10K run set to be held in aid of Harrogate Homeless Project

A charity 10k run is set to take place in Harrogate in aid of the Harrogate Homeless Project.

Called “Run, Walk, Move”, the initiative is being held to raise money for the charity on its 30th anniversary.

The charity has urged people to run or walk either as individuals or as a group throughout October, with each runner contributing £10 to the cause.

This Sunday (October 9), Harrogate Triathlon Club has organised a 5k and 10k starting from the Harrogate Homeless Hostel on Bower Street at 10.30am.

Jon Chamberlain, who is part of the Harrogate Triathlon Committee, said the runs would include areas of interest around the town.

He said:

“We are doing a bit of a circle around Harrogate where we can find some interesting places.”

He added that he hoped that the run would help to raise around £400 for the Harrogate Homeless Project.

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After the end of the run, those participating will meet up at North Bar social room for coffee and cake along with the chief executive and chair of the charity.

All money raised as part of the anniversary fundraiser will go towards providing hot meals, laundry facilities, showers and clothing for those who experience homelessness.

Prizes are being provided by Up and Running, which has donated a £75 voucher for fastest 5k, 10k and half marathon times and a £100 voucher for the top fundraising team.

Francis McAllister, CEO of Harrogate Homeless Project, said: 

“The Virtual Run has been set up to be as inclusive as possible, enabling people of all abilities to take part and set their own personal challenge.

“We hope to get as much of the Harrogate district as possible walking, jogging or running for homelessness this October in support of our 30th anniversary fundraising and publicity campaign.”

For more information on how to get involved visit the Harrogate Homeless Project website here and the Harrogate Triathlon site here.

Harrogate church to hold baby loss event

People who have lost babies are being invited to light a candle or leave a message at St Peter’s Church, Harrogate next week.

Baby Loss Awareness Week, which runs from October 9 to 15, is an awareness and support campaign around pregnancy and baby loss.

One in four pregnancies ends in miscarriage and 250 babies are stillborn every day in the UK.

Reflect, a pregnancy loss support charity, will be holding a Light a Candle remembrance event from 12.45pm to 2pm on Tuesday at St Peter’s Church. People will be able to light a candle or leave a message in remembrance of their loss.

Baby Loss Awareness Week, now in its 20th year, enables those affected to come together to remember and commemorate lost children.

The week also provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the impact of pregnancy and baby loss and the importance of bereavement support.

Tanya Allen from Reflect charity said:

“We hope that our Light a Candle event will provide an opportunity for local bereaved parents and families to remember their precious babies. We also would like anyone dealing with the pain of pregnancy and baby loss to know that there is support available; at Reflect we provide free one-to-one support for individuals and couples.”

Baby Loss Awareness Week is observed internationally and culminates with the Wave of Light on October 15, when people across the world light a candle at 7pm local time and leave it burning to remember all babies that have died too soon.

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Ripon Tractor Fest raises £4,000 for hospital’s children’s ward

A charity tractor fest in Ripon has raised £4,000 for the Leeds General Infirmary Neonatal Unit.

It was organised by Tom Tate after his newborn son recently spent time in intensive care at LGI with a life-threatening condition.

Mr Tate’s partner Sarah gave birth to their son, Freddie, three-and-a-half months ago.

But soon afterwards he was diagnosed with Atrial flutter, a type of abnormal heart rhythm that makes the heart beat too quickly.

Mr Tate said it was a frightening time for the family. He said:

“When he was born straight away we knew something wasn’t right. In a baby, Atrial flutter is life threatening.

“But after two weeks in intensive care at the LGI, they got him right, and they looked after me and Sarah.”

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Freddie is thankfully now at home and fighting fit, but his dad said he wanted to repay the hospital by raising money for the LGI Neonatal Unit through the Leeds Hospitals Charity.

Mr Tate is a member of West Yorkshire Tractor and Engine Club and around 80 vintage and modern tractors from the club attended F. Tate and Sons garden centre at Studley Road on September 24. It was also attended by the Yorkshire Vet, Peter Wright.

A total of £4,000 was raised, which will be used to transform the corridors in the neonatal ward. They have been renamed the ‘corridors of courage’ and will include pictures and stories to help other families through their hard times.

Mr Tate said:

“I’m absolutely amazed at how the day went. Massive thank-you to everyone who attended and donated, helping us raise a massive £4,000 for the LGI neonatal unit. It’s such an overwhelming feeling to gi\ve a huge amount of money to an excellent cause.”

Knaresborough concert raises £800 for Resurrected Bites

A concert last weekend at Gracious Street Methodist Church in Knaresborough raised over £800 for local food poverty organisation Resurrected Bites.

The concert featured musicians and singers including the Silver Keys Clarinet Quartet, Thula Mamas and Knaresborough Silver Band.

Music included Graham Kendrick’s ‘Teach me to Dance’, Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’, Lennon and McCartney’s ‘When I’m 64’ and Brian Hoare’s ‘Born in Song’.

The event was organised by Sarah Darvill and Nick Garrett.

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Resurrected Bites was established by Michelle Hayes in 2018 and began life as a ‘pay-as-you-feel’ community café working with local businesses and suppliers to divert good quality food from landfill.

It turns the food into meals in its cafes and provides it to families through its community groceries scheme.

The organisation runs cafes at Gracious Street Methodist Church in Knaresborough and West Park United Reformed Church in Harrogate. It has also launched a community groceries scheme with bases in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Masham farmers fundraise in memory of colleagues who died of sepsis

Masham Young Farmers’ Club is fundraising in memory of two local farmers who died after contracting sepsis.

Hannah Brown was in her twenties when she cut her hand and the wound became infected.

David Cooke thought he had covid but also ended up dying of sepsis, which occurs when your immune system overreacts to an infection.

Masham Young Farmers’ Club is working with the UK Sepsis Trust this year to spread awareness of the condition and raise money.

A tractor run in May generated £2,500, now the club has organised an auction of promises, which will take place at Masham Town Hall on October 14. People will bid for donated prizes, which range from a family ticket to the Forbidden Corner to a quad bike package.

Jack Jobling, chairman of the club, which has about 40 members, said sepsis was a cause close to the heart of the farming community. He said:

“Sepsis, if diagnosed early can be treated successfully, however if people are unaware of the signs of the illness it can rapidly become very serious and untreatable.

“Masham Young Farmers’ Club is aiming to not only raise money for the charity, we are trying to increase awareness of sepsis so that people are able to detect signs of the disease faster and therefore save lives.

“This is particularly important within the farming community as farmers often cut themselves and come into contact with muck and other contaminants in their work, and this is one way that an infection can be brought into the body that can lead to sepsis developing.”

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There are 48 lots on offer at the auction. Profit will be donated to the trust, with a small amount kept to go towards club running costs.

Tickets cost £10 and include a buffet. The event will begin with a short talk and video from a trust ambassador and then auctioneer Kenton Foster will sell the lots.

For more details email mashamyfc@gmail.com, call or text 07521 595412 or call 01677 470353.

Charity shop opens tomorrow on Harrogate’s Oxford Street

A new charity shop will open tomorrow on Harrogate’s Oxford Street as part of ambitious expansion plans.

Yorkshire Cancer Research will open the shop in the former Porters clothing shop, after the business moved to James Street two years ago.

Tomorrow’s official opening will be conducted by TV presenter and journalist Christine Talbot, with the Mayor of the Borough of Harrogate, Cllr Victoria Oldham, also attending.

The Harrogate-based charity already has five shops and plans to open a further 15 in the next five years, saying it plans to open units on every high street in Yorkshire.

Each shop is expected to raise £100,000 a year for the charity, which funds research into cancer. YCR is the largest regional cancer charity, funding 62 research programmes and allowing 250,000 people to participate in pioneering research and treatment.

The former Porters shop on Oxford Street

The former Porters shop on Oxford Street.

A spokesperson for YCR said:

“As well as raising funds to help prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, the shops are the ‘greenest on the high street’, allowing people to recycle pre-loved items and buy sustainably sourced products.

“They also provide opportunities for people to learn new skills, meet new people and play a role in helping those with cancer in Yorkshire through volunteering.”

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Cost of living crisis fund launched for North Yorkshire

Two Ridings Community Foundation has launched a fund aimed at helping communities in North Yorkshire as the cost of living crisis deepens.

The charity is set to open applications for the fund next month and has already received £210,000 worth of pledges towards it.

The fund will give grants to groups who provide practical, financial and emotional support to people struggling to manage bills, with their day-to-day existence and the emotional impact of constantly worrying about finance, debt and their loved ones’ wellbeing.

It comes as people across the Harrogate district have seen energy bills increase and inflation hike the prices of goods and services.

Two Ridings Community Foundation is one of 47 community foundations in the UK which co-ordinate local charitable giving. Its new initiative will help people in north and east Yorkshire.

James Lambert, founding donor of the crisis fund and high sheriff of North Yorkshire, urged others to donate to the fund.

He said:

“As a local businessman I urge everyone who can to donate to this crucial fund.

“As high sheriff I have seen the amazing work that local charities do and know that any money donated is used wisely and well, where it is most needed.”

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The fund will also ensure charities can cope with the impact of the cost of living on their own costs, so they can continue to offer support.

The fund will open for applications from North and East Yorkshire community organisations from early October 2022. Full details will be available on the Two Ridings website.

90-year-old skydiving for Harrogate care home

A 90-year-old man from Harrogate will perform a skydive to help buy wheelchairs at a care home where his wife lives.

Frank Ward’s wife Margie has vascular dementia and lives at Berwick Grange care home on Wetherby Road.

As Mr Ward approached his 90th birthday in November, he decided to mark it by doing something special.

The energy crisis has increased costs at the care home for heating and food and Mr Ward hopes the fundraiser will help it buy some much-needed wheelchairs for residents.

He is especially looking forward to the jump because the last time he did a skydive was in the 1950s during National Service.

Mr Ward said:

“It occurred to me that a skydive would be a nice thing to do to mark my 90th — and I could try and do some good at the same time. 

“I’ve raised over £1,500 so far, that’s marvellous and will buy a lot of wheelchairs. 

“If I get to 95 I might do another one!”

To donate, visit the JustGiving page.

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Harrogate fundraiser’s decade of collecting for Marie Curie after help with father’s care

A Harrogate fundraiser has dedicated the past decade collecting for Marie Curie after the charity’s nurses helped her to care for her father.

When her dad was diagnosed with cancer 11 years ago, Tracey D’Alessandro-Rixon was bringing up three small children, aged five months, seven and nine.

Marie Curie’s nurses stepped in and supported her during evenings, which allowed her time to look after her young family and get some rest.

She said:

“I had very young kids. My husband worked away and they gave me a lot of support on evenings so I could get some sleep.

“Dad had dementia and would want to play football at 10pm at night. The nurses were just amazing. One of them used to make me a cake each week as well.

“Marie Curie nurses are an amazing breed.”

Ms D’Alessandro-Rixon is now a registered volunteer for Marie Curie and member of the Harrogate fundraising group.

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Since her father’s death, both she and her children have helped to raise thousands for the charity.

She said:

“My children used to do daffodil weeks with me and have continued to do it for quite a few years. Especially my son, because it is his way of doing his thing for his granddad. It left quite a hole in his life when his granddad died. He wanted to help others to get some help. He likes to do it every year.”

Ms D’Alessandro-Rixon said Marie Curie provided a very important service.

She said:

“I couldn’t have looked after my dad like I did if I hadn’t had that help. As he had Alzheimer’s, for me it was the wrong thing to stick him in respite.

“Because of their help, I was able to keep him at home which was really important for my dad. It was a place where he felt happy.”

Fundraiser

The Marie Curie Brain Game is returning to Yorkshire for a fourth time on Thursday, January 26 and for the first time in Harrogate in the newly refurbished Majestic Hotel & Spa.

Guests will be treated to a drinks reception before enjoying a gourmet three-course dinner. The celebrity-hosted quiz will run throughout the evening and guests will also have the opportunity to bid for exclusive lots in the live and silent auctions, and win prizes in the grand raffle.

This black-tie event invites companies from across Yorkshire to come and enjoy an evening of brain-teasing entertainment and battle it out in the ultimate corporate quiz to be crowned Yorkshire Brain Game champions.

To book a table, click here.

Column: we have met and observed Charles many times, he will be a worthy King

This column has been written for the Stray Ferret by Dr Terry Bramall CBE. The Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation is based in Harrogate and has been for many years one of the UK’s largest donors to the Prince’s Trust.

I first met the Prince of Wales some thirty years ago when he came to Durham to open a small housing estate for the Durham Aged Miners Housing Association. He was charming, interested and engaging and made the occasion very memorable.

Nearly 20 years later when my colleagues and I had sold our company, my wife Liz and I formed our philanthropic foundation. We were determined to make a difference and thought quickest way to get results was to offer change to young people and the best deliverers for that purpose was the Prince’s Trust.

Within 18 months we were one of its biggest supporters.

During the last 15 years we met and observed the King many times. We found out why the Prince’s Trust was so successful. He took an intimate interest in assembling the right people to work with, visiting their offices and meeting the youngsters who join the programmes that they offer. Its impact on the lives of some of our most vulnerable young people has been profound and we have witnessed that. Normally when royalty make visits they don’t spend long in one place. My wife and I visited an annual Trust prize giving one year at the Odeon, Leicester Square. The now King sat on the stage all afternoon, shaking hands and congratulating all the nominees from around the country. This was truly an example of his devotion to his causes and beliefs.

Up to now, he has been, at times, a controversial figure. That is principally because he has been before his time. I think of his bringing quality design to individual housing, housing estates and villages. In farming he was promoting growing our food organically. Behind his ideas, his aim was to improve the health of people and the planet. Today we realise that the controversy arose because he recognised the benefits before the majority and, as Prince of Wales, he could fight for these causes.

As King, of course, he can’t because he now has a constitutional role working much more closely with Parliament.

I know he recognises this and I look forward to him establishing himself and bringing his dedication to service that I have experienced through being associated with the Princes’ Trust.

I know he will be relinquishing his leadership role of the Trust and consequently we will not meet as we have but I believe he will be a very worthy King.

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