Excellence deserves to be recognised and celebrated. The 2024 Stray Ferret Business Awards is the event to put your business, people or great initiative in the spotlight!
Make the most of your efforts by reading our top 10 tips for writing your submission for success.
Entries close on January 19, 2024.
A Knaresborough company has completed the acquisition of a Newcastle-based financial firm.
Prosperis, which is based at St James’ Business Park, has acquired Stephen McDine Limited, which is a financial advice business.
The move comes as the Knaresborough firm completed the acquisition of fellow finance company, RMB Financial Management Ltd, in October 2023.
Niall Gunn, chief executive officer and founder of Prosperis Ltd, said:
“We are delighted to have been able to acquire such a high-quality business, allowing us to continue to provide clients with an excellent level of service going forward.
“As an independently owned business, this acquisition will greatly benefit all clients. We are on track to add further locations within the Northeast as we continue with our growth plans.”
Council leaders to address Harrogate business event
North Yorkshire Council bosses are set to address business leaders in the Harrogate district a year on from devolution.
Cllr Carl Les, leader of the council, and Richard Flinton, chief executive of the authority, will give a presentation at the Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce meeting on January 15.
The speeches are expected to cover how devolution has progressed in North Yorkshire since last year.
Held at Rudding Park Hotel and Spa, the event will be open to both chamber members and business owners in the district.
The evening will start at 5.30pm and people can register to attend here.
Read more:
- Business Breakfast: Harrogate district care firm wins £28m domiciliary care contract
- Business Breakfast: New Harrogate College campus to include facilities to boost technical skills
- Business Breakfast: Contractor appointed to build 37 affordable homes in Ripon
Tory mayoral candidate pledges to pilot facial recognition cameras in Harrogate
The Conservative candidate for Mayor of York and North Yorkshire has pledged to introduce controversial facial recognition cameras to catch criminals.
The cameras, which scan people’s faces in public and compare them with people on watch lists, has been hailed by some as a way to improve policing. But others have concerns about human rights and discrimination.
Keane Duncan said he wanted to test the technology across the county, if elected.
The mayor will take on powers from North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, which will be scrapped.
Mr Duncan said trials elsewhere in the country had found the cameras can cut the time required to identify criminals and missing people from days and months to “just minutes”.
He added that he wanted to pilot the technology in York, Harrogate and Scarborough.
Mr Duncan said:
“I want to embrace new technology to revolutionise the way in which policing is conducted in North Yorkshire.
“From apprehending dangerous criminals to locating vulnerable people, live facial recognition cameras represent an effective tool in the arsenal of our police.
“With potential to free up valuable manpower so officers can have a greater presence on our streets, I want the cameras to be tested here in North Yorkshire.”
The cameras are used by the Metropolitan Police in London.
According to the force, the technology was used to help arrest 10 people for offences including threats to kill, recall to prison for robbery, and possession of an offensive weapon in Croydon on December 14, 2023.
The technology uses a CCTV feed from a police van linked to facial-recognition software.
The police upload photos of wanted criminals and the software creates an alert when a biometric match is found. The match is then reviewed by a police officer to confirm its accuracy.
Read more:
- Conservatives select highways councillor Keane Duncan to stand for North Yorkshire mayor
- Yorkshire Party mayoral candidate promises free chickens if elected
- Green Party selects candidate to stand for North Yorkshire mayor
An election for the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire is expected to be held in May this year.
The Labour Party has selected York businessman David Skaith as its candidate for the role.
Pateley Bridge businessman Keith Tordoff has announced he will stand as an independent candidate for mayor.
North Yorkshire councillor, Kevin Foster, will contest the election for the Green Party.
Leeds United footballer banned from driving after speeding in HarrogateLeeds United midfielder Brenden Aaronson has been banned from driving after speeding in Harrogate.
Aaronson, 23, of Victoria Avenue, was caught speeding at 37 miles per hour in a Mercedes-AMG on the A6040 Knaresborough Road near the Stray on March 12, 2023. The speed limit for the road is 30 mph.
He admitted the offence in September last year.
A hearing was held at Harrogate Magistrates Court this morning, but Aaronson was not present.
Magistrates ordered the United States international to pay a £666 fine, £266 surcharge and £90 in court costs.
Aaronson already had 10 points on his licence, which was endorsed with a further three points and he was disqualified from driving for six months.
Read more:
- Leeds United footballer accused of speeding in Harrogate
- Ex-England footballer Micah Richards fined for speeding in Knaresborough
The 23-year-old is currently on loan at German side Union Berlin from Leeds United.
He joined the club on July 9, 2023, after the Whites’ relegation from the Premier League.
Aaronson made 36 appearances for Leeds last season and scored one goal.
He joined United from Red bull Salzburg in May 2022 for a reported £25 million fee.
Plans for 58 retirement homes at Kirk Hammerton set for refusalCouncil officers have recommended that plans to build 58 retirement homes in Kirk Hammerton are refused.
SageHaus Living, which is based in the Isle of Man, tabled the plan to North Yorkshire Council for land off Station Road in the village.
The company previously planned to build 61 homes on the site, but reduced this to 58 after feedback from the authority.
SageHause Living, which acquired the site known as Carlton Fields in 2021, said in documents submitted to the council that scheme would help bring more retirement accommodation to the district, while also being environmentally friendly.
It added that a community hub would also be built on the site.
Under its original proposal, the company said:
“The revised scheme which is the subject of this application proposes the construction of 61 permanent extra care residential units rather than lodge style modular units.
“However SageHaus Livings objective is still on building in the most sustainable manner so the units will still be delivered by MMC.”
Read more:
- Developer tables plan for 55 retirement homes in Kirk Hammerton
- Developer withdraws plan for 55 retirement homes in Kirk Hammerton
However, council officers have recommended that councillors reject the proposal at a meeting of Selby and Ainsty constituency planning committee next week.
In a report due before the committee, planning officer Kate Broadbank said the scheme falls outside the development limits for the village.
She added the scheme did not meet planning policies under the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which sets out where development can take place, and was an “unacceptable and unsustainable site for older persons accommodation”.
Councillors will make a decision on the plan at a meeting on January 10.
Business Breakfast: HMRC unlilkey to receive money from Masham brewery administrationExcellence deserves to be recognised and celebrated. The 2024 Stray Ferret Business Awards is the event to put your business, people or great initiative in the spotlight!
Make the most of your efforts by reading our top 10 tips for writing your submission for success.
Entries close on January 19, 2024.
Unsecured creditors and HMRC are still expected to receive no money from the administration of Masham’s Black Sheep Brewery.
Both the brewery and its retail arm, BSB Retail, entered administration last year.
At the time, Teneo Financial Advisory, which was appointed to oversee the process in May, said it did not expect to have funds available to pay HMRC and unsecured creditors.
In an administrators update published on December 31, it said it still anticipates no money will be available.
The report details that the companies owed £1.3 million to HMRC and £1.5 million to unsecured creditors.
However, it added:
“On present information, it is unlikely that sufficient funds will be realised to enable a distribution to be made to unsecured creditors.”
Black Sheep was sold to London Investment firm Breal Capital for £5 million on May 26.
The deal was a part of a pre-packaged sale and the appointment of administrators, which the company said was “essentially to give protection to the companies and prevent any person taking action against it”.
Yorkshire Water sites win biosecurity accreditation
Yorkshire Water has won a bronze accreditation for its biosecurity.
The company has been recognised for three of its sites for combating the spread of invasive non-native species.
Tophill Low Nature Reserve, Swinsty Reservoir and Fewston Reservoir were each awarded AQUA accreditation in December.
The AQUA biosecurity accreditation scheme, run by the Bristol Zoological Society, work with waterway users to help them combat the threat of invasive non-native species such as fish, invertebrate and plant species
Steph Bradbeer, senior ecologist for Yorkshire Water, said:
“We are delighted to have received Bronze AQUA accreditation, reflecting all the great work done on these sites by Yorkshire Water staff and volunteers. It’s a fantastic achievement but the work doesn’t stop here, we’ll be working to achieve silver and hopefully gold.
“Yorkshire Water is committed to preventing the spread of invasive non-native species and protecting the environment. As we celebrate the achievement of these Bronze AQUA awards, we look forward to working towards further sites being accredited and educating the public on understanding their role in preventing the spread of invasive non-native species.”
Read more:
- Business Breakfast: Harrogate district care firm wins £28m domiciliary care contract
- Business Breakfast: New Harrogate College campus to include facilities to boost technical skills
- Business Breakfast: Contractor appointed to build 37 affordable homes in Ripon
Police release CCTV image after Ripon shop theft
Police have released a CCTV image of a man they wish to speak to after a theft from a Ripon shop.
Items of stock were stolen from Morrisons on Harrogate Road on Monday, December 11, 2023, and despite enquiries the suspect has not yet been identified.
Officers have released an image of a man they wish to speak to as he may be able to help with their enquiries.
A North Yorkshire Police statement added:
“Anyone with information is asked to email retailcctvreturns@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101.
“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
“Please quote reference number 12230234723 when passing on information.”
Read more:
- Police called after window smashed at Harrogate home
- Jail for Harrogate man who supplied drugs on electric scooter
- Harrogate woman jailed for chasing supermarket staff with drug needle
Nine Harrogate homes included in £9.2 million housing scheme
Nine new homes are set to be built in Harrogate and Boroughbridge as part of a £9.2 million housing fund.
The move comes as part of a York and North Yorkshire brownfield housing fund, which was approved this month.
The money will see 700 new homes built across the county, including 252 affordable homes.
A total of nine projects have been agreed, which will see developments built in Catterick, York, Easingwold, Harrogate and Boroughbridge.
Funding was agreed, subject to further due diligence, at a meeting of the York and North Yorkshire Joint Devolution Committee.
If progressed, the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority will administer the fund. Investment has been secured from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities.
Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire Council, said:
“North Yorkshire is one of the most desirable places to live in the country, but with that comes a massive demand for housing, especially for more affordable homes.
“We want people to be able to continue to live in the communities where they grew up, while also allowing others to move to the county to help to bring in the skills and experience which are needed to boost the economy.
“This is a significant moment for both York and North Yorkshire to see more than £9 million being used to fund hundreds of new properties, especially with more than a third of them being affordable homes.”
Read more:
- New settlement plans ‘paused’ after land withdrawn near Cattal
- Concern over lack of secondary school at new Harrogate district town
- Almost half of 4,000-home Maltkiln scheme removed
MPs Watch: New leisure centres, New Year’s Honours and spiking
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 December, Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre became the latest leisure facility to open its doors in the Harrogate district.
Meanwhile, the New Year’s Honours list was revealed and the government unveiled plans to tackle spiking across the UK.
We asked Keir Mather, Selby and Ainsty MP, if he would like to highlight anything in particular, but 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 December 11, he visited the newly opened Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre.
- On December 12, Mr Jones accused Liberal Democrats of covertly following him after his car was photographed in Harrogate without valid MOT.
- On December 15, Mr Jones visited Harrogate business Techbuyer to sign an IT Repairs and Reuse declaration. He also received a tour of the company.
- Mr Jones spoke in the House of Commons on December 18 to welcome to government’s plan to tackle spiking in the UK.
- Mr Jones welcomed the arrival of the Winter Fuel Payments and Pensioner Cost of Living Payments for pensioner households worth up to £600 on December 28.
When we contacted Mr Jones for comment, his office sent a list of his engagements for December.
They included attending Vida Court care home to turn on their Christmas lights, meeting with with senior leadership at North Yorkshire Council to discuss SEND funding and welcoming students from Ashville College to Parliament.
Others included visiting Hampsthwaite Church of England Primary School to present the winner of his Christmas card winner with their framed entry and certificate and participating in an episode of BBC Politics North in Leeds.
Mr Jones also attended a Christmas candlelight vigil at Stonefall cemetery in Harrogate and met with Cancer Research UK to discuss the Government’s smokefree generations pledge.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.
In Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:
- Mr Smith made no spoken contributions in the House of Commons in December.
- Mr Smith updated his website 13 times in December, which included posts promoting government initiatives and visits within his constituency.
- On December 30, he congratulated Mary Fisher, lollipop lady at Darley and Summerbridge Community Primary School, for her New Year’s Honour British Empire Medal.
- He posted 20 times on his X account, promoting various government funding initiatives and visits to local businesses in Skipton and Ripon.
When we contacted Mr Smith for comment, his office sent a roundup of his engagements for December.
Among them included attending the Skipton and Ripon Area Constiuency Committee, visiting Fisher Medical Centre and Skipton Job Centre to learn more about how they were supporting the community.
Mr Smith also met Simon Theakston, managing director of Theakston Brewery in Masham, to discuss the chancellor’s autumn statement and visited Moorside Primary School to speak to pupils from years 5 and 6 about his role as an MP.

Keir Mather, Selby and Ainsty MP.
In Selby and Ainsty, which includes rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Mather:
- Mr Mather posted 12 times on his Facebook page in December. None of the updates related to areas of his constituency which fall in Harrogate.
- He posted seven times on his X account, none of the updates related to areas of his constituency which fall in Harrogate.
- On December 6, he spoke in the House of Commons on a debate on conversion practices for LGBT people. He called on the government to ban conversion therapy in the UK.
Read more:
- MPs Watch: New MP, River Nidd and Mayoral election
- MPs Watch: Climate change, NHS dentists and Harrogate Station Gateway saga
American diner in Harrogate closed after enforcement notices issued
An American themed diner in Harrogate appears to have closed after enforcement notices were placed in its windows.
The Fabulous 50s Diner on Bower Road opened two years ago on the site of the former Cafe Rita.
Enforcement notices issued by Wilson & Roe High Court Enforcement have been put in the window of the diner which state that authorised agents on behalf of the landlord have “re-entered the land”.
It adds:
“Any attempt by you or your agents to enter these premises will result in criminal or civil proceedings being taken against you.”
The notices go on to add that, under Section 12(3) of the Torts Act 1977, any third party which asserts ownership to goods in 15a Bower Street has until 5pm on January 5 to collect them.
Meanwhile, the diner’s Facebook page has not posted since November 27 and its Instagram page appears to have been removed.

Enforcement notices at the diner.
The move comes as the Stray Ferret reported in August that the owners of the diner, The Hub Caffe Ltd, had appointed liquidators and applied to be wound up.
An announcement on official public record website The Gazette said Richard Hunt of SFP Restructuring Limited in London had been appointed liquidator on July 21.
The Gazette also reported a general meeting of the company on the same date resolved to voluntarily wind-up the business.
The announcement, dated July 27, was authorised by director Wagdy Mansour.
Following the report by the Stray Ferret, a post on the diner’s Facebook page said the restaurant had not closed.
It added:
“The Fabulous 50’s Diner is not closing we have just changed owners.
“The restaurant is open and will continue to offer the same menus, music, and pizza. We would like you to read carefully, only Mr. Wagdy’s two companies have gone into liquidation. The Fabulous 50’s Diner now belongs to new owner MO DINER LTD.
“We are waiting for you to come visit the restaurant. We will continue what Mr. Wagdy and his wife started by keeping the memory of you as the initiators of this restaurant.”
Read more:
- American diner in Harrogate appoints liquidators
- Harrogate care home owner “absolutely delighted” after Grove House conversion approved
Looking ahead: Major projects in the Harrogate district in 2024
The past 12 months have seen major decisions made on development across the Harrogate district.
However, there are some schemes which remain uncertain and 2024 may hold the answer as to whether they progress or continue to stall.
Maltkiln
The last 12 months have been a whirlwind for the new settlement project which promises up to 3,000 near Green Hammerton and Cattal.
However, in January, news broke that a landowner had pulled out of the project threatening the scheme’s existence.
The landowner owns fields around Cattal train station, making up around half of the proposed site.
Now, North Yorkshire Council, which took over responsibility for the major housing scheme in April, has threatened to compulsory purchase land as a “last resort” so the 4,000-home Maltkiln settlement can be built.
Whether the authority follows through on that pledge is a development to keep an eye out for in 2024.
Harrogate Convention Centre
Perhaps one of the biggest question going into the new year is what will happen to the long promised Harrogate Convention Centre redevelopment?
North Yorkshire Council inherited a £49 million refurbishment scheme for the convention centre on Kings Road from the now defunct Harrogate Borough Council in April.
However, it has yet to decide whether to progress with the project.

Harrogate Convention Centre.
A contractor has been appointed to draw up more detailed plans for the redevelopment and a final decision was expected this year.
The convention centre opened in 1982 with conferences providing a boost to the town’s bars, restaurants and hotels, however, it has struggled to turned a profit.
The council failed in bids to the government’s Levelling Up Fund for £20 million to help pay for the project – the latest of which was turned down in November.
A previous bid, which was rejected in January, received feedback from ministers stating that it lacked evidence and rationale and may have over-stated the economic benefits.
Government feedback on the bid, released following a freedom of information request by the Stray Ferret, revealed several areas of concerns with the bid.
This is despite the fact the council, which was abolished at the end of March, paid consultants £45,000 as part of its submission to ministers.
The whole saga leaves the future of the convention centre and its refurbishment uncertain and a decision on it being pushed into another year.
Ripon’s Clotherholme development
One of the last acts of Harrogate Borough Council before it was scrapped in April 2023 was to approve a major 1,300 housing scheme on a former Ripon barracks site.
Homes England, which has been developing the plans for several years alongside the Ministry of Defence, has earmarked the Clotherholme site for new homes and facilities.
It was approved in February 2023, just over a month before the council was scrapped.
Read more:
- New settlement plans ‘paused’ after land withdrawn near Cattal
- Concern over lack of secondary school at new Harrogate district town
- Government says council’s £20m bid for Harrogate Convention Centre lacked ‘evidence and rationale’
Since then, a total of £10 million has been budgeted to cover items in a Section 106 agreement for the project.
The money will fund a number of areas, including off-site highway adjustments and contributions towards primary and secondary education provision and primary healthcare.
Now, residents in Ripon and the wider district await for the news that spades will hit the ground.
Kirby Hill services
The 25-year saga which is Kirby Hill took another turn in 2023.
Dublin-based company Applegreen, which wants to build a motorway service station near the village, tabled final plans for the project.
The proposals were approved in September – however, campaigners threatened to take the decision to a judicial review.

Designs for the service station near Kirby Hill, as proposed by Applegreen.
Applegreen, which is based in Dublin, applied for amendments to the proposal, including an extension to the length of the slip roads and increasing the permissible height of the eastern dumbbell roundabout by up to 1.25 metres.
But, Gareth Owens, chair of the Kirby Hill RAMS, said the move amounted to “significant change” to the scheme and confirmed the campaign group would challenge the approval.
It seems the saga which has been a quarter of a century in the making may yet go on for another year.