One Harrogate street has been keeping spirits high during the coronavirus lockdown by getting involved in a daily exercise class.

“Right. Now some squats,” Mel Milnes bellowed out at around 8.30am on Spring Grove to a group of around 20 eager participants.

The classes started out with just one side of the street a couple of weeks ago before the rest of the neighbours wanted to get involved.

From then it has become a daily ritual at the same time from Monday to Friday.

Mel is not pretending to be a fully qualified fitness instructor but, then again, this isn’t an intense fat burning class.

She told the Stray Ferret: “Each day we have been getting more and more people involved. It’s just meant to be a bit of fun, it’s just a bit of a laugh and the street has really enjoyed it. We are self-isolating but the street has gotten closer together. We are even organising a pub quiz later this week, which we’re all going to do from our gardens.”

Mel has led many of the classes but she has also got other people lined up for the microphone, with an eight-year-old girl trying it out tomorrow.

How has your street adapted to life on coronavirus lockdown? Get in touch with the news team on contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

2nd April 2020
Fitness class on Spring Grove, Harrogate

2nd April 2020
Sue Riley leads the fitness class on Spring Grove, Harrogate

2nd April 2020
Fitness class on Spring Grove, Harrogate

2nd April 2020
Fitness class Spring grove

Army and NHS staff toured the site of Harrogate’s new Nightingale Hospital on day three of construction.

When it is up and running, which could be possible over the next week, it will help the NHS deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

Three temporary ‘Nightingale’ hospitals have already been announced – in London, Manchester and Birmingham – with more understood to be in the planning stages.

Although the NHS has not yet revealed full details about the project, an announcement is expected imminently.

It comes as the number of confirmed cases in North Yorkshire has risen to 149, with six deaths at Harrogate District Hospital.

2nd April 2020
Construction at Harrogate Conference Centre

2nd April 2020
Construction at Harrogate Conference Centre

2nd April 2020
Convention Centre Harrogate, new signage

2nd April 2020
Convention Centre Harrogate, construction work outside the Royal Hall

2nd April 2020
Harrogate Convention Centre

2nd April 2020
Harrogate Convention Centre

2nd April 2020
Harrogate Convention Centre

2nd April 2020
Harrogate Convention Centre

2nd April 2020
MOD arrives at Harrogate Convention Centre

2nd April 2020
Fleet of Emergency vehicles arrives at Harrogate Convention Centre

2nd April 2020
Emergency staff arriving at Harrogate Convention Centre

A university student is making good use of her time in lockdown by providing free concerts for her Harrogate neighbours. 

Lucy Crocker, 22, played songs from her front garden in Mallinson Oval last Friday, hoping to lift spirits. 

So many of them came outside to listen from their doorsteps and driveways that she is planning to make it a weekly concert. 

She said: “I saw videos of people giving concerts on their balconies and I thought, ‘I could do that’.  

“When I’m at university, we have informal student recitals every Monday and I miss that when I’m away.” 

Former Harrogate Grammar School student Lucy plays viola and sings, and says she can play a few chords on the ukulele. Her first performance consisted mostly of music she already knows, but she has been taking requests from her neighbours and practising their suggestions. 

“I don’t know that much modern music – I’m more used to playing in orchestras,” she said. “But I’m OK at playing by ear, so if I know the song I can usually play it.” 

Lucy plans to continue her concerts for as long as people are at home to hear them. She is preparing to sit the final exams for her earth sciences degree at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, from home, where her parents and younger brother are also in lockdown. 

There are other families living nearby, as well as elderly people, and Lucy said she was keen to bring people together, even if from a distance. 

“I wanted to have a little bit of interaction with the neighbours that isn’t just on a messenger basis,” she said. “They all came out and seemed to enjoy not just the music, but all being out at the same time and chatting to each other across the road.” 

Among those who appreciated the performance was Margaret Willis, who has family living in Harrogate and helping out with food supplies but is missing seeing people every day. 

“All us oldies were out in the road,” she said. “We all kept our distance but it was nice to get out and chat to neighbours.  

“I think it did us all good. Everybody said how lovely it was. Even people who hadn’t been out for ages brought a chair out and sat down to listen – it was really good.” 

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in North Yorkshire has risen to 149, with six deaths at Harrogate hospital.

It goes up at a time when the signage also goes up at the new ‘Nightingale Hospital.’

Construction workers, NHS and army staff have been working flat out to convert part of the Harrogate Convention Centre.

On day three of the build, workers installed the hospital signage for the staff and ambulance entrances.

Lots of work is going on outside the Harrogate Convention Centre.

When it is up and running, which could be possible over the next week, it will help the NHS deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

Three temporary ‘Nightingale’ hospitals have already been announced – in London, Manchester and Birmingham – with more understood to be in the planning stages.

Although the NHS has not yet revealed full details about the project, an announcement is expected imminently.

It comes as the number of confirmed cases in North Yorkshire has risen to 149, with six deaths at Harrogate District Hospital.

Two more patients with coronavirus have died at the hospital in Harrogate, bringing the total number up to six since the start of the pandemic.

One of the patients died on March 29 and the other died on March 31.

It’s unclear how old the patients were or whether they had any underlying health conditions, but they were between the age of 13 and 99.

The NHS announced today that a further 486 people who tested positive for COVID-19 have died, bringing the total deaths in England up to 2,137.

All of their families have been informed. 20 of the 486 had no known underlying health conditions.

Ripon Rugby Club has been left devastated and feeling numb, following the sudden death of club treasurer and long-term supporter Jonathan Rutter.

He died in Harrogate Hospital last week after contracting coronavirus. The club is planning to hold an event in his memory when the coronavirus crisis is over.

A Harrogate theatre has launched an emergency appeal and invited people to sponsor its seats.

With coronavirus forcing Harrogate Theatre to cancel its shows for the foreseeable future, the 120-year-old venue now faces “a very uncertain future.”

The theatre has asked people to make a donation, buy tickets for the autumn and winter shows, join its membership scheme and now to sponsor a seat.

It costs £600 to sponsor a seat or £1000 a pair for a five-year term.

That money gets an engraved gold plate featuring the sponsor’s name, with a certificate and invitation to a thank you event a the theatre.

“And now we’re levelling with you – we have never needed your support more than we do today. None of us are entirely sure what the next few weeks and months hold, but the one thing we know is that when all the dust has settled, we want to still be here to bring that joy that everyone will so desperately need.”

The army has started work to convert part of the Harrogate Convention Centre into a ‘Nightingale’ hospital.

NHS and army staff are both on-site today as the basic building blocks were being delivered to create what the NHS refer to as a “surge” hospital move into place.

When it is up and running, which could be possible over the next week, it will help the NHS deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

Although the NHS has not yet revealed full details about the project, an announcement is expected imminently.

Three temporary ‘Nightingale’ hospitals have already been announced – in London, Manchester and Birmingham – with more understood to be in the planning stages.

So far, three patients with coronavirus have died at Harrogate District Hospital, while the number of confirmed cases in North Yorkshire is now at 108.

The government has cancelled all weddings, including those across the Harrogate district, to tackle coronavirus.

For existing bookings that are postponed or cancelled, revised wedding dates will be accepted from September 1, 2020.

New bookings can now only be made from January 1, 2021.

In three weeks time, the government will review the decision to suspend weddings and the service will contact all affected couples.

Those with the soonest ceremonies will be given priority.

North Yorkshire County Councillor Greg White, the Executive Member for Customer Engagement, said:

“We realise people will be disappointed at having to postpone their wedding plans. We are also sure that they and their guests will understand just how important it is for all of us to heed the directive to stay at home as we all play our part in tackling the Covid-19 outbreak.”

The registration service has also suspended appointments to register births and asked residents to register deaths over the phone.

It’s unclear when appointments to register births will resume but residents can still make a claim for child benefit or universal credit.

Those wishing to register a death must do so over the telephone as offices will be shut to personal callers.

When doctors have sent the medical certificate of cause of death by email, they can make a telephone appointment.

Following the call, forms for the undertaker and a formal death certificate will be sent in the post.

Those who have a paper copy of the medical certificate from the doctor can drop the envelope through a letterbox at one of the offices or by email.

A fourth patient has died from coronavirus at Harrogate District Hospital as the number of cases soars over 100.

The latest death in Harrogate comes as a further 367 patients with COVID-19 are confirmed as dead in England.

All of the patients were aged between 19 and 98 years old and all but 28 of them had underlying health conditions.

The number of confirmed cases in North Yorkshire is now at 108 just two weeks after Harrogate District Hospital admitted its first COVID-19 patient.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence is in the process of converting the Harrogate Convention Centre into a ‘Nightingale’ hospital to fight the coronavirus crisis.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in North Yorkshire has surpassed 100 for the first time.

So far, three patients with coronavirus have died at the hospital and the number of confirmed cases in North Yorkshire is now at 108.

It comes just over two weeks since Harrogate District Hospital admitted its first COVID-19 patient.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence is in the process of converting the Harrogate Convention Centre into a ‘Nightingale’ hospital to fight the coronavirus crisis.

Across the UK there are 22,141 confirmed coronavirus cases with 1,408 deaths.