Knaresborough Pure Gym confirms May opening date

Pure Gym has confirmed it will open in Knaresborough on May 19.

The gym, on the site of the former Lidl supermarket on York Road in Knaresborough, is already inviting locals to sign up for membership.

Pure Gym first revealed it was planning to take on the Knaresborough site last March. In November, it said it planned to be open by March this year but this has been pushed back by two months.

The new gym is set to offer 220 pieces of fitness equipment, certified personal trainers, cardio and weights area and a fitness studio.

The site is set to create nine new jobs and provide free car parking.

A spokesperson for Pure Gym, said: 

“We are delighted to be bringing the UK’s favourite gym to Knaresborough.

“Our newest gym will offer members high-quality, low-cost fitness facilities and provide them with access to state-of-the-art equipment to use to achieve their fitness goals whenever they choose.

“We look forward to welcoming new members to PureGym Knaresborough – look out for our opening offer.”

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The York Road site was previously a Lidl supermarket until 2018. During covid, it was used as a vaccination site by Homecare Pharmacy Services until it moved to larger premises on nearby Chain Lane in September.

The Pure Gym in Knaresborough will open at midday on May 19.

Business Breakfast: Harrogate businesswoman wins lifetime achievement award

It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. The fourth in our series of networking events, with Banyan Bar & Kitchen, is a breakfast event on April 27 from 8am.

Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

A Harrogate businesswoman has won a lifetime achievement award.

Sue Cawthray, who is chief executive of Harrogate Neighbours, was praised for her service to care catering at the Public Sector Catering Awards 2023.

The ceremony, which was held at the London Hilton Metropole on April 13, saw Ms Cawthray given the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The awards celebrate the best catering operators working across schools, hospitals, care homes, universities, prisons, catering colleges and the military.

Ms Cawthray said:

“I am absolutely shocked and did not expect it. 

“I am just so grateful that I have been given the opportunity to do the job I do every day. I believe at Harrogate Neighbours we make a difference to people’s lives every day.”

She added:

“I have the most amazing team at Harrogate Neighbours who are dedicated and hardworking.

“I am just so grateful for the work they put in as well as their dedication and commitment because we do it together.”

Knaresborough not-for-profit exceeds numeracy scheme targets

A Knaresborough not-for-profit organisation has celebrated reaching its annual target for a numeracy scheme.

Better Connect launched its Multiply programme as part of a government initiative to improve maths skills for people from all backgrounds.

The scheme is scheduled to run for three years.

The organisation has gone on to exceed its targets for the first year of the scheme and have helped over 450 adults across eight districts in North Yorkshire, as well as engaging over 250 local employers to get involved.

Emma Lyons, Multiply programme manager at Better Connect, said:

“We’ve just completed year one, and we’ve absolutely smashed it. There’s been such great provision by such great partners, and we are really excited to move the programme forward on to year two.

“We’ve got even bigger and even better, so watch this space.”

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Man arrested after weapons and drugs found at Starbeck property

A 19-year-old man has been arrested after police found weapons and drugs at a house in Starbeck.

North Yorkshire Police made the discovery after initially receiving a call on Thursday (April 13) from someone concerned for the welfare of a dog.

Officers attended the property and found a strong smell of cannabis at the address before conducting a search.

A police statement added:

“A search took place and officers uncovered a large kukri style knife and a telescopic baton. 

“A large bag of what is suspected to be a class B drug, scales and several mobile phones were also found.”

Police arrested a 19-year-old on suspicion of possession of offensive weapon in a private place, causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and possession with an intent to supply a class B drug.

He was interviewed and released under investigation.

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Follifoot primary school told to make improvements by inspectors

A primary school in Follifoot has been told to make changes by Ofsted after being rated as ‘requires improvement’ in its latest inspection.

Ofsted visited Follifoot Church of England Primary School on February 2 and 3 and published its report at the beginning of the Easter holiday. The school had previously been rated as “good”.

Four out of the five areas of inspection were rated as good. However, quality of education was graded as ‘requires improvement’.

Inspectors noted in the report that the school was welcoming, fostered pupils’ aspirations well and had high expectations for children, saying:

“Leaders foster pupils’ aspirations well. They have high expectations for every pupil to be successful. Older pupils value the opportunity to contribute to the life of the school through a range of different leadership roles, such as worship and play leaders.”

The report praised the way the pupils were prepared for life in modern Britain, with their personal development prioritised by the school’s leaders. Ofsted also found that leaders had a “good understanding” of the school’s strengths and weaknesses.

But its report that there was “too much variation” in the quality of education that pupils received.

The report said:

“Leaders have clearly identified the order in which pupils should learn important content. However, in some subjects, pupils have gaps in their knowledge and understanding. 

“This means that in some subjects, pupils cannot build on their previous learning because it is not secure.”

It added that some staff “lack expertise” when working with pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

It said:

“Some staff lack expertise in supporting pupils with SEND. This means that the support pupils with SEND receive is inconsistent.

“Leaders should ensure that they continue to ensure that all relevant staff access high-quality training to support pupils with SEND.”

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The school, which has 56 pupils, was given a ‘good’ rating at its last full Ofsted inspection in April 2016.

In response to the latest rating, Rebecca Holland, headteacher at the school, said:

“The report has recognised so many of the strengths at Follifoot CE Primary School. Leadership and management, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and EYFS were all graded as good. 

“The inspection report provides clarity as to the position of the school in terms of the quality of education in February and a firm foundation for everyone in our Follifoot (and Federation) team to build on. 

“As the new headteacher, I am pleased that the inspection team confirmed our priorities are the right ones and that improvements have been made in a short space of time’.”

Meanwhile, David Harrington, chair of governors at the school, said:

“The governing body is proud of the commitment shown by all our staff at Follifoot. We are pleased with the number of positive comments made in the Ofsted report which reflect both the hard work of our staff and the progress which the school has made since Mrs Holland became Headteacher in September 2022. 

“Ofsted’s revised inspection framework rightly sets high standards for our curriculum and for the quality of education that we provide to our children. 

“The governing body is confident that the improvements sought by Ofsted in these areas can be delivered quickly and that Mrs Holland will continue to raise standards across the school.”

Newby Hall plans solar panel scheme to generate renewable energy

Newby Hall Estate near Ripon has tabled plans for a solar panel scheme to help generate renewable energy.

In proposals submitted to North Yorkshire Council, the estate has earmarked arable land outside the historic park and gardens for the project.

It would see four rows of solar panels installed which would generate 142,145kW hours per annum.

The estate estimates that the scheme could save 28.5 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.

In documents submitted to the council, Carter Jonas, which is acting on behalf of Newby Hall, said the proposal was designed to complement the estate’s existing hydroelectric scheme in the River Ure.

It said:

“The proposed solar scheme is designed so that when the hydroelectric scheme isn’t generating as much energy in the summer, the solar panels will provide an additional renewable supply. 

“During summer, the water levels in the river typically reduced, meaning sometimes the hydro scheme does not run at all – this season is when the demand for the visitor attraction peaks and therefore the generation profile from solar will complement the hydroelectric scheme.”

North Yorkshire Council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.

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New Harrogate planning committee to meet for first time

A new planning committee for Harrogate is set to meet for the first time next week.

Councillors on Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Planning Committee will hold their first meeting, which will see decisions made on two proposals.

The committee was formed after the abolition of Harrogate Borough Council more than two weeks ago.

On Tuesday, April 25, it will meet for the first time under North Yorkshire Council at Harrogate Civic Centre, the former headquarters of HBC on St Luke’s Avenue.

As part of the meeting, councillors will consider two applications.

The first, which has been submitted by Abacus Properties Ltd, proposes the demolition of a pallet store at Jubilee Court in Copgrove in order to relocate the store.

Meanwhile, a further application from Abacus plans to form a car park and landscaping scheme at the same site on Wath Lane.

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Both proposals are recommended for approval by council officers.

The meeting will be chaired by Liberal Democrat Cllr Pat Marsh, who was elected chair of the committee last month.

Following her election, she said:

“I am keen to make sure Harrogate and Knaresborough get the right planning decisions.

“It is about having local knowledge that can make all the difference. I have done 33 years of planning none stop and been involved in formulating four Local Plans.

“I have never chaired a planning committee but I think I have a few years’ experience to bring to the role and I am looking forward to that new role.”

The Harrogate committee will make decisions on proposals for 500 homes or less in the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency area.

A second committee called the strategic planning committee, which will hold meetings in Northallerton, will deal with major proposals, such as plans for 500 or more homes and employment sites.

Plans for Ripon will be overseen by the Ripon and Skipton Area Constituency Committee.

Plan for 60 homes in Sharow approved

A plan to build 60 new homes in Sharow has been approved.

Non-profit developer Broadacres Housing Association Limited, which is based in Northallerton, submitted a joint proposal with V&A Homes (Yorkshire) in November to Harrogate Borough Council for land off Dishforth Road.

It proposed to build 60 houses in the area, 24 of which would be affordable homes. The rest would be open market homes.

Now, North Yorkshire Council, which replaced the borough council on April 1, has approved the plan.

The plans come after permission was granted for a housing scheme on the site in 2020, but has since lapsed.

The revised proposal sees a mix of one, two, three and four bed semi-detached houses as well as several three, four and five bed detached dwellings. 

All the houses would have parking provisions and a pocket park will be on site. 

In documents submitted to the council, Broadacres said:

“Land to the south of Dishforth Road, Sharow offers a unique opportunity to provide housing and community uses in a logical and sustainable location that would bring benefits to the village and those who live there today and in the future.”

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Harrogate hospital advertises for new chief executive

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust is advertising for a new chief executive.

Steve Russell left the role last year to take up a secondment at NHS England as director for covid and flu vaccinations.

In December, it was confirmed Mr Russel had taken up a position as director of vaccination and screening permanently and would not be returning to Harrogate.

The trust, which runs both Harrogate District Hospital and Ripon Community Hospital, has been overseen by acting chief executive Jonathan Coulter since February 2022.

A notice on the trust’s website advertising the role closes on April 26 with interviews due to take place on May 10 and 11.

No details of salary is included. However, Mr Coulter is paid a salary of £181,000.

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The role requires a candidate to have five years’ experience at board or director level and to ensure the trust’s services are “safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led”.

The move to appoint a new chief executive comes as the trust tackles long waiting lists, A&E waiting times and junior doctors strikes.

Last month, the Care Quality Commission also rated Harrogate hospital’s maternity services as “requires improvement”.

However, Mr Coulter said the rating was “not a fair reflection” of the service.

Business Breakfast: Harrogate property specialists move to new office

It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. The fourth in our series of networking events, with Banyan Bar & Kitchen, is a breakfast event on April 27 from 8am.

Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

Land and property specialist Strutt and Parker has moved to new offices in Harrogate town centre.

The business, which has been based in Princes Square for nearly 50 years, has moved to a new premises at Westgate House on Albert Street.

Nick Bramley, senior director at the firm, said the move will help Strutt and Parker continue to offer a “high quality” service in the district.

He said:

“This is an exciting opportunity for us as a team and reinforces Strutt & Parker long-standing commitment to the town of Harrogate and our business operation across the North of England.

“The location of the new office is fantastic and the space on offer will provide a first-class working environment for our growing team. Having a new office which our team and clients enjoy spending time in will help us to continue to deliver high-quality estate agency and rural services across Yorkshire and neighbouring counties.”

The new office will have 16 staff led by director James Wort who has been helping buyers and sellers move for nearly 25 years.

The Harrogate office also offers land management services to estates, farms and other rural business owners.

Harrogate rental company reports ‘good progress’ despite inflation

A Harrogate-based rental company has reported “good progress” since its last round of results.

In a trading update, Vp, which is based at Central House on Beckwith Knowle, said the firm has shown “resilience and growth” despite soaring inflation and volatile markets.

The update added that it expects to report results for the full year in line with the board’s expectations.

In its last round of results which covered the six months up to September 2022, Vp reported revenues of £186.5 million compared with £176.1 million on the same period last year.

Neil Stothard, chief executive of Vp, said: 

“Since we reported our interim results last November, the group has continued to make good progress across our core markets and we are pleased that our performance for the full year will be in line with the Board’s expectations.

“In the period, we have worked hard to successfully mitigate cost inflationary pressures and we believe that the group is well placed to optimise performance in the current environment.  We are confident that we will continue to deliver value growth for our shareholders and will be able to react quickly to both challenges and opportunities as specific markets recover.”

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Rudding Park refurbishment plan ‘could generate £14m’, say owners

A plan to renovate a golf and country club at Rudding Park estate could generate an economic benefit of £14 million a year to Harrogate, its owners have said.

The hotel and spa has formally submitted plans to North Yorkshire Council for the project.

It includes proposals to replace the current golf club, upgrade the family hub and create outdoor tennis courts and a pavilion.

It would also see the county’s first five-star country club created and restore the estate’s walled garden.

In documents submitted to the council, estate agents Carter Jonas, which is representing the hotel, said the move would contribute an additional economic impact of £14.3 million a year through employment, suppliers and tourism spend.

Masterplan of the renovations as proposed by Rudding Park.

It would also create 75 new jobs.

Simon Mackaness, owner of Rudding Park, said in a statement to the council:

“This application is an integral part of Rudding Park’s continuing programme for improvement and investment in the facilities so we can continue to fulfil our role as a responsible steward of the estate.

“To remain the jewel in the crown for Harrogate tourism, Rudding Park must develop these high-quality fitness, sports, leisure and recreational spaces to complement the hotel, spa and house and the legacy of the last 50 years development.”

North Yorkshire Council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

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