APS, which runs a national electric vehicle charger repair and maintenance service in Harrogate, has partnered with Harrogate College to set up a training and recruitment programme.
Harrogate College will be introducing the new course to help the borough transition to electric cars.
Principal Danny Wild of Harrogate College said:
“We are determined to support emerging green technologies and have been working closely with local firms so we can provide the appropriately skilled, work-ready students they need.
“The electric vehicle sector is a rapidly growing one that represents a fantastic opportunity for both our students and local businesses.”
Despite having more electric vehicles than any other district in North Yorkshire, the Stray Ferret recently reported how Harrogate is one of the ‘worst prepared areas in the UK’ for transitioning to electric vehicles.
It was estimated that the borough had just one charging point for every 134 electric or hybrid cars.
However, APS Business Development Manager, John Dyson, defended the situation.
He said:
“It is ironic that Harrogate has been criticised so strongly for a lack of action over installing electric vehicle chargers when there actually is so much going on behind the scenes.
“Recent announcements by Transdev, that all Harrogate buses are to be electrified, and Harrogate Borough Council, which is to install 34 charge points in local car parks, gives a taste of just what is on its way.”
The level 3 award in the Installation and Commissioning of Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment will start in September at Harrogate College.
Linley & Simpson fundraise for children’s hospice
In training (from left) Callum Collbeck, Pawel Ziemak, Freddie Purdy, Adam Hughes and Josh Boocock
Linley & Simpson will start a year of fund-raising challenges in support of Martin’s House Children’s Hospice.
The estate agent, which has branches in Ripon and Wetherby, is marking its 25th anniversary by aiming to raise £25,000 for Martin House, based at Boston Spa.
The team has previously managed to raise £100,000 in support of the charity.
As part of the fundraise, they will abseil 50ft down the Cow and Calf rocks at Ilkley Moor. The following week, 40 colleagues will also face a 12k course of mud, ice and obstacles.
Emily Wilkinson, Wetherby Branch Manager at Linley & Simpson, said:
“The work of Martin House has touched the lives of our people in many ways, and we are pleased to be able to ‘give back’ through this initial set of events as well as a host of others that are in the pipeline.”
The challenge begins on June 16, with more information available on the website.
Read more:
Man comes forward after CCTV appeal over Harrogate sexual assault
A man has come forward after police issued an appeal following a serious sexual assault in Harrogate.
The incident took place on Oxford Street in Harrogate between 2.30am and 3am on Thursday, November 25 last year.
North Yorkshire Police issued a CCTV image yesterday of a man they wanted to speak to in connection with the incident.
The force confirmed today that a man has come forward following the appeal.
Read more:
- Police warning after Land Rover thefts in Harrogate
- Display of 1,300 clay poppies takes over Himalayan Gardens
Covid grant funds new ‘hosts’ to welcome Harrogate visitors
The Harrogate BID has recruited two more ‘hosts’ to make the town more welcoming.
Abigail Smith and Rebecca Evans will join two other hosts already in operation.
Harrogate Bid Manager, Matthew Chapman said:
“It is great to welcome Abigail and Rebecca to the Harrogate BID team, as we continue with our goal of making Harrogate even more welcoming.
“The pair are wearing specially made outfits of Yorkshire tweed featuring the Harrogate BID logo so people will know who they are representing.”
The two extra posts have been funded by the government’s Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) via the Harrogate Borough Council. The scheme was brought in during the COVID-19 pandemic to aid local businesses.
Read more:
- No conditions for Wetherby Road drive-thru to be a Starbucks, says council
- Oliver Bonas set to open store in Harrogate
There are four Harrogate Hosts in total with two in the town centre on most weekends up to Christmas.
They BID says they will also act as an additional pair of eyes and ears, alerting authorities to any antisocial behaviour or issues that show Harrogate in a poor light.
Matthew added:
Oliver Bonas set to open store in Harrogate“I went around the town with them, and saw the way they delighted the queue outside Bettys, and how they interacted with children, families and couples, bringing entertainment, enjoyment and a smile to people’s faces.”
Oliver Bonas looks set to be unveiled as the latest big name addition to Harrogate’s high street.
The clothing and homeware store is advertising for a store manager and deputy store manager to run a shop in Harrogate.
The Stray Ferret understands it has identified the former Next store on James Street as its home.
There are also rumours that German fashion giant Hugo Boss and USA clothes retailer Anthropologie are considering opening outlets in Harrogate.
The company’s website says:
“We have an amazing opportunity for a store manager to join Team Oliver Bonas in our Harrogate store.”
The salary is described as ‘competitive with benefits’. The website also advertises a deputy store manager vacancy.
Read more:
- Pret A Manger set to open in Harrogate ‘very soon’
- Six free or low-cost family Easter holiday ideas in the Harrogate district
The Stray Ferret has approached Oliver Bonas for further details.
Tom Limbert, director of property consultants Central Retail, said:
“We are very close to letting the former Next store on James Street to a very exciting national lifestyle retailer who will be another great addition to the street.”
Oliver Bonas, which was founded by Oliver Tress, opened its first store in London in 1993. It now has 75 outlets in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
The closest ones to Harrogate are currently in Ilkley, Leeds and York.
New bus service to link Harrogate and Knaresborough with Yorkshire DalesImproved bus links from Harrogate and Knaresborough to the Yorkshire Dales will begin this weekend.
A new service, DalesBus 74, will run every Saturday from Knaresborough and Harrogate to Ilkley, Bolton Abbey and Grassington.
The Reliance bus leaves from Knaresborough Bus Station (stand C) at 9.10am and Harrogate Bus Station (stand 2) at 9.25am. It returns from Grassington at 5pm and Bolton Abbey at 5.25pm.
There are also minor changes to DalesBus 59, running between Harrogate and Skipton on Saturdays, from this weekend. All journeys will return from Skipton five minutes later, and the bus will no longer call at Millstones.
Read more:
- MP Andrew Jones ‘disappointed’ at funding snub for £116m bid to boost bus services
- Harrogate bus plans in tatters after government rejects £116m funding bid
From July 3, a service called Eastern DalesBus 825 will run on Sundays and Bank Holidays from Harrogate to Brimham Rocks, Fountains Abbey, Masham, Leyburn and Richmond.
These services are managed by Dales and Bowland Community Interest Company, which aims to improve sustainable access to the Yorkshire Dales National Park and Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Dales Rover day tickets are £10 for adults and £18 for any group of up to two adults and three children. Concessionary bus passes for the elderly and disabled are valid for free travel on DalesBus 59 and DalesBus 74.
Tickets are available from the driver.
RHS Harlow Carr to convert bungalow into staff officesRHS Harlow Carr is to covert a bungalow on its site into staff offices and welfare accommodation.
Harrogate Borough Council has approved the conversion of the bungalow on Crag Lane, which falls within the Harlow Carr estate.
The building had previously been used for residential purposes. It will now be converted for commercial use.
Last month the RHS submitted details about how it plans to convert the former Harrogate Arms pub, also on Crag Lane, into a cafe.
The horticultural charity bought the building in 2014 and received planning permission in 2019 to create a ground floor cafe and kitchen facilities.
Last month the horticultural charity had plans for a new footbridge at the gardens approved.
The Thaliana Bridge crosses the Queen Mother’s Lake at the south end of the gardens to improve access and provide new routes for visitors.
Read more:
- RHS Harlow Carr set to start work on new bridge
- Conversion of former Harrogate Arms moves step closer
- New paths at RHS Harlow Carr made with recycled plastic
Unison Harrogate canvasses election candidates over ‘shameful’ council pay
Unison in Harrogate is to write to next month’s local election candidates to find out their stance on local government pay.
Davie Houlgate, secretary of the Harrogate local government branch, said the union was looking to lodge a pay claim for the 2022/23 financial year.
The move comes after Unison’s attempt to call a strike in January over a 1.75% pay offer in the previous year failed because not enough members turned out to vote.
The trade union had branded the pay offer ‘derisory’.
The offer followed a national consultation by the Local Government Association, which is the national membership body for local authorities, over a pay increase.
Read more:
- Unison Harrogate rejects ‘derisory’ council staff pay offer
- Harrogate council strike action averted after national ballot
Mr Houlgate said the union was now considering another pay claim because the cost of living crisis is “squeezing” workers’ pay packets.
He added that officials will be writing to candidates ahead of the election in North Yorkshire on May 5 to find out their stance on the issue.
Mr Houlgate said:
“Local government pay must be increased to match the cost of living squeeze our members are now experiencing on the back of year-on-year below inflation pay increases.
“Without a decent above-inflation pay rise to help workers meet soaring costs, vital council services will struggle to hang on to skilled staff which could put some services at risk. Indeed this is already happening.
“Council workers need an above inflation pay rise, simply to try to catch-up with what they have lost in real terms over the past decade – a 25% pay cut. But it is more imperative than ever as a result of the cost-of living crisis we are now in.
“The situation is unsustainable and cannot go on.”
He added:
Pret A Manger set to open in Harrogate ‘very soon’“We need to know if candidates have any idea of the enormity of the problems faced by council staff.
“It’s shameful that people that make our towns and villages so attractive or do high skilled, essential and much-valued jobs on which everyone depends, don’t get paid enough to meet their basic costs.”
Pret A Manger has confirmed it will open a shop on Harrogate’s James Street “very soon”.
The Stray Ferret revealed in January the sandwich shop franchise planned to open in what was at the time Messums Yorkshire, a gallery curated by artist Johnny Messum. The gallery is now closed.
Pret has now confirmed a store, creating 15 jobs, is expected to welcome customers by late spring.
Pano Christou, chief executive of Pret, said:
“We’re excited to be expanding our footprint in Yorkshire as part of our wider ambition to bring Pret to more people.
“Harrogate is a beautiful and historic town, bustling with tourists and a thriving community. We look forward to welcoming locals and visitors alike into our new shop, very soon”.
Pret currently has more than 450 shops in the UK, with the majority in London.
This will be the first Pret in the Harrogate district. It will sell hot drinks, sandwich and grab and go menu.
Read more:
Pret will will become the latest in a significant number of new arrivals on James Street over the past few months.
Tom Limbert, director of property consultants Central Retail, which acted for the landlord, said:
“It’s great to finally bring Pret A Manger to Harrogate. They have looked at the town on and off for a number of years but it shows national occupiers still have belief in the town.”
In partnership with The Pret Foundation, the company is also looking for local charities to donate surplus food to at the end of each day. Those interested can contact the foundation on Pret.FoundationUK@pret.com.
Police warning after Land Rover thefts in Harrogate
Police have issued a warning to car owners after criminals have been targeting Land Rovers in Harrogate.
North Yorkshire Police has reported that 14 Land Rover Defenders have been stolen in the county in the last two weeks.
Officers said since the start of the year Harrogate, Richmondshire and Hambleton have seen a high number of thefts.
Seven of the stolen vehicles were taken from driveways of residential properties. Six of the thefts occurred overnight.
Read more:
- Man denies causing death by dangerous driving near Boroughbridge
- Drug driver who reversed at police car in Pateley Bridge avoids jail
- Unfair to move Skipton Magistrate cases to Harrogate, says solicitor
Police have urged drivers to put in place extra security on their Land Rovers, such as tracking devices.
A North Yorkshire Police statement added:
Stray Views: is this rewilding eyesore acceptable for Harrogate?“We know the loss of a Land Rover can have a major impact on daily life – on farms and other rural businesses in particular – so it’s important to put in place extra security measures to protect them.
“Trackers are invaluable, and can make all the difference in recovering your stolen vehicle and identifying suspects.
“Meanwhile, our officers will be proactively stopping and checking Land Rovers, and using ANPR technology to identify suspicious vehicles, to make life as difficult as possible for thieves.”
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.
Is this rewilding eyesore acceptable for our town?
I was interested to read in the Stray Ferret that Harrogate Borough Council has decided to repeat last years exercise of ‘wilding’ the Stray.
The article was accompanied by an attractive picture of wild flowers and grass gently bending in the breeze. It looks idyllic, and just the image that we want to project to encourage people to visit our town.
The grass verge directly in front of 8 West Park (Specialized & OKA) was ‘wilded’ last year and for weeks we had a miserable view of two-metre high weeds, and the odd dandelion amongst the sparse grass.
This year, as my images illustrate, it’s going to be another eyesore. The kind of abandoned verge you wouldn’t be surprised to see on a motorway central reservation but not Harrogate, home of the RHS Harlow Carr and Valley Gardens.
This is on the main walking route into our town, passed by thousands of visitors each year and yet the council seem oblivious to this embarrassment of a ‘maintained’ verge. There were no spring crocuses bursting through. It’s pointless the council cutting the grass because there is as much bare earth as grass. Why has it been forgotten?
I broadly support the concept of ‘wilding’. if the preparation has been done it can look really attractive as it does in neighbouring towns.
I anticipate the council’s response i.e. ‘lack of resources due to covid’ and’ budget restraints’ etc but would it cost so much for a rotavator, some weed killer and grass seed? I would gladly pay for the wild flowers seeds!
Please take a stroll past this verge and ask yourself is this acceptable for our town.
Ian Latham, Harrogate
Sort out this traffic light mess!
I agree with Liz Carnell and the appalling situation with traffic congestion on Skipton Road.
The phasing on all the traffic lights from Bilton Lane right through to Claro Road is completely rubbish.
They all need to be adjusted to time and flow with emphasis on ensuring traffic turning into Skipton Road is not then impeded by red lights, which in turn cause log jams such as King’s Road and Woodfield Road into Skipton Road, both of which allow three cars to turn and immediately into red lights.
As always, local authority make changes at will without understanding the situation in the first place and almost always make the problems worse.
Tony Petrie, Woodfield Road, Harrogate
Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.