Calvin Robinson Chief Reporter, Author at The Stray Ferret

Business Breakfast: Harrogate businesses invited to free ‘growth networking’ sessions

It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. Our next networking event is after-work drinks at Manahatta, on May 25th at 5:30.

Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

Businesses in the Harrogate district are being invited to free growth events this month.

York St John University, York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub and the Made Smarter programme have partnered together to deliver a programme of free ‘Innovate to Grow’ events for companies.

Designed to appeal to medium and larger sized businesses based in York and North Yorkshire, the event programme starts on May 9 at Eden Camp in Malton and will be running until May 23.

One event will be held at Co-Lab on Kings Road in Harrogate on May 16 from 11.30am until 2.30pm.

Funded by Innovate UK, the events will provide opportunities for networking to collaborate and share ideas for innovation and growth with other local businesses.

Speaking of the events series, Michael Wilson, knowledge transfer manager at York St John University said:

“We are delighted to be running this series of free events for businesses across York & North Yorkshire.

“Working in partnership with York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub and Made Smarter, we look forward to seeing businesses form connections and to giving them useful information about the business support and funding that is available, whilst they enjoy some of the region’s most interesting venues.”

For more information and to register for the events, visit the York St John University EventBrite page here.

Harrogate manufacturing company hosts engineers day

A Harrogate manufacturing company hosted an engineers careers day.

Belzona, which s based on Claro Road, hosted nine engineering scholars from the Arkwright Engineering Scholarships programme at its facility.

As part of the event last month, the company devised an agenda designed to provide the scholars with an insight into the career opportunities within maintenance engineering.

Ian Wade, Belzona’s technical service manager, said:

“It was great to host the Arkwright Industry Connect Day here in Harrogate, investing time and offering developing engineers an insight to the roles available within STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

“We hope that the scholars found it beneficial to learn about how Belzona is used across many industries.”

The Arkwright Engineering Scholarships programme is run by the Smallpeice Trust which aims to identify, inspire and nurture future leaders in engineering.

Pictured above: Andrew Raby, Growth Hub Manager, York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub, Mike Pennington, Business Relationship Manager, York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership, Michael Wilson, Knowledge Transfer Manager at York St John University and Emma Rollason-Taylor, Business Relationship Manager, York St John University Enterprise Centre.

Masham’s Black Sheep Brewery to enter administration

Masham’s Black Sheep Brewery has announced it is to appoint administrators.

Last month, the company, which employs about 50 staff, launched a strategic review to explore funding options to develop the business. One option was to sell the company.

However, the firm announced in a trading update on Friday it was “no longer considering the sale of the company”.

Today, in a further statement, the company has announced it is set to appoint administrators.

It said:

“On 11 April 2023, the company announced it had commenced a review of its strategic options, including the possibility of an acquisition of the company in all or in part, given constraints on its funding. On 27 April 2023, the company made a further announcement explaining that it was no longer seeking an acquisition of the entire issued share capital of the company, but it was still considering a sale of the business and assets of the company.

“The board of the company has resolved to file a notice of intention to appoint Kristian Shuttleworth and Clare Boardman of Teneo Financial Advisory Limited as administrators to the company and BSB Retail Limited.”

Black Sheep, which was founded in 1992 by Paul Theakston, said it had made the decision to “protect the interests of its creditors”.

It added that “no shares will be traded on asset match until further notice” as a result of the move.

It comes as the company appointed Teneo as its financial adviser to support its review in April.

At the time, Black Sheep said it was experiencing good sales volumes of its beers, however there remains a significant constraint on funding due to economic conditions.

Police appeal after dog kills lamb in Harrogate district field

A lamb has died and two ewes were attacked following a sheep worrying incident in a field on the edge of the Harrogate district.

North Yorkshire Police said the incident happened in Rainton, five miles from Ripon, on Wednesday (April 26) at around 11.20am.

A large German Shepherd was seen in a field attacking sheep. The dog was chased away but not before two ewes and a lamb had been attacked. The lamb died from its injuries.

Officers today appealed to the public for more information about the incident.

A police statement added:

“Officers are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident. In particular, they are appealing for information from anyone that might have been in the area at the time and witnessed the incident, or can assist in identifying the owner of the dog.

“Anyone who has information that could assist is asked to email david.mackay@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask to speak to David Mackay.

“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Please quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12230074349.”

Harrogate man denies rape of girl under 13

A Harrogate man has denied raping a girl under the age of 13.

Carl Briggs, 42, of Wisteria Gardens, appeared before Harrogate Magistrates Court to face two charges on Friday (April 28).

Briggs, who spoke only to confirm his name and enter a plea, denied two counts of rape of a girl under the age of 13.

He pleaded not guilty to the first charge, which is alleged to have taken place at a house in Knaresborough between September 13, 2013, and September 13, 2017.

The 42-year-old denied a second count, which is alleged to have taken place in Bradford.

Magistrates ordered Briggs to appear before York Crown Court on May 30, 2023.

Business Breakfast: Harrogate consultants donate to local mental health charity

It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. Our next networking event is after-work drinks at Manahatta, on May 25th at 5:30.

Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

A Harrogate building consultants has made a donation to a local mental health charity.

DSSR Building Consultants, which is based at Windsor House, made the £600 donation to Mind in Harrogate.

Representative from the consultancy firm presented the cheque to the charity this past week.

A spokesperson for DSSR Building Consultants said:

“DSSR Building Consultants are dedicated to promoting, improving and supporting the mental health of our staff. In conjunction with this commitment to our colleagues, we are delighted to be able to help and support our local charities and community.

“Even though 1 in 4 people have mental health problems, most of us don’t get the help we need. Mind in Harrogate District offers a number of support services to anyone struggling with their mental health.”

Plant nursery launches step challenge

A Harrogate district plant nursery has launched a 15 million steps challenge in aid of charity.

Johnsons of Whixley launched the campaign as part of Move More Month in April to raise vital funds for horticultural mental health charity, Perennial.

Staff at Johnsons of Whixley taking part in the April step challenge.

Perennial supports people in the horticultural industry, including those who work at Johnsons, with health and wellbeing advice, housing and financial support and debt advice.

Speaking of the challenge, Eleanor Richardson, marketing and office manager and qualified mental health first aider at Johnsons of Whixley, said:

“At Johnsons, we believe that taking care of our employees’ mental health is just as important as their physical health, so that’s why this challenge is such an important one for us.

“Not only will we be supporting Perennial, which has helped a number of our team members in the past, but we will be getting together as a team and building bonds across departments, getting some exercise and supporting one another towards a shared goal.”

MPs Watch: Sewage concerns and illegal migration

Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In April, North Yorkshire Council was launched after the abolition of North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council and the remaining districts. Meanwhile, concern was raised again over sewage being discharged into rivers.

The month also saw Prime Minister Rishi Sunak overcome a Conservative Party rebellion to pass the government’s Illegal Migration Bill.

We asked Ripon MP Julian Smith and Selby and Ainsty MP Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular, but we did not receive a response.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found on Mr Jones:

On April 1, Mr Jones spoke at the re-opening of the Games in Parks kiosk at Conyngham Hall, Knaresborough.
Mr Jones also officially opened new independent store, Wave Aquariums, on Commercial Street, Harrogate.
On April 11, Mr Jones welcomed £5,417,114 in new funding from the government to support local businesses and create jobs for rural communities in North Yorkshire.
On April 12, Mr Jones attended a Copgrove village residents’ meeting to discuss a recent travellers encampment in the village.
On April 14, Mr Jones addressed concern over sewage discharges with a video entitled “Fact Check Friday” on his Instagram.
Mr Jones also attended a meeting with the regional director of Barratt Homes to discuss concerns at two developments within the constituency on April 14.
Mr Jones hosted a roundtable with local cyclists to discuss active travel in Harrogate & Knaresborough on April 22.
In the House of Commons on April 25, Mr Jones asked a question on encouraging over-50s back into work including encouraging employers to sign up to an age friendly employer pledge.
Mr Jones voted in line with the government on the third reading of the controversial Illegal Migration Bill on April 26. The bill proposes a change in the law so who arrive in the UK by irregular means can be removed to a third country such as Rwanda.

When we contacted Mr Jones for comment, his office sent a list of his engagements for April.

Among those included attending a Kids Aloud performance at the Royal Hall, chairing all party parliamentary meetings, attending a session in Parliament with cancer charity, Sarcoma UK, and visiting local performing arts early years academy, Performatots, to learn more about their work and congratulate them on their Ofsted performance.

He also met with the Charity Retailers Association in the House of Commons and attended Anzac Day at Stonefall Cemetery to commemorate and remember the lives lost of Australia and New Zealand citizens during the world wars.

Mr Jones’ office pointed out that his engagements and activities could also be found on his Community News website and his Facebook and Instagram feeds.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

On April 3, Mr Smith backed a residents’ campaign to buy back the Black Lion pub at Skelton-on-Ure.
On April 25, he posted on his website that he met with independent businesses in Pateley Bridge.
Mr Smith voted in line with the government on the third reading of the controversial Illegal Migration Bill on April 26. The bill proposes a change in the law so who arrive in the UK by irregular means can be removed to a third country such as Rwanda.
Mr Smith made no spoken contributions in the House of Commons in April.

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

In rural south Harrogate, he is what we found on Mr Adams:

On April 11, Mr Adams tweeted his support for Yorkshire County Cricket Club president-elect Jane Powell.
Mr Adams welcomed £5,417,114 in new funding from the government to support local businesses and create jobs for rural communities in North Yorkshire.
Mr Adams voted in line with the government on the third reading of the controversial Illegal Migration Bill on April 26. The bill proposes a change in the law so who arrive in the UK by irregular means can be removed to a third country such as Rwanda.
Mr Adams made no spoken contributions in the House of Commons in April.

Couple deny defrauding Harrogate estate agents with £24m wealth claim

A couple have denied a string of fraud offences after it was alleged they dishonestly claimed to have wealth of £24 million to gain a tenancy on a house in the Harrogate district

John and Jacqueline Carnell appeared via video link from their home in Loule, Portugal, to face the charges at Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday.

The offences are alleged to have taken place between July 2014 and December 2018.

Mr Carnell, 70, denied 10 charges, including dishonestly making a false representation to Hopkinsons Estate Agents that he had personal funds of £24,172,421 to gain a 12-month tenancy agreement to rent a property named in court as Highfield House.

He also denied continuing to make false representations about his wealth, including being the beneficiary of a trust fund, to maintain renting the property.

Mr Carnell also faced a charge of being in possession of letters purporting to be from Barclays Wealth suggesting an account balance of between £24 million and £26 million “for use in the course of or in connection with a fraud”.

Meanwhile, the 70-year-old pleaded not guilty to changing names on cheques to his wife’s and presenting two cheques to Hopkinsons representing that there was sufficient funds to pay his tenancy, when there was not.

Mr Carnell also faced two charges of stealing cash transfers which were made for a specific purpose.

One count was in relation to £40,810 being made for the purchase of vehicles and another for £102,910 which was made for the payment of disbursements for a planning application at Archer Hill.

He was also charged with two counts of obtaining credit without informing that he was an undischarged bankrupt.

The 70-year-old denied all charges.

Meanwhile, Ms Carnell, 73, pleaded not guilty to changing the name on a signed cheque to her own to induce Barclays Bank to accept it as genuine.

She also denied a charge of presenting two cheques to Hopkinsons Estate Agents representing that there was sufficient funds to pay the tenancy at Highfield House, when there was not.

Antony Farrell, prosecuting, requested that the case be heard at crown court due to the “long and complex” nature of the charges and the values involved.

The magistrates ordered both defendants to appear before York Crown Court on May 30, 2023.

Civic society backs creation of Harrogate town council

Harrogate Civic Society has backed plans to create a Harrogate Town Council.

A second consultation on whether to set-up a town council runs until May 5.

North Yorkshire County Council said in March the move would require 35,000 households to pay an additional council tax charge of between £40 and £60.

However, in its submission to the consultation the civic society said the establishment of a town council would mean key decisions could be made by local councillors “who live in the town”.

It added it would want to see the authority take on more powers over time.

The areas in Harrogate which would fall under the new town council.

Harrogate and Scarborough are the only parts of the county not to have a parish or town council.

The civic society submission said:

“The society aims to celebrate our past, enhance our present and shape our future. We believe that this can best be done with a Harrogate town council, so key decisions will be made by local councillors who live in the town.

“We note the possible remit of the new council set out in the consultation document, but would like to see it have more of a role over time.

“This would enable opportunities to raise income, protect and enhance the key assets of the town, have a greater say in planning and development (through a neighbourhood plan), and promote a vision for the town which makes it a premier spa and floral town.”

The group added it wished to work with the town council in future to “keep the town the jewel in the crown of North Yorkshire”.

Last week local Liberal Democrats came out in favour of the creation of a town council.

Eight Liberal Democrats, including former Harrogate borough councillors and current North Yorkshire councillors, signed a letter in support.

They said the move would enable locally-elected councillors to take control of assets such as off-street car parks, the Stray, Royal Hall, Sun Pavilion and Valley Gardens.

A total of 75% favoured setting up a Harrogate town council in last year’s first consultation but only 1,250 homes — 3.5% of those affected — responded. The low response rate triggered concerns about the validity of the response.

A second consultation into the creation of a town council will close next Friday (May 5). You can have your say here.

Harrogate bar offers free coronation cocktail to anyone called Charles, Camilla or King

Cosy Club in Harrogate is to offer a free cocktail to anyone named Charles, Camilla or with the surname King over the coronation weekend.

The bar, which is on Cambridge Street, is to release two limited cocktails for the celebrations which start on Friday, May 5, and run until Monday, May 8.

The drinks will be called Victoria Sponge and Coronation Cup.

Those who can provide ID to show they are called Charles, Camilla or have the surname King will receive one of the limited edition cocktails free of charge.

Enya Gill, head of brand at Cosy Club, said:

“Three cheers for King Charles III! We’re famed for our opulent surroundings and grand décor so I can think no better place to celebrate this historic event.

“We’re all looking forward to a long weekend full of fun, fabulous food and a drinks and cocktail selection even Buckingham Palace would be hard pushed to beat.”

Cosy Club in Harrogate.

The Victoria Sponge is a teacup cocktail with Hendrick’s gin, Pimm’s strawberry, vanilla and lemon served with a mini Victoria sponge on the side.

The Coronation Cup is a teacup cocktail with Hendrick’s gin, elderflower, lemon, coconut and orange served with a mini cucumber sandwich on the side.

The drinks will be on general sale for £6.95 each.

Business Breakfast: Law firm relocates offices in Harrogate

It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. Our next networking event is after-work drinks at Manahatta, on May 25th at 5:30.

Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

A family law firm has relocated to new offices in Harrogate.

Barnes Clark Family Law has moved its staff to Windsor House on Cornwall Road.

The company joins more than 110 other businesses at the office building.

Sally Clark, director of Barnes Clark Family Law, said:

“Our new offices reflect our commitment to providing our clients with the best possible legal services in a comfortable setting. We are excited about the opportunities this move presents and look forward to continuing to serve our clients from our new location.”

Karen Winspear, property manager at Boultbee Brooks which manages the building, said:

“We are delighted to welcome Barnes Clark Family Law and their 11-strong team to Windsor House.

“The business has some exciting plans to grow this year and we are well positioned to provide them with the right environment to do that.”

New recruits join Harrogate law firm

A Harrogate law firm has hired three new recruits and qualified two solicitors as part of ongoing growth at the company.

Raworths, which is based on Station Parade, has made the appointments in its private client and commercial teams.

Katie Johnston has joined the trusts, wills and estates team as solicitor, while Lucy Allen also joins as a paralegal.

(Back, from left) Tracy McKenna and Charlotte Newman. (Front: L-R) Katie Jaros, Lucy Allen, Katie Johnston. Credit Rachel Creer.

Meanwhile, Charlotte Newman also joins the team as a newly qualified solicitor, having completed her training contract at Raworths.

Alongside the hires, Katie Jaros has joined the commercial team as a solicitor and Tracy McKenna has qualified as a solicitor.

Rachel Tunnicliffe, senior partner and head of private client services and trust, wills and estates at Raworths, said:

“Our approach goes beyond offering excellent technical legal skills; we actively look to recruit lawyers who can show emotional intelligence too, with the ability to build trusted long-term relationships with clients across all generations.

“Our team is often providing legal advice on very personal family issues, whether that’s helping young adults understand the responsibilities that come with inheriting family wealth or guiding older generations to decide how and when to hand over the reins.

“Communication and sensitivity are at the heart of this, and we’re thrilled to welcome Katie, Lucy, who will join Charlotte as valued members of our team and who all share this ethos and will enable us to continue to grow our client portfolio.”

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