England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty has visited Nidderdale and Harrogate to collect information for his annual health report.

His report this year will focus on health issues in an ageing society.

To learn first-hand about the issues, Prof Whitty talked to various local groups about the challenge of tackling social isolation in rural communities.

He was shown around Darley Village Shop, a community hub set up in 2016 which is home to a café and a post office. The shop was launched in 2016 following a major £60,000 fundraising drive organised by Darley locals.

As well as providing a space for locals to sit and socialise, staff and volunteers at the village store have been delivering meals to elderly residents in the local area.

He spoke to Tracey Dawson of Nidderdale Plus, which provides services that improve the wellbeing of older residents, such as minibus trips, and met the chair of Christ Church Community Centre in Darley, which stages coffee mornings and exercise classes for older people.

Prof Whitty said:

“It is really insightful to see how local people have found solutions to support their communities.

“What people are doing here in Nidderdale shows what can be achieved, and it is helping address some of the big challenges we face as a society.

“People have demonstrated how they can come together to help others, especially during the covid-19 crisis, and it is good to see this good work is continuing to be built on.”

Prof Whitty with (left to right) Nidderdale Plus digital champion co-ordinator Jo Hayes, Christ Church Community Centre committee member Erica Spencer, and Christ Church Community Centre chair, Angela Houseman.

Prof Whitty also travelled to The Cuttings care home in Starbeck run by Harrogate Neighbours,  as well as a hub club that operates at the Dementia Forward community hub in Burton Leonard.

He also went to Harrogate District Hospital, where he spoke with NHS staff and social workers about local services including those provided by Harrogate and Rural Alliance and North Yorkshire Council’s Living Well project, which is a free service to improve the health, wellbeing and independence of adults.

North Yorkshire Council leader Carl Les, said:

“In North Yorkshire, we are leading the way nationally with schemes such as Extra Care, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

“To be able to show the chief medical officer first-hand how those initiatives work was a real honour”

According to the latest census, over 65s represent around 25% of the population in North Yorkshire compared to 18% for England as a whole. The council predicts this figure will increase to a third by 2043.

Louise Wallace, the council’s director of public health who accompanied Prof Whitty on his visit. said:

“To have the chief medical officer visiting to see these challenges and also all the good work that is being done by our communities was an invaluable opportunity.”

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Campaigners in Kirkby Malzeard, seeking to purchase and restore a now-derelict village pub (pictured below) have suffered a major setback.

The Henry Jenkins Community Pub group (HJCP) has failed for a third time to have part of the building re-listed as an Asset of Community Value (ACV).

The campaigners – some of whom are pictured above – raised a petition of more than 500 signatures in support of their bid.

They were advised of the decision by Harrogate Borough Council, which said:

“The nomination for part of the Henry Jenkins site (the eastern part) is unsuccessful and does not meet the definition of community value as detailed in the Localism Act 2011 Section 88 (2).”

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Chair of the HJCP group, Richard Sadler, said:

“We are very disappointed that despite all the evidence, the council has chosen once again to side with private developers from outside the area – rather than supporting local grass roots community groups.

“The council cut our feet from under us by delisting part of the pub – simply because the developer sold this part to his business associate. Now they have turned their backs on us again by refusing to relist this part of the pub – when the council has a clear duty to help communities in rural areas fighting to save community facilities.

“This is despite overwhelming support of local residents, local businesses, the parish council and our local ward councillor for our plans to bring back this much-loved facility as a revitalised pub, bistro and coffee shop.

“With more people working from home and greater appreciation of the importance of community hubs, there’s a crying need for a great range of facilities in this fast-expanding village. “

Mr Sadler pointed out that the group has secured more than £230,000 in share pledges from nearly 200 residents in support of plans for a community buyout.

The Henry Jenkins closed its doors in 2011 and was purchased out of administration by pub company Fielder Holdings.

In 2017 a nomination made by campaigners for an ACV listing was successful, but the eastern annex was subsequently sold by David Fielder to his business associate Justin Claybourn, who applied for and was granted planning permission to convert his part of the building into a single dwelling.

This led to removal of the CVA covering the eastern portion – a decision the campaigners have fought to overturn ever since.

When announcing its decision on the third attempt to secure CVA listing for the whole building, HBC referred to the HJCP petition, which was received by the council at its full meeting on 6 October and pointed out:

“There is nothing in the Assets of Community Value legislation or council constitution to enable the consideration of petitions, therefore this does not form part of the assessment process.

“However, it is noted that only 25 of the names on the petition are from Kirkby Malzeard itself and almost two-thirds of the signatories do not live in the Harrogate district.”

Mr Claybourn, said:

“I’m pleased that the council has made this correct and sensible decision and I now look forward to progressing plans to convert my part of the building into a holiday home for my family.”

It’s nearly 16 miles from Pateley Bridge to the covid vaccination centre at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate.

So for rural communities in the Nidderdale and Washburn valleys with limited public transport and a high proportion of older people, getting there can be difficult.

Nidderdale Plus community hub in Pateley Bridge is playing a key role in solving this and helping the government achieve its aim of vaccinating the over 80s as soon as possible.

Helen Flynn, the executive director of Nidderdale Plus, a charity that works in partnership with local authorities to provide services to the community, told the Stray Ferret:

“For some people, the prospect of travelling to and from Harrogate for their appointment could be daunting.

“There are those who live on their own; some have stopped driving and a number may not have a member of a family bubble to accompany them to and from the vaccination centre.”

Older people living in rural Nidderdale and the Washburn Valley can travel by mini-bus for vaccination in Harrogate.

With Nidderdale and the Washburn Valley covering half of the total land area of the Harrogate district, a logistical issue had to be addressed.

It was rapidly solved when Nidderdale Plus called on assistance from Jill Quinn, chief executive of Dementia Forward, to secure the use of a mini-bus that had not been used for some time because of covid restrictions. Ms Flynn said:

The vehicle, with its volunteer drivers, makes regular journeys from Nidderdale and the Washburn Valley to Harrogate, collecting people en-route.

To ensure social distancing is maintained, the minibus takes a maximum of three people at a time for vaccination, and a rigorous cleaning regime involving anti-bacterial ‘fogging’ of all surfaces is carried out after each use.

Ms Flynn added:

“Jill lives in Pateley Bridge and was happy to help.

“Our aim is to ensure that all people aged 80 and above living in this area have no reason to worry, either about getting to and from Harrogate or their vaccination.

“As the vaccination programme progresses to target different age groups, the minibus will remain in use to help those aged 70 and above in the Nidderdale and Washburn valleys and others seeking assistance.”

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Bryan Ayers, who lives in Hampsthwaite, has already used the service. He said:

“The transport service for my covid vaccination was magnificent, I don’t know what I would do without the help as I do not drive myself and I have no relatives who can help me.

“When I got to the site it was really well organised both with clinic staff and the volunteers were very good, I hardly had to wait any time at all.”

Mr Ayers added:

“My driver was very friendly and just waited for me, I could not have asked for a better service.  I have had no side effects of the vaccine at all so far.”

The cost of rural crime in North Yorkshire is the third highest among counties in the UK.

A report released by NFU Mutual found that in 2019, rural crime cost the county over £2 million. A rise of 22.6% on the previous year.

The report names theft of high value farm machinery as a factor for the cost increase. It also found that over lockdown, rural crime had continued – with some criminals travelling into the county to target farms.

Inspector Matt Hagen, head of North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Taskforce, said:

“Our county is a largely rural area, and the borough of Harrogate is no exception – so tackling rural crime is extremely important to us. We know that offenders from areas outside North Yorkshire travel into our communities, intent on stealing quad bikes, farm machinery and other valuable property – and those crimes are reflected in the latest figures from NFU Mutual. The report also shows that criminals continued to target the countryside, despite the Covid-19 lockdown.

“Rural crime did not stop – and neither did rural policing. Our officers, some of whom have farming backgrounds, know just how devastating rural crime can be for its victims.”

Rural areas in the county have continued to be targeted over lockdown.

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Rural crimes including livestock attacks and machinery theft have been seen within the Harrogate district. North Yorkshire Police has urged farmers to remain vigilant and increase safety measures within their farms.

In an attempt to combat rural crime the police works alongside 142 rural watch volunteers. They act as the eyes and ears within the rural communities.

Queen’s Head regular Mike Smith has waited a long 105 days since the pandemic denied him his favourite pulled pint of draught bitter.

Mr Smith, who lives across the road from the Kirkby Malzeard pub that he and his wife Sally consider an essential part of local life, told The Stray Ferret:

“I’ve been looking forward to this day, having had my last pint of draught beer on the evening that the pub had to close down because of the coronavirus crisis.”

He said that he has had cans of beer at home, but drinks in isolation don’t come with the social interaction, friendly banter and ambience experienced in a pub bar.

Mr Smith pointed out:

“For us, the pub is a vital part of village life and if there wasn’t one here, my wife and I would move elsewhere.”

His words will come as reassurance to landlady Sue Maguire, her husband Paul (aka Rocky) and daughters Zanne and Lucie, who took over the Queen’s Head in April 2017 and have been running the only pub in the village ever since.

Having missed out on the extra trade that would have come with Mother’s Day, Easter, VE Day, the late May Bank holiday, the Tour De Yorkshire and Father’s Day, the family hopes that a staycation summer with people coming to nearby holiday homes and caravan sites, will bring in the business that they need to keep their heads above water.

Sue said:

“I cried my eyes out the evening that we were told we had to temporarily close because of coronavirus. We had only just taken a delivery and had a cellar full of casque beer and lager we thought we might never be able to sell.”

Being enterprising however, they were able to draw the drink off into bottles and sell it in conjunction with the takeaway food service the family set up to help them survive through the lockdown period.

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Zanne, said:

“To sell the bottled beers, we put a ‘your pub needs you’ shout out on FaceBook and fortunately that worked and helped us with sales,”

Social media will continue to play a role in raising awareness of the village pub and the takeaway service, with the option of home deliveries, will continue, enabling villagers who remain in self-isolation, to have a pub meal.

Sue added:

“We are doing all we can, but at the end of the day, we need people to come through the door to put money in our till and both regulars and new customers can be sure of a warm welcome.”