Former Harrogate offices to be converted to care accommodation

North Yorkshire Council has approved plans for a former office block in Harrogate to be converted into care accommodation.

UBU Northern Life Care Limited, which is based in Harrogate, tabled the proposal for the offices on Haywra Street near to the town centre.

The plan will see the building converted into six flats for community care purposes.

A two-storey extension at the rear of the property will be converted into a facility for staff to use in order to provide 24 hour support to residents.

In documents submitted to the council, the developer said the accommodation was require because of rising demand for care.

It said:

“The current office facilities have evolved during the covid crisis with reduced requirement for fixed base offices to run the company, but with an increased demand and lack of supply of care accommodation in the area due to the general cost of properties suitable for use.”

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Harrogate hospital to increase visitor parking charges under new system

Visitor parking charges at Harrogate District Hospital are set to increase from next week.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust will introduce a new car parking system at the hospital on Wednesday.

Automatic number plate recognition will replace the current parking barriers, which the trust says will improve traffic flow. The first 20 minutes will be free then it will cost £4 for up to two hours.

It comes as patients and visitors complained of long queues on Lancaster Park Road, particularly during visiting times in the afternoon.

The new system, which will be managed by Lancashire-based Parkingeye, will identify cars on entry and exit using automatic number plate recognition.

Queues outside Harrogate District Hospital

Queues outside Harrogate District Hospital on Lancaster Park Road.

Visitors will then be able to pay when they leave by entering their car’s registration number into the parking validation machines in the front entrance of the hospital or via a dedicated app.

A spokesperson for the trust said:

“The new barrier less system will provide a better experience for our patients and visitors as it will improve the flow into and out of our hospital car park and reduce the queues on Lancaster Park Road.

“This will help improve road safety, ambulance access, reduce noise pollution that can affect local residents, and remove paper waste produced by our current ticketing system as the new system will be paperless.

“Working with Parkingeye we believe we have developed a system of fair parking for all, which is both clear and transparent and allows our trust to concentrate on our patients, whilst Parkingeye supports us by managing our car parks.”

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Increased charges

Currently, visitors have 30 minutes free parking. Drivers then are charged £2.60 for up to 90 minutes, £3.80 for up to two-and-a-half hours and £6.10 for up to four-and-a-half hours.

Those staying for six-and-a-half hours or more are charged £9.10.

Under the new arrangement, parking will be free for the first twenty minutes, then will cost £4 for up to two hours, £6.50 for up to four hours, £8.50 for up to six hours and £11 for up to 24 hours.

Parking terminals will be available across the hospital and at main reception for those who are eligible for concession or free parking, for example blue badge holders, patients receiving cancer treatment and parents visiting the paediatric ward or special care baby unit.

A trust spokesperson added:

“With the introduction of the new car parking system we will also be increasing our car parking charges for visitors. 

“Increasing charges is always a difficult decision, but we need to do this to ensure our car parks can continue to be well maintained. It will also allow the trust to re-invest the revenue from the car parks back into supporting the delivery of patient care.”

Business Breakfast: Boroughbridge holiday park raises £32,000 for charity

The Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting is an after work drinks event tonight (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 holiday park in Boroughbridge has raised £32,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Old Hall Holiday Park has raised money for the charity for more than 13 years through a range of events including an annual hog roast, live bands, discos, children’s parties and games, raffles and Halloween parties.

In recognition of Old Hall’s fundraising efforts, Wendy Whittle, park manager, and her husband Denis were invited to the charity’s unveiling of two new state-of-the-art helicopters at Nostell Airbase near Wakefield.

Mrs Whittle said:

“The Yorkshire Air Ambulance is such a fantastic cause and one which everyone at the Old Hall supports. 

“We are lucky to have such a wonderful community at the park, with all our holiday home owners joining in our fundraising activities and giving generously.”

Linda Stead, Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s regional fundraising manager for the North and East, said: 

“We are extremely thankful to everyone at the Old Hall Holiday Park for their continuous and unwavering dedication over the last 13 years.

“This remarkable donation is a testament to their commitment to our mission of saving lives across Yorkshire and from the whole team at YAA I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for their invaluable support.”

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North Yorkshire Police improve 999 answer times

North Yorkshire Police has recorded an improved 999 call answer time performance, according to latest figures.

The force answered 83% of calls in July 2023 within the national target of 10 seconds. By comparison, just 44% were answered on time in November 2022.

There has been a 30% increase in the number of emergency calls made to the force control room in the past year.

This month, police recorded the highest number of 999 calls made in any August in history with 10,800 calls — 400 more than the same time last year.

The improvement comes after Zoe Metcalfe, the Conservative North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner awarded the force control room £1.8 million a year to improve response times.

The money was earmarked to fund the appointment of 36 additional communications officers, 12 additional dispatchers, six established trainers and two additional police inspectors.

Superintendent Fee Willey, who heads up the force control room, said:

“In the control room we’ve changed our ways of working. We looked at all our processes to see what was stopping our people being efficient in their roles – what were they doing and how were they doing it. We stripped away anything that was not relevant or slowed them down.

“We found that our trained and highly-skilled call handlers were being restricted by the number and complexity of the forms that they needed to complete for every single call that they received.

“We kept any mandated question sets, but beyond that we gave the call handlers freedom to follow their own initiative, while still being able to refer to question sets if needed. This has resulted in a much speedier process to dispatch officers to incidents while still providing a succinct level of information to the attending officers.

“And the more efficient that the force control room is in performing its role, the quicker that officers can be dispatched to scene.”

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New bar set to open on Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road

A new bar looks set to open in a former Harrogate shop next month 

17 Miles, which will be based on Cold Bath Road, is set to open its doors in the former Scandinavian clothes shop Bias.

Harrogate man Matthew Gray, who owns the new bar, told the Stray Ferret that he decided to set up the pub as a passion project.

Mr Gray, who was granted planning permission for the conversion back in April, said he wanted to open in the Cold Bath Road area which he described as “up and coming”.

He said:

“I think the vibe around the area is increasing.

“In terms of the venue, it immediately catches the eye of passers by with its windows.”

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17 Miles, which was given the name for the door number and Mr Gray’s son, Miles, will be based at 17 Cold Bath Road.

It is set to offer punters a range beers from independent breweries to non-alcoholic options.

Inside the new 17 Miles bar on Cold Bath Road.

Inside the new 17 Miles bar on Cold Bath Road.

Mr Gray also has plans to introduce cheese and meat boards in the future, but added that he was focused on getting the bar off the ground first.

The bar is set to open from 4pm to 11pm Tuesday to Friday, 12pm to 11pm on Saturday and 12pm until 9pm on Sunday.

Dogs will also be welcome.

Mr Gray said he hopes to open 17 Miles in September once he has received final approval from North Yorkshire Council.

Business Breakfast: Yorkshire Water launches recruitment campaign for river health team

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.

Yorkshire Water is recruiting 16 new staff for a brand new river health department.

The company has set up the team to deliver a joined-up, region-wide approach to river health across the many organisations and stakeholders in Yorkshire.

The 34-strong team will be working closely with community groups to understand what is important to them and develop a way of working together to improve river health in partnership.

The firm is set to recruit an environmental investigation lead, river health improvement manager, river health partnership and community engagement advisor.

Kevin Reardon, head of river health at Yorkshire Water, said: 

“We are committed as a business to playing our part to further improve river and coastal water quality around the region. The health of our rivers is a key national conversation, and we all have a lot to do to deliver investment in the areas that will make improvements to water quality.

“We know river and coastal water quality is a key priority for our customers and this new department illustrates our commitment to doing the right thing and working hard, alongside other stakeholders, as we begin our largest programme of environmental investment since privatisation.

“Yorkshire Water colleagues are passionate about the environment and we’re currently recruiting for 16 additional roles to help complete our team, which we believe will make further improvements to river health in the next two years and prepare ourselves for the next investment period 2025-2030.”

For more information on the roles available, visit the Yorkshire Water website here.

Stray Ferret to host latest Business Club event

The Stray Ferret will host its latest Business Club event tomorrow with after work drinks at the West Park Hotel.

The event will see guest speaker Craig Hines from 2 Inspire give a talk about the various models that can be applied to support flexible working and the success and pitfalls businesses face in implementing these.

There will also be a chance to meet attendees at the event with a networking session.

Whether you’re looking to expand your professional network, explore potential collaborations, or simply enjoy a refreshing drink after a long day, this event is perfect for you.

The event will be held at the West Park Hotel in Harrogate between 5pm and 7pm. You can purchase tickets here.

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Harrogate Town ‘relishing’ being underdogs in Blackburn clash

Harrogate Town are “relishing” being underdogs in tomorrow night’s clash against Blackburn Rovers, says manager Simon Weaver.

Town will take on the Championship outfit, who sit two divisions above Harrogate, in a Carabao Cup second round match at the EnviroVent Stadium on Wetherby Road.

Tickets have been selling fast for the game in what is arguably the club’s most illustrious match ever.

The fixture will be the first time Harrogate has hosted a Championship club, with League One Blackpool and Portsmouth the previous highest ranked to visit.

Town are expected to be labelled as underdogs for the game. However, Simon Weaver, Harrogate manager, said the club will relish the tag.

He said:

“It’s an understandable tag to remain with us. At every level, we have always had that tag.

“But we relish being underdogs and having a bit of a chip on our shoulder. We love it when teams sing about Betty’s tea shops and when people expect it to be soft and flaky. Hopefully we can prove people wrong.”

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A place in round three of the competition awaits the winners, with more Premier League clubs added to the draw, including the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United.

Town go into the cup tie off the back of a 2-0 win in the league against Morecambe on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Rovers narrowly missed out on a play-off place last season, finishing seventh in the Championship and missing the chance to return to the Premier League, which they won in 1994/95.

Blackburn go into tomorrow night’s fixture after defeating Watford 1-0 in the Championship on Sunday.

Tickets for the game remain on sale to Harrogate Town fans online who attended three or more games since the start of last season.

Tickets are on sale here, or in-person to all supporters from the club’s Commercial Street Store.

Police release CCTV image after £250 theft in Harrogate

Police have issued a CCTV image of a man they wish to speak to following a theft in Harrogate.

The incident happened at Sainsbury’s on Leeds Road on Saturday, July 22 at midnight. 

The victim’s bank card was used to draw £250 without their permission.

A North Yorkshire Police statement added:

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

“Anyone with any information is asked to email  IET@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 the reference number 12230129543 when passing on information.”

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The golfer championing Knaresborough on the world stage

With the PGA tour in full swing and the Ryder Cup around the corner, the likes of Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland and Scottie Sheffler are prime time viewing.

But Knaresborough has its own claim to fame when it comes to golfers on the world stage.

John Parry picked up his first club when he was six years old.

The 36-year-old spent most of his early career training at Harrogate Golf Club, where he cut his teeth as a teenager, before going onto to compete around the globe.

These days, John competes on the professional tours and finished joint fourth at the World Invitational 2023 in Northern Ireland last weekend.

We sat down with him at Knaresborough Golf Club on a morning fit for a tee-off on the first hole to find out how his uncle helped him pick up a set of clubs as a boy and how he went on to line up alongside Tiger Woods some three decades later.

Picking up the clubs

It was in Birmingham where John first set eyes on a golf ball and clubs.

Just six years old, his uncle introduced him to the sport as something to do with his brothers.

“He just got us a lesson and we played a little bit. Then we moved back up to Harrogate from Birmingham.

“We just sort of took it from there and played on par three courses. Then we eventually joined Harrogate Golf Club.”

John grew up in Knaresborough and attended King James’s School.

John teeing off at Knaresborough Golf Course.

However, he had little interest in anything other than golf. In fact, aged just 10, he was picked to go on a regional coaching course.

The Yorkshire coaching made him realise that he had something that other boys his age didn’t.

“I think when I went there, I remember I was doing certain things better than most kids that were doing it.

“You realise that ‘I must be reasonably good’.”

John worked his way up through the ranks through to England under 16s.

At this stage, he says he started to figure out what standard he was at as he started to compete in tougher competitions, such as county championships.

But, despite testing himself against higher standard players, he still felt he needed to improve.

“For me, when I was that old, it was about hitting the ball further and growing a little more because I was so small.

“It only really happened once I got to 17 and 18, then I started playing in national events.”

Making the green was one of John’s aims as he was working his way through the different age groups.

For him, being able to hit the ball long complemented his ability to make the put. This then helped him to win national tournaments once he was in the under 18s age group.

Working on his shots helped him make up ground on older players, he says.

“You see the opposite of this. Lads can be unbelievable when they’re in the under 14s or under 16s and they’re six foot tall.

“But then when everyone starts catching them up physically, it flips round because they maybe have not developed other skills that you need.”

Starting from the bottom

John turned professional in 2007.

Prior to turning pro, he was picked for the Walker Cup – the equivalent of the Ryder Cup for amateur golfers.

But turning professional meant rising up through the rankings again. He uses the analogy of a football team being promoted up the divisions to the Premier League.

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In his first year, he played the Euro Tour which offers a first prize of £10,000.

For John, turning professional took some getting used to. In particular, the difference in standard of courses.

“That took a bit of adapting, because the courses are different from amateur golf.

“In amateur golf, you tend to play links golf courses that are keep it in play, shoot level par because the conditions are hard.

“Whereas, in pro golf, the courses are longer and you needed to make a lot more birdies to shoot lower scores. That took a little bit of adapting to.”

Despite the difference in courses, John says there was not a huge difference in the standard of golfers.

However, there is more pressure – which is key to those that do well.

“You could almost say that the amateur league is better than the bottom of the pro-league.

“But then there is a lot more pressure, because now it’s your livelihood.”

Making a living for golfers is about performance and the tour that they are competing in.

The higher up the ladder, the more money there is to win.

By 2009, John had seen a few promotions up the rankings and found himself on the European Tour.

At this stage, aged 23, he is playing in front of crowds and television cameras as there is more attention on the competition and those competing in it.

“When you’re that young, you don’t really think about it.

“You’re just like: ‘this is good’. I was living at home still and it was something that I always wanted to do. You just get on with it.

“Plus, within reason, I had done it from such a young age and I had done a little bit of travelling. It just becomes normality.”

Starting again after covid

But John’s career has not always been an upward trajectory.

In the year before the covid pandemic, he was relegated down the rankings twice.

He had to start from the bottom league, where it’s difficult for golfers to make ends meet.

“First of all you have got to find your form. That’s the hard bit, because you know how hard it is to get all the way back up.

“But the hardest bit was the year I was going to play on the bottom tour again covid hit and they cancelled the tour.”

During the pandemic, John was forced to play in one-day events to make a living. 

The competitions were pay to enter and sometimes saw 30 players competing for prize money – which in some cases was as little as £1,000.

“It was a real grind.”

The pandemic showed how a lot of golfers have to perform in order to make a living.

John makes the comparison with professional footballers, where most are under contract – although they can see their wages drop if they are relegated.

“The difference with golf is you have to perform, because no one is paying you. You have to do well. You’re not under a contract, unless you get a sponsorship, so you are always having to play well to earn a living.”

Competing in the Open

Perhaps John’s biggest achievements are making it into two US Opens and a British Open.

The latter, which took place last year, saw him go up against the likes of Tiger Woods and Bryson DeChambeau.

The major was John’s first British Open where he competed to make the cut to play at St Andrews in Scotland.

Golfer John Parry

John going through his final Open preparation at St Andrews. Pic: Harrogate Gold Club

For John, the tournament was a chance to test his metal against the big names.

The major was an eye opener, particularly witnessing the likes of Woods playing on the same course.

He described watching top golfers apply their trade as like “playing a tournament like a practice round” as they “didn’t care about the outcome of each shot”.

“For me, it’s the mentality of them. I think you could say that for most sports.

“You could look at how professional they are and if they do anything to look a lot better, but for me it’s got to be the mentality.”

The experience playing alongside big name golfers was a milestone for John.

The journey from being six years old and chipping it around a local golf course to competing to make the cut against multiple major winners is one to tell the grandkids about.

Some golfers may see playing alongside Tiger Woods as a chance to compete against their idols.

But Woods doesn’t even factor into John’s role models.

Instead, he points to Spanish two-time major winner Jose Maria Olazabal and his golf coach Mark Moore as among those who helped him.

John remembers watching Olazabal win the 1994 Masters, which has stuck with him to this day.

But perhaps his biggest inspiration was his brother, who is now a professional golf coach in Australia.

“I think the best thing for me growing up was having an older brother who is four years older than me.

“When you first start out, you think: ‘he’s better than me’. That was one of the big things for me. There’s nothing worse than losing to your brother.”

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

Harrogate and Knaresborough trains face bank holiday strikes

Passengers in the Harrogate and Knaresborough area are set to face further train strikes this bank holiday weekend.

Members of the ASLEF and RMT unions will be carrying out industrial action tomorrow (August 26) in a dispute over pay.

It means no trains will run through Harrogate and Knaresborough tomorrow.

This will affect people travelling to York Races for the Ebor meeting, which includes the prestigious Ebor Handicap.

Knaresborough train station rail

Knaresborough station

Northern has also urged passengers to check before they travel on Sunday (August 27) as train services will start later.

Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said: 

“We know these RMT strikes will cause disruption to the general public.

“Whilst this is only a one-day strike, it falls right in the middle of the busy August bank holiday weekend and will impact people trying to get to major events taking place across region, including Manchester United and Everton football fixtures, York Races, Leeds Festival, Creamfields and Manchester Pride.

“The RMT is still refusing to put the latest pay offer negotiated on behalf of train operators to a vote by their members and it is unfortunate that these strikes continue for their second summer.”

Meanwhile, further union strike action will be taken on September 1 and September 2.

Mick Lynch, general secretary at the RMT Union, said:

“The mood among our members remains solid and determined in our national dispute over pay, job security and working conditions.”

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