A 38-year-old man has been jailed after carrying a hammer in public in Harrogate town centre.
Graham McMillan, of no fixed address, appeared before York Magistrates Court on Tuesday (August 30) charged with carrying an offensive weapon without lawful excuse.
McMillan was arrested by police outside Clintons card shop on Cambridge Street on Sunday, August 28.
Officers were responding to reports of a man carrying a hammer in the town centre and swearing at people on Oxford Street.
At the hearing on Tuesday, McMillan was sentenced to 42 weeks in prison. He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £187.
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The court said it imposed the sentence as the offence was serious and McMillan had breached a suspended sentence previously imposed on him.
Magistrates said they took into account the defendant’s guilty plea when handing down the punishment.
Harrogate hospital officials ‘confident’ A&E streaming can tackle waiting timesHospital bosses in Harrogate have said they are confident a new streaming service will help tackle waiting times in A&E.
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust revealed in June that it was to spend £900,000 setting up a service to assess patients at its emergency department.
As part of the plan, those who have a less serious illness or injury will be transferred to another part of the hospital which will have its own designated clinical practitioners.
Officials have now confirmed that the streaming service will be in full operation seven days a week from November this year.
Hospital bosses have so far been running the service four days a week when staff are available.
While there are no formal figures on how many patients the service has seen in that time, the hospital estimates that up to 50 people a day can be triaged through streaming.
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Currently, between 130 and 150 patients attend the hospital’s emergency department daily.
The Stray Ferret asked the hospital whether it was confident that the measure will help to cut down waiting times at A&E.
A spokesperson for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said:
“The streaming model will have a significant impact on waiting times in the ED [emergency department] – ensuring those walk in patients are seen promptly and allowing the sickest patients to have the focus of senior clinicians.”
Waiting time targets
Latest figures show that Harrogate District Hospital had 5,663 attendances to its emergency department in July 2022.
The national standard for emergency department waiting times is to admit, transfer or discharge 95% of patients within four hours.
According to NHS England figures, 71% of patients were seen within that timeframe at Harrogate hospital.
The move to create an A&E streaming service comes as other hospital trusts across the UK have introduced similar measures.
In 2018, United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust spent £500,000 on expanding Boston Pilgrim Hospital’s emergency unit in order to introduce a streaming service.
At the time, ULHT said it felt there were too many patients attending the emergency department who could be seen by a general practitioner instead.
Plan to open Betfred bookmakers in Harrogate town centrePlans have been submitted to convert a former charity shop into a Betfred bookmakers in Harrogate town centre.
Done Brothers (Cash Betting) Ltd, which trades as Betfred, has applied to Harrogate Borough Council to open the bookies on Cambridge Road.
The proposal would see the former YMCA charity shop, which sits next to Greggs, converted into a bookmakers. The unit was also previously occupied by Thomas Cook.
The developer said in its plans that the opening of Betfred would help bring the unit back into use and “provide additional staff employment”.
It said:
“Betfred do not currently operate a bookmakers in central Harrogate, Betfred require additional premises to meet demand from the local residents.
“The proposal therefore seeks a new opening of Betfred’s existing bookmaker businesses within Harrogate and would result in new options for bookmakers’ business within the town centre.”
The developer added:
“The introduction of Betfred’s businesses within the town centre will grow a local business, providing additional staff employment and bring a vacant unit back into use within Harrogate which supports economic growth principles in national and local planning policy.”
Betfred currently operates a bookmakers on King’s Road in Harrogate.
Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the plan for Cambridge Road at a later date.
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Harrogate Town make four transfer deadline day signings
Harrogate Town made four new additions to their squad on transfer deadline day last night.
Town confirmed the signings of strikers Danny Grant from Huddersfield Town on loan and Dior Angus from Wrexham on a permanent deal.
Grant, who signed for the Terriers from League of Ireland Premier Division side Bohemians, will join up with Huddersfield teammates Jaheim Headley, Josh Austerfield and Matty Daly.
He will wear the number nine shirt at town.
Sam Folarin, who signed for Harrogate Town from Middlesborough.
Angus, who scored seven goals in 41 games for Wrexham, joins Town after narrowly missing out on promotion to EFL League Two last season.
Meanwhile, Exeter City winger Josh Coley also joined on loan and 21-year-old Sam Folarin completed Town’s deadline day business and signed from Middlesbrough on a permanent deal.
Coley will wear number 10 at Town, while Folarin will be given the number 12 shirt.
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Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district traffic roundup
Drivers in Harrogate should be aware of an upcoming road closure next week.
It forms part of ongoing works in the town, which are set to last for 10 weeks.
Here is your Stray Ferret traffic update.
Roads
As previously reported, Northern Gas Networks is carrying out work in the Harrogate area which is expected to last for 10 weeks.
As part of the work, a lane closure will be introduced on Crescent Road between Montpellier Road and Parliament Street along with four-way lights on Crescent Road, Parliament Street, Ripon Road and Kings Road from Monday September 5 for two weeks
Further gas works will see road closures and temporary traffic lights on many of the main routes into town, including Ripon Road and Kings Road just as children return to school.
Temporary lights remain on Ripon’s Clotherholme Road as the company carries out replacement work to gas pipes.
The lights will remain in place until Monday.
This Sunday, temporary lights are expected to be in place on Ripon Road, Harrogate, near to the Oak Beck roundabout as Virgin Media carries out maintenance work.
Trains and buses
Northern services between Harrogate and Knaresborough going to York and Leeds are scheduled to run as normal this morning.
Meanwhile, the Harrogate Bus Company is reporting cancellations on its 1, 1D, 7 and 36 services this morning.
You can find out more on the disruption to services here.
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Business Breakfast: Ripon Farm Services opens new branch in Malton
Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.
Ripon Farm Services has opened a new branch near Malton.
The company, which supplies agricultural machinery, has moved into a depot at the 30-acre Eden Business Park.
It becomes the firm’s twelfth branch it has opened in the UK.
RFS has taken possession of a high-quality 22,000 sq ft building at the multi-million pound business park, which is located immediately off the A64 by the Pickering Road (A169) junction by Eden Camp.
Richard Simpson, commercial director of RFS, said:
“The opening of our new Malton depot is a major milestone for Ripon Farm Services and signals our intention to ramp up the investment in our long-term future.
“This new building reflects the importance we place on serving the North and East Yorkshire farming, equestrian and ground care communities. We will be providing the full range of services that you would expect from a John Deere main dealer and will also be moving our Ifor Williams trailer dealership into our new depot.
“In addition, we will have a huge range of ground care equipment for both Groundscare professionals and homeowners alike. We can’t wait to get going.”
RFS has now started trading from the Malton depot and are organising an open day for all their customers on Thursday, October 27, between 12pm and 8pm.
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Harrogate businesses set for Digital Festival dates
Harrogate law firm Berwins will host four events as part of Leeds Digital Festival later this month.
Its experts in digital and business law will speak about Giving Data Proper Respect on September 19, realising the Value of Your Intellectual Property on September 22, and Recognising and Recovering Revenue on September 26.
All three talks take place at Platform on New Station Street in Leeds.
Harrogate’s Co-Lab is also hosting an event at its base in Harrogate Convention Centre on September 28. It will focus on ways of raising funds for a tech start-up.
The final Berwins event is completely different: the law firm’s runners will lead a 6km route around the city centre, in partnership with Harrogate-based Up & Running, on September 30.
Tickets for all five events, plus the rest of the 12-day programme, are available from the Leeds Digital Festival website.
Harrogate woman sentenced for assaulting three police officersAn 18-year-old has been sentenced in court for assaulting three police officers in Harrogate.
Emily Harris-Jones, of Beech Street in Starbeck, appeared before Harrogate Magistrates Court and was charged with assaulting two emergency workers on July 9, 2022.
She assaulted one police constable on the street before beating the same officer at Harrogate Police Station.
Harris-Jones also assaulted another named officer at the station on the same date.
She was also charged with the same offence against a police officer at Dragon Service Station, Skipton Road, on June 29 this year.
The court found all four offences were aggravated by being committed against emergency workers carrying out their duties.
Magistrates sentenced her to 10 weeks in prison for each count, to be served concurrently, suspended for 18 months. She was ordered to undergo treatment for alcohol dependency.
The court also imposed compensation totalling £200, a victim surcharge of £154 and £170 in court costs.
Magistrates said they took into account Harris-Jones’ guilty plea when imposing the sentence.
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History of Ripon Spa Baths captured as venue prepares for new lease of life
Historical photos have given a glimpse into the opening of Ripon Spa Baths 117 years ago ahead of the building being stripped out later this year.
The images show the spa baths in its full glory when it opened in 1905 and paint a contrasting picture of the current state of the venue which has suffered from years of neglect and damage.
Ripon-based Sterne Properties has revealed the photos as part of its plans to strip out the spa before giving it a new lease of life and community use in what will mark a new phase in the building’s rich history.
The last English spa to be opened, the baths were originally served by spa water pumped from Aldfield, four miles away.
Corridor of Ripon Spa Baths.
The opening ceremony was held on October 24, 1905, and it is still the only spa to have been opened by a member of the Royal Family, Princess Henry of Battenberg.
The swimming pool to the rear of the original building was added in the 1930s and has since hosted many happy memories across generations of families.
Historic images released by the developer of some of the baths.
The building’s time as a much-loved leisure venue came to an end last year, though, when it was closed down by Harrogate Borough Council ahead of the opening of Ripon’s new Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre, named after the city’s Olympic diving hero.
Looking to the future, exactly what the spa baths will be used for remains unknown.
Ripon Spa Baths at its opening 117 years ago.
Sterne Properties said it must first understand what it is working with and the developers have examined photographs and historic records to see how the building has changed over time.
Its proposals have been backed by Ripon Civic Society, whose chairman Christopher Hughes said in a letter:
“The society is in total support of this application.
“A visit by some of our members in 2021 revealed the prospect that more recent works are likely to have hidden original work.
“This will be important knowledge for the applicant to understand before further proposals are developed.”
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Minskip scarecrow competition set to return this weekend
A scarecrow competition in the village of Minskip is set to return this weekend.
The annual event will be held on Saturday (September 3) and Sunday (September 4) with a pantomime theme.
The annual competition sees almost the entire village making scarecrows which then line the main street in a blaze of colour throughout the weekend.
Debbie Hargreaves, one of the organisers of the event, said:
“It’s absolutely wonderful how so many villagers have made scarecrows in the past and I expect the same this year. The competition has really caught the imagination of the village and the standard is incredibly high.
“It’s great fun and all proceeds from the competition go towards our little church, which, like so many rural churches, is desperately in need of money.
“It may still be summer, but the Panto season has come early to the village. I can’t wait to see Buttons, Widow Twanky, Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, Jack and the Beanstalk and even the back end of a horse all fighting it out to win our prestigious competition.”
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The entry fee is £10 and the competition will be judged by Minskip councillor Monika Kaczmarczyk.
Prizes have been donated by Thorpe Perrow Arboretum and two Minskip businesses The Wild Swan pub and restaurant and the Yolk Farmshop.
(L-R) Minskip villagers Robert Beaumont, Meghan Holmes, Rob Peacock, Monica Kaczmarczyk, Val Tattersall and Beverley Johnson.
The winners of the competition will be announced on Sunday afternoon at 3pm in the garden in front of the church.
Robert Beaumont, senior churchwarden of Minskip Church, added:
Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district traffic update“I’d like to thank Debbie for all her hard work, enthusiasm and imagination in creating this fantastic weekend. It will raise much-needed money for our lovely little church.”
Traffic is moving as normal during rush hour this morning, with the usual queues on Wetherby Road, Knaresborough Road and Skipton Road.
Here is your Stray Ferret traffic update
Roads
As previously reported, Northern Gas Networks is carrying out the work to replace ageing pipework. Work has started with temporary lights on Cold Bath Road.
Further gas works will see road closures and temporary traffic lights on many of the main routes into town, including Ripon Road and Kings Road just as children return to school.
As part of the work, a lane closure will be introduced on Crescent Road between Montpellier Road and Parliament Street along with four-way lights on Crescent Road, Parliament Street, Ripon Road and Kings Road from Monday September 5 for two weeks
Meanwhile, a road closure is in place on Oakdale in Harrogate until September 5 as Northern Gasworks carries out work in the area.
Temporary lights remain on Ripon’s Clotherholme Road as the company carries out replacement work to gas pipes.
The lights will remain in place until Monday.
Trains and buses
Northern services between Harrogate and Knaresborough going to York and Leeds are scheduled to run as normal this morning.
Meanwhile, the Harrogate Bus Company is reporting no cancellations on its services this morning.
You can find out more on the disruption to services here.
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