Hundreds of junior soldiers graduate at Harrogate’s Army Foundation College

More than 400 junior soldiers graduated from Harrogate’s Army Foundation College this week.

Hundreds of graduates marched on the parade square to mark the end of their phase one training on Thursday.

The 17 and 18-year-olds will now go on to complete their trade training before joining regiments across the UK. 

The parade was led off the square by Bradley Ruddy, aged 17. This was in recognition of him being awarded the title of best recruit and saw him give the final words of command to all the soldiers on parade. 

He said:

“Everyone deserved their spot on the drill square. We’ve all worked extremely hard and put a hundred per cent effort in.”

Bradley Ruddy, pictured with his best recruit award.

Bradley Ruddy, pictured with his best recruit award.

Bradley, who is from Doncaster, is set to go onto join the Coldstream Guards after graduating from the college.

He added:

“I joined because I wanted to travel the world and, in the Army, you can do that for free.

“I’ve always been big into doing things outdoors and the Army offers a lot of adventure training, so that caught my eye.

“I do a lot of running and I’m a big hill walker. I just like being outside.”

The passing out parade held in Harrogate on Thursday.

The passing out parade held in Harrogate on Thursday.

Meanwhile, twin sisters Laura and Kate Hanna, 17, said they followed in their dad’s footsteps by joining the college.

Laura, who will be joining the Royal Armoured Corps, said:

“Our dad was in the Army. We’ve grown up with it.

“It’s been good having Laura here. We were not in the same company, so we only saw each other in the evenings.

“I’ve enjoyed learning about what happened in Normandy, and I enjoyed Battle Camp, where we did live firing. I’ve done cross country and athletics.”

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Business Breakfast: Harrogate district company awarded £20,000 to move production to digital

The Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting is an after work drinks event on Thursday, August 31 at The West Park Hotel in Harrogate between 5-7pm. 

The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

A Harrogate district business has been awarded £20,000 to help move its production technology to digital.

Period Mouldings Limited, which is based at Melmerby near Ripon, was handed the funding through the Made Smarter programme, which is managed by York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub.

The scheme is a national initiative dedicated to driving growth in UK manufacturing through the adoption of digital technologies, innovation and skill development.

Mark Cant, chairman of PML, said:

“The funding from Made Smarter will be instrumental in our journey towards enhanced efficiency and productivity. 

“By digitising our production throughput, we unlock the potential for increased capital investment, skill development, and research and development, ultimately driving growth and competitiveness in the market.”

Mike Pennington, the business relationship manager for Made Smarter in the York and North Yorkshire region, said: 

“PML’s strategic approach towards digitisation and innovation perfectly aligns with Made Smarter’s objective of fostering growth in the manufacturing sector through digital advancements.”

Law firm CEO to take on Mount Kilimanjaro

A Harrogate law firm chief executive is set to take on the challenge of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

James Haddleton, who is chief executive of Haddletons legal services based at Windsor House, is set to take on the climb with his family in aid of charity.

Mr Haddleton will be climbing the mountain for eight days this month.

He will be raising money for Mind, the mental health charity, and at the time of writing had so far received £1,019 in donations.

For more information on the fundraising campaign and to donate, visit the JustGiving page here.

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Barbie and Spiderman to attend this weekend’s Harrogate Town match

Harrogate Town’s first home league match this weekend will be attended by Barbie, Spiderman and Mario.

The club is celebrating the launch of its junior membership scheme and the ongoing school holidays.

Under-12s can attend from £6, and under-fives are free with a paying adult.

As part of this, the likes of Barbie, Mario, Spiderman and Sonic will be meeting young fans shortly before Saturday’s kick-off against Forest Green Rovers,

The club said in a statement:

“Having just been granted silver award in the EFL family excellence scheme, this is the latest offering from the club looking to attract more families to the EnviroVent Stadium.”

Harrogate have made a good start to the season.

A Jack Muldoon penalty helped to seal a 1-0 away win over Doncaster Rovers in the opening league fixture last weekend.

Simon Weaver’s men then beat Carlisle United 1-0 in the Carabao Cup to earn a home fixture against Blackburn Rovers in the second round.

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Harrogate hospital braced for four-day strike by junior doctors

Harrogate District Hospital is set for a further round of strikes tomorrow as junior doctors stage a four day walkout.

Members of the British Medical Association will take industrial action from 7am on Friday (August 11) until 7am on Tuesday (August 15).

The strike comes amid an ongoing dispute with government over pay.

Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chairs of the junior doctors committee at the BMA, said:

“It should never have got to the point where we needed to announce a fifth round of strike action. 

“Our message today remains the same: act like a responsible government, come to the table to negotiate with us in good faith, and with a credible offer these strikes need not go ahead at all.”

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has warned that appointments and elective surgery may be cancelled as a result of the walkout.

In a statement, the trust said:

“We are working hard to prioritise resources to protect emergency treatment, critical care, neonatal care, maternity, and trauma, and ensure we prioritise patients who have waited the longest for elective care and cancer surgery.

“Patients should continue to attend appointments as planned unless contacted to reschedule. We will only reschedule appointments and procedures where necessary and any postponed appointments will be re-arranged as a priority. We appreciate this situation is frustrating for patients affected and apologise for any inconvenience caused.

“Regardless of any strike action taking place, it is important to know that people with life-threatening or severe illnesses or injuries should continue to dial 999 and come forward as normal.”

Meanwhile, consultants are also set to stage a 48-hour walkout later this month.

Members of the British Medical Association will strike from Thursday, August 24, until Saturday, August 26.

Officials at Harrogate hospital have warned the consultants walkout is also “likely to impact the trust”.

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Council unaware of ‘significant staff shortages’ despite union concern

North Yorkshire Council has said it is unaware of “significant staff shortages” despite concerns from union officials.

Dave Houlgate, secretary at the Unison Harrogate local government branch, said local authorities faced a “recruitment and retention” crisis.

It comes amid reports that Knaresborough Castle was closed last weekend due to staffing shortages and various bin collections have been postponed.

A report before the council’s corporate partnerships scrutiny committee in June also found that demand for care workers in North Yorkshire “continues to outstrip supply”.

Similarly, the council, along with other authorities, faces a “national shortage” of education psychologists.

Mr Houlgate said a below inflation pay award for council staff would not address concerns of shortages.

He said:

“I have been saying there is a recruitment and retention crisis in local government for a number of years now.

“It does impact on service delivery and the latest below inflation pay award will not address that.”

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However, council officials have said they are unaware of any significant shortages within the council.

Trudy Foster, assistant chief executive for HR and business support at the authority, said:

“We have a staff base of over 12,500 employees providing services across the whole county. Whilst there will always be a level of turnover, which is healthy for any organisation, the council is in a good position. 

“We are not aware of any significant staffing shortages affecting services at this time. However, as reported at the corporate partnerships overview and scrutiny committee in June, we do have some hard-to-fill posts in care, social workers, planning and educational psychologists. We are working proactively in these markets to attracts applicants.  

“Through the work in moving to the new council we have revised terms and conditions to ensure the offer is attractive to existing employees and new recruits, ensuring we are able to retain and attract.” 

Business Breakfast: Harrogate company in ‘strong financial position’ despite interest rate hike

The Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting is an after work drinks event on Thursday, August 31 at The West Park Hotel in Harrogate between 5-7pm. 

The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

A Harrogate rental company has said the firm remains in “strong financial position” despite a hike in interest rates this past month.

Vp, which is based at Central House on Beckwith Knowle, recorded a 6% increase in revenue to £371.5m for the year ending March 2023.

In a statement to its annual general meeting, Jeremy Pilkington, chairman of the company, said the group “remains in a strong financial position”.

He added that he expected company results for the upcoming financial year to be in line with board expectations despite “market headwinds” and the Bank of England’s decision to hike interest rates to 5.25%.

Mr Pilkington said:

“We remain focused on the quality of our equipment and excellent service delivery to our customers with an ongoing drive to deliver sustainable solutions to our customer base.

“The group remains in a strong financial position with an excellent track record of delivery. Despite both market headwinds and increases in interest rates, we continue to see opportunities and expect performance for the current financial year to be in line with board expectations.”

Black Sheep launches beer in partnership with Rob Burrow

Black Sheep Brewery has launched a new beer in partnership with Rob Burrow MBE.

The brewery, which is based in Masham, released Burrow Blonde to raise funds for Rob Burrow 7 Discretionary Trust and the Rob Burrow Racing Club.

A total of 10p from every pint and bottle sold is donated to charity.

Picture (from left) Phil Hawthorne, The Good Racing Co, Alex Brandon-Davies, Senior Brewer at Black Sheep Brewery and Rob Burrow and Lindsey Burrow.

Picture (from left) Phil Hawthorne, The Good Racing Co, Alex Brandon-Davies, Senior Brewer at Black Sheep Brewery and Rob Burrow and Lindsey Burrow.

Barrie McDermott, Sky Sports pundit and former Leeds Rhinos teammate of Rob, said: 

“I’m incredibly proud to support the launch of Burrow’s Blonde, a fantastic beer for a fantastic cause, it’s yet another way to get behind our little mate Rob Burrow and his family in their battle against MND.”

Rob’s wife, Lindsey Burrow, said:

“We’re really excited to be working with Black Sheep Brewery and launching Burrow’s Blonde. It’s a great opportunity for people to support Rob by simply buying a beer and enjoying a drink with loved ones.”

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Police find man who went missing from Harrogate hospital

Police have confirmed a man who went missing from a hospital in Harrogate has been found.

The man was reported missing from the hospital on Ripon Road on the morning of Wednesday, August 9.

He was last seen walking towards Parliament Street.

In a statement, North Yorkshire Police said it was thought he may have been in West Yorkshire or heading towards the Burnley area.

Officers urged the public to dial 999 immediately if they saw the man and not to make any contact or approach him.

However, on Wednesday evening, they confirmed he had been located safe and well, and thanked everyone who had shared the appeal.

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Inquest opens into death of well-known Harrogate restaurant owner

An inquest has opened into the death of well-known Harrogate restaurant owner, Stefano Lancellotti.

Mr Lancellotti, 56, who was born in Sasso Marconi near Bologna in northern Italy, was found dead at his home on Yewdale Road on July 21.

He owned Sasso Italian restaurant on Princes Square, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Catherine Cundy, area coroner for North Yorkshire, opened an inquest into his death at a hearing in Northallerton this morning.

Ms Cundy said Mr Lancellotti was found dead at his home.

The hearing was adjourned for a full inquest at a later date.

Friends and customers were invited to pay their respects to Mr Lancellotti at a memorial service at Stonefall Cemetery this afternoon.

A wake was then held for close friends and immediate family only.

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Inquest opens into death of Harrogate woman Sophie Lambert

An inquest opened today into the death of Harrogate woman Sophie Lambert, who went missing for five days in June.

Ms Lambert, 22, left her home in Starbeck on June 16. Hundreds of people took part in searches to find her.

North Yorkshire Police also launched a missing person search, which included helicopters, drones and dogs and was supported by mountain and underwater rescue teams.

Her body was found in the River Nidd near Lands Lane, Knaresborough, by a member of the public five days later.

Catherine Cundy, area coroner for North Yorkshire, opened an inquest into Ms Lambert’s death at a hearing in Northallerton this morning.

She confirmed Ms Lambert was certified dead on June 21, 2023.

Ms Cundy added that a provisional cause of death of “drowning by immersion in fresh water” has been reported.

The hearing was adjourned to a date to be confirmed when a full inquest will take place.

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People on council house waiting list in Harrogate district set to bid for homes

North Yorkshire Council is set to extend its system of “choice-based” social housing into the Harrogate district.

The initiative, which allows tenants to bid for homes advertised through the authority by housing associations, aims to give those on the waiting list more choice over where they live.

The authority set up its choice-based scheme, called North Yorkshire Home Choice, in 2011.

However, it currently does not operate in the Harrogate district.

North Yorkshire Council replaced Harrogate Borough Council on April 1 and as part of its move to a single social housing policy, the council is set to consult on extending the scheme into the district.

It would see the council offer choice-based social housing through its partners such as Broadacres Housing Association, Yorkshire Housing and Beyond Housing.

The Stray Ferret asked the council why it had decided to extend the North Yorkshire Home Choice scheme to Harrogate instead of sticking with the district’s current social housing policy.

A spokesperson said:

“At present the council operates two allocation schemes, North Yorkshire Home Choice which covers all localities except for Harrogate, and a standalone allocation scheme covering the former Harrogate Borough Council area.

“Local Government (Structural Changes) (General) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 provides a period of two years for the housing allocation schemes inherited from predecessor councils to be revised and harmonised across the new unitary authority.

“The new draft policy has been drawn together from the two existing allocations policies of the predecessor councils.

“North Yorkshire Council would operate one social housing allocations scheme across the county.

“Support will be provided to all applicants where the changes affect them, for example if they are required to re-register a housing application.”

The move would see 2,084 people who are currently on the Harrogate housing list re-registered as part of the move to a single policy.

The local authority said it plans to hold face-to-face events and additional communications in Harrogate to “support applicants through the process”.

The council also plans to hold a 12-week consultation on the initiative between August and November this year.

Cllr Simon Myers, executive councillor for culture, arts and housing, will be recommended to approve the consultation at meeting today.

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