Harlow Hill ‘men’s shed’ gets to work repairing Pinewoods sign

Members of Harlow Hill’s new ‘men’s shed’ have been busy repairing a damaged display board in the Pinewoods.

The men’s shed was set up in February for men in the Harlow Hill area to boost mental health and tackle loneliness in the area.

Many of their members have woodwork skills so the charity Pinewoods Conservation Group asked if they could help out repair a display board that helps visitors navigate the 96-acre woodland.

For their first job, men’s shed members have spent time over the last few weekends replacing rotten timbers and putting the board back in place.

Men’s sheds are part of a wider organisation of ‘sheds’ that began in Australia. Their goal is to create a space for older men to come together to create and build while making friends. Women are welcome, too.

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John Hart, who set up Harlow Hill men’s shed said:

“Our members know the Pinewoods well and were pleased to be able to help the Pinewoods Conservation Group. This was our first official job the group had carried out and are very pleased with the result. We know like many charities funding can be challenging so we hope there are more opportunities for us to support local groups”.

Neil Hind, chair of The Pinewoods Conservation Group said:

“We heard that the group was up and running so were delighted that they agreed to help us. Originally, we thought a whole new display board maybe required but with some ingenuity from the group they were able to repair the board in situ saving us considerable funds. The display board should now be operational for a good number of years to come.”

Five year old Harrogate boy wins competition with ‘happy pizza’ design

A five year old Harrogate boy has won a charity competition that will see his ‘happy pizza’ on sale at a local cafe.

The competition, organised by the Ripon Amateur Operatic Society, was made to promote the local show ‘Oliver!’ . Around 60 school kids sent in drawings of pizza designs.

Henry Elvin, aged five, was the winner. His pizza face had a ham smile, pepperoni eyes, a tomato nose and sweetcorn for hair.

Competition winner Henry (middle) with his Mum (Katy) & Dad (Dan) and two actors from ‘Oliver,’ Amber & Grace

The creation will be on sale at Starling Independent Bar Cafe Kitchen, and £2.00 of every pizza bough will be donated to the Harrogate District Foodbank. Henry also won four tickets to see Oliver next week.

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Hannah Ruddy, from the Ripon Amateur Operatic Society , said:

“Some of the themes in Oliver! surround poverty and going without. Sadly, we are all too aware there is still a huge issue and far too many people have to rely on the support of organisations, such as local foodbanks.

“As well as providing a food donation point at Harrogate Theatre foyer throughout the show’s run, we also wanted to get younger people involved, and thought the competition would be a nice way to raise awareness. We are grateful to Starling for joining us in this and agreeing to make a donation from their weekly special.”

‘Oliver!’ will be shown at Harrogate theatre from 20th-23rd April, and will feature 25 local children from ages six years old and above.

Two years on: What has ‘Think Harrogate’ achieved?

It’s now more than two years since a marketing drive to attract visitors and investors to Harrogate was launched with the backing of £45,000 in taxpayer’s money.

Think Harrogate set out to create a “brand” for the district and was supported by several businesses ready to sell Harrogate’s “story”.

But what has the project actually achieved?

That was a question put to Conservative councillor Graham Swift, deputy leader of Harrogate Borough Council, at a meeting on Wednesday.

Cllr Swift said it was “quite extensive” how much Harrogate has got for the “modest” amount of money spent on the project which has been led by Preston-based marketing firm Thinking Place.

Yet this was not a view shared by the Liberal Democrats whose councillor Chris Aldred said they had heard “very little” about Think Harrogate’s achievements.

Cllr Swift, who is also cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development, responded:

“A recent Ipsos survey looking into the UK’s economic recovery from covid identified Harrogate as the third best performing city or town.

“That is a direct impact of the work of our officers and covid recovery plan, and is also part of the whole environment of what Think Harrogate is about.”

He added:

“I’ve read a few Liberal Democrat leaflets recently that claim much of this work is not worthwhile.

“I suggest that’s because they ignore the data.”

Cllr Swift said branding material produced as part of Think Harrogate had created a “clear narrative” for the district and been used in shops and on road signs, as well as part of a ‘shop local, shop safe’ campaign earlier in the Covid pandemic.

He also said the branding had been used by Harrogate Convention Centre and in a new tourism strategy led by the council’s destination management organisation.

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But Cllr Aldred argued these marketing campaigns and strategies would have still gone ahead – even without Think Harrogate.

He said:

“We would have had the destination management organisation and we certainly had a tourism industry before the wonderful Think Harrogate came along.”

In the first phases of the project, around £42,000 was spent on research on how the Harrogate district is perceived by the public and how its offer can be improved to attract more visitors and investment.

This also included consultations with businesses and residents, as well as the creation of a steering group and branding material.

A further £14,400 was spent on the project launch, printing costs, and events and classes which councillor Swift said were “very welcomed by very large numbers of people.”

He also said a Think Harrogate leadership group had met six times during 2020.

And when questioned by councillor Aldred why they had not met more, Cllr Swift said:

“I don’t know if you’re aware but there is a thing called coronavirus which stopped a lot of meetings taking place.”

Cllr Swift added:

“The funds we have spent on supporting our £4 billion economy are modest, but they are cumulatively highly effective as demonstrated by the vibrancy of our town and the return to normal from coronavirus.

“There is also the marvellous work of our destination management organisation, the convention centre, our museums, leisure facilities and 1,100 staff – all of whom collectively add to the excellent product to ensure we all Think Harrogate.”

Harrogate rugby club under 15s win international tournament in Portugal

Harrogate rugby club’s under 15s have won the International Rugby Festival Tournament in Lisbon.

The ‘Harrogate Raptors’ won the event in Portugal, beating Welsh side, Cwmbram, 12-7 in the final.

Matthew Grant, Harrogate rugby’s under 15s group manager said:

“It was a life changing experience for the kids. They won gracefully and represented the club really well. There was no fighting or trouble and everyone was well behaved.

“It was great that we brought 25 players and everyone got some minutes.”

Harrogate under 15s after winning the tournament

The tournament saw Harrogate play five teams from Portugal and Wales, winning all of them.

Oliver Spence, Harrogate’s captain, was named player of the tournament.

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The final between Harrogate and Cwmbram was 7-7 after twenty minutes, which took the game into extra-time. Harrogate then scored the ‘golden try’ to win the tournament.

The festival was held over two days and featured teams from across the world. The games were livestreamed across Portuguese TV and featured 118 teams throughout all age groups.

Yorkshire Water urges caution around reservoirs over Bank Holiday

Yorkshire Water is urging visitors to their reservoirs to act with caution ahead of future bank holidays.

They are asking people to follow the Countryside Code and not to take risks by using disposable barbeques or swimming in the water.

A number of moorland fires in 2022 have been linked to disposable barbeques.

Gaynor Carpenter, head of land and property at Yorkshire Water, said:

“With half-term upon us and a number of Bank Holiday weekends ahead, it is important that visitors to our reservoirs do not take risks by using disposable barbecues or entering the water. We’ve recently seen the very real dangers fires caused by barbecues pose to our moorland, which can take hundreds of years to recover.”

Disposable barbeques are not permitted on any of Yorkshire Water’s sites, and some of its areas are covered by Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO’s), which means people could face on the spot fines if they are found using one.

Firefighters recently battled a large fire at Brimham Rocks, with the fire service urging people to be careful about putting out cigarettes and barbeques.

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Gaynor added:

“It is also important visitors to our sites remain vigilant around the water, particularly parents with children who may be tempted to enter the water.
“We work hard to ensure our sites can be enjoyed by visitors from the region and beyond and it is important people leave the sites as they found them. Following the Countryside Code and ensuring to take litter home, keep dogs on leads and park considerately will all help to make visits to our reservoirs enjoyable for everyone.”

If visitors do see someone in the water who requires help or a fire, call 999 and ask for the fire service immediately.

Harrogate woman with severe sight loss to walk 100km non-stop for charity

A Harrogate woman with severe sight loss and her friend are set to walk 100km continuously for almost 40 hours whilst tethered together in aid of Retina UK.

Penny Uglow has been losing her sight since she was 13 and is now left with just a 10 pence piece area of her vision in focus. Her condition is called retinitis pigmentosa which progressively breaks down the cells in the retina.

Her sight loss makes the challenge of 100km continuous walking even harder.

But Penny will have the help of her personal trainer and friend James Winder, a crew manager at Harrogate Fire Station, who has to describe each step to Penny and alert her to any obstacles.

Penny chose to fundraise for Retina UK as the charity is currently funding a research trial into a possible cure for her condition. The treatment is attempting to stop the cells dying to maintain as much sight as possible.

Penny is undergoing tests to be part of the trial and although her sight will never return this treatment may help pause any further degeneration.

The pair are taking on the Yorkshire Ultra Challenge and instead of spreading the distance across two days, they have chosen to push through in one go.

When asked why she wanted to take on such a challenge, Penny said:

“I am very excited but also nervous, I don’t know how it will go until I’m there. Maybe it was a slightly crazy plan but I knew it had to be a huge challenge to get people to donate.

“It’ll be such a big achievement for me and that is what will keep me going, especially through the night.”

The pair will be connected by a 60cm tether rope.

Due to Penny’s sight loss and the need for constant guidance the pair expect to walk at a reduced pace of 3km an hour meaning they are likely to be walking for up to 40 hours.

The route is split into two 25km loops going north and south of Pateley Bridge, the pair will walk each loop twice to reach their total distance.

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James Winder said:

“This is a huge challenge for anyone never mind someone with such reduced sight like Penny. When she first came to me with the idea of a marathon for charity I, of course, said yes and then it just progressed. How could I say no when the charity is working so hard to help people like Penny?”

Penny has set her target at £3,500 and has nearly reached £3,000. To donate and support the pair click here.

Developers lodge plan for 49 homes at Kingsley Farm

Developers have lodged plans to build 49 homes on Kingsley Farm in Harrogate.

Quarterly Kingsley Ltd has submitted the plan for the north and north east of the site off Kingsley Road.

It comes as the area has seen multiple planning applications lodged to build houses on Kingsley Farm, including a proposal for 181 homes by Persimmon Homes.

The latest proposal would include 20 homes allocated as affordable housing.

The developer said in a planning statement submitted to Harrogate Borough Council that the scheme would help to offer a “sense of place”.

It said:

“Kingsley Farm brings together complex ideas of identity, community, ownership sensibilities, public spaces and landscape into a singular harmonious place for the residents and neighbours, creating a sense of place and identity.”

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The borough council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.

The latest proposal comes as residents in Kingsley have voiced their objection to more housing developments in the area.

In February, 100 residents packed into St Andrew’s Church in Starbeck for a meeting on a scheme to build 181 homes off Kingsley Road.

Three Persimmon employees attended, as did two highways consultants and a planning consultant, Paul Butler, who spoke on behalf of the developer.

Mr Butler told residents that the site is allocated for development in the Harrogate district Local Plan, a council document that outlines where new housing schemes can be built until 2034.

However, John Hansard, from Kingsley Ward Action Group, said residents “will fight tooth and nail” to stop it from happening.

He said:

“People lived here for decades and have had this beautiful view, how do you think they will feel [when it’s gone]?”

Fashion retailer Jules B to open in Harrogate

Fashion retailer Jules B is to open a shop in Harrogate at the start of September.

The shop, which will be in the former Jaeger unit on Cambridge Crescent, will sell only womenswear.

It becomes the latest national retailer this month to confirm plans to move to Harrogate, after Oliver Bonas and Pret A Manger.

Julian Blades, managing director of Jules B, said its brands “will be perfect for the sophisticated customer demographic in Harrogate and surrounding areas”.

He added:

“We have wanted to open in Harrogate for a very long time but never found the right location but once I saw that the old Jaeger unit was available we decided the time was right.

“The store will be purely womenswear and we have some very exciting new collections that I’m sure will prove very popular with the discerning public.

“We will be looking for four full time members of staff and two part time, preferably with a good fashion retail background.”

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Mr Blades and his wife, Rhona, opened their first womenswear store in Jesmond in 1984.

The retailer offers collections by designers, including Hugo Boss, Armani, Victoria Beckham, Barbour and Vivienne Westwood.

Jackie Wilson, property manager for landlord Hornbeam Park Developments, said:

“We are delighted to have secured award-winning independent retailer Jules B as a tenant in the former Jaeger Shop on Cambridge Crescent; a great addition to the high street which will enhance the shopping experience of locals and visitors alike.”

Harrogate election hustings: three parties confirmed already

Three parties have confirmed candidates already for the Stray Ferret election hustings in Harrogate.

The hustings will be held at the Wesley Centre, Oxford Street, on Tuesday, April 26, from 7pm until 9pm and is free for people to attend.

It will give local residents the chance to quiz candidates ahead of local elections on May 5.

The elections will be the last before North Yorkshire Council replaces North Yorkshire County Council and seven district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council.

The hustings was announced yesterday and so far Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Independents have said they will send representatives to take questions.

The event will focus on the future of Harrogate.

The candidates confirmed so far are:

The Green Party has also indicated it will be sending a candidate — the Conservatives have yet to respond.

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You can book your free ticket here.

If you would like to submit a question to the candidates, send it to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk with the subject heading ‘hustings question’.

We will also invite questions on the night from the audience.

Village on fringes of Harrogate district to house asylum seekers

The former RAF base at Linton-on-Ouse will be used to house asylum seekers, the government has announced today.

It’s part of a controversial Home Office plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda to have their asylum claims processed.

Before potentially being flown out to the African country, asylum seekers will be held in ‘reception centres’ across the UK for up to six months, with the first announced being at Linton-on-Ouse.

The site closed in 2020 after being used by the RAF for almost a century. It was most recently used as a jet training facility and Prince William trained there.

Although located in Hambleton, it is only about a mile from the Harrogate district, on the other side of the River Ouse. It’s close to villages Thorpe Underwood, Little Ouseburn and Nun Monkton.

Kevin Hollinrake, MP for Thirsk and Malton, said in a statement he had been assured by the immigration minister that the time limit for any asylum seekers to remain at the site will be 180 days

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The government said it hopes the changes will help it “crack down” on people-smuggling gangs.

According to the BBC, 28,526 people are known to have crossed the channel in small boats in 2021, up from 8,404 in 2020.

Home Secretary, Priti Patel, said:

“The global migration crisis and how we tackle illegal migration requires new world-leading solutions. There are an estimated 80 million people displaced in the world and the global approach to asylum and migration is broken.

“Existing approaches have failed and there is no single solution to tackle these problems. Change is needed because people are dying attempting to come to the UK illegally.

The proposal has been criticised by human rights groups and opposition political parties.

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper called the proposals a “shameful announcement meant to distract from Boris Johnson’s recent law-breaking”.

She added:

“It is an unworkable, unethical and extortionate policy that would cost the UK taxpayer billions of pounds during a cost of living crisis and would make it harder not easier to get fast and fair asylum decisions.”