Plans have been  submitted to create three wildlife ponds at Breaks Fold Farm in the Washburn Valley.

The farm has submitted the propsoal to North Yorkshire Council to create the ponds, as well as the creation of scrape habitat and associated trenches, dams, spoils.

According to planning documents, the farm covers 90 hectares and the site has been used as agricultural land for more than a century.

The farm also runs a glamping site of tents and campervans. Johnny Vegas previously tried to set up a glamping site on the farm but left after ‘struggling to cope’ with the weather. 

In the application document, questions were raised about how necessary the ponds are for agriculture.

Breaks Fold Farm plans for wildlife ponds

The applicants responded:

“Increasing biodiversity on agricultural holdings through wetland creation provides environmental income, therefore justifiable for the purpose of agriculture.

“Wildlife ponds are designed to provide enriched habitat and contribute to sustainable drainage.”

The Stray Ferret has contacted Breaks Fold Farm for further details but has not yet received a response.

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(Image: Yolk Farm and Number Thirteen)

From dutifully separating plastics and glass for recycling, to thrifting second hand clothes and furniture, there are many small ways we can be kinder to the planet.

As consumers it can feel we can only go so far; extensive research suggests that it is businesses that need to adopt more environmentally conscious methods.

And it’s not only the larger enterprises; while the 2017 Carbon Majors Report revealed that just 100 companies have been the source of 71 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions since 1988, smaller businesses also have a part to play.

But investing in a greener approach can be costly and time-consuming, especially when plans have to be applied retrospectively to the way a company operates. However, there are plenty of thriving independent businesses that have embraced sustainability from the offset, leading the charge when it comes to greener business practices – especially here in North Yorkshire.

‘I think Knaresborough is quite eco-conscious as a community’

For Sarah Ward, founder of Number Thirteen in Knaresborough, owning her own coffee shop was a dream she’d always held. However, it wasn’t until she moved to New Zealand for a year and experienced their café culture that her vision took on a more environmentally friendly approach.

She explained:

“New Zealanders are very eco conscious anyway, and I noticed that the UK was a bit behind the times in aspects of sustainability, especially in the hospitality industry.”

However, it was important to Sarah that sustainability was an integral cog in the wider machine of running of a café, in order to normalise choosing greener alternatives.

“I wanted to try to create a business that had a focus on sustainability, without shoving it in people’s faces. I wanted it to be engrained in the day to day running of the business, making it work for the business rather than against it.”

(Image: Number Thirteen)

Since Number Thirteen opened in 2018, Sarah estimates they’ve sold over 500 of their own reusable takeaway cups, with many of those customers returning regularly for their caffeine fix.

“Some quick maths will tell you that even if those 500 customers used that cup only once a week, that has stopped 26,000 disposable cups ending up in landfill or being incinerated every year. That’s 156,000 cups since we opened six years ago.

“Many customers use their cups daily, most of them not purchased at Number Thirteen, so that number is unquestionably much higher.”

While she believes that customers primarily seek them out as a coffee shop, the fact that sustainability unpins the operation is an added bonus to many – and encourages them into a greater awareness of the environment in their own lives.

She explained:

“Most customers visit us because we have a good reputation as a local coffee shop, but once they are through the doors and see all the different ways we try to be better for the planet, I think it makes them want to return.

“We have lots of customers commenting on our pre-loved crockery and retro ephemera, taking them back to bygone days, as well as our home compostable takeaway cups or the fact that we use glass milk bottles from a local dairy, making our coffee 100 per cent plastic free.”

Number Thirteen’s efforts certainly haven’t gone unnoticed; this year they were recognised with a Sustainable Business accolade at the Stray Ferret Business Awards.

Number Thirteen at the Stray Ferret Business Awards 2024

In the future, Sarah would love to explore further ways that sustainability could be embraced by not only her business, but the wider community.

She added:

“I would love to set up some kind of commercial composting scheme involving all café businesses in the town. As a lot of takeaway coffee cups are only commercially compostable rather than home compostable, it is difficult to recycle them properly.

“However, setting up this kind of scheme takes a lot of negotiation, compliance and cooperation from both businesses and the public, as well as local authorities, so it’s not something that is achieved overnight.”

“We source all our produce from within a close a radius as possible from our own back door. All our amazing free range eggs and some of our fresh produce are even grown on site, meaning lower food miles.

“93 per cent of everything we sell comes from within 30 miles, which is better for the planet and for the local economy too.”

(Image: Yolk Farm)

It’s not just human colleagues that are pursuing the environmentally friendly agenda; Yolk Farm has three ‘waste warriors’ in the form of their Kunekune pigs, who consume an estimated two tonnes of fruit and vegetable waste from the farm shop per year.

(Image: Yolk Farm)

Major upgrades to footpaths are getting underway at Nidd Gorge and Bilton Beck to make the woodlands more easily accessible.

The gorge and beck, which are close to Knaresborough and Harrogate, attract many visitors but the woodland suffers from wet and muddy paths for much of year, especially in winter.

Wooden boardwalks have helped over the years but are now ready for replacing. Funding from FCC Community Foundation Ltd means the Woodland Trust can now start doing this.

The work will include installing new stone paths and signage along the route, especially the southern bank of the River Nidd.

According to a Woodland Trust press release today, the project is due to be completed by late spring when the ground dries up and gives better access to machinery needed to complete the operations.

Paul Bunton, from the trust said:

“The woodland is a cherished resource for local people and visitors from further afield, however some of the paths do suffer during the wetter months so the funding from FCC is fantastic news.

“When complete even more people will be able to  enjoy this woodland without having to navigate boggy areas. It also follows on from the tree felling we have had to do over the past couple of years to manage tree disease so there have been lots of changes on the ground however we are aiming to improve the overall woodland experience for all visitors, which will ultimately benefit wildlife too.”

Penny Horne, grant manager at FCC Communities Foundation, which is a not-for-profit business that awards grants from funds donated by waste management company FCC Environment, said:

“It’s always nice to see something we have funded start to take shape. We’re delighted to be supporting such a worthwhile project and we look forward to it benefiting lots of different people across the region.”

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A clothes shop selling preloved, designer and high-street womenswear is due to launch in Harrogate today (April 18).

Preloved Chic Harrogate will be located in Windsor House on Cornwall Road. The business is co-owned by Harrogate women Cat Stanford, 52, and Kate Watts, 49 who said they aim to offer the town’s shoppers a sustainable alternative.

Ms Stanford has been in the fashion industry for over 30 years and has been offering a preloved service for the past four years. The duo met when Ms Watts was a customer and proposed becoming a business partner.

The move to Windsor House marks a new start for the business.

Windsor House was built as a hotel in 1900 and is now used mainly as contemporary office space.

It underwent a refurbishment to create a co-working space, meeting area and café in 2022.

The building, which overlooks the town’s Valley Gardens, is home to over 100 businesses, and covers 75,000 sq ft.

Inside Preloved Chic

Ms Stanford and Ms Watts said in a joint statement:

“Harrogate lacks a place where ladies can come and shop for amazing pieces at greatly discounted prices, you can buy a Stella McCartney Jacket for less than a third of the original price and a beautiful dress from Zara new with tags.

“Everything that we sell is preloved with most of it never worn, still with the original tags. Sustainability and recycling is huge now and we felt that we needed to offer this to the ladies of Harrogate.”

The store will be open every day except Mondays. Personal shopping appointments will be available in store.

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The woman behind a campaign to stop Harrogate Spring Water’s expansion into Rotary Wood has launched a crowdfunder to raise money for site surveys, monitoring equipment and printing flyers.

The Danone-owned water company has lodged plans with North Yorkshire Council to expand its bottling plant on Harlow Moor Road.

The planning application is expected to be considered by Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors this year.

The firm says a bigger factory will mean it can create 50 new jobs and boost economic output by around £2.3m a year to £6.2m a year.

But Sarah Gibbs, who regularly wears a tree costume to highlight her opposition to the plans, argues the company will destroy a “well-used and well-loved” woodland that is enjoyed by the local community.

Rotary Wood is part of the Pinewoods and was planted by schoolchildren in the 2000s. Ms Gibbs’ GoFundMe crowdfunder has a goal of £3,000 and is currently at £200. You can read more about it  here.

Ms Gibbs said:

“Rotary Wood supports a variety of flora and fauna, including protected species and local priority species. Our woodland is now at the stage for optimal carbon sequestration, supporting a sustainable future.

“Our woodland is still under threat from Harrogate Spring Water’s development plans. Harrogate Spring Water intends to expand its existing single-use plastic water bottling plant into our community woodland.”

Harrogate Spring Water secured outline planning permission for the scheme in 2017, which remains valid, but the reserved matters stage deals with its appearance, size and crucially — trees.

Around 450 trees planted by local schoolchildren in an area of the Pinewoods called Rotary Wood would be chopped down to make way for the expansion.

This led to a previous reserved matters application being refused by the council in 2021 amid widespread public opposition and negative attention in the national press.

This time, the company hopes to win over critics in a new reserved matters application by planting an additional 1,200 trees on two acres of land next to Rotary Wood and to the rear of the existing Harrogate Spring Water HQ.

Richard Hall, managing director at Harrogate Spring Water, said he hopes the new woodland will become a “valued resource” for the local community for years to come.

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A Harrogate primary school’s plans to create an outdoor classroom have been boosted by success in a national IKEA competition.

Coppice Valley Primary School on Knapping Hill is one of four UK winners of a sustainable schools’ competition.

To enter the IKEA-Let’s Go Zero competition, schools sent in videos showcasing the sustainability work pupils are doing and how an award would enhance it.

A student eco team at Coppice Valley made a video explaining the school’s current eco focus and how it had plans to build an outdoor classroom. The school has already achieved the Eco-schools green flag award and has a community garden.

Coppice Valley was today named as one of four winners alongside schools in London, Newcastle and Lisburn in Northern Ireland.

It has won IKEA furniture, including tables and chairs, worth £1,500 to be used in its new outdoor learning space.

Samantha Wright, pupil and family support leader at the school, said:

“It is amazing, the children are thrilled about winning and the new space. I am really proud of the kids and the school. The children are all very passionate about it.”

Coppice Valley Primary School

Besides developing an outdoor classroom, Coppice Valley is also fundraising for a canopy to cover the area.

The outdoor space currently needs £600 in extra funding to create a wellness garden and one brave parent, Emilie May, will skydive from 10,000 feet on May 18 to raise funds. To find out more or donate click here.

The Let’s Go Zero’s campaign aims to make all 32,000 schools in the UK zero carbon by 2030.

Alex Green, head of Let’s Go Zero, which is a campaign to unite schools that want to become carbon zero, said:

 “These schools show clearly that they can inspire children to protect the environment, create beautiful learning spaces and provide students with vital new skills all at once.”

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An artist with a gallery in Harrogate has created a woodland in memory of the felled Sycamore Gap tree.

Lucy Pittaway painted an image of the famous tree with a Northern Lights backdrop after being moved by its destruction in September.

In December she vowed to plant a tree for every print sold and sought the help of a landowner to use the trees to create a public woodland. Almost 2,400 paintings have been bought so far.

The newly created Lucy Pittaway Sycamore Gap Trail near Masham will be publicly accessible and aims to bring new life to an area of the Swinton Estate devastated by larch tree disease.

Visitors to the trail will follow a pathway formed by chippings from the felled larch trees on a woodland walk which will also feature artistic installations, areas to relax and education boards.

Lucy Pittaway at the easel with her Sycamore Gap Tree painting.

Ms Pittaway, whose Harrogate gallery is on James Street, said:

“Like everyone else I was so saddened to hear about the felling of the tree, to now see this new woodland coming to life is wonderful and I’m so grateful to everyone who has helped us come this far.”

Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, owner of the Swinton Estate, answered the call for the help of a landowner and she joined Ms Pittaway in planting the first of the new saplings.

Ms Cunliffe-Lister said:

“Like many areas of the countryside we have lost so many trees from larch blight and so regenerating the area through this project is a perfect fit, I think we are appreciating more and more the importance of conservation and the positive impact that trees and the countryside have on our well-being.”

Lucy Pittaway (left) with Swinton Estate owner Felicity Cunliffe-Lister.

The first 600 saplings will be planted during April, mainly sycamore along with oak, rowan, hazel and other native trees. The estate’s forestry team will then plant hundreds more saplings over the coming months and more mature species from the autumn.

The new woodland will regenerate part of the plantation that surrounds a 200-year-old folly known as the Druid’s Temple. In recent years the area has lost many trees to the fungal disease phytophthora ramorum that has ravaged trees across Britain.

Ms Pittaway added:

“I hope this is an area that can be used for relaxation for generations to come, If it can inspire people’s interest in art and the countryside then the legacy of the Sycamore Gap tree will be a positive one.”

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