Newcastle Building Society to hold first BIG talk at Ripley Castle

Sponsored by Newcastle Building Society

Home ownership, putting money into savings and having a comfortable retirement are all possibilities that should be open to anyone.

That is the message from Newcastle Building Society, which says it wants to offer vital financial education, through BIG talks, to help people improve their lives and plan for their futures.

In partnership with North Yorkshire Council, Newcastle Building Society opened its Knaresborough branch last year, after the last bank branch left the town in 2021. Since then, the long term addition to the town has become an integral part of the community.

The organisation chose its base in Knaresborough Library in order to ensure face to face financial services continued to be available in the town, and were accessible to all.

It launched a UK-first pilot this year with fintech OneBanx, offering a multi-bank kiosk within the branch, giving local residents and small business owners a way to access their accounts to deposit and withdraw cash, no matter who they bank with.

The branch has awarded grants of £2,000 to Orb Community Arts, and £4,000 to Chain Lane Community Hub, to mark its entrance into the community. While the team behind the branch has volunteered and taken part in local events.

Now, the Newcastle Building Society team is aiming to do more to give residents in the town and surrounding area access to the best financial education to ensure they can achieve what they want now and in the future.

Branch Manager Heather Pearman said:

“We believe everyone deserves a home and to have the opportunity to save and plan for their future.

“Our commitment to face-to-face banking services delivered in the community has never been stronger and since we opened in Knaresborough last year, we have been so pleased to be able to support local people to achieve their financial goals.”

The first BIG talk event at Ripley Castle

Over the past 10 years the Newcastle Building Society’s BIG talk events have helped hundreds of people make a start in improving their financial know-how.

Newcastle Building Society’s Community Specialist, Ken Hines, and Knaresborough Branch Manager, Heather Pearman, will be hosting the event.

The talk will focus on building understanding around saving for the future, why Newcastle Building Society is here and what else they are doing in the community in order to help people make smarter economic choices.

There will also be the chance to discuss personal circumstances and discover how the building society can tailor its services to meet individual needs.

The BIG talk will take place at Ripley Castle on Thursday, June 22, from 11.30am for around an hour. Refreshments will be served from 11am, with a light lunch to follow the talk.

The event is free, but there is limited capacity and attendees must book a space. To book, call 01423 648750, drop into the Knaresborough branch or click here.

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For more information about Newcastle Building Society and the Knaresborough branch, visit https://www.newcastle.co.uk/our-branches/knaresborough.

Building society opens new branch in Knaresborough Library

Banking services have returned to Knaresborough with the opening of a new branch of Newcastle Building Society.

The town has been without a bank for more than 18 months after the Halifax branch on Market Square closed in February 2021.

Now, Newcastle Building Society has opened a community branch in Knaresborough Library.

Its chief executive Andrew Haigh was in town yesterday for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. He said:

“The feedback from residents and other businesses in the town has been fantastic and we’re looking forward to establishing a long and mutually beneficial presence in the town.

“We’re facing into a cost of living crisis which will impact every household budget in the country so I can’t think of a time when it has been more important for people to have access to the face-to-face financial services they need.

“Our members tell us time and again how much they value our branch network, and whilst so many banks are closing branches, we remain absolutely committed to the high streets across our region.

Knaresborough is the fourth community branch to be opened by Newcastle Building Society, following Wooler in Northumberland, Yarm in Stockton-on-Tees, and Hawes in Richmondshire.

As well as face-to-face financial services, the Knaresborough branch is expected to offer a OneBanx multi-bank transaction terminal by the end of the year. It will offer customers from all major UK banks a way to withdraw and deposit cash.

Newcastle Building Society has opened a branch in Knaresborough Library

The building society worked alongside North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council to restore banking services to the town by opening its 31st branch.

To mark becoming part of the community, Newcastle Building Society has given grants of £2,000 to Orb Community Arts and £4,000 to Chain Lane Community Hub.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for libraries, Cllr Greg White, said:

“The opening of a Newcastle Building Society branch in Knaresborough library has been welcomed in the local community. They already offer a community branch within Hawes library which has proved very popular with those who need access to cash, and is a great way of multi-purposing an already well-used building.

“The offer of financial services has significantly increased footfall into Knaresborough library and is encouraging new visitors through the doors.”

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Knaresborough Connectors aim to bring community together in ‘living rooms’

A community organisation in Knaresborough is hoping to bring people together for mutual support through the cost of living crisis.

Knaresborough Connectors is establishing a number of “public living rooms” – a home from home offering a comfortable, warm space to be.

Rather than inviting the elderly or vulnerable to sit in them, though, the group is keen to ensure the whole community comes together through the rooms for everyone’s benefit.

Director Nick Garrett said:

“We aren’t going for the idea of welcoming in poor people from the cold. All the evidence says if you target towards frail, elderly people, they don’t come. This is for anyone and everyone.

“The rooms will be like someone’s living room at home: warm and comfy and with nice furnishings.

“[Knaresborough councillor] Hannah Gostlow’s background is in interior design. She’s designing some really cool-looking living rooms for us.”

The first community living room will be in Knaresborough Library‘s chill-out zone, which is currently being designed and transformed by volunteers.

A further two will follow at Chain Lane Community Hub and Gracious Street Methodist Church. There will also be a co-working space at 8 York Place.

The aim is for people to use them as a social space. They might go there to knit, to have a cup of tea or watch TV, or to play board games or read books. While there, they might meet others who want to learn to knit or play a game, or who might simply want someone to talk to.

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Mr Garrett said the community living rooms would run alongside support from Resurrected Bites, which runs a community grocery and a pay-as-you-feel cafe in the town.

Knaresborough Connectors is also using social prescribing, encouraging people and businesses in the community to refer others to its team to access what they need.

He said:

“There was a hairdresser in Knaresborough who was cutting a customer’s hair and he told her he was on the brink of homelessness. She contacted us through someone else and he’s now been rehoused.

“There will be lots of people like that coming out of the woodwork because they can’t afford things. There’s also lots of support and advice from Knaresborough Connectors.”

The group is now urging everyone in the town to get involved in one of three ways: engaging with people simply by saying hello, using talents and gifts to help others, and sharing what they can, such as donating to local charity shops and community organisations.

Mr Garrett said research showed reducing social isolation also helped to relieve pressure on the NHS as people were less likely to visit the GP or be admitted to hospital if they were well supported in the community.

By engaging people who are struggling to be part of the network of support, Mr Garrett said everyone could make a difference for each other.

For more details, visit the Warm and Welcome page of the Knaresborough Connectors website.

It’s Libraries Week – here’s what’s happening in the Harrogate district

A host of activities are set to take place in Harrogate district libraries to encourage lifelong learning.

Libraries Week will take place from October 3 until October 9 to highlight a wide range of services, resources and activities taking place in libraries.

Harrogate, Boroughbridge, Knaresborough and Ripon libraries will stage events next week.

They include:

Cllr Greg White, North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for libraries, said: 

“Libraries Week is an opportunity to showcase all of the fantastic activities the service has to offer. This year, it’s all about celebrating the role that libraries play in supporting life-long learning.

“Throughout the week a number of libraries will host an activities fair to encourage residents to find out more about local groups and events. There is so much to choose from so I would urge everyone to get involved.”

For more information on the events taking place, visit the North Yorkshire County Council website here.

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Business Breakfast: Manager appointed to Knaresborough’s new community bank

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Newcastle Building Society has appointed Heather Pearman to manage its new community branch in Knaresborough which opened in July.

Since the last bank in the town was closed in 2021,  the building society said it had worked closely with the borough and county councils to restore banking access.

The building society said its community branch, inside Knaresborough library, showed its commitment to maintaining a high street presence across North Yorkshire.

Heather Pearman joins with over 10 years’ experience in financial services, having previously worked for Knaresborough’s Bradford & Bingley and Santander branches for 15 years.

She said:

“The people of Knaresborough have been crying out for the return of financial services to this thriving market town and we hope the arrival of our community branch will deliver the essential support they’ve been missing.

“After some time away from Knaresborough it’s a privilege to return to the town I love, and engage with some of the familiar and new faces that make this town such a jewel in North Yorkshire’s crown.

I look forward to integrating our new community branch into the heart of Knaresborough and delivering the much-needed local financial facilities for people and businesses in our area.”

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Harrogate solicitors, McCormicks, is the main sponsor for this year’s 28th annual Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards.

The awards mark the achievements of outstanding young people aged under 35 and nominations are now open. Organisers say the winners don’t need to be famous, they can be completely unknown but have achieved something amazing for themselves or their community.

Chairman Peter McCormick OBE said: “This year has already seen some terrific achievements by young people from Yorkshire but we want to hear about more!”

The Awards dinner will be held for the first time since 2019 on Thursday 17 November at the Centenary Pavilion at Leeds United’s Elland Road ground and is the main fundraiser for the Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation which makes grants to young people and organisations supporting them across the region.

The nomination categories are as follows:

The Awards have raised more than £1.3m for young people and projects helping them across the region and anyone nominate a potential winner. Simply visit the Awards website at www.yorkshireyoungachievers.co.uk. The closing date for entries is Friday 2 September.

Bank machines to be fitted in Knaresborough Library building

Banking facilities are set to open in Knaresborough Library this summer that will give people access to numerous banks.

The arrival of a multi-bank transaction terminal will mean personal and business customers of all the major banks can withdraw cash, deposit coins and notes, move funds and pay bills.

Previously announced in March, the branch will be run by Newcastle Building Society, alongside the library and North Yorkshire County Council, in the building on Market Place.

After the loss of Knaresborough’s last bank, Halifax, last year, residents and business owners have had to travel to banks miles away or join the queue of people at the town’s Post Office.

The new terminal, run by OneBanks Hub, will work alongside branch workers who can offer face-to-face advice and private transactions.

The addition of the terminal is a pilot scheme with only one other machine being installed in Newcastle.

Duncan Cockburn, chief executive of OneBanks Hub, said:

“We developed OneBanks Hub to support communities without access to everyday banking. This initiative will help individuals and small businesses continue to do their critical financial transactions without having to travel miles to their nearest bank branch. It is a model that can be replicated in many more locations.”

The county council has said it is unable to give a specific opening date but said it would be this summer.

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There is also a new shared banking hub set to open in Knaresborough by the Access to Cash Action Group.

Under the scheme, a building in Knaresborough will provide help with general banking queries and more specific issues, such as power of attorney and opening accounts.

Representatives from various banks will work in the hub on a rotational basis. The hub itself will be fitted out by the Post Office.

Six free or low-cost family Easter holiday ideas in the Harrogate district

The Easter school holidays are almost here, but for many families this means two weeks of the children at home and increased costs of keeping them entertained.

This year in particular most of us are feeling the crunch thanks to a huge rise in the cost of living and soaring energy bills.

We have teamed up with parenting website Harrogate Mumbler and put together six free or low-cost ideas for the Easter holidays across the district.

Kayti Mewis, content creator for Harrogate Mumbler, said:

“You don’t always have to spend a fortune to have a fun day out with the kids. For example, we always enjoy a day at Valley Gardens with a picnic over the holidays.”

 

Free street entertainment in Harrogate town centre – from April 9

Following the success of Harrogate Business Improvement District’s (BID) street entertainers during the October half-term last year, they will be back in the town centre over the Easter holidays.

On Saturday, April 9, Pete and Ged Moss the gardeners will be in town with their ‘Easter Egg Stravaganza walkabout special’.

They will entertain crowds with their musical wheelbarrow, brimming over with colourful Easter eggs of all shapes and sizes – expect lots of audience participation.

On Good Friday, April 15, the Easter Bunny will be taking some time out from his Easter duties to share some early treats with the children of Harrogate. He will be at the Victoria Shopping Centre at 11am, 12pm, 1pm and 3pm.

On Saturday April 16, ‘Val N Halla’ will be travelling in their musical longboat through the town centre. The two Abba-obsessed Scandinavians will bring “entertainment, mayhem and mirth wherever they go”.

 

Peter Rabbit and Friends Easter Trail at Swinton Estate, near Ripon – April 9 to 24

Head to Swinton Bivouac for an Easter adventure with Peter Rabbit and Friends.

Help Peter and Benjamin to save Easter by rescuing all of the Easter eggs from the clutches of the pesky Samuel Whiskers.

Solve the clues to crack the code that will open the chest to rescue the egg – and earn an Easter treat for yourself as well.

There will also be an opportunity to explore the ruins and follies of Druid’s Temple, built in 1820, reconnect with nature in the woodland of Swinton Estate and take in the views over the Leighton reservoir.

Trail maps are £5, with each completed answer sheet earning a prize. All money from the trail goes directly to the Friends of Grewelthorpe School (FROGS) charity.

 

The Great Knaresborough Bunny Hunt – April 9 to 24

Organised and presented by Painting Pots Knaresborough, this quirky event is now in its fifth year.

There will once again be 17 ceramic bunnies hopping into local businesses.

The bunnies are hand-painted in vivid patterns, some inspired by characters or recognisable personalities and products. Painted mostly in house by Laura of Painting Pots, and more recently Natasha Gilyard.

A map with the locations of the bunnies is hand-drawn and painted by local artist Helen Salmons, who is known as The Relentless Crafter, while the bunnies themselves are the handiwork of Natasha Gilyard and Painting Pots’ Laura.

The maps can be purchased for £3 from Painting Pots, Castlegate, and the Oldest Chemist Shoppe, Market Square.

Bunny hunters use the map to find the bunnies, fill in their form and hand them back in to receive a sweet treat, a wristband, sticker and entry to win prizes donated by local businesses.

Over the last four years, The Great Knaresborough Bunny Hunt has raised more than £6,000 for local charities. All profits this year will go to Lucie’s Animal Rescue and Inspire Youth.

The event will be officially launched at the Knaresborough Spring Fayre on April 9, where there will also be the first ever Great Knaresborough Bunny Hunt Parade.

 

Activities at Knaresborough Library – April 16 and April 21

Hoglets Theatre will be performing their play The Sleep Pirates on Saturday, April 16 at 2pm, featuring swashbuckling pirates, flying ships and shooting stars.

The event is aimed at families with children aged four to eight. Places are limited so booking is essential and children need to be library members. Pop in to the library or call 01609 533610 to book your place.

Alternatively, enjoy some arty fun with a print workshop with artist Lana Grindley on April 21 at 2pm.

Children aged 7 to 11 are invited to design and print their own book cover artwork, inspired by their favourite book illustrations. The designs will be displayed at a special exhibition in the library following the workshop.

Book your free ticket here.

 

There are also some great events at places that offer membership. If you are already a member, these events are usually included, or have a small additional price:

The Giant Easter Egg Hunt at RHS Harlow Carr – April 9 to 24

Enjoy a supersized family adventure this Easter holiday at RHS Garden Harlow Carr.

Go hunting for the larger-than-life hand-painted eggs hidden around the garden on ‘The giant Easter egg hunt’, and from Good Friday to Easter Monday meet the Garden Detectives for more family fun.

The Easter egg hunt sees children equipped with an explorer pack. Follow the trail around the garden to find the giant painted eggs. There are fun puzzles to solve and plants and wildlife to spot along the way.

Children will be rewarded with a free chocolate treat after completing the trail.

The event is free to RHS members and children under 5.

Easter egg hunt at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal – until April 17

Pick up an adventure trail for £3 and follow the map to complete 10 fun activities during your visit.

See if you can shake like a squirrel, rise like the sun and listen to nature’s orchestra. Complete the trail and earn your chocolate egg reward at the end.

Harrogate and Knaresborough libraries partially reopen

Harrogate and Knaresborough libraries are set to resume their reduced lockdown services this week.

The libraries closed last week after a member of staff in each one tested positive for covid.

The buildings have been given a deep clean and staff who needed to have self-isolated.

Harrogate library will resume services tomorrow and Knaresborough is expected to be back in operation on Saturday.

Library members will be able to use the select and collect service, which allows them to order books by phone or email and pick them up from the library entrance.

Library computers will also be available for essential use, but must be booked in advance.

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Harrogate will open from 10am to 4pm on weekdays and from 10am to 2pm on Saturday.

Knaresborough will open from 9.30am to 1.30pm on Saturday, 9.30am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 5pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 9.30am to 1.30pm on Thursday and 9.30am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 7pm on Friday.

North Yorkshire county councillor Greg White, executive member for libraries, said:

“We have robust safety measures in place, including collecting contact tracing details, strictly limited numbers and plentiful hand sanitiser, so customers can continue to use our select and collect and to book public computer sessions with confidence.”

All libraries in the county are currently closed for browsing.

Covid forces Harrogate and Knaresborough libraries to close

Harrogate and Knaresborough libraries have fully closed after staff at each building contracted covid.

The libraries closed for browsing during the second lockdown but people could still order books and collect them at the entrance.

Library members could also book computers for emergency use.

But it was announced yesterday that both sites have totally closed for an unspecified length of time.

Chrys Mellor, North Yorkshire County Council’s general manager of libraries, said:

“Harrogate is one of two libraries that have closed because a member of library staff in each has tested positive for covid. The second library is Knaresborough.

“The libraries have therefore been closed on a temporary basis while the building is cleaned and staff self-isolate.

“No members of the public have been put at risk of infection.”

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