A recruitment event for the care sector will be held in Harrogate.

Yorkshire Care Alliance, a charity which was launched to help recruit staff, is set to host a workshop on September 26.

The event will take place at Pavilions in Harrogate from 10am until 11.30am.

Facilitated by Nick Bramley from Impactus Group, the workshop will focus on the challenges care companies face both recruiting and retaining staff.

Nick Swash, chief executive of Yorkshire Care Alliance, said: 

“There are so many challenges facing not only care companies, but unpaid carers and the whole industry.

“No one organisation exists to take on these challenges and look for solutions. We have set up the Yorkshire Care Alliance to fill this void and bring together people from across the whole sector to help address the problems.

“It is all about working together, positivity and finding solutions together. This is why we launched with six free sessions across the region, each covering different topics such as CQC inspections, insurance and recruitment.”

Harrogate independent nursery makes new appointments

A Harrogate independent nursery has appointed new senior staff.

Magic Tree Nursery, part of independent Harrogate prep school Belmont Grosvenor, has appointed a new head and deputy head of early years to lead the nursery.

Mother-of-two Hayley Thompson, 37, and Sarah Birt, 27, have been appointed to the roles.

The pair will be tasked with leading a new ‘curiosity approach’ to early-years learning and development.

Nathan Sadler, headmaster at Belmont Grosvenor School, said:

“There have already been a number of changes in our early years department over the summer, and we are excited about the future as we help build strong foundations for our children to thrive in an ever-changing world.”

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A fundraiser has been launched for a well-known Harrogate woman who has died.

Helen McCallum, who was described as a “wonderful member of the community”, died on Saturday.

She had worked as bar manager at Harrogate Hockey Club and volunteered at Harrogate Cat Rescue during the covid lockdowns.

A fundraiser has been set up by Mandy Lotts to help give Helen “the wonderful send off that she deserves”.

At the time of writing, the page had raised £2,556.

In a social media post, Harrogate Hockey Club said:

“Helen has been at the club for several years, greeting everyone who walked into the bar with open arms and a smile.

“Her passion and dedication to her role led to the transformation of Hockey Saturdays and an increase in social activity at the club.”

Harrogate Cat Rescue said:

“Helen offered to help. All through the lockdowns, she home checked everyone who applied for a cat or kitten. 

“She was professional and thorough and helped me enormously in preparing all the paperwork necessary to run a rescue. Helen only retired from the role when she no longer had time – due to work commitments.”

For more information, visit the GoFundMe page here.

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• Plan to convert former Harrogate hostel into flats set for approval

A plan to convert a redundant homeless hostel in Harrogate into housing looks set to be approved.

The former Harrogate Borough Council submitted the proposal to convert Cavendish House on Robert Street into six flats.

The house was formerly a hostel, which was operated by the borough council between 1983 and November 2021.

It closed after the council opened its new homeless centre, Fern House in Starbeck.

In planning documents published before it was abolished at the end of March, the borough council said converting Cavendish House would make a small dent in its social housing waiting list, which now features over 2,100 households.

It said:

“The building was utilised previously as temporary accommodation for single homeless households, however it is no longer fit for purpose and does not meet the needs of this client group (Fern House, a new facility for the same client group, has recently been completed at Spa Lane).

“The building has been empty since November 2021. As such, it has a negative impact on residential amenity and increasingly risks attracting anti-social behaviour.

“The development proposals will deliver much needed affordable accommodation in a redundant building and a highly sustainable location, complying full with national and local planning policy guidance.”

The proposal will go before North Yorkshire Council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency planning committee on September 26.

North Yorkshire Council officers have recommended the plan be approved.

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The government has approved a plan to convert the upper floors of a Harrogate town centre building into an aparthotel.

Leeds-based Countrylarge tabled the proposal to create the 17-bedroom scheme on the floors above the Oliver Bonas store on James Street.

Aparthotels are serviced apartments with a hotel-style booking system. London-based operator, Beyond, was brought in to run the aparthotel.

However, in November 2022, Harrogate Borough Council rejected the plan on the grounds that the scheme would “not enhance or preserve the character and appearance of the conservation area”.

The developer took the decision to the government’s Planning Inspectorate, which deals with planning disputes.

Now, Graham Wraight, planning inspector, has given the proposal the go-ahead.

In a decision notice, Mr Wraight said the development would provide “acceptable living conditions” should restrictions be made on length of stay — contrary to the council’s reasons for refusal.

He said:

“There would be some benefit in this flexibility in terms of providing a supply of such accommodation. As a whole and in the specific circumstances of this appeal case that I have outlined, a restriction of 90 days strikes an appropriate balance.

“I therefore conclude that, subject to a restriction on the length of stays to a maximum of 90 days, the proposed development would provide acceptable living conditions for the future occupants of the aparthotel.”

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A Harrogate law firm has appointed its first apprentice solicitor.

McCormicks, which is based on East Parade, has hired Sophie Hussain to the position.

Ms Hussain graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2020 with a first-class dual honours degree in law and criminology.

She will be based in the firm’s commercial property team and work on all aspects of transactional property work.

Claire Baker-Kemp, head of commercial property at McCormicks, said: 

“Sophie has come to us with more than two years’ solid commercial property experience, which makes her appointment a real benefit to our clients.

“I am also very impressed by Sophie in the short time she has been here.”

Hull company acquires Harrogate care home

A Hull-based care company has acquired a Harrogate care home for an undisclosed sum.

HICA Group has taken on Hampden House on Duchy Road from Elizabeth Finn Homes.

The 66-bed purpose-built nursing home is located within the Duchy Estate and provides nursing care, short-stays and end-of-life care.

The employment of all 70 plus staff has been secured in the handover to new ownership and general manager Jane Hooren continues to lead the team.

Terry Peel, chief executive at HICA Group, said: 

“This new venture marks a significant milestone for us, as we expand our commitment to delivering exceptional care and support services to our community.

“As we extend our care footprint with the introduction of Hampden House into the HICA portfolio, we are excited about the opportunities it brings to enrich the lives of our residents and their families.”

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Council officials have recommended a controversial plan to build 53 homes on Knox Lane in Harrogate be approved.

The proposal, by north-east property developer Jomast, was deferred by councillors at the end of May for a third time.

It comes after concerns have been raised over land contamination at the site.

The meeting in May also proved controversial after proceedings were not broadcast live on North Yorkshire Council’s YouTube channel due to a “problem with the connection”.

Now, the proposal will return to the Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency planning committee on September 26.

A 45-page report published before the meeting by case officer Andy Hough said the plan is “considered to now be in compliance with development plan policy” and should be approved.

It adds that the reasons for deferral at the last meeting would “not form reasonable reasons for refusal”.

The report also said approval would be subject to conditions and the developer paying a section 106 agreement to compensate for the impact of the scheme on local infrastructure.

The application has proved controversial with residents in the Bilton area.

Campaign group Keep Knox Natural has previously called on the council to remove the parcel of land from the Harrogate District Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place.

Cllr Robert Windass, a member of the council’s planning committee, previously vowed not to vote for the scheme until he felt the “land is safe”.

The proximity of the land to power lines has also been raised as a concern.

But the report said:

“The Planning Inspectorate has made clear that there is no justification within policy for withholding planning permission based on unsubstantiated evidence and claims of a link between ill health and the proximity of power lines.

“The onus is not on the applicant to demonstrate there would be no risk to human health in these circumstances but is on the council to show that demonstrable harm would be caused to interests of acknowledged importance if the scheme were to go ahead. The council do not have such evidence.”

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A new children’s cafe has opened in Knaresborough.

The Hungry Caterpillar opened its doors on High Street on Saturday.

The cafe aims to provide a “safe and friendly environment” for young children and adults to enjoy playtime, as well as food and drinks.

It includes a play area with pool pit, toys, books and sensory toys on the wall.

Danielle Bartley-Mould, owner of the cafe, said in a Facebook post:

“My aim when opening this café and doing the refurbishment was to provide a safe and friendly environment for young children and their grown-ups, while enjoying some playtime with some food and drinks.”

The cafe will be open Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm, Saturday 10am until 5pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm.

For more information, visit the Hungry Caterpillar Facebook page here.

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Police have released a CCTV image of a man they would like to speak to after an assault in Harrogate.

The incident happened at Montey’s Bar, The Ginnel, at 1am on Sunday, September 3.

Officers said it involved a man being assaulted with glass, causing injury to his face.

The victim was taken to hospital to receive treatment for his injuries.

A statement from North Yorkshire Police said:

“Officers are asking members of the public to get in touch if they recognise the man in the image as they believe they could have information that will help the investigation.

“Anyone with any information is asked to email Sam.Clarke2@northyorkshire.police.uk or call us on 101, select option 2 and ask for Sam Clarke.

“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

“Please quote our reference number 12230166084 when passing on information.”

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The Conservative Party could be heading to Harrogate in six months for its spring conference.

The Stray Ferret understands the party has chosen Harrogate Convention Centre to host its second biggest gathering of the year.

The spring conference brings party members, officials and ministers together to discuss policy, host fringe events and hear speeches from senior figures, such as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

This year’s event was held in Birmingham in May.

Harrogate was due to host the Conservatives’ spring forum in April 2020 but it was cancelled due to covid.

Next year’s event is likely to be held during a general election year — and could even be staged very close to polling day.

It could mean Mr Sunak’s last major party event as Prime Minister would be in Harrogate — if the Conservatives fail to hang on to power.

Harrogate Convention Centre last hosted a political party conference in October 2022, when the Green Party autumn conference was held.

The Stray Ferret approached the Conservative Party for comment, but did not receive a response.

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Harrogate-based Vida Healthcare has opened a new training centre.

The 2,500 square foot centre, which is on Starbeck High Street, will be used to help train staff at the dementia care provider.

The site will form part of the company’s Vida Healthcare Academy, which will host training and recruitment fairs.

It will offer a range of courses, from the induction programme for new starters to specialist training courses and apprenticeships.

James Rycroft, managing director at Vida Healthcare, said:  

“Our team is our greatest asset and the new centre will ensure we can provide significant professional growth and development opportunities throughout their time with us.

“This will also ensure we can continue to provide residents with the highest  quality of compassionate care.”

Harrogate estate agent sponsors local hockey club

A Harrogate estate agent has agreed to extend its sponsorship Harrogate Hockey Club.

Verity Frearson, which is based on Albert Street, has agreed the deal which will run until 2026.

Matt Stamford, director at Verity Frearson, pictured with Josh Lyon of Harrogate Hockey Club.

The agreement covers sponsorship of all home and away senior shirts and signage around the club facility, as well as weekly coverage on social media.

Matt Stamford, director at Verity Frearson, said:

“Having been main club sponsor since 2017, we know what a fantastic, inclusive, family-friendly organisation Harrogate Hockey Club are, and their core values align very well with our own.

“We look forward to continuing our positive partnership and here’s to a successful season ahead.”

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