Calvin Robinson Chief Reporter, Author at The Stray Ferret

Three missing Harrogate girls found safe

Three missing girls from Harrogate have been found safe.

North Yorkshire Police confirmed that two 13-year-old and a 16-year-old girl were found in Leeds and returned to their families.

The girls were last seen at 5pm on Thursday (August 10).

One of the 13-year-old girls was found on Friday and the other two were returned to their families yesterday.

A police statement said:

“Protecting vulnerable people is of paramount importance to North Yorkshire Police.”

How Harrogate’s hockey club coach made his passion his full time job

It was a mixture of trying to avoid rugby and suffering from concussion which led to Harrogate Hockey Club coach Jimmy Greenwood to pick up a stick.

The 51-year-old, who was born in Garforth, was forced to play rugby union when he moved to Harrogate and attended the grammar school.

In an effort to avoid being on the school team, he joined Harrogate Hockey Club as soon as he turned 14.

From there, it has been his love for more than three decades.

But, sat in the club on a Thursday afternoon as the pitch outside is packed with kids learning from Olympic gold medal hockey star Maddie Hinch, Jimmy says he never thought it would get to a stage where it became his full time job.

Picking up the stick for the first time

“I think I got concussed three times,” Jimmy says as he recalls his early rugby days at Harrogate Grammar School.

He had never picked up a hockey stick before turning 14.

But, to get out of playing rugby, he felt he should join the hockey team.

“I thought, if I’m in the school hockey team then I can’t get picked for the rugby team.

“So I began my hockey career.”

Jimmy’s school teacher Mr Sutton was a coach at Harrogate Hockey Club when it was based at Harlow Hill.

He took up a trial offer and ended up playing in the men’s side.

Jimmy in action for the men’s side.

Some may look at Jimmy’s story from player to full time coach as an accident given how candid he is about how he got into the sport.

But for him, hockey itself requires skill, technique and time to master.

“It’s an addictive sport. Once you’re in, you’re in.

“It’s an amazing journey when you start. Every other sport I played was just in your age group.”

Jimmy was playing with players much older than him when he joined Harrogate Hockey Club at aged 14.

At that age, he was able to play with adults – some of whom were into their 40s and 50s.

As a junior, he played on the wing because he was quick before he gradually moved to centre forward as he got older.

In the 1980s, the club was playing against the likes of Ben Rhydding, Thirsk and York – teams within the Yorkshire region.

It wouldn’t be until much later that Jimmy would test himself against tougher sides in Birmingham and further south when he studied at the University of Durham.

Much of Jimmy’s playing career was playing in the North Premier League for Harrogate.

However, in 2004, the club were promoted to the National League – which saw them pitted against the likes of Lewes and Birmingham.

For Jimmy, the move into the next division, which moved them outside of the north of England, was an eye opener.

“It was mainly decision making.

“There’s a level of skill that everyone can get to in hockey. There’s only so quickly that you can move a ball, like footballers.

“But then it comes down to how quickly the brain works.”

His passion for the sport took him as far as England trials – although his career never reached that level.

Turning to coaching

These days, Jimmy takes his hockey playing more casually.

However, he had his eye on becoming a coach when he was 18.

“I’ve sort of coached off and on for my whole career.”

He describes himself as a “technical” coach and has long argued that there is a difference between technique and skill when it comes to players.

“When I say technical, most people would call that a skills coach.

“Making sure people are stopping the ball correctly, holding the stick properly and showing them some tricky moves to do against opposition players.

“In my head – and I will argue this with everybody – that’s technique. The skill is picking the right thing to do at the right time.

“I like to empower anyone that I coach with as much technique as I can give them so that they are the best player that they can be. Then it is up to them, they can be world beaters if they can make the right decisions.”

Amid the part time coaching and playing hockey on evenings and weekends, Jimmy had a day job.

Before the covid pandemic, he ran a book publishing business.

He worked for himself and enjoyed it, but then the covid pandemic hit and the world turned upside down.

“I have always run my own businesses and I wound one up about two years ago.

“It had done quite well through covid, but coming out the other side of covid the education sector changed quite drastically. The business couldn’t cope with the changes.”

Jimmy did not know what to do and tried to work for other people, but did not like it.

He turned to his passion in the hope that it may offer him work.

Fortunately for Jimmy, the club was in a position where it needed to offer support to its development officer, Megan Reid.

“She needed a coach to help her to do some of these outreach programmes into schools and to help do some of the club coaching here and to develop the juniors.”

Two months in, Jimmy says the job is a labour of love and something he feels he is well suited to.

“It is in some ways not like working because it is something that I absolutely love doing and I have done it for so long.

“But it is kind of strange to have never done it as a job before.”

While his new job involves coaching, it also involves helping to build the club back up from covid.

Like a lot of sports, Harrogate Hockey Club was hit hard by covid.

Some members did not return and the junior teams lost their way with no sport to play.

“To get everything back on track, it needs that extra support.

“I think it is happening in all sports now. Being able to rely on people’s goodwill to run teams nowadays is quite hard.”

The club has been fortunate enough to have stars like Maddie Hinch, who won gold for Great Britain at the Rio Olympics in 2016, hosting training sessions at the Ainsty Road pitch to help generate interest in the sport.

Despite the task in hand, Jimmy still has goals in mind.

He wants to try and play beyond the age of 55 and to help to grow the club and its membership.

“Having run businesses over the years, it’s like growing a plant.

“First and foremost, you need to grow it. You can get rid of some bits that are a bit unwieldy and then make it nice.”

If you have any local sporting heroes who you think should be featured in Sporting Spotlight, contact calvin@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Harrogate rugby team visits Canada as part of historic link

A Harrogate rugby team has visited Canada as part of a town winning scheme.

Players from Harrogate Rugby Club’s under-16s visited Barrie in Ontario, where they were given a tour and even appeared on local television.

The city was twinned with Harrogate in 2013.

Sir Robert Barrie was a Royal Navy officer who fought against the USA in the 19th century and is buried in the Harrogate district.

He then took up a post in Ontario, Canada, to inspect a key trading route called the Nine Mile Portage. He settled there, calling it “one of the most beautiful places on earth”. In 1833 the area was renamed in his honour.

The Harrogate rugby side, which included students from Harrogate Grammar School and Ashville College, embarked on the nine-day tour in July.

The tour was sponsored by Harrogate International Partnerships and included matches which saw Harrogate run out victorious.

Harrogate coach, Ralph Zoing, described the games as “competitive, but played in an excellent spirit”.

Harrogate Rugby Club raising the Yorkshire flag in Barrie, Ontario.

The team also raised a Yorkshire flag in Barrie during Yorkshire Day on August 1.

Dennis Richards, chair of Harrogate International Partnerships, said the visit was a success.

“Twinning works best through community groups, sport and music being prime examples.

“The success of this trip should inspire many others in years to come.”

A civic reception was also held by Alex Nuttall, mayor of Barrie, as part of the Harrogate club’s visit.

Mr Nuttall said:

“These young men were excellent ambassadors for Harrogate and their rugby club.

“They were a delight to host and strengthened a rapidly developing link between our two towns. Both towns have so much to offer each other”

A reciprocal visit is planned to take place in 2024.

Twinned

Barrie was twinned with Harrogate in 2013 at the suggestion of local aristocrat Sir Thomas Ingilby.

Sir Robert married Sir Thomas’s ancestor, Julia Wharton Ingilby, in 1816.

In mid-1834, Barrie returned to England and King William IV made him a knight commander of the Royal Guelphic Order. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1837 and knight commander of the Order of the Bath in 1840.

Barrie retired in Swarthdale, Lancashire and was buried at All Saints Church in Ripley in 1841.

Yemi’s Food Stories: Sweet smells at the Lavender Rooms in Knaresborough

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food and sharing cooking tips– please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.

Food is emotive, engaging all the five senses of sight, touch, taste, smell and hearing.

From hearing the sizzle of onions and garlics in olive oil to the aroma that immediately fills the room, the senses play a key role in our dining experiences.

Smell can also be controversial when it comes to food – from pungent smells of fermented sauces or condiments, stinky blue cheeses to sweet smell of lavender, we all have our own opinions on the smells we love to associate with our food.

A little too much of the wrong aromas and the dish is described as over powering or over bearing. Lavender is one of the smells that a lot of people only associate with their nan’s drawers or perfumes.

Lavender smells and looks wonderful in many applications but most of us don’t reach for it when we are cooking.

The Lavender Rooms at Market Place in Knaresborough is steeped in history. Located in the oldest chemist in England dating back to 1720, it acquired the name when the wife of a chemist bottled her lavender water in the upstairs rooms.

The rooms can’t get any more traditional with their exposed low beams, which were the perfect height for me but tall people need to watch their heads. Dotted around the lavender rooms were relics of history, pictures telling stories that date back centuries.

With a good selection of wraps, melts, sandwiches, breakfast, hot dishes and rarebits including ploughman’s lunch, pate of the day and Yorkshire rarebits served with options of bacon or sausage, I was spoilt for choice. Their board showcased several dishes of the day offering even more options.

I was interested in their cream tea selection, which included sweet and savoury options. The savoury cream tea included savoury scone with cream cheese and red salsa served with a pot of Yorkshire team.

I ordered their signature lavender and lemon scone, which came with an option of jam or lemon curd and clotted cream. The one and only time I’d had lavender in scones was over 20 years ago and I remember being intrigued by the smell and the conversation with other ladies about the unusual flavour. The purply lavenders dotted the scones making them ‘a thing of beauty’ and compelling eat.

I was keen to see how their lavender and lemon scone compared and whether it would live up to my memories. As soon as the scone was served, I couldn’t resist taking a whiff to enjoy the delicate lavender and subtle smell of lemon. It was exactly as I imagined and tasted even better; the scones were well risen with a crispy top.

I had mine with jam and clotted cream washed down with a cup of tea and a bottle of Harrogate water.

Spoilt for choice

The manager Rowan Bardon was passionate about the business and was delighted to tell me that everything was made fresh on site everyday. Their option to buy now and eat later allows diners to order a nibble to take away.

With their outdoor sitting on a sunny day, indoor sitting in multiple rooms overlooking the street you are spoilt for choice for a more intimate cream tea or full blown meal with friends and family.

As I left the Lavender Rooms, I thought about other polarising food smells and rose petals and rose water come to mind so my next challenge is to make a rose-scented dessert.

Knaresborough is a noted town with lots of celebrity links so make plans to visit the Lavender Rooms and enjoy their warm hospitality and the great Yorkshire food.

Next week, I will be visiting Rudding Park kitchen garden, an awarding winning Harrogate based cake designer and Betty’s cookery space so look out for my food stories on all of them.

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, 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.

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.”

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.

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.

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”.

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.”

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.

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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Picking up the stick for the first time

Turning to coaching

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Twinned

Spoilt for choice

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Law firm CEO to take on Mount Kilimanjaro

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Black Sheep launches beer in partnership with Rob Burrow

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