Harrogate personal trainer ends classes after more than 30 years

A personal trainer from Harrogate has decided to end his classes after more than 30 years due to coronavirus restrictions.

Ray Thomson started Pulse Beats circuit training in 1989. He has taught thousands over the years and has done most of his classes in recent years at Harrogate Grammar School.

But with tough requirements on indoor exercise Mr Thomson does not believe that his classes are viable anymore. He will still continue with his sports and posture massages.

When Ray Thomson made the announcement he was inundated with messages of support and memories from his former students.

A fancy dress picture from the archives in the 1990s.

Mr Thomson said:

“I wanted to leave a legacy where people fondly remember the classes as a place where they had fun.

“Exercise should never be a chore, it should be something you enjoy.

“One of my favourite memories was when we had a noise complaint from one of our neighbours. We were whooping and hollering when he was watching Coronation Street.”

When the Stray Ferret asked Mr Thomson if he would ever start the classes again, he said “never say never” but added that now was not the time.

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Mr Thomson also raised fears about Harrogate’s exercise industry after the news that one of his former colleagues was forced to put Gambaru fitness into liquidation.

He added that the exercise industry has been hit by coronavirus and there will be more closures to come but he believes that a resurgance will follow.

West Park Stray opening is ‘frankly dangerous,’ says SDA

The Stray Defence Association (SDA) has written to the council to call West Park Stray “frankly dangerous” – after it opened to the public for the first time in 11 months.

Harrogate Borough Council took the orange fencing down today to allow people back onto the grass. It has spent £130,000 on its restoration.

The council said that the West Park Stray would be “returned to its former glory” following the UCI World Championships when the work started earlier this year.

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However, the SDA has said that the opening yesterday was premature and called for the council to carry out an immediate inspection of the grounds.

Judy D’Arcy Thompson, chair of the SDA, has written a strongly worded letter to the leader of Harrogate Borough Council:

“Whilst, from a distance the area looks beautifully green and as though it could be back to its former glory, it is far from it. Whilst the Stray Defence Association is most anxious to have the Stray reopened to the public as soon as possible it must only be at a time when it is safe to allow full access for any habitual activity.”

Mrs Thompson fears that people playing sports on West Park Stray could “severely injure themselves” by falling on one of a “large number of stones” and that “the stones themselves were never present on the surface prior to the reparations”.

She also raised concerns about “tyre tracks” and “dips in the grounds” as well as “old divots or sods of the previous grass which was not cleared before reseeding”.

When restrictions were lifted for the UCI Championships to be held, the council was given a legal duty to return the Stray to how it was before the event.

The Stray Ferret has contacted Harrogate Borough Council for a response to the SDA’s letter.

Harrogate district care homes report one more coronavirus death

Harrogate district care homes have reported one more coronavirus death in the latest weekly figures – meaning they have reported three deaths in four weeks.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures today, which cover up until July 31, show that care homes across the district have reported 107 deaths where coronavirus is the cause of death.

The figures also reveal that there have been five deaths at home, one death at a hospice, and two more deaths at “other communal establishments”, since the start of the outbreak.

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Meanwhile, Harrogate District NHS Foundation Trust remains at 82 coronavirus deaths. The coronavirus positive death happened there on July 15.

The hospital reported a couple of weeks ago that it did not have any coronavirus patients. For that reason, the Stray Ferret paused its daily reporting of the coronavirus statistics.

However, this week’s ONS data revealed that there have been seven extra deaths at the hospital where covid is mentioned on the death certificate. However, they are not part of the official statistics, which only include cases where the virus is the cause of death.

Terminal cancer diagnosis inspires Harrogate art teacher

An art teacher from Harrogate who has a terminal cancer diagnosis will use her last exhibition to raise money for the staff who tried to save her life.

Sharon Tinayre Carrick is well-known as a teacher at Rosset Adult Learning centre, where she gets students to use art to improve their wellbeing.

The bowel cancer diagnosis doctors gave her last year meant that she had no work to do so needed something to occupy her time. Sharon found that she needed to practice what she had taught.

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Months of treatment did not work for Sharon and resulted in her body rejecting anything the doctors at the Sir Robert Ogden Macmillian Centre would try to treat her with.

Mrs Carrick, who signs her work by her middle name Tinayre, used her experience with cancer and her bucket list and 50th birthday trip to Venice as inspiration.

Gallopers by Tinayre

The “Was I really there!” is a mixture of different mediums from the start of her cancer diagnosis leading up to Sharon’s trip to Venice.

Art in the Mill in Knaresborough will host the exhibition from August 28 to September 11. All profits will go towards the Sir Robert Ogden Macmillian Centre.

Sharon Carrick told the Stray Ferret while on treatment at St Michael’s Hospice:

“We had planned to hold the exhibition earlier in the year but had to postpone because of coronavirus, so that was really tough. My terminal diagnosis came on the same day that I got the date for my new exhibition. I hope that I can make it to the show.”

Harrogate high speed police chase ends in crash and arrest

A high speed police chase in Harrogate last night ended in a crash and the arrest of a 19-year-old suspected burglar.

Earlier in the night, at around 2.45am, burglars entered a house on St Helen’s Road before fleeing in a Mercedes parked on the driveway.

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Just 15 minutes later North Yorkshire Police took a second report of a ‘two in one’ burglary on St Clement’s Road where another Mercedes was reported stolen.

The police started to chase the car which drove off at speed along Hookstone Chase and Forest Moor Road, causing damage to parked cars. It crashed on Thistle Hill in Knaresborough.

@NYPDogSection and @HarrogatePolice assist in area search. We continue patrol and find Male suspected to be involved. #arrested sus burglary and other offences. #OperationalSupport @teamnyp 2/2 pic.twitter.com/65QqOl486Y

— NYP Operational Support Unit (@NYPRoadCrime) August 10, 2020

Shortly after, the police arrested a 19-year-old man from the Harrogate area and took him into custody where he remains for questioning.

North Yorkshire Police has asked anyone with information or footage from last night to call them on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Use North Yorkshire Police reference numbers 12200137651 for the St Helen’s Road burglary and 12200137663 for the St Clement’s Road burglary,

Plans for micropub at Knaresborough train station

A new micropub could soon open at Knaresborough’s train station to serve up real ale and gin.

The Track and Sleeper would take over a couple of vacant units at the station if the plans submitted to Harrogate Borough Council are approved.

Housed in a Grade II listed building dating back to 1865, there will be much interest in any redevelopment plans. The council document describes the alterations for the micropub as “sympathetic to both the external and internal aspects of the building”.

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Track and Sleeper plans

This is what it could look like, according to plans submitted with the application

Knaresborough Civic Society wrote in support of the plans but raised concerns about drinking and smoking on the platform. It also requested that the pub restores the existing fireplace and uses it as an open fire, something the society said was more in keeping with the building.

The deadline for comments on the application is August 12. Find the plans on the Harrogate Borough Council website.

Harrogate Lib Dems campaign to abandon plans for devolution

Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats have launched a petition today calling for plans of a mega council and executive mayor to be abandonded.

The “Hands Off Harrogate” campaign argues that the district should make its own decisions and run its own services.

It also says that councillors as far away as Scarborough would be “out of touch” with concerns in the Harrogate district.

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Councillors from the local Lib Dems have urged residents to sign the petition on their website.

Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“Harrogate Conservatives are too busy fighting one another to stand up for residents in our district, with council leader Richard Cooper writing articles in the press, criticising his Tory colleagues. At such a difficult time, with many residents really suffering from the effects of coronavirus, do we really need to be going through a massive local government reorganisation that could cost taxpayers millions and disrupt vital local services?”

Cllr Marsh also called for Andrew Jones to “stand up for our area” on devolution. The MP has yet to comment publicly on the proposals.

Judith Rogerson, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson, added:

“Nobody in Harrogate and Knaresborough will think a huge new council is acceptable. If we have to have local government reorganisation the most sensible solution would be to create a unitary council covering just the present Harrogate district. There are similar sized authorities in other parts of Yorkshire & the Humber.”

Harrogate 16-year-old girl missing for five days

A 16-year-old girl has been missing from Harrogate for five days and is believed to be in the Leeds area moving around hotels.

Casey Ackerley has been described as white, approximately 5ft 6in tall and of slim build.

She has very long, light, brown hair and was last seen wearing a salmon pink tracksuit and white trainers.

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North Yorkshire Police has passed the case onto West Yorkshire Police and has urged the public to share any information with the neighbouring force.

To share information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 – quoting 12200132258 as the police reference number.

Family tribute to former Ripon soldier after fatal crash

The family of a former soldier have released an emotional tribute after he died in a crash near Ripon.

Kieran Rafferty, 60, was born in Fife in Scotland but he was young when his parents moved to Stoke-on-Trent and he attended school there.

He joined the armed forces and travelled the world before he worked for his family business for more than 30 years.

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Mr Rafferty settled in Ripon and was married for 25 years. He leaves behind his partner Debs and his dogs Nardie and Ozzy. The family said he will be “terribly missed”.

As well as his family, Kieran was well known for his love of music and particular passion for Northern Soul. He also enjoyed cars and motorbikes and was a firm believer in compassion for animals.

Keiran was driving a red Lexus coupe at the time

Keiran was driving a red Lexus coupe at the time.

Kieran Rafferty died on July 25 at around 9.20pm when the vehicle he was driving left the road.

He was driving his red Lexus coupe along the A61 near the village of Skipton-on-Swale from the Busby Stoop roundabout.

North Yorkshire Police has appealed for any witnesses to the crash to contact Nicola Gill by email and quote reference 12200127493.

Harrogate Town open top bus tour route this weekend

Harrogate Town has released the timings for its open top bus tour route this weekend to celebrate the club’s promotion to the football league.

The 35-minute tour around Harrogate will start at the CNG Stadium on Wetherby Road at 12.05pm, with the trophy on display.

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Here are the full timings for Saturday’s celebration:

🚍 | We can confirm an open top bus will be travelling through Town this Saturday thanks to @harrogatebus!

We'll be starting around midday, but will confirm final timings and route shortly…#ProudToBeTown pic.twitter.com/LEL13ehuA9

— Harrogate Town AFC (@HarrogateTown) August 6, 2020

Irving Weaver, Harrogate Town’s chairman, mentioned the tour at last night’s Harrogate Borough Council meeting, before the official announcement. He told the councillors that he hoped promotion would bring a boost to Harrogate’s economy – something badly needed after the coronavirus lockdown.

“Let’s hope together that Harrogate Town can be promoted ever further. It is in the best interests of Harrogate. I hope that bigger away crowds will start to spend money in the town and let’s all hope that we can keep putting Harrogate on the map. We have got a parade organised for this Saturday and we will have the trophy on display then.”

A 3-1 win over Notts County at Wembley last weekend saw the club win their second promotion in three seasons.

Fans flocked to pubs across Harrogate to watch their side make history but the open top bus tour will be the first big opportunity to celebrate.

The Harrogate Bus Company CEO Alex Hornby added:

“We at The Harrogate Bus Company are delighted to be able to offer a bus to Harrogate Town Football Club so the players can have a fitting celebration for their tremendous achievement. It’s going to be a three mile moving tour running right around Harrogate, with the bus decorated in celebration of the team, and will give everyone the chance to enjoy seeing the players lift their trophy in and around the town.”