As it happened: Day 1 at the Great Yorkshire Show

Harrogate BID logo

The Stray Ferret is running a live blog from the Great Yorkshire Show, brought to you by Harrogate BID.

Keep checking back for the latest stories and pictures from the showground throughout the event.

The 164th Great Yorkshire Show began at 8am this morning and a total of 140,000 people are expected to pass through the gates of the showground over the next four days.

Here’s what happened during an opening day that included visits from the farming minister and the Duke of Gloucester.

5.22pm: Big queues as cars start to leave

The first day of the show is in its final hour. It’s been a successful start, marred only by a couple of short but fierce downpours and the inevitable traffic problems.

We will publish a round-up of news from day one shortly. In the meantime, here’s a picture to brighten every teatime — a hall full of cheeses.

 

4:39pm: Harrogate man sold rare horse to emperor of Japan 

Cleveland Bay breeder Steven Pullan has one of the most unusual claims to fame of anyone at the show.

Steven, who lives at Braithwaite, near Dacre in Nidderdale, has sold horses to the Pakistan government and the emperor of Japan over the years.

The Cleveland Bay, which originated in Yorkshire, is the oldest horse breed in England. But it was recently close to extinction with fewer than 300 mares worldwide.

Steven won the Cuddy class at the show in 2014, with a Cleveland described as “the greatest of all time”.

The Cleveland Bay Horse Society, whose patron was the late Queen Elizabeth II, uses the Great Yorkshire Show as an opportunity to promote the breed in the hope of increasing the population.

Steven’s son, Jamie, said winning a Great Yorkshire Show class with a Cleveland Bay was “the equivalent of winning the FA Cup”.

Steven was not competing this year, but is at the show to cheer on the Cleveland Bays.

Competing Cleveland Bays

4.05pm: Harrogate BID bangs the drum for business 

Another organisation with an uncertain future until recently was Harrogate Business Improvement District.

The group, which charges Harrogate town centre businesses a levy that it spends on schemes to encourage more shoppers, is approaching the end of its first five-year term.

Businesses were balloted last month on whether they wanted to continue funding the BID — and a resounding 76% voted ‘yes’.

It means the BID will exist until at least the end of 2028, and chief executive Matthew Chapman and his team are promoting what they can do for businesses at the show.

3.39pm: Black Sheep bar back

The Black Sheep Bar has been a big part of the show for years.

But its continuation looked uncertain when the Masham-based Black Sheep Brewery went into administration in May.

London investment firm Breal Capital brought the firm back from the brink in a deal later that month.

It continues to trade, much to the delight of show-goers. Fellow Masham brewery T & R Theakston also has a stand here.

2.44pm: Pateley Bridge prize cows

Pateley Bridge cattle farmers Chris and Caroline Prince have cleaned up with three rosettes this morning.

Their three Long Horn beef cows placed third, fourth, and sixth on the first day of the show.

The Prince family described the annual show as “a real family affair” and will be camping on-site until the end of the week.

The cows will be competing in a young breeders’ competition later this week.

Ms Prince said:

“It’s a week of exhausting fun!”

2.26pm: Resurrection Bikes promotes cycling

Volunteers from Harrogate’s Resurrection Bikes, which saves old bikes from the scrapyard by doing them up and selling them to raise money for charities, is among the local good causes exhibiting today.

It is challenging passers-by to see how far and fast they can pedal on two if its recycled bikes.

Cycling is definitely the quickest way to get around Harrogate during show week.

1.58pm: Downpour!

This morning’s kind weather has given way to an almighty downpour. Rain is forecast on and off this afternoon until later on.

1.38pm: Extra day means more space to move

The Yorkshire Agricultural Society turned the traditional three-day show into a four-day affair during covid, limited the attendance and made the event all ticket.

The changes were introduced to comply with social distancing measures but have been retained since.

It has certainly made walking around easier — the photo above was taken alongside the main ring, where it used to be very difficult to get around at peak times.

The society planned to introduce an app this year to help visitors get around but it was not ready on time.

12.48pm: Ripon Farm Services’ boss prepares for royal visit

Geoff Brown (centre)

It wouldn’t be the Great Yorkshire Show without Geoff Brown, managing director of Ripon Farm Services, or as he is now known Geoff Brown MBE.

We bumped into Geoff while he was waiting to meet the Duke of Gloucester. Will Paxton and Paul Russell, who run rival agricultural machinery firms Paxtons and Russells, were also waiting to meet the duke when we pounced for this photo.

Ripon Farm Services has three pitches at the show, close to the main ring, cementing its reputation as the main exhibitor.

12.09pm: Local businesses on show

There is a strong Harrogate contingency at the show, including regular stall-holder Tim Yarrow.

Tim, who played a key role managing the vaccine rollout here at the showground, owns local scuba diving company Dive Shack and regularly takes divers on trips abroad. He is seen here modelling one of his face masks.

10.24am: Farming minister launches new dairy farming regulations

Mr Spencer answering questions at today’s media briefing.

Farming minister Mark Spencer is at the show today to announce new dairy farming regulations, which he says will “promote fairness, transparency and accountability across the dairy supply chain”.

The regulations have been introduced in response to concerns dairy farmers are not getting a fair price for milk.

Mr Spencer said:

“Farmers must be paid a fair price for their produce and these regulations will provide price certainty and stability for farmers by establishing written milk purchase agreements with clear and unambiguous terms.”

At a media briefing this morning, the Stray Ferret asked Mr Spencer what specific differences the regulations will mean to farmers. He said they could more confidently challenge cases of perceived unfairness with suppliers.

9.28am: Countryfile presenter Adam Henson is here

Countryfile presenter Adam Henson is one of many celebrities here over the next few days. You can catch a short interview with him on our Facebook page.

Adam insisted on having his photo taken with Stray Ferret commercial director Emma Harris. Or maybe it was the other way round…

8.35 Traffic starting to build 

There’s heavy traffic on Otley Road approaching Harrogate. It’s a main route for traffic coming to show from the west.

Traffic is also very slow on, Leadhall Lane,  Hookstone Road and on Oatlands Drive close to the show ground as show traffic combines with the school drop off.

Oatlands Drive 

8.25am: Dry until the afternoon?

The Met Office is forecasting there is the chance of a shower this afternoon and perhaps more persistent rain in the afternoon.

Ever since the washout of 2012 the show has mainly been blessed by good weather and although it might not be as warm this year it is still pleasant for walking around.

7.50am: Traffic building up

Traffic measures are in place throughout the week in the area around the showground. Remember, Wetherby Road is inbound to Harrogate only.

You can read full details of the measures here.

Mobile company submits plan for 5G mast on Otley Road

A telecommunications company has submitted plans for a second 5G mast in Harrogate.

CK Hutchison Networks Ltd, which operates Three Mobile, has tabled the proposal to North Yorkshire Council for land off Otley Road in the town.

It would see the 17m mast built on land near to Swinton Court.

The company said in documents submitted to that authority that the scheme would “assimilate well into the immediate street scene” and would “not be detrimental”.

It added:

“The use of the public highway to accommodate a new telecommunications installation complies with both central government and local planning policy guidance, where the underlying aim is to provide an efficient and competitive telecommunication system for the benefit of the community while minimising visual impact.”

North Yorkshire Council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.

Read more:

The move comes as CK Hutchison Networks has also appealed a decision to refuse a plan for a 5G mast at Granby Park in Harrogate.

In February, Harrogate Borough Council rejected the plan over concerns of its visual impact on the parkland.

At the time, the council’s case officer, Emma Howson, said the mast would be “highly visible” from the Stray, as well as on Skipton Road and Claro Road.

Now, CK Hutchison Networks has taken the decision to the government’s Planning Inspectorate, which deals with planning disputes.

In documents submitted to the inspector, it says it does not accept that the mast would have a “detrimental impact on the street scene”.

Emergency services called after man trapped under car in Harrogate

Emergency services were called to a street in Harrogate today after a man became trapped underneath a car.

North Yorkshire Police, the ambulance service and an air ambulance were called to Winksley Grove at 12.45pm.

The man was freed, checked over and taken to hospital for treatment.

The air ambulance was not needed.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said the man’s injuries were not believed to be serious.

Read more:

 

Council set to buy 11 homes for Afghan refugees in Harrogate area

North Yorkshire Council has been offered £1.3m from the government to go towards buying 11 homes for Afghan refugees in the Harrogate area.

Thousands of refugees have come to the UK from Afghanistan since the withdrawal of US troops and the return to power of the Taliban in August 2021.

The government has been offering councils money to help house the refugees in secure properties through its Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF).

A report will go before the authority’s Conservative executive next week that says it has been allocated £1.34m in the latest round of funding.

If the council decides to accept the money, it will provide 60% match funding worth £1.68m to buy the properties, taking the overall cost to £3.1m.

Last year, Harrogate Borough Council received £2.5m from the same fund to help buy 21 homes for Afghan and Ukrainian refugees.

The borough council, which was abolished in March, came to an agreement with a local housing association to provide the match funding but this time NYC is set to borrow the money through its own general fund.

Read more:

This report says this will give the council greater control over the choice and location of properties and that it can best ensure that the needs of the refugees, and future tenants, are met.

According to NYC’s refugee resettlement manager, there is a need for more properties in the Harrogate area based on links to existing services that support the Afghan community.

The homes must be bought before March next year and could be a mix of former council homes, new builds or other properties on the open market.

Rent will be at affordable rates and the council expects to generate £118,225 in annual rental income.

The report adds:

“The acquisition of additional homes for Afghan refugees will help alleviate pressure on the council and ensure the council is playing its part in supporting government to meet national commitments toward Afghan refugees.”

140,000 visitors expected for Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Show

Harrogate BID logo

This story is sponsored by Harrogate BID.

A total of 140,000 people are expected to attend the 164th Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate this week.

Gates open at 8am tomorrow for the four-day event, which is completely sold out.

After years of mainly fine weather, showers are forecast along with a pleasant temperature in the high teens.

Traffic restrictions will be in place on the roads leading to the Great Yorkshire Showground. The details are here.

The event, which closes at 6pm each day, is a huge celebration of agriculture, food and farming, with everything from show jumping to shoemaking on display.

Great Yorkshire Show cattle

It is organised by farming charity the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.

The traditional royal visit will see the Duke of Gloucester, who was a first cousin to the late Queen Elizabeth II, attend tomorrow.

Tomorrow’s visitors will also include farming minister Mark Spencer, who is expected to talk about the government’s plans for dairy farming.

The Stray Ferret will publish updates about the show, including traffic and travel updates, throughout the week.

Read more:

 

Harrogate thieves dump classic motorbike when they can’t start it

Thieves abandoned a classic motorbike they’d stolen in Harrogate when they were unable to get it to start.

According to North Yorkshire Police, the black Honda motorcycle was taken overnight from a home on King Edward’s Drive in Bilton.

It was found the following day by the owner dumped at the back of nearby Cecil Street “due to the thieves being unable to start the bike”, police said in a statement.

The statement added:

“However, the bike sustained damage that, due to its age and rarity, will be costly to repair.”

Officers are appealing for witnesses and information about the incident, which happened overnight between Sunday, July 2 and Monday, July 3.

Anyone with information can email ben.robinson-brockhill@northyorkshirepolice.co.uk or dial 101, select option 2, and ask for Ben Robinson-Brockhill.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote reference number 12230123114.

Read more:

 

Harrogate Tory MP’s office almost struck by lightning

The Harrogate building struck by lightning is next door to Conservative MP Andrew Jones’ constituency office, it has emerged.

Paramedics treated a resident for shock when lightning hit their home at East Parade on Saturday night.

A police cordon put up outside their home remained in place yesterday.

A cul-de-sac that separates the building and the Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative Association‘s office was also closed because debris from the lightning-struck roof had landed on to the road and the chimney stack was unsafe.

The office is where Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, is based when he is not in Westminster. Several of his staff also work there.

The building struck by lightning is on the left and the Conservative office is on the right.

Harrogate Conservative Club is the next building down the street.

Nobody was seriously injured in the incident, which occurred at about 10.30pm during Saturday’s storm.

Another home on East Parade, along with properties on Skipton Road and Crab Lane, suffered flooding within minutes of the lightning strike, forcing on-call firefighters from Summerbridge to be drafted in to help crews from Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Read more:

 

 

Stray Views: All Harrogate district schools should have 20mph speed limits

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

I read your article “Highways boss defends North Yorkshire speed limit review” with interest, especially after the recent incident where children on their way to school in Rossett were hit by a car mounting the pavement.

Rather than the onus being on residents to prove that their school needs to be in a 20mph zone, surely the answer is to have a blanket policy where all schools have a mandatory proposed 20mph zone to be enforced in time for the September term, with an appeals process for those who are against it. That way the burden is on the (presumably) commercial interested parties to prove why there shouldn’t be one, rather than on anxious parents and children to prove why there should.

The claim that not many children are knocked down on their way to school is erroneous – according to the Department of Transports own figures 2,456 children were either knocked down or killed on their way to/from school last year alone.

Come on Councillor Duncan, surely we should put children’s safety first? Even one death in North Yorkshire would be one too many.

Colin Mannion, Boroughbridge

Water companies should improve productivity

There has been a lot of noise about the problems that water companies are having and I suspect that there are a combination of reasons why they are losing money.

One of them may be the productivity of their teams in the field.

Over the last few weeks one of our neighbours has had a lot of work done to sort out problems with their drains. Virtually every day one or two Yorkshire Water vans appear and the staff sit in the vans for anything up to an hour at a time eating, drinking, reading newspapers and certainly not working.

Clearly leakage is a problem nationally but it is not just underground.

Nigel Law, Harrogate

Read More:

 

Harrogate homes flooded and struck by lightning in storm

A house was struck by lightning and others faced flash flooding, as the Harrogate district felt the wrath of last night’s storm.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service night shift summary reported crews from Harrogate and Knaresborough were summoned to a home on East Parade in Harrogate that had been struck by lightning at 22:38.

One occupant suffered shock as a result and was treated by a paramedic but was otherwise unharmed.

Police then cordoned the property due to “an unsafe chimney stack with some debris falling into the road”.

Boroughbridge crews also attended a power line in Ingmanthorpe after it had been struck by lightning, causing it to arc near trees. Crews remained at the scene until it was safe and “left the incident in the hands of power grid engineers.”

Read more:

Throughout the night, multiple houses within the district were hit by flash flooding.

Summerbridge firefighters were called to a house on Crab Lane in Harrogate following reports of flooding inside the basement. Crews pumped out water using an ejector pump. This was then left in the hands of the owners.

A house on East Park Road in Harrogate, was also flooded during the storm. Crews assisted occupants in using buckets to remove the water.

Firefighters also attended reports of flooding on Skipton Road and Devonshire Place.

Find more information here.

ASE Computers disaster planning ‘invaluable’ for clients

This story is sponsored by ASE Computers.

Nobody likes to think about worst-case scenarios. But from a business perspective, planning for disaster isn’t just a good thing to do if you have the time. 

It’s an absolutely vital measure to protect the future of your business – and failing to do so could be catastrophic. 

One man who knows all about the importance of disaster planning is Chris Dickinson. 

Running IT sales and services company ASE Computers for almost 30 years, he has seen plenty of disasters in other businesses and has done more than his fair share of work to fix them. 

However, he says, some simple planning could save a lot of pain and cost if the worst should happen.  

Chris said: 

“When people go into business, they tend to focus on the positives – they don’t consider what might happen if things go wrong. 

“But it can happen so easily. A simple mistake or a fault can kick of a chain of events that lead a business into real trouble.” 

While most people don’t know where to start when it comes to planning for a potential disaster, Chris has a thorough approach to ensuring every possibility is considered.  

He begins with a series of questions: 

“What happens if your IT systems go down? Or your phones or internet supply? What if you can’t access your bank account?

“Is your data secure? What happens if it comes under attack or you lose access to it?

“If you can’t use your office because of a flood or a fire, what then? What if a key person is suddenly unable to work for any reason? 

“If something goes wrong, is there a system in place for reporting it and dealing with it? Who’s in charge? Who takes responsibility for what?

“All these sorts of questions really do need to be asked if you’re to protect yourself from the worst-case scenario.”

Disaster planning for payroll clients with 90% digital process

For one of ASE’s clients, putting in place a disaster plan has proved invaluable. 

Pay Me asked Chris and his team to do some research into the company’s IT infrastructure and produce a disaster recovery document. 

The firm offers payroll for companies around the UK, a process which is 90% digital. 

Once the review was complete, the ASE team put together a series of recommendations, explaining how each would benefit Pay Me and assist if the worst should happen. 

Once the IT system was in place, other aspects were considered: phones and internet, as well as staff responsibilities and hierarchy.  

The disaster recovery plan was put to Pay Me’s board for the final sign-off, which they were happy to do. 

Not only did it mean peace of mind for everyone from the directors down to the staff, it could also be used for Pay Me’s insurers. ASE produced an executive summary of the plan to demonstrate how prepared the company was for any eventuality.  

Chris said: 

“It might seem like a luxury to have a thorough disaster recovery plan, but if the worst should happen, you need to be prepared.

“The arrival of the covid pandemic and the need for everyone to stay at home shows just how quickly something can happen that affects how you operate.

“Companies with an effective plan were able to put actions in place quickly, getting their team members up and running at home, and therefore minimising any losses to the business in terms of productivity.

“While we hope we never have to face that kind of situation again, having a disaster recovery plan in place is absolutely vital to protect you from any eventuality.”

 

To find out more about how ASE Computers can help your business to be ready for anything, click here.