Couple tie the knot at Knaresborough care home

Katie Pickering, a carer at Manor House care home in Knaresborough, wanted to share her special day with the residents.

The new Mrs Pickering and her husband Phil actually had their ‘official’ wedding in early August, but decided to hold an additional blessing at the care home so the residents could join in the fun.

Mrs Pickering said:

“Part of working in care is understanding that it’s like you’re part of a second family. So it felt fitting to celebrate and share the day with them as well as our other family.

“One resident even said ‘I hope you’re partner is ready to meet all these new aunties’, and the residents have been with me from the get go wanting to know all the details about our wedding plans.”

The Pickerings’ wedding was originally scheduled for August last year but had to be postponed due to the pandemic. But when they finally tied the knot in August this year, it was the big wedding they’d dreamed of.

And they didn’t hold back for the care home blessing either, which featured everything you would expect from a wedding. Around 30 residents attended the ceremony and after party, with cake, decorations. Mrs Pickering’s colleagues Ali Morgan and Jo Meredith were bridesmaids.

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The ceremony was performed by Reverend Garry Hinchcliffe, who regularly visits the care home in his role as the local priest.

“I’ve never done a wedding or a blessing in a care home before, so it’s a first for me. I come here every month to take a service, so I was delighted to be asked to do this blessing service today.

Brenda Raynes, a resident at Manor House, said she was excited about the big day:

“None of us could go to Katie’s official wedding because we’re residents in a care home and not allowed out!

“We’ve been shut inside and not able to do anything for two years while it’s been covid, but now we can have visitors and do things, its made it a big event for us. So we’ve all got dressed up and put our best frocks on, and come down.”

Harrogate salaries increase as number of EU workers drop

The average salary of jobs advertised in the Harrogate district from January to March 2021 rose by 28% compared with the same three-month period last year, according to a report by Harrogate borough council.

The quarterly economic overview of the Harrogate district says that the average salary for jobs advertised in the first quarter of this year was £32,000 – up from £25,000 in 2020.

The five sectors providing the largest number of employment opportunities were human health and social work; education; professional, scientific and technical; wholesale and retail trade; and accommodation and food services.

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However, the number of vacancies in the care and hospitality industries in particular are causing headaches.

It was reported this week that around 500 care workers in North Yorkshire could be forced out of their jobs when compulsory vaccines come into force in November.

Mike Padgham, chair of the non-profit organisation Independent Care Group, which provides care services in North Yorkshire and York, told the local democracy reporting service about the scale of the crisis. He said: 

“The staffing crisis is now so bad that providers are battling day-to-day to cover shifts both in homes and in looking after people in their own home.

“Many say it is the worst they have known in more than 30 years and so we need urgent action now before the added pressures of winter turn this into a total meltdown.”

EU nationals in the Harrogate district

Meanwhile, the number of national insurance number (NINO) registrations by EU nationals has decreased year-on-year by 64%.

Between January and March 2020, there were 67 NINO EU registrations.

In the same period this year, there were only 24 NINO EU registrations in total.

There are some signs that this may change though. Last month, the branch manager of Travail Employment Group, which recruits front-of-house and catering positions across the district, spoke to the Stray Ferret about the impact of Brexit on hospitality recruitment.

Lisa Headford believed it’s overly simplistic to blame Brexit on the recruitment crisis in hospitality. She said:

“It’s not definitive. We’ve had a number of people come back to Harrogate from Poland as during the lockdown they didn’t have a permanent job, and they wouldn’t have got furlough. They are now gravitating back.”

Good news for the high street

The council report also shows an improving picture for the town centre, with the retail vacancy rate decreasing from 8.6% in January-March 2020 to 6.8% in 2021.

Councillor Graham Swift, Harrogate Borough Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for economic development, said:

“It is really encouraging to see that the economy is recovering well across the Harrogate district. Especially with shop vacancy rates reducing.

“As the district starts to exit coronavirus lockdowns and returns to a more normalised ways of living, we are keen to ensure that key investment projects are pushed ahead to ensure the local economy recovers and thrives.

“We will also not want to do this alone, and have already been working proactively with a wide range of people and organisations and will continue to work in collaboration with our partners to share ideas and maximise resources we have available to us.”

Meeting next week to plan return of original Harrogate Christmas Market

Organisers of the original Harrogate Christmas Market are holding a meeting next week to discuss moves to bring the event back as soon as possible.

Harrogate Borough Council refused a licence to Harrogate Christmas Market Ltd in July because of safety concerns about the site on Montpellier Hill.

The council subsequently revealed it was holding formal talks with Manchester firm Market Place Europe about hosting a smaller 10-day event in December. The location has yet to be revealed.

In an email sent to supporters, seen by the Stray Ferret, Harrogate Christmas Market Ltd said Harrogate’s White Hart Hotel would hold a meeting on Monday afternoon. It said:

“We have had many communications expressing a desire that this should resume as soon as possible as an annual event in Harrogate’s calendar.

“If this is to be possible then we need a forward strategic plan which will include a succession plan for this limited by guarantee company.”

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Brian Dunsby, one of the volunteers who established the Christmas market in 2012, told the Stray Ferret that he didn’t know yet what his next steps will be. He said:

“I’m very disappointed that events had to be cancelled, when traders have given us a massive vote of support.

“I’m at my wits’ end. We are devastated. We can’t find a way forward.

“I can’t understand the council’s attitude. I think the town centre needs the Christmas market to continue, and there’s no better location than in Montpellier valley.”

Starbeck artist goes viral… at the age of four!

A four-year-old boy from Starbeck has racked up over 2,500 likes on Facebook for a painting he created.

Clive Leeming, who started reception at Starbeck Primary Academy this week, became a sensation in the Family Lowdown Tips & Ideas Facebook group after his mum Elena shared his abstract painting.

Proud mum Mrs Leeming said:

“Like most parents we have our kids’ paintings on the fridge or wall for a while then put them in a box and don’t think anything of it. But this one in particular, when he brought it to us we were like ‘wow’.

“He only paints about once a week, but since he was really young he’s loved messing around with paint.”

Clive’s abstract painting

Over 1,000 people in the million-strong Facebook group commented to say how impressed they were with Clive’s artwork. Some even said that after years of art school they struggled to produce work of this calibre.

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Clive’s dad, Darren, added that they’re now trying to find him art classes in Harrogate:

“We really want to encourage him as best we can, because he’s got a talent. He’s loved painting from an early age, and it’s often abstract art.

“We’re trying to find a class, but it’s hard for a four-year-old!”

Four-year-old Clive Leeming with his painting.

Clive created the painting on regular paper, using acrylic paints and water. But what is the budding Picasso’s painting of?

“It’s an elephant!” he says.

Ripon Curzon cinema to reopen this month with James Bond film

The Curzon cinema in Ripon is set to reopen on September 30 with a screening of Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond in No Time To Die.

The two-screen North Street venue has been closed since the first covid lockdown in March last year.

Plans for it to reopen on June 4 were put on hold due to social distancing problems caused by the venue’s small size.

Becky Tobin, regional manager for Curzon, said the team was “very excited” to finally be reopening:

“We are thrilled that you will also be seeing some familiar faces as a lot of the team have decided to return and are looking forward to seeing our regulars and members again.

“The returning team, along with the new recruits, will be getting into the swing of things in the next few weeks with some onsite training of our revamped food and drink menu.”

The venue will welcome back its patrons with James Bond-inspired martinis.

Tickets will be for sale online as early as next week.

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The cinema, which opened in Ripon in November 2013, is part of a BAFTA award-winning company that allows members to view films at home through its streaming service, as well as in Curzon venues across the UK.

As the covid lockdown restrictions on cinemas and live theatre were progressively eased by the government earlier this year, the Curzon remained closed in Ripon, sparking fears the city’s only cinema would not reopen.

Battle to save Ripon Spa Baths being sold for housing receives boost

The battle to prevent Ripon Spa Baths being sold for housing received a major boost today when the historic building was listed as an Asset of Community Value.

Harrogate Borough Council put the historic baths on the market in February, leading to concerns it could be sold to a private developer and turned into housing.

Ripon City Council, Ripon Civic Society and Ripon Together called for any sale not to be rushed through and applied for the 116-year-old Grade II listed building, which has a distinctive terracotta-clad frontage, to be listed as an asset of community value.

Ripon city council leader Andrew Williams told the Stray Ferret today the application had been accepted.

It means the local community now has six months to put together a bid to buy the building, which Harrogate Borough Council has said will be ‘surplus to requirements‘ when the new Ripon Leisure Centre opens this year.

Cllr Williams said he was “highly delighted” by today’s news. He added:

“I hope it means we can now guarantee a future for the site that doesn’t involve it being turned into expensive apartments.

“People across the community have been calling for it not to be housing. There has been very broad support for it remaining as a community asset.

“We now need to explore all the options open to the local community with proper professional advice, to secure the long-term use of the spa baths for community use.”

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Next steps

Cllr Williams said it seemed unlikely the baths would remain as a swimming pool and what happened next remained unclear.

“I’ll be talking to the full council on Monday, looking to appoint professional advisors on what can be done with the building and to create a development brief for how it can be used by the community.

“A new use needs to be found, and I doubt it will still be a swimming pool. But it does provide an exciting opportunity to reinvent the site and city as a whole”.

The Stray Ferret has asked Harrogate Borough Council for comment but has yet to receive a response.

What does Asset of Community Value status mean?

According to Harrogate Borough Council’s website, a building or land can be listed as an asset of community value if:

Once an asset is listed, owners can’t dispose of it without:

The owner doesn’t have to sell the asset to the community group.

History of plans to sell Ripon Spa Baths

 

Police say wanted sex offender who is ‘danger to women’ could be in Harrogate

Police are searching for a man with links to Harrogate after he failed to appear in court.

Stephen Thrower was due in court for failing to comply with with the requirements of his sex offenders registration.

A warrant was issued for his arrest after he didn’t turn up.

West Yorkshire Police said in a tweet today the 53-year-old was as a danger to women and should not be approached.

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He has a number of tattoos, including a swallow, eagle, tiger and dagger on his right arm.

Thrower has links to Harrogate, York and Bradford and police believe he could be employed as a fairground worker.

Police urge anyone who sees him to call 999.

Free Heritage Open Days events to explore district’s hidden history

Places that are usually closed to the public are preparing to open their doors for free as part of Heritage Open Days, which starts on Friday and ends on September 19.

About 30 venues in the Harrogate district are among the hundreds taking part in the event, which is coordinated nationally by the National Trust.

In Harrogate, a number of events are being organised by Harrogate Civic Society. Some events require advanced booking, and some are already fully booked.Bookworms can learn about the history of, and resources held, at Harrogate Library in tours on Tuesday 14 and Wednesday 15 September.

The private chapel at Rudding Park will be open to visitors. Image: Rudding Park

On both Sunday September 12 and 19, the newly restored old magnesia well pump room in Valley Gardens will be open to visitors. Elsewhere, the private chapel at Rudding Park will be open for people to admire its spectacular architecture and masonry, on Tuesday 14 and Wednesday 15 September.

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There is an emphasis on outdoor activities, with several local walking tours in the line-up all week – including around Crescent Gardens, Valley Drive, New Park, and central Harrogate.

At Stonefall Cemetery, tours of the 1,000 Commonwealth war graves are taking place throughout the week.

Stonefall Cemetery tours will take place on Saturday 11th, Wednesday 15th, Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th September.

Elsewhere in the district, on Friday 10 September, there’s the chance to explore the once luxury royal residence of Knaresborough Castle Keep, including the king’s chamber and dungeon.

Free entry will also be available for visitors to the Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal World Heritage Site on Saturday 18 September.

In Ripon, options to explore include St Wilfrid’s church, the Chapel of St Mary Magdalen, and the Ripon & District Light Railway.

Sarah Holloway, programme manager for Heritage Open Days, said:

“We’re all interested in where we live but we don’t necessarily know the stories behind the buildings and spaces we walk past each day. Our event organisers keep finding creative ways to tell these tales and keep them alive.”

Lost planning appeals have cost Harrogate district taxpayers £209,000 in legal fees

Planning appeals lost by Harrogate Borough Council have cost taxpayers almost a quarter of a million pounds in legal fees over the last nine years, it has been revealed.

Figures obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service show the council has spent £209,411 on lawyers plus £15,765 on covering developers’ costs when being found guilty of “unreasonable behaviour” in unsuccessful legal battles over where new homes and businesses should be built.

The findings have prompted questions over how willing the Conservative-run council is to take on developers and why third-party lawyers are sometimes used over in-house legal teams.

It also comes at a time when the authority is waiting to hear how much it will have to pay developers behind plans for a Starbucks drive-thru on Wetherby Road which was approved by the government’s planning inspectorate at an appeal in June.

Councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats and a long-serving member of the council’s planning committee, previously expressed her disappointment over a decision by council officers not to contest the Starbucks appeal and instead leave it to residents.

She has now said:

“The council should be prepared to defend the decisions using staff at an appeal, after all they are the qualified staff with local knowledge, what could be better.

“Every time they employ outside help it also adds to the cost.

“And even when they refuse to defend members’ decisions, as they did with the Starbucks application, they still had costs awarded against them so it would have been better for them to at least defend the council’s decision.”

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Councillor Marsh also took aim at the “unfair” planning system which allows appeals to be lodged by developers, but not by councils or residents.

She added:

“Why should developers have the upper hand? Why not a more level playing field? You never see a poor developer but you can see poor, underfunded councils.

“The planning system is very unfair and the balance is on the side of the large developers, in particular, those with the biggest purse.

“Appeals are costly and councillors are aware that it is council tax payers money that is at risk so would only proceed if they truly felt they were making the right decision for their community.

“There have been successes and also failures, but that is the cost of decision-making.”

Flaxby costs

Legal costs are only made against the council if it is found to have acted “unreasonably” when making planning decisions.

These costs are also made regardless of whether the council has won or lost an appeal, meaning successful appeals can also prove costly.

Last year, the council was successful in an appeal against rejected plans for 2,750 homes at the former Flaxby Park golf course, but spent £57,360 on external legal teams and paid £17,000 to cover a proportion of the developer’s costs.

These figures are not included in the total £225,176 spent over the last nine years because this sum only focuses on lost appeals.

Defending its record, the council said the majority of appeals made against it are unsuccessful, with 80% of applications referred to the planning inspectorate over the last two years resulting in defeat for the developers.

A council spokesperson said:

“This is positive as, by and large, the inspectorate has noted that our recommendations and decisions align with national and local policies.

“Costs would only be awarded to the council if it had deemed the actions of the applicant to be unreasonable, had made an application to the planning inspectorate and this had been successful.

“This only occurs in a very small number of cases.

“It is inevitably disappointing for the actions of the council to be judged as unreasonable. We work hard to ensure such occurrences do not occur, and to learn from the rare examples where a costs award is made.”

When has the council paid legal costs to developers at lost appeals?

And how much has been paid to external legal teams?

Harrogate district surgeries postpone flu jabs due to ‘transportation difficulties’

Several clinics due to vaccinate people against flu in the Harrogate district have been cancelled or postponed.

One of the biggest providers of flu vaccines to the UK, Seqirus, confirmed delays in supplying the vaccines of up to two weeks due to “road freight delays” and “unexpected logistical challenges including transportation difficulties”.

This has disrupted some Harrogate GP surgeries scheduled flu vaccine clinics.

Patients have been advised they do not need to contact their surgeries, as their GP practice will be in touch with those affected.

The Stray Ferret has learned of the following changes. Other local surgeries may be affected.

FLU VACCINE CLINIC UPDATE Due to unforeseen road haulage challenges, reported widely in the media,we have been informed there will be a delay receiving our flu vaccine delivery. As a result we will need to postpone our flu clinic scheduled on 19th September. At the moment patients booked on other dates are unaffected. Please do not contact the reception team to cancel or change your appointment. We will contact you to re-schedule. We will not make any further clinic appointments until we have confirmation of the delivery date. Please bear with us and accept our apologies for the delay which is unfortunately beyond our control. If you are able to update your on line record with a mobile phone number this will help us greatly as we can update you quickly using our messaging service. Thank you Spa Surgery.

The Spa Surgery took to Facebook to explain why vaccinations were delayed.

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The delay comes just days after routine blood tests were rearranged due to supply issues with blood test tubes.

Dr Gary Howsam, vice chair of the Royal College of GPs, which is the professional membership body for GPs in the UK, said:

“This is news we really didn’t want to hear. With over 36 million people eligible for the flu vaccine on the NHS this year, GPs need the supply chain to run like clockwork.

“Practices plan meticulously each year to deliver the flu vaccination programme on a mass scale and it is essential that as many people as possible in at-risk groups get their vaccination as early into the flu season as possible.

“A delay of even a couple of weeks is going to have a big impact on practices and their patients, especially when GPs are already dealing with the fallout caused by the shortage of blood test bottles and the anxiety this is causing.”

A Seqirus spokeswoman said:

“Vaccine supplies are now beginning to flow out across England and Wales this week and some practices and pharmacies will be able to begin their vaccination campaigns. We are working through various logistical issues and do not expect delays to extend beyond one to two weeks.”

Has your flu vaccination been postponed? Email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.