The Mayor and Mayoress of Harrogate were at Harrogate district hospital last night to pay their thanks to staff in what could be the final clap for carers.
April Martin, was in intensive care at Harrogate hospital with coronavirus. She told the Stray Ferret that she would not be here today if it wasn’t for the treatment she received.
It’s very emotional, some of the nurses have come up to me saying I know you won’t recognise me but it is great to see you.
The Mayor described what could be the final clap as very moving:
I didn’t think we would see this day if I’m honest… I was very worried when they put April in the ambulance and asked if I wanted to come and say bye, I thought to myself this could be the last time I see my wife… It’s very emotional here at the hospital tonight.
Harrogate Scrubbers hit target of making 2,000 items for hospital
Harrogate scrubbers made their final trip to Harrogate district hospital today to deliver homemade scrubs.
The group, which was set up just 6 weeks ago, has of 830 volunteers which have provided the town’s hospital with over 2,000 scrubs, 260 gowns, 550 scrub hats and 1,000 scrub bags.
Fran Taylor, the founder of Harrogate Scrubbers, told the Stray Ferret that it had been really humbling:
This started 6 weeks ago… it was about people wanting to help the NHS and I think we really have achieved that. It has also really helped people’s mental health as those that are stuck in the house isolating or on furlough have been able to have a focus and help others at the same time.
Charlotte Gannaway is a nurse at Harrogate Hospital. She was there today to receive the final load of scrubs:
“At the start we had a shortage of scrubs, but we now have enough to go round all the staff. Its made us a lot more comfortable at work, especially when we are working long hours.
We have come together as a team and we are definitely seeing a good number of patients getting discharged”.
As some primary schools across the district prepare to reopen next week, parents discuss whether they are sending their children back to school.
The government says schools should look to re-open for pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 from June 1.
The NASUWT in Harrogate has said it feels it is too soon to open schools, many authorities elsewhere in England have advised their schools not to open. Our film shows how difficult a decision it is for Harrogate parents.
‘Have a Plan B’ Harrogate Wedding planner offers top tips to 2020 brides
A Wedding planner from Harrogate has offered some advice to couples that were supposed to walk down the aisle this summer.
Laura Lindsay, who is a wedding planner in Harrogate, usually organises around 50 weddings between April to August but said that everything is 100% a write off until at least August.
Laura has 5 tips of advice for couples who were or are still planning to get married in 2020:
- Have a plan B: I know many couples are hanging in there to get married this year, but it is sensible to check with your venue what is available for 2021 as dates will fill up quickly.
- Think of other the other ways you can get married: Human ceremonies, celebrants, possibly look at going to the registry office midweek to do the legal part…
- Use this time wisely: a lot of people are furloughed and at home so if you have any DIY crafts that you want to do for your wedding… do it now!
- Make a list of all your suppliers: Helps if you are planning a Plan B wedding… As you don’t want to realise further down the line that your photographer or makeup artist is booked up on your new date.
- Look at the positives: It might not feel like there are any at the moment, BUT your big day will be valued so much more, it will be an amazing celebration as we’ve all missed each other so much!
Harrogate Theatre raises £40,000 in emergency appeal
Harrogate Theatre has announced that it has raised £40,000 in its emergency appeal.
The theatre, which has always been widely supported, has faced a funding crisis as it was forced to lower its curtains in March, due to coronavirus.
Alex Monk, a spokesperson from the Theatre told the Stray Ferret:
We rely on a very small amount of public funding, most of our earnings are from ticket sales, so our income has been stripped away, It’s been a worrying time… To raise £40,000 ( and still rising) is just phenomenal… a lot of that has been from audience members that have donated their ticket money from a cancelled show to our emergency fund.
We need £4,000 a week to keep the theatre going…Things are all moving and changing very quickly.. Our current closure notice is up until July at the earliest.
We are exploring models for social distancing in the theatre for when it is safe and possible to open our doors. This does reduce the capacity to around a third which would have severe financial implications.
Members of the community are pulling together to help raise money to try and keep the theatre-going.
Dance Matt, a children’s entertainment business in Harrogate is doing a virtual 12-hour dance-a-thon children’s mini disco starting at 8 am tomorrow. All money raised will go to the theatre’s emergency appeal. Matt Pullan, who runs the company, has raised £410 so far, with a £500 target.
It’s a very special place to me, I used to go to the panto every New Years Eve with my gran. I’m sure the theatre has touched us all at some point, so I wanted to do something to raise money to contribute… It will be a long 12 hours, but it will absolutely be worth it.
Alex Monk thanked Matt Pullan for his gesture:
The real anxiety of sending my 6 year old son back to schoolThis is just one of many of the kind offers we have received. It shows the real strength and place that Harrogate theatre holds.
A mum from Harrogate told the Stray Ferret that she does ‘not see a way’ to be able to send her 6-year-old son who has Downs Syndrome back to school.
Wendy Puckrin’s son, Elijah, is in year 1 at Kettlesing Primary School in Harrogate.
The government says schools should begin reopening for children in nursery, reception, year one and year six, from 1 June. This would mean Elijah could return to school, but for Wendy, this would be very hard:
” I’m not saying homeschooling is going well, but I just don’t see a way he could social distance. He needs human contact to feel secure, he needs cuddles and he just doesn’t understand… He’s a beautiful little kid and I don’t want that trauma for him at such an early stage in life.”
In the painting of the honorary colonel (who we learnt today is become, Captain Sir Tom Moore) is surrounded by a rainbow.
Artist, Neil J Arms from Cumbria, is the man behind the work of art. He told the Stray Ferret:
I have been an artist for 33 years but this is my probably my proudest piece of work ever…When I found out that Captain Tom Moore was the Honorary Colonel of the Army Foundation College, I decided that would be the perfect place for the painting to be hung.”
Mr Arms, along with his two daughters, travelled from their home in Cumbria to deliver the painting to the AFC this morning.
Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hall was there to receive the painting. He said:
Were delighted to be able to take receipt delivery of a painting of Col Tom Moore. We say it taking place of pride in the college forevermore… We are hoping he can virtually visit the college soon and when that time comes we will do a formal unveiling of it for him.
Mr Arms has raised £712 through a Just Giving page for NHS charities.
It’s a secret paradise – inside a closed up Harlow Carr
The RHS Chelsea flower has been cancelled for the first time since World War Two.
Instead there will be a virtual flower show about “sharing gardening knowledge” which will go online to the public tomorrow.
With this in mind, The Stray Ferret gained access to the RHS garden at Harlow Carr to provide a virtual tour of the secret paradise that lies behind closed doors.
‘I was meant to walk down the aisle today’
Bride to be, but when?
Julie Yeoman, was meant to be walking down the aisle today to marry her fiance, Troy Scott. However, due to coronavirus, they are left in a ‘waiting game’, with no real certainty of when the ceremony will be.
Julie and Troy who live in Harrogate were due to get married at St John’s Church in Bilton today, then on to the reception which was to be at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate.
However, with all weddings put on hold because of the ban on gatherings of more than two people to stop the disease spreading, their big day can not go ahead.
Julie told The Stray Ferret that it has been one long waiting game:
No wedding and separated on what would have been our big day“We spent a lot of time waiting to see what would happen as if we cancelled ourselves we would have to pay… Once the church and venue cancelled, we postponed it to February next year, but we have since found out that our marriage licence runs out at the end of June this year.”
Jade Edwards and Henry Stam were meant to tie the knot on May 9, at Rudding Park, but due to coronavirus, their big day has been postponed.
To make matters worse the couple weren’t even able to spend their ‘not wedding day’ together as Henry works as a doctor in A&E at Harrogate Hospital. Jade told the Stray Ferret that the whole thing has been very sad:
It was meant to be such a special year, it’s just so sad… Henry has moved into an apartment in Harrogate as he is very much on the front line of the pandemic and we have an 11-month-old daughter so he didn’t want to put her or me at risk, so we couldn’t even spend the day together… a few other couples we know got dressed up and had a nice meal at home, but we couldn’t do that.
Henry isn’t very emotional, but even he said that at 1pm last Saturday he was looking at his watch thinking about where we should have been… But it’s out of our control, we will just have to look forward to next year.
The couple initially postponed the ceremony to the 4th July, but as time went out they realised that, even if it could go ahead then, that it wouldn’t be the wedding they wanted.
I didn’t want everyone to be in face mask or for my older relatives to not be able to come, so we thought it was best to just push it back until next year… The venue have been brilliant, they have just dealt with the whole thing for us, nothing was an issue.
Laura Lindsay who is a wedding planner in Harrogate, usually organises 50 weddings between April and September. She told the Stray Ferret that this is not something the industry ever imagined having to go through :
Everything up until august is out of the window for most of my brides… and anyone who is holding out is looking at a different style of wedding day… this is no longer 100 guests it’s on a much smaller scale.
2020 brides will have bought their products, personalised them with their dates date, sent out invites… they are now having to do this twice which is an added expense.
With the majority of weddings this year being moved over to 2021 Laura advised that people secured their dates quickly. She went on to say:
I just want to remind you all when you’re feeling down that your wedding will happen and when it does it is going to be an amazing celebration, there will be people that won’t of seen each other in such a long time and the whole day will be valued so much more.