The Harrogate Tea Rooms in Westminster Arcade has closed with immediate effect.

Owners Carrie and Tony Wilkinson, who have run the business for 13 years, announced the news “with heavy hearts” on social media last night.

They said the day-to-day running costs were not translating into profit.

Their post said:

“We are as sad and shocked as some of you will be.

“Our tenancy with the new landlord was up for renewal, but with increased rent, energy and food costs, lower than ever footfall, our out-of-the-way location and possibly the ever increasing amount of new coffee shops near us, it has forced our decision to unfortunately not be able to move forward with the business.

“It is truly a challenging time for many small businesses.

“We have a massively supportive team of thousands of followers but it is the day to day running costs and effort that is just not translating into profit.

“Obviously that is not sustainable, so we have had to take the decision to walk away.”

They added they tried to sell the business “but there is currently no market for the many local tea rooms/cafes up for sale”.

The post thanked customers and added they will continue to make scones for delivery.

The Harrogate Tea Rooms was featured in The Harrogate Crime Series by Malcolm Hollingdrake.

Mr and Ms Wilkinson said DCI Cyril Bennett, one of the main characters, will live “in our hearts and memories”, and ‘will forever be drinking tea from a China cup”.

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A Knaresborough rescue centre has made an urgent appeal for donations and transport as it tackles the cost of living crisis.

Daniel Holmes, who runs Knaresborough Exotic Rescue, said the centre had nearly 150 pets in its care, most of which are reptiles including snakes and bearded dragons.

Mr Holmes said he has been increasingly travelling further afield to rescue pets as people contend with the cost of living and have nowhere to give their reptiles to.

Yesterday, the rescue centre, which does not own a van, rented a vehicle to pickup 12 animals from Burnley and plans to take in an 18 foot Burmese Python from Wakefield on Friday.

The increase in demand coupled with vet bills of £1,000 and electricity charges of nearly £2,000 a month has left the rescue struggling.

Mr Holmes said:

“We are finding that this is coming more as people struggle with the cost of living.”

Read more:

• Harrogate family reunited with missing cat after five years
• Harrogate Cat Rescue launches urgent funding appeal

Mr Holmes has called for more support for the centre as it takes on more pets during the winter months.

In particular, the rescue has appealed for a van to help take in some of the bigger animals.

Mr Holmes said reptiles are often to first to be given up by pet owners as it is energy intensive to look after them.

He added:

“People seem to forget about the other animals such as reptiles. They are suffering more than cats and dogs.

“If someone needs to save on their energy bills, it’s the tank with the snake in which goes because it takes up energy.”

To donate to the centre, find them on Facebook here or send a donation via PayPal to krescue@hotmail.co.uk.

Harrogate Homeless Project has seen increased demand in recent months with more young people using the charity for help.

Francis McAllister, chief executive of the project, said the charity had seen an increase in visits from people who would not normally use its services.

The project’s Springboard day centre would normally see 15 visits a day, but has reported a rise to 25 in recent months.

Mr McAllister said the recent rise in interest rates, rising rents and the cost of living crisis had increased demand on the charity.

He said:

“The challenges around cost-of-living has highlighted the urgency for more resources to continue our critical work.

“All our hostel beds are full, and we have seen increasingly younger individuals and women seeking our help.”

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• Former homeless hostel could be converted to social housing in Harrogate
• Ripon YMCA supporters brave the elements for the homeless

Mr McAllister said the project’s hostel on Bower Street is up to capacity, with all 16 beds taken.

As a result, the charity has organised a series of events in an effort to raise money to meet demand.

A fun run, photography competition, and Three Peak challenge are some fundraising initiatives launched by the Harrogate Homeless Project.

The charity run will take place on July 15 across the Stray, while the Three Peaks challenge will take place on September 16 at £50 per entry.

Meanwhile, a photography competition will be held in partnership with the Harrogate Photographic Society and will be open to all ages with the theme ‘community’.

Up to six photos can be entered per person, with a £5 donation. 

Entries close on August 31, when six finalists will be chosen for an exclusive event at West Park Hotel on September 28. The finalists will be on display at St Peter’s Church in October.

Mr McAllister added:

“Since the pandemic, it’s gone from one crisis to another as many households struggle with housing insecurity. 

“Every penny raised will make a lasting impact for someone in need.”

For more information on the events, email Thomas Richards on thomas@hhphostel.org.

Thousands of people in the Harrogate district will be offered support amid the cost of living crisis.

North Yorkshire County Council is working with Harrogate Borough Council to offer a one-off payment in supermarket e-vouchers to help those most in need to pay for food and other essentials.

The scheme was initially set up by the Department for Work and Pensions to help people meet the cost of energy bills, food and other essentials as the country recovered from the covid-19 pandemic.

The funding is allocated to councils, which then distribute the money in a way that meets the needs of their local communities.

Cllr David Chance, North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for corporate services, said: 

“These are difficult times for people, so the third phase of the Household Support Fund will really make a difference to the many residents who are struggling to afford food and basic necessities.

“We’ve been working closely with borough and district council colleagues to identify who is eligible for the Household Support Fund vouchers based on guidance from the Department for Work and Pensions, so you do not need to approach your local council, we will contact you.”

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The latest round of the Household Support Fund has also been used to supplement other schemes which will help residents with their household costs. 

This includes support for food banks and other schemes providing free food across the county.

For more information on the Household Support Fund in North Yorkshire, visit the county council website here.

This year’s Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal is for Resurrected Bites in Harrogate and Knaresborough. Today, Vicky finds out what its team and supporters have been doing to ensure its customers can have a happy Christmas, even in difficult circumstances.

Our appeal runs for two more days. Please give generously to support local people who are struggling this Christmas. They need your help. 

The festive season may be upon us, but demand for help from Resurrected Bites has never been higher.

Sophia Clark, who runs the organisation’s community grocery in New Park, said:

“We’ve had a really busy two weeks. It’s going to be busy up to Christmas.

“We’re getting a lot of new people in – two just this morning.

“On Tuesday, I had a woman in pieces. She had three children on her own and had gone to do her food shopping. Her direct debit had changed for her gas and electric and they’d left her overdrawn.”

Along with the volunteers at New Park, Sophia was able to fill the woman’s freezer to see her through the festive period and ensure her children wouldn’t go hungry.

She later received a message thanking her for what she had done, concluding: “God bless you, you are a diamond and a special one at that.”

Sadly, the woman was just one of many who have been forced to call on Resurrected Bites for the first time this month alone.

Sophia said:

“We’re seeing lots of things like that at the moment – people in absolute dire straits.

“We’ve had a lot of pensioners in. One lady had gone to deliver a Christmas card to a friend and found her shaking and freezing. She couldn’t afford the heating.”

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Sophia said some of the stories she hears are heart-breaking. Along with volunteer Karen Martin, who also speaks to people arriving at the community grocery to ensure it can meet their needs, Sophia said she often cries in the office behind closed doors once the visitor has left, before getting back to work.

But the very tough side of the job is balanced by the heart-warming elements.

Sophia knows she is making a difference at a time of crisis for many people – messages like the one from the mum whose bill had left her overdrawn provide some comfort amid all the challenges.

There is also fantastic generosity towards Resurrected Bites and its customers, especially at this time of year.

When I visited the New Park community grocery last week, there was a small Santa’s grotto in the corner, with a volunteer ensuring children could meet Father Christmas even if their parents couldn’t afford to buy tickets for a commercial event.

The shelves had been stacked that morning with toys and chocolates for those who wouldn’t be able to afford treats. Although they had been snapped up quickly, more were still coming in and being laid out for other customers.

Resurrected Bites founder Michelle Hayes said:

“A few people have expressed concern about not being able to buy presents for their families this year.

“The last thing we want is people taking out loans. So we’ve been able to give out presents to make sure they have something to unwrap on Christmas Day.”

Businesses and individuals have been generous with selection boxes, tubs of sweets and other small luxuries for Resurrected Bites to distribute to its customers.

There have also been deliveries of blankets, warm jumpers and festive decorations.

The Christmas tree in Santa’s grotto at New Park came from the festival at St Thomas the Apostle Church in Killinghall, donated by Mole Country Stores near Ripley. After being on display at the community grocery, the firm asked that it be given to a family who wouldn’t otherwise have a Christmas tree.

The amount of food and other treats available is a dramatic improvement from earlier this year, when demand was outstripping the volume of waste food arriving from supermarkets.

Sophia said the kind of generosity in evidence in the run-up to Christmas – and knowing how much difference she and the volunteers could make to people – is what has kept her going in challenging times.

“I look at those people and the feedback I get. That’s what I do this for: I get to help people and make a change.

“I had message after message last night from people asking if they could come down [to shop]. I’m just so grateful we’ve got the food to give them.

“A couple of months ago, it was so low, but now at least I know nobody has to go without for Christmas.”

Nobody in the Harrogate district should go hungry this Christmas. 

It costs £300 to run the community grocery for one day. Please help to keep it open for everyone who relies on it. 

Click here to contribute now. 

A parent from Harrogate has raised concerns that the growing cost of living, including childcare fees, could see children put at risk.

The mum, who asked us not to use her name, said rising fees were putting pressure on household budgets as they also faced increased costs for mortgages, fuel and more.

As an NHS nurse, whose partner is in the police, she said she had little money left each month after bills were paid – and now she faces a further rise in nursery fees from January.

She said:

“Even we are struggling on fairly decent wages. I have considered taking my son out of nursery, but we don’t have much alternative – my mum has got health needs and I want to know his needs are being met.

“If I’m considering that on the wage that I’m on, what are other people considering?

“We aren’t paid any more – how are we supposed to afford all of these rises without going bankrupt?”

With a take-home monthly pay packet of £1,700 from her full-time role, the mum said she already pays more than £550 a month on childcare, and her mortgage has recently risen by £200 a month. She also pays for business insurance on her car to be able to do her job, and often buys equipment out of her own pocket because NHS budgets are so stretched.

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She also said she worried that families facing growing costs might decide to remove their children from childcare, even after accessing funded hours on government schemes.

Not only could they potentially be left somewhere unsafe or unregistered, such as with an older sibling or family friend, but their contact with professionals would also be delayed and any early warning signs not spotted.

She added:

“From a safeguarding perspective, the reason those [funded] hours have been brought in is because the ages of nought to five are the most vulnerable time in a child’s life, where they are more likely to experience significant harm or death.

“If children are in nursery, parents get that break. If they don’t get that break, we’re putting pressure on people. But if they’re not in childcare, nothing is going to get pocked up until those children start school or end up needing medical care.”

Her son is at Nature’s Little Learners nursery in Starbeck, where he is entitled to 30 hours’ free childcare funded by the government. That provision is given to working parents of children aged three and over and only applies during term-time, so is used by many pro-rata across the full year.

Difference in costs

However, the owner of the nursery said the money paid through North Yorkshire County Council for those funded places was significantly below the cost of offering them.

Sam Williams said parents would pay £62.50 for a full day’s nursery, from 8am to 6pm, from January. By contrast, the money paid to the nursery through the funded hours scheme was just £43.10 per day.

As a result, most nurseries charge a fee to cover extras, such as food and equipment. Nature’s Little Learners had been charging £8 per day for this, but from January will charge £19.40 to cover the difference in costs.

If it did not do so, she said, it would not be able to continue offering childcare.

Other nurseries around the UK have been forced to close their doors as a result of rising costs. Ofsted data for April 2021 to March 2022 showed there was a net decrease of 4,000 childcare providers.

Ms Williams said:

“All businesses have their own operating cost. This will be different for each unique setting. When deciding on the daily rate at Nature’s Little Learners for 2023, we have taken into consideration staffing cost, training, rent, rates, utilities, food costs, resource cost, travel, recruitment cost etc.

“We understand that families need to be able to afford childcare in order for them to go to work, and without working families we wouldn’t have a nursery.”

Ms Williams said the nursery had introduced flexible timings for families who did not need childcare from 8am or until 6pm, allowing them to pay less and use only the hours they needed.

As a result, the nursery’s staffing costs would be lower during those times. She said while staffing was the highest cost for any nursery, there were also growing pressures with rising costs which childcare providers were facing.

She added:

“We have considered that this coming year is set to be challenging for families as well as businesses. We appreciate the financial pressures that families are currently facing, and to minimise the impact of another increase to families’ expenses, we have attempted to amend our sessions, and offer a more flexible approach instead of an increased fixed daily rate.

“We are thankful for all our families who have support the introduction of the new session times and prices and really appreciate everyone’s words of kindness.”

The owner of The Harrogate Tea Rooms has said energy bills that have risen “five-fold” are having a major impact on his business.

Tony and Carrie Wilkinson have owned the tea rooms in Westminster Arcade for 10 years.

Mr Wilkinson described the price hike as a “nightmare” and said a cloud of uncertainty was hanging over the cafe’s future as a result.

He said his business was currently running at a loss and he couldn’t rule out closure if more government support was not provided. He added:

“Even with the government incentive, our energy bills have gone up five-fold.

“Last month my wife was trying to energy save and she managed to reduce the bills by 22 per cent just by not having the lights on as much and doing baking in the morning. But the bills are still five times higher than they were.

“We are having to change the menu so we are not offering things that take a long time to cook. It’s a real problem.”

It comes after a turbulent period for the hospitality industry, which is still recovering in the wake of the pandemic.

Read more:

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Last month Ainsty Farm Shop closed due to soaring energy bills and many other businesses are struggling to cope.

Mr Wilkinson said:

“It’s a nightmare really.

“At least with covid we knew where we were and what we were doing. With this, we don’t know what’s coming tomorrow.

“We can’t pass on the costs to the customer. We are effectively running at a loss and for how long I don’t know. It has made a massive difference to us.”

‘Closure is a possibility’

Mr Wilkinson said footfall had also taken a hit due to people cutting down on spending amid the cost of living crisis.

He said:

“Visitor numbers are down. We are just going to have to see what happens and hopefully the shows at the Harrogate Convention Centre and the Royal Hall will help things to pick up.

“It’s a difficult time for anyone in the industry.

“Closure is a possibility if we don’t get more help and support.

“But we battle on. We offer a good service and home-cooked food. We get support from our regular customers. We just need more visitors. We hope things are going to pick up.”

A Harrogate coffee shop has launched a ‘community table’ to allow people to chat to others as fears over the cost of living crisis grow.

Brew Bar, on St Winifred’s Avenue, is also inviting customers to gift a coffee in advance for those who are not in a position to buy a drink.

It comes after what business owner Simon Somerville-Frost described as “a tough few years”.

He said:

“I’m feeling it, like most other people in this world, the daily pressures are visible.

“What a tough few years we’ve all had, and many are feeling nervous about the imminent future, myself included.

“However, it’s normal to feel like this and it is now we rely on those around us.”

To help those  struggling, Mr Somerville-Frost has introduced the community table to Brew Bar.

He explained:

“If you’re feeling low and want to chat to someone, or just want to leave the house to gain some headspace, we invite you to sit at our community table to chat to others in similar positions, make friends and see that things will be ok.

“For those who are in a position who unfortunately are unable to purchase a drink, don’t worry, we want you to be apart of our family and we invite customers to gift a coffee in advance for those who would appreciate receiving it.”

Simon Somerville-Frost

Tucked away on a residential street just off the Stray, the Harrogate cafe became a lifeline for the local community and nearby hospital staff. during the pandemic.

Brew Bar opened in May 2018 after Mr Somerville Frost realised that, after nearly a decade of living in the Saints area, he didn’t know any of his neighbours and felt the sense of community had been lost.

Read more:

• Harrogate cafe a ‘hidden gem’ for locals and hospital staff
• Caffeine boost: The rise of the independent coffee shops in Harrogate

In an effort to put that right, he took on a shop unit opposite his home and soon expanded next door.

Some tried to dissuade him from opening a cafe outside the town centre, but he was confident that it could become the heart of the local community.

And this latest initiative forms part of his ongoing mission to continue rebuild the community network by bringing people together.

Mr Somerville-Frost has previously spoken out about his battle with depression and anxiety after lockdown and how his customers helped him get through it.

Speaking to his customers in a social media post, he said:

“Personally once again, you keep me going, you give me the hope that together things will be ok and for this I thank you immensely.

“It’s not about buying something you can’t live without, it’s about supporting a business and people you don’t want to live without.”