Starbeck Archives - Page 24 of 34

Charity Corner: the Starbeck charity that puts mental health at the forefront

Claro Enterprises is a Starbeck charity offering those with mental health conditions a real work environment to find a routine and talk to others who may be feeling similar.

The charity was set up 35 years ago by Chris and Sue Brown. Ms Brown’s brother was diagnosed with schizophrenia and they found giving him jobs on their farm would really help him but when the work stopped his mental health would decline.

At the time they couldn’t find any local services to support him so through lots of fundraising the pair set up Claro Enterprises to offer people with mental health disorders the opportunity to volunteer in a real work environment.

Over the years the charity has developed and now runs a workshop and a production line and has contracts with large companies such as Bettys and EnviroVent to make products.

On a daily bases, members might be creating wooden products from scratch, or rebranding or packing products for businesses.

Two men using the charity’s wood shop.

Operations manager, Helen Wilkinson, said:

“We have people who would struggle in a normal work environment but really benefit from having a routine. It works really well for people will mental health conditions and they can choose how often they come.

“There’s a real sense of community here.”

The charity has around 35 members who can come as regularly as they want to work, it not only helps them but also gives their families a break.

The charity also runs courses throughout the year including self esteem and wellbeing, mindfulness, IT and basic maths and English.

Veterans Woodcraft, a group helping those with mental health issues and disabilities, have helped the charity’s members learn new woodcraft skills.

It is also the base for the Starbeck Men’s Shed and Women’s Shed. These groups are for anyone in the community to learn new skills and enjoy some company.

Ms Wilkinson said the end goal is to get the members “to a point where they can do what they want”:

“Some of our members have gone on to get full time jobs and work experience which is just amazing.”

The charity is always looking for new businesses to arrange work experience placements and provide work for the members to do at their premises to allow Claro to continue to offer their facilities to those who believe they could really benefit.

Miss Wilkinson added:

“It really is the bestest place in the world, we are just one big family.”

Paris proposal for Starbeck nurses on charity bike ride across Europe

A pair of nurses from Starbeck who are cycling across Europe for charity have made the trip even more special — by getting engaged in Paris.

Andy Dennis proposed to Tracey Hill at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, and even had friends on hand to film the occasion and celebrate with them.

He said:

“Everything was perfect: the company was lovely, the place chose itself — there was a view of the tower framed by the trees.”

Tracey said:

“He got down on one knee and it felt like going into an exam you haven’t prepared for.

“I just kept saying, ‘What are you doing? What’s going on?'”

Fortunately, Tracey accepted the proposal, and the newly engaged couple have enjoyed some time in Paris to celebrate.

Staying in a hotel for a couple of nights is luxury compared to some of their other experiences so far. Tracey said:

“We’ve been wild camping on our way here. You’re getting up, you feel sticky, you’re in a field, there’s nowhere to wash yourself except with a handful of water from your bottle.

“You’re packing up and off you go onto the road – it’s so hot from about half past eight, you’re just so grateful when you go through a forest.

“We watch out for each other and push ourselves to drink even if we aren’t thirsty, so we don’t get dehydrated.”

Now, the couple are back on the road towards Geneva.

They have told close family about their engagement, and Andy posted the video on his blog about the trip, but it will be many weeks before they can celebrate with friends and family.

They don’t expect to complete the 2,000-mile trip to Gibraltar for three months.

The ride is the couple’s latest fundraiser for Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), a medical charity providing support to people in conflict zones and other troubled areas of the world.

Andy has completed previous challenges as part of a bid to raise £200,000 for MSF, which he has worked for on four missions: Uganda, twice in South Sudan, and in an ebola centre in Sierra Leone.

In his day job, Andy is a staff nurse on the intensive care unit at Harrogate District Hospital, where he and Tracey met. She now works as a nurse in dermatology at York Hospital.

Both have been supported by their employers, who have given them time off to complete the ride from Amsterdam to Gibraltar. The couple are funding all the travel, accommodation and food themselves, so all money donated goes directly to MSF.

To follow the couple’s progress, visit Andy’s blog or Tracey’s blog. You can donate to the cause by clicking the links from either of their blogs.

Starbeck dad says ‘unreliable’ buses are making daughter late for school

Starbeck dad Gordon Schallmo has criticised Transdev‘s “unreliable” Number 1 bus service, which he said is regularly making his daughter late for school.

Mr Schallmo’s 14-year-old daughter is a pupil at King James’s School in Knaresborough.

Each morning she gets the number 1 from Starbeck, which is one of the company’s busiest bus routes in the Harrogate district, running up to seven times an hour.

But well-documented staffing issues have forced the company to cancel services, sometimes at short notice.

Mr Schallmo said his daughter is currently late for school at least once a week after buses failed to turn up.

He said:

“Its hit and miss when they arrive. She’s often been left standing there.”

Can’t all fit on

The number 1 route is served by single-decker buses.

But with schoolchildren sharing the bus with rush-hour commuters, it means if a bus doesn’t turn up they can’t always all fit on the next one.

Mr Schallmo added:

“It’s not good when I have to run her in and call the school to say she will be late again because the bus hasn’t turned up.”

Transdev has had difficulties hiring new bus drivers since the covid pandemic.

The company recently launched a campaign offering qualified drivers a £1,000 bonus if they joined.

Mr Schallmo said he was also frustrated to see the company recently increased the cost of a weekly ticket on the number 1 from £4.30 to £6 whilst offering a service his daughter can’t rely on.

He said:

“It’s getting beyond a joke. I know they have bus driver shortages but they don’t seem to be doing anything about it.

“What frustrates me is they don’t have an answer. It’s been terrible.”

Transdev’s response

Steve Ottley, general manager at The Harrogate Bus Company, which is a division of French firm Transdev, said:

“Firstly, it’s disappointing and we apologise that Mr Schallmo believes we haven’t given him an answer he would like but we would invite him and anyone else who may wish to, to engage with us via email to customer.services@transdevbus.co.uk or via many other contact points as found at harrogatebus.co.uk.

“We fully realise how frustrating it is for our customers on the occasions when we are unable to provide the high standard of service expected. We are doing a lot behind the scenes to respond to current industry-wide challenges around recruitment and retention of drivers — including by offering increased salaries to new and existing drivers, and by promoting opportunities to join us on the front of all our buses, on billboard advertising and via social media.

“This approach is already delivering positive results – we currently have 15 new colleagues preparing for new driving jobs in Harrogate at The Academy, our own in-house training facility in Starbeck.”

Mr Ottley also explained why the company has increased its prices:

“Everyone will be aware that the price of almost everything is rising at the moment, especially fuel and energy, and unfortunately, we are also not immune to these increased costs — price changes are a common factor across many businesses at the moment. Along with many other transport operators across the country, we have now reached a point where we need to ask our customers to share some of this with us.

“We have held prices down for a while now. This will be our first fares change since September 2019 – and our tickets are still good value, especially compared with other forms of transport, including the car.

“These changes will allow us to continue recovering from covid, increasing timetables back to pre-pandemic levels, investing and improving wage rates — all after almost three years of holding down fares. We’ve also taken this opportunity to simplify our ticket range where we can to make travel easier, while still offering flexibility to our regular customers.”

Starbeck computer shop owner opens new ice cream parlour

A Starbeck computer shop owner has swapped microchips for chocolate chips and opened an ice cream parlour.

Jim Ghazani has converted part of PC City, on High Street, into his new venture, which launched this week.

Café Gelato offers 10 flavours of Italian ice cream in cones or tubs, as well as milkshakes and soft drinks.

Mr Ghazani, who has owned PC City for 20 years, said:

“It’s a bit different to computers. I prefer working here as I can eat all the ice cream!

“People can come and get an ice cream on a walk to Knaresborough. There’s also a school near here, so we thought children might like one on their way home.

“We wanted to add something to the community and local high street and ice creams are always popular – especially in summer.”

The shop opens daily from 1pm to 6pm during the spring and summer months.

Mr Ghazani, who lives in Harrogate, said:

“My favourite flavour is the coconut Bounty one, but the kids like the bubblegum flavour.”

Judge brands ex-Harrogate council officer ‘thoroughly dishonest’

A judge branded a former Harrogate Borough Council officer a “thoroughly dishonest woman” as he sentenced her for stealing from two elderly residents at sheltered accommodation in Ripon.

Yvonne Jones, 60, conned the victims into paying rent in cash up front, some of which she pocketed herself, leaving them in rental arrears.

She appeared for sentence today when judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, said she had been convicted “on the clearest of evidence”.

She was given a 12-month community order and made to carry out 180 hours’ unpaid work.

Jones, of High Street, Starbeck, had denied the offences, which occurred when she was a housing and estate officer with the council. She lost her job after her crimes came to light.

A jury convicted her of two counts of theft following a trial four weeks ago. She was acquitted of three further allegations of stealing from vulnerable tenants at council-run sheltered housing in Blossomgate Court and Bondgate Court in Ripon.

Asked for cash

Prosecutor Philip Standfast said Jones had asked the victims to pay rent a week in advance but kept some of the cash for herself.

One of the named victims, a woman “of some years”, was conned out of £147 after moving into a new council-owned flat in January 2018.

When the victim signed for the new flat, Jones asked her for £405 rent after completing the paperwork.

The woman paid cash and Jones gave her a receipt on a business card, but it showed two figures of £180 and £225 rather than the whole £405. Mr Standfast said:

“(The victim) didn’t question why that receipt was written in that particular way.

“Later, her account was checked by a neighbourhood team leader with the council and there was no record of that cash being paid into that lady’s account.”

Mr Standfast said there were three payments of £85.67 into the council’s account in January and February 2018, but that still left a deficit of £147.72 which had not been credited to the victim’s account.

Blossomgate Court

The second victim, a man who took up a tenancy at Blossomgate Court in Ripon, was fleeced out of £449 by Jones, whom he first met in February 2018.

She asked him for £200 for rent which he didn’t have on him, but he withdrew it from his bank the following day. Mr Standfast said:

“Despite having asked for £200, (Jones) gave him £20 back, saying he had given her too much.”

“It’s not clear why she did that.”

On February 8, Jones met the named victim again and asked for another £200 rent. Mr Standfast said:

“He offered her a cheque, but the defendant said she needed cash and he withdrew it and paid it to her.”

In early March 2018, there was a direct debit from the victim’s account to the council for £600, but Jones told him he owed £669. Mr Standfast said:

“She claimed the council could only take an amount of £600 from his account, so he withdrew (the extra) £69 from his bank and paid that to her.”

The victim’s rental account was checked and the £469 he had given her, minus the £20 she had given him back, had not been credited to his account. He notified the council of this.

Housing officer for four years

Jones had worked as a housing officer at the council from 2014 to 2018, when she was finally rumbled and ultimately resigned from her post.

The prosecution had alleged that Jones had also taken cash from three other vulnerable tenants and either didn’t issue receipts for these payments or did hand them receipts but didn’t forward some of that cash into the council’s account.

These tenants included a named man with learning difficulties who needed care and a 77-year-old pensioner with terminal cancer who was receiving housing benefit. However, Jones was acquitted of these three allegations.

Mr Standfast alleged that all the complainants’ accounts were checked by a team leader at the council, who “found discrepancies between what had been paid by the tenants and what was found in their accounts”.

Enquiries were carried out and Jones was suspended in March 2018. She resigned four days later.

Before handing down the community punishment, judge Mr Morris told Jones:

“You are a thoroughly dishonest woman.”

She was also ordered to pay a statutory surcharge.

Harrogate man found guilty of sexual abuse of young girl

Warning: this article contains details some readers may find disturbing

A Harrogate paedophile is facing a long prison sentence for the systematic sexual abuse of a young girl.

Neil Michael Stubbs, 26, was convicted of 13 separate offences this week following a four-day trial at York Crown Court.

The jury heard that Stubbs, of Kingsley Park Road, Starbeck, groomed and sexually abused the youngster over a prolonged period.

They found him guilty of all 13 charges, including one count of attempted rape of a child under 13 years of age, two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, sexual assault, possessing indecent images and several counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Prosecutor Paul Newcombe said that some of the offences — including engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, sexual assault and causing a child to engage in sexual activity — were “specimen counts”, meaning they happened on multiple occasions.

He said that Stubbs would perform lewd acts on himself in front of the girl and got her to perform sexual acts on him on at least six occasions.

Stubbs also “pestered” her to send him naked photos of herself, added Mr Newcombe.

Following his arrest, police seized Stubbs’s phone on which they found indecent images of children, including some naked photos of the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Some of the other images were rated Category A – the worst kind of such material.

Mr Newcombe said it showed that Stubbs had an “unhealthy obsession” with children.

The jury returned their verdicts yesterday (Thursday, April 28). Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, adjourned sentence to August 15.

Harrogate residents hope badgers will thwart housing scheme

Members of the Kingsley Ward Action Group (KWAG) hope the discovery of badgers will thwart a proposed housing development on Kingsley Road.

Redrow Homes won outline planning permission to build 133 homes on appeal in August 2020 after it was initially refused by councillors on Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee.

A reserved matters application that gives a final rubber-stamp to development is yet to be signed off.

As part of the application, the developer submitted two ecology studies.

These found there were four badger setts in the area but only one or two were still actively used by the animal.

Members of KWAG bought a trail cam, which is a camera that is left outside and captures the movement of animals.

They claim their investigation found evidence of 11 badger setts, 6 of which it says are still active.

Mr Tremble said:

“How can complete amateurs spot this much badger activity so easily when so-called professionals failed completely?”.

KWAG has sent the results of their investigation to HBC councillors.

How the proposed development will look

Badgers and their setts are protected by law.

Developers must have a licence from Natural England to remove or modify a badger sett.

John Hansard from KWAG said the planning application must now be put on hold until the licence is approved, which could take months.

He said:

“There is proof of badgers on site. It’s the breeding season now so they can’t apply for a licence until the end of June. Nothing can happen until then.”

Redrow’s response

Traci Moore, land and planning director for Redrow (Yorkshire), said:

“We are committed to protecting wildlife in and around the proposed development. We have undertaken surveys of local wildlife and submitted ecological reports in line with the outline planning permission, including a detailed badger survey in 2021.

“We have also submitted proposals to reduce the impact of the development on the native badger population. These proposals are subject to ongoing discussion and agreement with the council’s ecologist.”

Harrogate Railway launches £10,000 fundraiser for new marquee

A fundraiser has been set up to help Harrogate Railway Athletic Football Club buy a new outdoor marquee.

The club in Starbeck has football and rugby teams.

Anne Mitchell, who set up the gofundme page, said the marquee was purchased during the covid pandemic for people to meet outside safely.

The marquee was used for birthday parties and other special occasions outside.

However, it was damaged during Storm Arwen in November and has since not been replaced.

The club aims to raise £10,000 to buy a new marquee to host events outside safely.

In a post on its Facebook page, Harrogate Railway said:

“During the covid pandemic, the club purchased a large marquee to provide an outdoor facility. It has been widely utilised during that time for local people to host a variety of events including celebrations, group meetings, local events, social or family gatherings and much more.

“Sadly during one of the storms this winter the marquee has been completely destroyed

“We want to be able to offer that same fantastic facility this year but we need your help to raise funds to purchase a new marquee.”

For more information on the fundraiser and to donate, visit the gofundme page here.

Starbeck feud boils over after residents’ group chair stands for Labour

A feud between the owner of Starbeck Post Office and the chair of Starbeck Residents Association has boiled over after the latter decided to stand for the Labour Party in the upcoming local elections.

Voters will head to the polls on May 5 to elect councillors to the new North Yorkshire Council.

This week, Chris Watt was announced as the Labour candidate for the newly created ward of Fairfax and Starbeck.

Mr Watt is also the elected chair of the SRA, which awards grants and campaigns to safeguard local facilities in Starbeck.

However, Andrew Hart, who owns the local post office, believes the resident association’s constitution forbids political allegiances.

He claims Mr Watt is using his position as chair as a means of promoting his political platform and profile, which Mr Watt denies.

Mr Watt (centre) campaigning for Labour last month. Credit: Harrogate & Knaresborough Labour Party

The two have history — there was public acrimony when Mr Watt was appointed chair last year at the residents association’s annual general meeting.

Mr Hart set up a rival group called Starbeck Community Group, in part due to what he thinks are the failings of Starbeck Residents’ Association.

Mr Hart said it was “an insult to the community” that Mr Watt was standing for a political party and called on him to step down from his role as chair.

He said:

“Last summer I asked Chris Watt several times if he would be standing for Labour in these elections, he refused to answer. At the SRA AGM I asked him again but he refused to answer in public. I stated that it was against the constitution, it was also morally wrong and not transparent as he was already a political officer for the Labour Party.

“The very least he should do is explain why he would not admit he wanted to stand at the AGM when he was repeatedly asked and how can he justify canvassing whilst he is supposed to be the impartial chair of the SRA.

“He must resign now and seek re-election if he fails to become a county councillor. This has nothing to do with political allegiances it is about transparency and clear rules.”

‘I want to give something back’

In response, Mr Watt said:

“I love living in Starbeck so want to give something back to our local community. I’m proud to serve as chair of the Starbeck Residents’ Association and work in partnership with local people in the best interests of our area, regardless of their political affiliation.

“I’ve never made any secret of my campaigning work with the local Labour Party. It was raised at the Starbeck Residents’ Association AGM and I was pleased to be elected overwhelmingly by over 80 local people with only two people voting against me.

“I am doing my best to repay the trust that local people placed in me and would be honoured to serve them further as their local councillor.”

Ex-chairman of Starbeck Bowling Club admits stealing £3,334

The former chairman of Starbeck Bowling Club has pleaded guilty to stealing more than £3,000 from the organisation.

Donald Palmer, 70, of Eleanor Drive, Harrogate, volunteered to carry out work on footpaths at the club in 2019.

He was given multiple signed, blank cheques to buy materials but used them for his own benefit.

At Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday, Palmer admitted stealing £3,334 between November 15 and December 13, 2019.

He was ordered to pay back the sum at a rate of £140 a month and escaped further punishment.

Solicitor David Dedman, representing Palmer, said his client had taken “advantage” of the club’s trust and was sorry for his actions. He said:

“This is a tricky case for a number of reasons. Mr Palmer voluntarily did the works at the club. He agrees he took the money, he was given blank, signed cheques and took advantage of this. The club benefitted and lost as a result of his actions.

“He is 70, has never been in trouble and lives off his state pension. I would ask we deal with this here rather than going to crown court.”

Magistrate Christopher Harrison agreed it was difficult to reach a verdict. He told Pamler:

“We’ve taken into account your guilty plea, good character and that you have no criminal history and the probability of you troubling a court again is unlikely. We are going to give you a compensation order to pay the £3,334.51 back to the club.”

‘A shame it came to this’

Club secretary Steve Day told the Stray Ferret after the hearing he noticed funds had “dwindled” when he received a bank statement.

He said when the money wasn’t reimbursed, the club decided to take action.

Mr Day added:

“We are pleased it has been resolved, it was just a shame it had to come to this. Mr Palmer was chairman and first team captain and was always very supportive of the club.”

The club, situated next to Starbeck Baths, dates back to 1920 and has eight league teams.

Read more:

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Can’t all fit on

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Transdev’s response

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Asked for cash

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Blossomgate Court

Housing officer for four years

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Redrow’s response

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‘I want to give something back’

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‘A shame it came to this’