Mick Edwards and Fraser Lancaster want to build something at Harrogate Railway Athletic FC.

After two seasons of promotion pushes, the club has had a reset. Managers and backroom staff have left and a new regime is in charge.

But the parameters of success have changed — both want to build a club from the bottom and aim to have a community-led outfit.

Rebuilding Railway

Mick has Harrogate Railway in his blood.

His grandad, Norman Edwards, was one of three founder members of the club in 1935.

Norman worked on the railway in Starbeck when he founded the club. He and the other founder members sewed together stop and go flags in order to create the now recognisable red and green kit.

Mick himself played for the club, and also had stints at Bradford City and Middlesborough as a youngster.

He returned to club in 2018 as chairman. Now, he wants a community club with an emphasis on youth and, potentially, a drive to fan ownership.

“We’re trying to build something different. 

“They [other clubs] are looking for success, whereas for us success is to stay in this league and produce two to three brilliant players and a good type of football which I think we have achieved already.

“That’s what our set up as a club is. It’s building the club all over again and that’s what we want.”

Railway is a volunteer-led club. From the secretary to first team manager, all give up their time up to keep it going.

Fraser Lancaster.

Fraser has worked his way up to first team coach.

He joined the side in the 2015/16 season as a player and went onto become reserve team manager, where he had success with promotions.

Following the departure of Mick O’Connell to Tadcaster Albion at the start of this season, Fraser was drafted in alongside Rob Youhill.

O’Connell led Railway to two play off campaigns. In 2021/22, they lost to North Ferriby in the final and last season fell short in the semi-finals against Horbury Town.

Fraser’s job has been to stabilise the side with an emphasis on utilising young players — the average age of the Railway squad is 21.

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Despite the young age, he feels the side is in a good position in the league.

“We’re more than holding our own technically against a lot of these teams.

“Maybe against the direct, physical and experienced sides, some of the lads are not quite used to that yet. The dark arts, shall I say.

“If you’re 17 or 18 and stepping into that, it can be intimidating. But it is a steep learning curve for those players. This season is a learning curve for them.”

Currently, at the time of writing, Railway sit 11th in the Northern Counties East Division One – four steps below the English Football League.

Despite last season’s play-off heartbreak, Fraser is taking it game-by-game and not getting ahead of himself with where the club may finish.

“Let’s see where we end up. I would love us to go and compete in the play-offs, but we are being realistic at the same time.

“Everyone is on the same page.”

Fan-owned club

Mick has ambitions for Harrogate Railway.

The club has a lot of history to look back on. 

Railway had two famous FA Cup ties live on television against Bristol City in 2002 and Mansfield Town at home in the second round in 2008, which required temporary stands to cope with demand.

Despite the history, the club needs to regroup and build, says Mick.

He floats the idea of the club being fan-owned, something other non-league sides such as FC United of Manchester have done successfully.

The club is already tied to community, including its relationship with Harrogate Hospital Charity and offering its land for Starbeck Community Day. Last week, the club also held its own fireworks display.

For Mick, success looks different to what happens on the pitch.

He wants to grow the fanbase from the current average of 150 spectators at a home game at Station View in Starbeck to closer to 200.

From there, Mick sees potential for a fan-owned club.

“My aim is for the club to become a fan-owned club.

“You look at the fan-owned clubs and they all do quite well. It’s just something that we’re looking into.”

Mick Edwards

Mick also points to the infrastructure at the ground, some of which dates back to when the club was founded. 

The club plans to upgrade its perimeter fence and floodlights with grants from the league.

“Those floodlights have been there for around 35 to 40 years. That fencing has been there I should think since my grandad started.”

To Mick, increasing the volunteers, improving the infrastructure and pushing Railway towards a more community orientated focus is success.

Both believe that Railway is here for Harrogate and has a story to tell. Fraser says:

“You only have to look at the pictures on the wall as you came in of all the past successes, the cup wins and various different things.”

Bottesford Town are next to visit Station View on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, the club also has a big draw in the West Riding County Cup against National League FC Halifax Town.

For Mick, the ties are an opportunity to show supporters what Railway has to offer.

“Harrogate Railway has got a good history and it has got a good story to tell.”

If you have any local sporting heroes who you think should be featured in Sporting Spotlight, contact calvin@thestrayferret.co.uk.

An annual community event is returning this weekend to raise money for the Starbeck Christmas Lights Appeal.

Starbeck Community Day will include a range of stalls and rides, as well as a drinks bar and live entertainment throughout the day.

Visitors can also enjoy donkey rides, an obstacle course and live performances from Starbeck Dancing for Wellbeing and the Summerbell Dance Academy.

Competitions will be held throughout the day to boost the fundraising efforts, including a meat pie-eating contest for adults and a jelly-eating competition for children.

The 2023/24 Starbeck community king and queen will also be crowned on the day.

Christine Holmes, group leader of the Starbeck Christmas Lights Appeal, told the Stray Ferret:

“We’re raising funds for the Starbeck Christmas lights, it’s to pay for the maintenance or any replacements we need.

“We took it over about nine years ago to keep the tradition going, with prices rising all the time we’re constantly raising funds. We were quite a lot down on donations last year.

“We really need to boost the funds quite a bit. It is a community day and it’s there for everybody to enjoy.”

Last year, the community day raised around £700 as part of the £8,000 required to fund the Christmas lights. The 2023 event hopes to beat that figure.

The event will take place from noon to 4pm at Harrogate Railway AFC on Station View. Entry is free.

A Disney-themed parade from Starbeck Methodist Church to Harrogate Railway AFC will begin the event

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A fundraiser has been set up to help Harrogate Railway Athletic Football Club buy a new outdoor marquee.

The club in Starbeck has football and rugby teams.

Anne Mitchell, who set up the gofundme page, said the marquee was purchased during the covid pandemic for people to meet outside safely.

The marquee was used for birthday parties and other special occasions outside.

However, it was damaged during Storm Arwen in November and has since not been replaced.

The club aims to raise £10,000 to buy a new marquee to host events outside safely.

In a post on its Facebook page, Harrogate Railway said:

“During the covid pandemic, the club purchased a large marquee to provide an outdoor facility. It has been widely utilised during that time for local people to host a variety of events including  celebrations, group meetings, local events, social or family gatherings and much more. 

“Sadly during one of the storms this winter the marquee has been completely destroyed

“We want to be able to offer that same fantastic facility this year but we need your help to raise funds to purchase a new marquee.”

For more information on the fundraiser and to donate, visit the gofundme page here.

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A Harrogate nurse has spoken about how a defibrillator saved a man’s life at a 50th birthday party in Starbeck on Saturday.

Andy Dennis, who works in the intensive care unit at Harrogate District Hospital, was among guests at Harrogate Railway Sports and Social Club.

Mr Dennis was talking to hospital colleagues when he noticed the DJ, Dave Bielby, slumped motionless in his chair.

He went over and could not detect a pulse so he called for help and began administering chest compressions to restart his heart. He said:

Fortunately the club had a defibrillator on site and Mr Dennis, aided by players and other nurses, gave four electric shocks in between further chest compressions. He said:

“After the fourth shock, he started to move and vomited. Then the paramedics arrived and I handed over control to them.”

Mr Dennis said the defibrillator almost certainly saved Mr Bielby’s life because the time it would have taken to get one of two others in Starbeck — at the Prince of Wales pub and the Lloyds Pharmacy — would have cost valuable time.

“It made all the difference. The more these things are available to everyone and people have training in them the better. They really are easy to use.

“It would be great if we could use this tragic but well-ending story to get word out and encourage more people to get trained in using defibrillators.”

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Harrogate Railway Athletic FC is now encouraging everyone to sign a petition calling for defibrillators to be installed at all sports grounds.

Peter Scott, a volunteer for Harrogate Community First Responders, which works with Yorkshire Ambulance Service to provide emergency treatment, said every minute lost treating someone when their heart stops reduces their chances of survival by 10%.

He said defibrillators cost between £1,000 and £2,000 and more should be installed around the Harrogate district.

He added:

“It’s important people know how easy it is to use defibrillators.

“If you can take the fear out of using them it will save more lives.”

Mr Bielby posted his gratitude to those who helped on the Harrogate Railway Facebook page. He said:

“I died and was brought back to life. Can’t thank the guys enough. Currently in hospital. The road to recovery starts now.”

Mr Dennis is fundraising to raise £200,000 for the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres. You can support his efforts here.

A Knaresborough community choir will sing live for the first time this year tomorrow night after making last minute arrangements to beat new lockdown rules.

Numerous choirs in the Harrogate district were looking forward to meeting face-to-face again after restrictions eased on May 17.

But government guidance changed at the last minute to say amateur choirs in England could only gather in groups of up to six people indoors.

Knot Another Choir in Knaresborough, which has up to 80 singers in normal times performing pop songs from the 1960s onwards, was faced with having to cancel its return to the town’s Trinity Church Hall after months of Zoom singing.

But after some frantic calls around the district, Julie Bradbury-Sharp, a trustee of the choir and its events coordinator, managed to secure the use of a marquee at Harrogate Railway Athletic FC‘s ground, which is classed as outdoors and therefore able to accommodate the group.

Craig Lees, Knot Another Choir’s musical director.

Ms Bradbury-Sharp said:

“When I discovered the rules had changed I wanted to cry. I felt so upset, not only for myself but for members as well.

“It’s uplifting to sing in a choir. Not being able to do so has mental health implications — some people who come live on their own and love singing in the choir.

“I’m just over the moon that we are back.”

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Ms Bradbury-Sharp alerted Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones to the plight of choirs.

Mr Jones raised the issue in a parliamentary debate about covid yesterday, urging the government to resume as soon as possible “indoor gatherings for groups such as community choirs, and other events that bring people together”.

The first song on Knot Another Choir’s list for tomorrow night is Simply the Best by Tina Turner. Ms Bradbury-Sharp said:

“It’s a rousing song to let everybody know we are back!”