Police are appealing for dashcam footage of a serious collision on the edge of the Harrogate district.

A woman in a green 12-reg Mazda broke several bones and was hospitalised for five days.

The crash happened at 9.20am on Tuesday, March 14 at Leathley Lane near Castley Lane.

According to North Yorkshire Police, three other vehicles were involved: a white 21-reg Ford Transit van, a grey 21-reg Hyundai Ioniq and a grey 10-reg Skoda Roomster.

The stretch of road was closed for several hours while officers investigated and vehicles were recovered.

A police statement said:

“We’re appealing for witnesses to the collision or anyone who recalls seeing the vehicles involved prior to the collision, to get in touch as soon as possible to assist the investigation.

“In particular, we’re appealing for motorists in the area at the time who may have relevant dashcam footage of the collision itself or of any of the vehicles involved prior to the incident.”

You can email Megan.Smith1@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for Megan Smith.

Quote reference number 12230046167.

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Harrogate Cricket Club has launched a £75,000 fundraising appeal to buy four cricket nets.

The nets would enable the club, which has four senior teams, 150 junior players and walking cricket for over-55s, to practise using some of the best facilities in the district.

It currently has only two overused nets in poor condition at its St George’s Road ground.

The crowdfunder campaign therefore initially aims to raise £30,000 and would make the new facilities open to the wider community.

The club has found donors willing to match fund that amount so the £30,000 target would generate £60,000. A further £15,000 may be required as the cost of the new nets could be as high as £75,000.

The existing nets were damaged in a recent storm.

The crowdfunding page said:

“We want to be able to provide some of the best cricket facilities in the north of England. But we’re currently falling well short of where we want to be.

“We only have two nets for hundreds of players and they are really old and tired. We have constant issues with net congestion, i.e. too many players and not enough nets and this significantly impacts our players’ ability to practise and develop.”

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The nets will, according to the club, “allow each cricketer to develop at their own pace, with enough ‘net time’ to discover their strengths and work on their confidence”.

The first team plays in the Yorkshire Premier League and is coached by former Yorkshire player Matt Pillans.

Female cricket has boomed in recent years and the club’s girls section now has three teams across three age groups.

A club graphic showing how the new nets would look.

The appeal adds:

“There is a real lack of quality net facilities in North Yorkshire. We believe we can build an outstanding facility that will serve our players, their families, and the broader cricketing community for years to come.”

You can support the campaign here.

A former care home in Harrogate that has been empty since 2016 could be converted to flats if new plans are approved.

The Pines, on Harlow Moor Drive, was closed after a Care Quality Commission inspection found it inadequate in all areas.

Now, plans have been submitted to Harrogate Borough Council to create 12 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments in the property at 56-57 Harlow Moor Drive.

The lower ground floor would contain five one-bedroom apartments, with a sixth on the upper ground floor, while the third floor would offer living accommodation as part of a penthouse with three bedrooms on the second floor.

The remaining five apartments on the upper ground, first and second floors would each have two bedrooms.

Documents submitted with the plans said:

“The Pines comprises of a pair of semi-detached houses which had been linked and converted into a privately-owned care home. The care house is no longer in operation – the property is redundant.

“The proposed works is the de-conversion of the care home into the original semi-detached dwellings (retaining and utilising the existing front doors) and then converting each original house (above lower ground floor level) into self-contained apartments, retaining as much as possible the existing building and limiting any structural works to new door openings, removal of isolated walls, walling up of isolated doors and windows with thermal and sound proofing upgrading works to the retained structure as required to meet current building regulations requirements.”

In the seven years since the care home was closed, three applications have been put forward to convert it to a house of multiple occupation (HMO) and to 12 flats.

All were turned down by the council before the applicant appealed unsuccessfully against each decision. An enforcement notice was also served by the council in 2017 to prevent the house being used as an HMO without permission and an appeal against that notice also failed.

The previous proposal to turn the building into 12 flats in 2020 was refused on the grounds it was not in line with the council’s policy of retaining buildings for community use, including care homes.

Justifying the decision at the time, the council said the owner had not made sufficient efforts to sell the building to someone who would retain it as a care home or other community facility.

It has since been marketed by FSS and Healthcare Property Consultants without a guide price, but with “offers invited”.

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The current plans have been put forward by Mr R Doyle of Flatcap Properties LLP, through agent Marcus Whitmore of nineteen47 Ltd. Supporting statements with the plans said:

“The application follows a number of refusals of planning permission and dismissals on appeal of previous proposals for changes of use of the property. Those refusals related to separate applications for change of use to a 24-person house in multiple occupation and 12 self-contained apartments.

“In these cases, the main issue for refusal related to the lack of marketing of the property for sale as a community use. In addition, the issue of the impact of a house in multiple occupation on the amenity of nearby residents through disturbance due to the intensity of the use was a reason for refusal.

“In relation to the 12-apartment scheme additional reasons for refusal were based on the unacceptable living conditions for future occupiers and likely disturbance to neighbours and a lack of appropriate contributions towards affordable housing or open space.

“This application is based on amended proposals for the conversion of the property to self-contained apartments and is supported by evidence of the marketing of the property for a community use for a period of 12 months in advance of its submission.

“This has been informed by pre-application discussions that were undertaken with Harrogate Borough Council and subsequent correspondence with the pre-application case officer to refine the terms of marketing.”

To view or comment on the plans, visit the planning pages of Harrogate Borough Council’s website and use reference 23/00620/FULMAJ.

Police in Harrogate have located a woman missing from home since last night.

Issuing an appeal early this morning, North Yorkshire Police said she was believed to be driving around the Harrogate area.

The force has since confirmed the missing woman has been found and thanks those who shared the appeal.

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Police are appealing for CCTV footage around the Granby Road area after a man was assaulted in Harrogate.

The victim was approached by an unknown man on Granby Road and assaulted, leaving him with minor injuries to his hand, wrist and ankle.

It happened on Monday, January 23, around 2.20pm.

Police describe the man they want to speak to as white, aged in his late 20s to early 30s, and around 6ft tall with dark, mid-length hair. He was wearing a red coat and carrying a dark rucksack.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:

“We’re now requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

“In particular, our officers are keen to hear from any local residents that may have CCTV or doorbell cameras which may have caught the incident.”

Anyone with information that could help the investigation should email beth.long@northyorkshire.police.uk, or call 101, select option two, and ask for Beth Long.

To report information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, quoting reference number 12230013525.

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A pedestrian has been left with serious head and shoulder injuries after a collision in Starbeck last night.

A silver Nissan Micra was turning right from Starbeck High Street onto Forest Avenue around 7.55pm.

It collided with a pedestrian, who was taken to hospital and remains in a stable condition today.

Police closed the road while officers investigated and have now appealed for more information. A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:

“We are appealing for witnesses to the collision, or anyone who recalls seeing the vehicle prior to the collision, to get in touch as soon as possible to assist the investigation.

“In particular, we are appealing for any dashcam footage of the collision.”

Anyone with information is asked to email adam.smith@northyorkshire.police.uk, or call 101, select option two and ask for Adam Smith, quoting reference 12220212446.

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This year’s Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal is for Resurrected Bites in Harrogate and Knaresborough.  Please read Vicky’s story about the charity below and give generously to support local people who are struggling this Christmas.  They need your help. 

This Christmas, there are local people – colleagues, neighbours, friends – young, elderly and working age people — who will not be able to put food on their tables. 

There is help at hand from local organisation Resurrected Bites – but it’s facing a tough time too. 

Just weeks ago, it warned it faced an uncertain future: its own costs are rising, the amount being donated had dropped, and more and more people are looking for help. 

That’s why, from now until Christmas, the Stray Ferret is calling on everyone to give their support to this vital local organisation to help us secure its future. 

All donations go directly to Resurrected Bites and will be generously match-funded by Harrogate firm Techbuyer, up to the value of £5,000. 

Over the next four weeks, I’ll bring you stories that show just how important the work of Resurrected Bites is. Please read them, share them, and donate whatever you can.

The story of Resurrected Bites

“Harrogate is a really difficult place to be poor.

“There’s this perception that it’s all rosy, but that’s not the case for a lot of people.”

It was this realisation that prompted Michelle Hayes to do something to make a difference across the Harrogate district. 

The former research scientist founded a food waste café as part of her role as mission and outreach worker, employed by St Mark’s Church but covering the whole of Harrogate. 

Resurrected Bites began life in 2018 in the foyer of the church on Leeds Road, using food from supermarkets and some local hospitality businesses which would otherwise be thrown away. There was nothing wrong with the food, other than perhaps passing its ‘best before’ guidance date – but it would have ended up in a bin. 

She was inspired by the Real Junk Food Project in Leeds, founded by Adam Smith. Not only was it reducing food waste, it was making a significant difference to people. Michelle said: 

“It literally saved a guy’s life. He had lost his job and had no money, and he couldn’t see a way forward. He was contemplating ending his own life. 

“He walked past the café, went in and got a meal, and ended up becoming a volunteer. It saved his life.” 

The Harrogate café proved to be a success. Not only did it reduce food waste across the Harrogate area, it provided hot meals on a pay-as-you-feel basis to local people, and offered an opportunity to soclialise too. 

Michelle turned it into a community interest company, meaning it is run for the benefit of the community and its income is used to continue this work. 

Expansion

In 2020, Resurrected Bites began to expand, with a second café at Gracious Street Methodist Church in Knaresborough launching in January, followed by a third at West Park United Reformed Church, in early March. 

Then, of course, everything changed. 

The arrival of covid meant the cafes all had to close immediately, but Michelle and the small team of volunteers knew there was still a role for them. They began distributing food parcels to the many local people who suddenly found themselves out of work and short on money. 

Just a fraction of the food donated to Resurrected Bites every week during covid lockdowns

At the height of covid, they were intercepting three tonnes of food waste every week and ensuring it reached people who would otherwise not have enough to eat. 

Michelle said: 

“I realised the scale of food poverty in the area. It was shocking. 

“I knew then that once we stopped doing the deliveries, we still had to have a mechanism to get things to people who really needed it.” 

Community groceries

While restrictions were still in place, Michelle began working on the next stage of the project: community groceries. 

Using the same principle as the cafés of taking food that was still perfectly edible but would not be sold commercially, they were designed to help households who could not afford enough food. 

The community groceries allow people to choose their own food from the shelves. Members pay a small fee – £3 for a household up to three, £6 for four or more people – and for that can select a set number of fresh, frozen and packaged goods, as well as toiletries and household products. 

Two groceries opened in autumn 2021, at Gracious Street and New Park Community Hub. Demand has grown enormously in the year since, as their reputation has spread. 

The number of customers at the cafés has also risen and there are plans in place to open a third, in Killinghall, in the new year. Michelle said:

“When I set up the cafes, the community groceries weren’t even on my radar.

“Resurrected Bites has been a lot more successful than I had anticipated. It is meeting a lot of need in our community.”

It’s clear the cafés and groceries are badly needed. With the cost of living crisis hitting and recession looming, that need is only likely to grow. 

It already costs £7,500 every month to deliver those vital services. Please donate to the Stray Ferret’s Christmas appeal to ensure Resurrected Bites can continue supporting people who badly need it in 2023 and beyond.

Nobody in the Harrogate district should go hungry this Christmas. 

Whatever you can donate will help local people to feed themselves – and prevent food waste too. 

Just £10 can pay for a family’s weekly shopping in the community grocery. Click here to contribute now. 

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North Yorkshire Police has issued an appeal for help finding an American Bulldog called Biscuit who was taken during a burglary last week.

It took place at a home on Bramham Drive in Jennyfields at some point between 7pm on Friday September 23 and 5pm the following day.

Police said today “a number of items” were taken as well as the pet.

Biscuit is described as medium-sized, stocky, and has light tan and white fur. She also has a white marking at the tip of her tail.

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should email katie.bell@northyorkshire.police.uk.

You can also call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for PC Katie Bell 220.

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A motorcyclist is in hospital with serious injuries after a crash in the Harrogate district last night.

The collision, which occurred at the junction of the A61 Harrogate Road and Weeton Lane, involved a black Range Rover and a Yamaha motorcycle.

It occurred at about 7.30pm.

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses and information about the incident.

In a statement this morning it said:

“Unfortunately, the rider of the motorcycle suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries and was transferred to hospital where they remain in a stable condition.

“A stretch of Harrogate Road was closed for around two hours in both directions to allow for an initial investigation and vehicle recovery.”

Anyone with information or dashcam footage of the collision or the events leading up to the collision can email adam.smith@northyorkshire.police.uk, or contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for Adam Smith.

Quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12220103906.

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North Yorkshire Police today issued an appeal for information to find a man last seen in Harrogate.

A police statement today said Mark Griffiths has been missing since last week, and friends are concerned about his welfare. It added:

“Mark is described as white, 54 years old with no hair.

“He was last seen in Harrogate town centre wearing all black clothing on Wednesday 8 June.”

If you see him, or know where he is, you can contact the police by calling 101 and quoting reference number 12220100118.

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