The 2022 Tour de Yorkshire bike race has been cancelled today.

Race organisers Welcome to Yorkshire and French company Amaury Sport Organisation issued a statement at 7pm tonight blaming covid and “escalating financial challenges and uncertainties” for making the event “unviable”.

The 2022 route was not due to include the Harrogate district but had financial implications for local people because North Yorkshire County Council agreed last month to give £200,000 of council taxpayers’ money to support the event.

It is not clear yet what will happen to that funding.

The Tour de Yorkshire was held annually from 2015 to 2019 following the success of the 2014 Tour de France’s Grand Départ, which ended in Harrogate. Covid scuppered it last year and this year.

Despite today’s decision, Welcome to Yorkshire said in tonight’s statement its “ambition to continue hosting international events is as strong as ever and this is the beginning of a whole new positive plan to showcase Yorkshire globally through dedicating time to varied and exciting opportunities”.

But there was no mention of the Tour de Yorkshire being resurrected in 2023, raising doubts about it happening again.

Read more:

• Funding for Tour de Yorkshire to be reviewed next year
• ‘We have a duty to support Tour de Yorkshire’

James Mason, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, which is a marketing organisation for Yorkshire, said:

“We had every intention for the race to go ahead but unfortunately some of the circumstances were out of our control and sometimes you have to make big calls for the right reasons.

“People from Yorkshire are proud and we only want the best for the county. We still have ambitions for large events going forward to put Yorkshire on the world stage and we will continue to work with our partners to plan for those.”

Brian Facer, chief executive of British Cycling, said:

“Clearly this is very disappointing news for everyone who recognises the value the Tour de Yorkshire brings to the county and to cycling in Britain.

“This is not just about the economic boost that top level bike racing has brought to Yorkshire, but also in the huge numbers of people who have been inspired to cycle themselves.

“The local authorities in Yorkshire have done a fantastic job over recent years and deserve credit for trying to find a way forward.”

Plans to replace the fire-damaged Bilsdale transmitter and restore TV and radio signals for large swathes of the Harrogate district are being held up by the transmitter’s location within a rare heather moorland.

The blackout of Freeview TV channels and loss of radio signals has affected thousands of homes, particularly in the northern part of the district, after a major fire on August 10 put the 1,030 ft mast out of action.

Patience is wearing thin among many people, who have now been affected for three weeks.

Stray Ferret follower Lynette Cooper, who lives in central Harrogate, summed up the mood when she said:

“I’m totally fed up. For weeks now, I haven’t been able to see any of my favourite programmes.

“It’s the same for my daughter Helen at her home in Pickering and a friend told me that some elderly people at a Harrogate nursing home she goes to, just sit there with nothing to watch.”

The Bilsdale transmitter, built on the moors near Helmsley in 1969, is one of the most powerful transmitters in the UK, serving hundreds of thousands of viewers and listeners from North Yorkshire to the North East and beyond.

The Bilsdale mast’s moorland location.

In a statement on August 13, transmitter operator Arqiva said:

“Our plan involves the erection of an 80m temporary mast at Bilsdale and we have been surveying the site to identify the best alternative locations within the restrictions we have.

“Included in this is the fact that Bilsdale is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, meaning we have to seek agreement to place any additional equipment.”

In its most recent update since the fire incident, the company could still not provide a likely date when services would be restored. It said:

“We continue to work through the process to enable access to the Bilsdale site to build the temporary mast.

“There is no specific new detail to share at this point but we are continuing to work round the clock to find a way forward.”

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Read more:

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• Ripon groups urged to bid for £20,000 grants to tackle crime

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The transmitter’s location within a government-protected area of 44,000 hectares of moorland continues to be a stumbling block.

The area was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its heathland habitat and breeding birds. Special permission needs to be granted for access across it.

Natural England says on its website:

“Heather moorland is rare on a worldwide scale – there is probably less heather moorland in the world than tropical rainforest.

“One of the largest continuous expanses of upland heather moorland in England and Wales is here in the North York Moors – a sheep could wander from Egton to Bilsdale without leaving it. Moorland covers a third of the North York Moors National Park and most of the higher ground is covered in heather.”

The area is also a designated Special Area of Conservation — a status reserved for important plant habitats in Europe — and a Special Protection Area because of its importance to breeding birds.

Although the access issues are yet to be resolved, Aquiva said last week some Freeview services had been restored for those who receive signals from smaller relay sites. None of them are in the Harrogate district.

A TV Licensing spokesman has said customers unable to receive TV coverage for more than a month will be eligible for a refund or free extension of their TV licence.

 

 

 

 

Yorkshire Air Ambulance has revealed it was the victim of 14 hoax calls in the last financial year — and the number looks set to rise this year.

The charity, which provides rapid emergency treatment to people in Yorkshire, responds to more than 1,300 incidents a year, an average of four a day.

But in the financial year to March 31 2021, it responded to 14 hoax calls. In the current calendar year, it had received 10 hoax calls by May 10.

Matt Syrat, clinical operations manager at Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said such calls can stop crews attending incidents with people in genuine danger leading to potentially “devastating consequences”.

He added:

“There is no way of knowing if a 999 call is a hoax when it comes in. We have to treat every call as if it is an emergency situation and respond rapidly.

“There is nothing more frustrating for our crews than landing at a scene and establishing that the call was in fact a hoax. Not only has it wasted our time and put ours and the public’s life at risk, but there will always be other emergency services involved too.

“Committing all these emergency services to one hoax call could risk us not reaching a real emergency fast enough and puts other lives at risk.”

Read more:

• Harrogate cyclist prepares to cycle 300 miles for Macmillan in memory of aunt
• Yorkshire Air Ambulance to invest £25 million in new helicopters

Of the 14 hoax calls in the last financial year, four were responded to by Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s rapid response vehicles whilst the other 10 involved air ambulances being dispatched.

Ten of the bogus call outs were from West Yorkshire. The other four were from South Yorkshire.

The Stray Gardener is written by Rudding Park’s Kitchen Gardener, Fiona Slight.

Fiona has worked in horticulture for over 30 years in the UK and abroad, and specialises in growing fruit and vegetables for fine dining. 

April is the month of abundant blossom. It’s the month to get out and about and enjoy the wonderful colours produced by so many different trees, shrubs, plants and bulbs. Not only that, blossom signals the start of the growing season. Those beautiful flowers are not just beautiful for the sake of it, they need to attract insects in to begin the process of pollination.

In Japan, the Hanami festival is hugely popular and involves people holding parties beneath the flowers of Sakura trees (Cherry) when in full flower. They even have blossom forecasts to ensure no one misses when the flowers are at their best. Depending on the weather conditions, cherry flowers tend to only last one to two weeks, so it’s so important to take time to admire blossom in the spring as it can be gone as quickly as it came. Of course, once it’s gone, you then have the anticipation of how much fruit is going to be produced later in the year, ready to be harvested.

Alongside Cherries in their many forms, Blackthorn or Sloe, is one of the first native trees to produce their flowers, and many hedgerows surrounding the Harrogate area start to turn white with their blossom. Damsons and plums, closely follow their blackthorn relative, again with wonderful, delicate white flowers. These are fruit trees worthy of a place in anyone’s garden. If the flowers don’t get damaged by a sharp, late frost, they go on to produce an abundance of fruit useful for puddings, jams, and gin!

Cherry blossom and damson blossom

Alongside these beauties come Pears and Apples. The UK has hundreds of Pear and Apple cultivars and not only do the fruit differ from one cultivar to another, but so do the apple and pear blossom. If you get the chance to visit an orchard with many different varieties, take the time to look at them closely to really appreciate the differences in petal colour, shape and even the fragrance that comes from them. There are several local gardens such as Harewood House, Beningbrough Hall, Harlow Carr, Newby Hall and of course Rudding Park Kitchen Garden, that have good collections of apple and pear trees well worth looking at more closely.

Apple blossom

Apple and pear blossom are both edible too, but I always find it really difficult and time consuming to pick, knowing that I am potentially taking away a beautiful apple or pear to be ready later in the year; I find the process of thinning out Pears and Apples very difficult too, even though it does mean the fruits will be larger and of better quality!

Back into the hedgerows later in May and June and you find Hawthorn and Elderflower coming in to their own. Hawthorn flowers are also known as the Maytree and once played an important part in May Day festivities. Elderflower especially is another fantastic edible plant we can use, with the flowers being used for cordial and champagne. The scent from an elderflower on a warm June day can almost be too much, with the powerful, heady scent of nectar packing a punch.

Get yourselves out there and have a look at the gorgeous spring blossom this year, its well worth the effort!

Read More: 

• The Stray Gardener: Spring Stirrings
• The Stray Gardener: mulch, mulch, mulch

A Harrogate teenager will attempt to complete the Yorkshire Three Peaks in December as a tribute to her grandmother, who died of sepsis.

Leah Gresty undertook the challenge, which will raise money for the UK Sepsis Trust, in honour of Elizabeth Simmonite, who died on September 29. 

Elizabeth was a former butcher and baker on Knaresborough Road, Harrogate.

Leah said:

“She always liked being with nature and going for walks, so it seemed quite fitting, and it’s something that she would have liked to do herself.” 

Leah’s grandmother, Elizabeth, enjoying the outdoors

There are about 48,000 deaths from sepsis every year in the UK. 

Early diagnosis is crucial for improving survival rates. Leah, who has so far raised more than £500, hopes her challenge will spread the message.

The tough Three Peaks challenge involves climbing Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough in less than 12 hours – a particularly difficult feat in the darkness of winter.

You can donate here to Leah’s JustGiving fundraising page.

Read More: 

• Woman’s plea after cyclist runs over her dog on Stray
• Harrogate Scrubbers steps in to help disability charity

How to spot Spesis:

Sepsis, also known as blood poisoning, is a life-threatening reaction to an infection. It happens when your immune system starts to damage your body’s own tissues and organs, causing organ failure and death if not treated quickly. 

www.nhs.uk advises you to call 999 or visit A&E if an adult or older child experiences any of these symptoms: 

• Acting confused, slurred speech or not making sense. 
• Blue, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue.
• A rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it.
• Difficulty breathing, breathlessness or breathing very fast.

Yorkshire Water has announced a starter scheme to get young farm workers renting land.

The project is titled Beyond Nature. Plots will be rented out to young farmers and anyone under 40 with an interest in farm ownership.

In the European Union, only 11% of farms are run by those under 40. The largest barriers for young farmers who want to run their own farm is expense and how often land becomes available.

The first farm announced in the scheme is Scow Hall Farm, located behind Swinsty reservoir in Washburn Valley.

Lisa Harrowsmith, lead surveyor at Yorkshire Water, said:

“After the first five-year lease, we will let the farm to another young farmer, therefore creating a cycle of opportunity for the next generation of farmers. Once the tenancy is up, we will assist that farmer with finding new opportunities on a permanent holding or elsewhere within the agricultural industry.”

Read More: 

• Rural crime costing millions in North Yorkshire
• Family heartbreak over dog poisoning in Pateley Bridge

Yorkshire Water’s intention is to give young farmers the tools to create sustainable farms on their 70,000 acres of land. Mentorship, training and business advice will be provided.

Ellie Britton, 22, who was brought up on her parents farm in Ripon, said:

“My dad has a farm with his brother and they both have sons. Their options are to either continue working together or split up into pairs to buy a farm. Farmers often keep farms and hand them down for generations. If they do come up they are unattainably expensive or need a lot of renovation work. I think the Yorkshire Water scheme is a good idea to get people going with experience.”

Applications for Scow Hall Farm will open in late August. More information can be found on the Yorkshire Water website or via their social media pages.

A Harrogate charity chief executive has seen an influx of working requests despite coronavirus.

Disability Action Yorkshire has filled more frontline staff positions in the past two months than in the previous two years.

Jackie Snape, chief executive at Disability Action Yorkshire said:

“One thing coronavirus did was to shine a light on the care sector, and in particular the staff working within it. They have become the nation’s superheroes.

“As a result, the amount of people now wanting to work in the industry is quite extraordinary, it has helped give a shot in the arm to Harrogate’s voluntary sector too.”

The charity and social enterprise has seen a surge in volunteer requests, with an extraordinary number applying to work at its Claro Road care home and Hornbeam Park furniture showroom and training centre.

It is a demand that Ms Snape hopes will continue post-covid.

“Coronavirus has taught how vital the care industry is, and how millions of people rely on the support – and friendship – of its paid employees, and those who give up a few hours a week in a voluntary capacity.”

Residents in Harrogate have expressed concern about the confusing advice in the government’s changes to lockdown rules, after reports of rising numbers of people and cars on the streets.

Harrogate resident Paul Dutton said he worried that people who were already feeling more relaxed about restrictions would be encouraged to go even further in disregarding social distancing.

“I could see in the last week the roads were getting busier, there were more people out and about. We’ve been told not to go out unless we needed to. This will open the gates even further.

“I think people will push the boundaries, go to the coast, visit the sites of Yorkshire, take picnics and barbecues, walking through the fields. We just need to stay how we are.”

With his wife working as a GP in Leeds and his youngest son home from university, Mr Dutton said the family has been living as separately as possible within the house in order to reduce the risk of contamination. If people begin mixing again, he fears the family’s hard work to stay safe will be undone by another spike in cases which could bring it into their home through his wife’s work, no matter how careful they are.

Need for childcare

As a former Harrogate Grammar School teacher, he said he feels sorry for schools trying to find ways to meet the need for childcare if parents are pressured into returning to work. Suggestions of smaller class sizes would help with social distancing, but would be impractical for schools to implement, he said.

“If you are going to invite six or seven students back, which are they going to be? Are you going to rotate it? Are schools able to staff it in that way? It’s a huge conundrum. how do you resolve that? I really wouldn’t want to be in that situation now. I just feel if we waited another couple of weeks to see how the situation panned out, we could phase it in a different way.”

Social distancing will be almost impossible in schools, according to former teacher Paul Dutton

His concerns were echoed by Andy Johnson, a health and safety advisor mainly working on film and television projects, who said he has only had one job since the lockdown began. Not expecting his work to re-start properly until at least September, he is now offering his services to businesses which are looking at ways to re-open safely. However, as a widowed father with a teenage son at home in Harrogate, he is nervous about the risks of going into workplaces:

“It would depend on each individual case. If I was asked to go into a closed factory and do a risk assessment prior to it re-opening, as long as I could maintain social distancing, wear barriers, do my job and get out, I would be reasonably happy to do that. But not while people are working there.”

Mr Johnson said the “viral load” was a critical factor. People who come into contact with several people who have the virus on more than one occasion seem to become more seriously ill, he said, which meant opening workplaces and encouraging more travel could lead to a rise in the number of severe cases and deaths.

Lack of PPE

As a community first responder, he works alongside some paramedics and emergency medical technicians who also volunteer in their spare time. He said two of them are now suffering with coronavirus symptoms, including one admitted to hospital:

“They had what they thought was adequate protection. They think they’re safe, but they haven’t been safe. How can you ensure in a workplace that it’s safe? Chances are, you can’t. All you can do is what’s reasonable in the circumstances.”

However, with PPE in high demand, he questioned whether people going out to work would be able to find adequate protection for themselves, and whether workplaces could provide it for employees.