The Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting is a breakfast event on Thursday, October 26 at Banyan in Harrogate from 8 am to 10 am. 

The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

The makers of TV’s The Great British Bake-Off were desperately searching for some retro fridges recently and had their wishes fulfilled by an electrical retailer in Boroughbridge. 

Love Productions was combing the UK for a specific model of fridge-freezer but was drawing a blank because it had been discontinued by Italian manufacturer Zanussi. 

Fortunately, G Craggs, which also has a shop in Ripon, had recognised how popular they were and had bought the last ones in January. The production company sought them out and a deal was done. 

Enjoying the moment, the company posted on its Facebook page: 

“To celebrate this wonderful partnership there are complimentary cakes in store for all customers while stocks last. You might even be served by team member Paul Bakes!”, adding: “Yes… that really is his name!” 

New business director for net zero firm

A Harrogate firm that specialises in carbon accounting and net zero delivery has announced a senior appointment as part of its growth strategy.

Rob Conway joins Flotilla to lead sales and business development operations after 15 years’ work with B2B scale-ups.

Flotilla, which is based on Station Parade, works with client companies to reduce their CO2 output, and its science-based carbon reduction service has been recommended by the United Nations Climate Change initiative.

Rob said:

“After a number of years in the tech space, it was seeing the world through my daughter’s eyes and seeing her interest in the environment, combined with ever-increasing extreme weather events globally, that made me rethink my career path. When I saw the role at Flotilla, I knew that this was the right place and the right time to make a meaningful impact through my role.

“By increasing the number of clients we work with, the larger environmental impact we can have.”

Read more:

• Business Breakfast: Construction firm hires two new directors
• Business Breakfast: Knaresborough company acquires local financial firm
• Business Breakfast: Harrogate marketing agency hires new head of social media

North Yorkshire is set to receive 140 new chargepoints for electric vehicles under a scheme announced today by the Department for Transport.

The county’s seven districts, including Harrogate, will each get 20 chargers.

The chargepoints will installed at on-street locations and at larger petrol-station charging hubs.

It is hoped the move will give drivers without home chargers more confidence to switch to electric, and reduce ‘range anxiety’ among existing electric vehicle users by helping to ensure motorists are never far from a chargepoint.

North Yorkshire County Council was awarded the funding today.

The council previously suggested that Markington, Pateley Bridge and Conyngham Hall in Knaresborough could receive new chargepoints in the Harrogate district. But it has yet to confirm the locations after today’s news.

Councillor Greg White, the council’s executive member for climate change, welcomed the funding. He said:

“The switch to electric vehicles is necessary as North Yorkshire moves towards becoming carbon zero, but the rural nature of the county presents some significant challenges.

“We worked hard to come up with an innovate scheme which will begin to provide the answers motorists need if they are to have the confidence to go electric.”

The chargers are part of the new Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot scheme where the council and industry work in partnership.

Companies are putting £200,000 towards the scheme.

The council will install more electric chargers (photo: Andrew Roberts/Unsplash)

Harrogate currently has six public charging points – though the type and number of charging points varies between each station.

Knaresborough currently has two charging points whilst Ripon has four.

National plans

North Yorkshire is one of the first nine areas to receive funding.

A total of £20 million has been allocated for the pilot scheme nationally.

The government plans to eventually invest £450 million into the scheme nationwide.

It intends to grow the network of charging points around the country with more than 1,000 new charging stations set to be installed.

Decarbonisation minister Trudy Harrison said:

“We want to expand and grow our world-leading network of EV chargepoints, working closely with industry and local government, making it even easier for those without driveways to charge their electric vehicles and support the switch to cleaner travel.”

Students and staff at Ripon Grammar School marked National Tree Week with an ambitious 3,000-sapling hedge-planting drive.

Hundreds of students gathered in the school grounds last week to plant the first 2,000 trees over two days.

The project was made possible by The Tree Council’s branching out fund, which supports schools and others across the UK to plant trees, hedges and orchards as National Tree Week inspires people to get outdoors and get planting in the first week of December.

Ava Edwards, who worked with Year 7 students on their massive planting project, in addition to digging in with fellow sixth formers throughout the week, said:

“The tree planting has provided fantastic opportunities for us all to get involved in regenerating the environment on school grounds.”

RGS gardening and wildlife champion, teacher David Bruce, who has been working with student volunteers from other year groups during lunchtime breaks, said:

“This year’s National Tree Week is more important than ever as we work together to tackle the climate and nature crises.

“Trees and hedgerows store carbon, reduce flood risks and improve our air quality, and by planting more we can help grow a greener future. The young people in our community are an amazing force for nature and by planting these new hedgerows they are helping to create a nature-filled legacy for all of us.

“We managed to get around two thirds of our trees planted so far, with the remaining 1,000 set to be planted at a more leisurely pace over the next couple of weeks. Although the planting is almost done, it’s not over because sustaining the growth of the young trees and maintaining them in a wildlife-friendly way is going to be an ongoing project.”