dash-cam or doorbell camera footage that may have captured something.

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for Xavi Lopez or email xavi.lopez@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk

Please quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12210061627.

Covid vaccination site to open in Knaresborough

A new covid vaccine site will open on Monday in Knaresborough on the site of the former Lidl supermarket on York Road.

The site will be run by Homecare Pharmacy Services, a Knaresborough-based pharmacist.

It will be the third vaccination site to open in the district so far.

Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground vaccine site opened on December 22 and can carry out up to 1,800 jabs a day.

A vaccine site at Ripon Races opened this month and has the capacity to vaccinate between 500 and 600 people each day.

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It was revealed at this week’s North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum press briefing that 422,000 people in North Yorkshire, York, East Riding and the Humber have had their first vaccine.

A total of 17,000 have had their second dose.

Consultation on £8m Harrogate redevelopment set to begin

A four-week consultation will launch next week on redeveloping Station Parade in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire County Council secured £7.8m in funding from the government’s Transforming Cities Fund last year to create a “gateway” to connect the bus and railway stations with the town centre.

A media briefing to discuss the proposals and forthcoming consultation will be held online tomorrow.

The money awarded in March has to be spent within three years and NYCC’s executive member for highways Cllr Don Mackenzie told the Stray Ferret that building work could begin on the scheme before the end of this year.

The public will be asked to contribute ideas for the project, which aims to promote sustainable transport.

Cllr Mackenzie said one idea could involve building cycle lanes on Station Parade but he added there would be no ban on cars.

Plans for a ‘station gateway’ have been in the works for several years and in 2016 Harrogate Borough Council published an artist’s impression of how it might look:

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The plan fits into a wider strategy for Harrogate drawn up by the borough council in its 2016 Town Centre Strategy and Masterplan.

It said:

“Harrogate’s railway station and adjoining facilities, including the town centre’s bus station, have long been identified as an area for improvement. The current buildings and infrastructure detract from the overall quality of the town centre environment and provide a poor gateway for visitors.”

Could a Claro Road rail station solve Harrogate’s congestion?

A Harrogate conservative councillor has suggested a rail station could be built near Claro Road to ease the town’s congestion problems.

Paul Haslam, who lives in Bilton and represents the area on both North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate District Council, is gathering support for the idea.

He thinks a station could be built near the footbridge at Dragon Junction between Harrogate and Starbeck stations on the Leeds to York line.

He told the Stray Ferret the station would be a “win-win” for Harrogate because it could reduce traffic congestion on Skipton Road, improve links to the Claro Court Business Centre and improve the quality of life for local residents.

He said it would also promote cycling because of its proximity to the Nidderdale Greenway.

Cllr Haslam said:

“I am convinced this would make significant inroads to congestion on Skipton Road, our quality of air, our reduction in CO2 emissions and most importantly the quality of life to those who live in this area.

“It should also improve links to the business park and therefore help local prosperity and jobs. Adding a supermarket would also add jobs whilst improving the facilities in the area.”

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Cllr Haslam said he has had conversations about the idea with North Yorkshire County Council, which would need to undertake a feasibility study to determine costs.

The government is keen to open new rail stations and last year awarded funding to help bring back ‘forgotten’ stations axed in the Beeching cuts during the 1960s.

A new rail station opened in Wales earlier this week at an estimated cost of £8 million, but it took over 11 years to develop the plans.

The latest station to open in the Harrogate district was Hornbeam Park in 1992, which was used by 400,000 passengers in 2019/20 and is a popular stop for commuters and visitors.

Don Mackenzie, executive member for highways at North Yorkshire County Council, told the Stray Ferret he supported the idea of a Claro Road station.

However, he said that due to a lack of funding the chances of it being built were slim, and that any final decision would be made by Network Rail.

He added:

“Just as I supported Hornbeam Park 30 years ago I would be supportive of this, but I can’t see it happening any time soon.”

Plan to convert Windsor House into 94 flats refused

A plan to convert the Harrogate office block Windsor House into 94 flats has been refused.

A Harrogate Borough Council report said not all of the flats would benefit from adequate natural light.

Owner of the building, Boultbee Brooks, wanted to turn the seven-storey building on Cornwall Road into 94 flats consisting of 14 one-bedroom and 80 two-bedroom properties.

There have been two previous applications to convert Windsor House into flats, in 2014 and 2017, which were both approved under permitted development rights.

However, a condition was attached to both applications that said the conversion must be completed within three years.

First introduced in 2013 as a way to mitigate the UK’s housing shortage, office-to-residential permitted development rights make it easier for owners of office blocks to convert them into homes.

With the building still being used by local businesses, a fresh application was submitted in 2020, which would have given the owner another three years to complete the conversion.

But this time, the council’s chief planner, John Worthington, deemed it not applicable for permitted development due to what he said was a lack of natural light in some of the rooms.

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The Windsor House application received an objection from a tenant of the building, who said the conversion would “drive businesses out of Harrogate”.

The objection said:

“It took us months to find office space in Harrogate within a reasonable walking distance of town. Please think of business in Harrogate, it can’t all be about residential. We need places to work too, Harrogate needs commercial business.”

Windsor House, which is located in the Duchy estate area, is one of the most distinctive landmarks in Harrogate.

Built in 1900 overlooking Valley Gardens, it was originally the Grand Hotel until it became offices in the 1980s.

The Stray Ferret contacted Boultbee Brooks for a response but did not receive one at the time of publication.

Hopes dashed for Harrogate care home visits despite vaccine

A health leader in North Yorkshire has dashed hopes that face-to-face care home visits could resume soon.

Despite all Harrogate district care home residents now being offered a covid vaccine, North Yorkshire County Council still advises visits only take place behind screens and windows or in visiting pods.

Many family members and friends have not been able to have face-to-face visits for almost a year, including Harrogate resident Judy Bass, who said it has been “horrible” not being able to visit her 99-year old father.

Position remains the same

North Yorkshire County Council‘s corporate director of health and adult services, Richard Webb said the position remained the same on care home visits, despite the success of the vaccination programme.

Speaking at a press briefing of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum this morning, Mr Webb said there is still a risk of vaccinated people spreading the virus.

“Our position remains the same. We need to make sure we don’t have a false sense of security. The vaccine is incredibly good news, however the virus can still be caught and transmitted by people with the vaccine.

“The vaccine stops people dying and stops people needing very acute hospital treatment.”

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Ms Bass told the Stray Ferret this afternoon that she expected face-to-face visits to be possible after care home staff and residents had been vaccinated.

She now thinks she might not be able to visit her dad before his 100th birthday in August.

She added:

“It’s the false hope, they just keep moving the goalposts.”

Impact on transmission

Covid case numbers in the Harrogate district have fallen since January but the impact of the vaccine on the transmission of the virus is yet to be fully understood.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said on Monday that early data suggests the vaccines are having a “really encouraging” impact on transmission, but the full data will not be published until next month.

It was revealed at this morning’s press briefing that 422,000 people in North Yorkshire, York, East Riding and the Humber have had their first vaccine. 17,000 have had their second dose.