Two Harrogate neighbours have come together to develop an app to connect people with local businesses still open for delivery.

Sanjay Parekh and Stephanie Carson got the idea after setting up a WhatsApp group for their street during the lockdown period.

The app has had over a thousand installations and mainly on Harrogate-based businesses, particularly those that can deliver food and drink.

Businesses must also be able to take pre-orders or be still open to the public for shopping while abiding the social distancing rules.

Stephanie and Sanjay said: “We want people to be able to support their local businesses, just as the local businesses support their community. The team has been really cheered by the level of interest, with over a thousand installs, since launching on Facebook and Twitter earlier this week. The support from the local businesses and Harrogate residents has been very positive. People start by asking us how much it costs and are really pleased when we tell them it is free. The easy to use app brings together information on individual businesses in one place.”

Heather Parry, Managing Director from Fodder added: “This is a great idea – everything that helps people get great quality food is hugely helpful – well done with this initiative. We will get through this crisis by relying on each other and our amazing farmers for growing, rearing and producing amazing food. We should all virtually hug a farmer as we enjoy amazing local food.”

Find the app and reach the developers by visiting the website. Just click or tap here.

Harrogate District Hospital has reported that two more of its patients who tested positive for coronavirus have died.

One of the patients died on Wednesday while the other patient died on Thursday.

It comes as a further 738 people died after testing positive for coronavirus across hospitals in England.

The patients were aged between 32 and 101 years old.

30 of the 738 patients, who were aged between 34 and 92 years old, had no known underlying health conditions.

Another 109 patients died in hospitals across Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said yesterday that so far 51 of its patients have recovered from coronavirus. The hospital will release the number of recoveries every Thursday.

The number of deaths in the Harrogate district now stands at 28, though these only include people who have been tested and treated in hospital. Any which happened elsewhere, such as care homes, would not be tested so are not counted in official figures.

People have raised nearly £4,500 to pay towards the funeral of a nurse who died with coronavirus after treating patients at Harrogate District Hospital.

Zauma Ekoli, who was 55 and had five children, died on Monday at Leeds General Infirmary after working on a coronavirus wards in Harrogate.

Now 250 people have raised £4,410 out of £8,000 at the time of publication on a Facebook fundraiser to pay for the nurse’s funeral.

Several also left touching tributes on the page calling Josie a “kind and caring person with a heart of gold.”

Emma Macpherson added: “Nothing was ever too much trouble for her and she touched the hearts of everybody that she worked with. We will all miss her so so much. Fly high with the angels.”

Tessya Tsaty Mabiala said: “Please donate to this cause for this wonderful woman. She was a strong, caring and kind-hearted soul who always found the best in everyone. She died trying to save others from this merciless virus.”

Zauma Ekoli was 55 and had five children.

Daughter Naomie said her mother called the provisions of personal protective equipment (PPE) available “poor” but said her mother continued to work in the job that “meant everything to her”.

The hospital said it has sufficient supplies of PPE and that they are getting regular deliveries.

The tulips are blooming in Harrogate’s town centre. The council’s planting team have done a fabulous job.

North Yorkshire Police and Harrogate BID has warned businesses to clear their shop fronts as the coronavirus lockdown is officially extended by another three weeks.

There has not been a rise in the number of break-ins like other places around the country but business owners are being asked to take precautionary measures.

Some businesses have already cleared their shop fronts and even boarded up their windows to prevent crime.

Alex Sellars, an adviser to the Harrogate BID board, said:

“People in Harrogate have on the whole been very responsible with keeping to the government’s guidance regarding social isolation and they have my thanks for their efforts. With businesses closed and this reduced footfall in the town, we want to ensure town centre properties are as secure as possible, and not a target for the criminals looking for easy pickings.”

Harrogate BID has released the following guidance to prevent businesses from becoming the target of criminals:

• If you don’t have security shutters, remove all stock from shop windows
• Fit security cameras (which can be purchased reasonably cheap on-line) and place within key areas- Please refer to https://ico.org.uk/. to make sure that any camera installation is registered legally and correctly.
• If cameras are internet-enabled, make sure you have a reliable and secure connection
• Put up notices to say premises are being monitored by a security company
• Ensure the property is security marked
• If you have external lights, leave them on or replace with motion-sensitive ones
• Make sure mortice locks are at least five-lever and comply with your insurance company specifications
• Ensure all windows are properly secured
• Report any suspicious activity to the police
• Ensure your alarm has been serviced and is operating correctly.
• Email the police at general.enquiries@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk with your up to date key holder details to ensure that the police and other emergency services can provide an effective response to alarms sounding at your premises.

There was a huge show of support for carers at Harrogate District Hospital. The police and fire service turned up to make some noise.

A whole host of famous faces including Vic Reeves, Ainsley Harriott, and Chris Kamara have welcomed staff as they begin their inductions at Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber.

The NHS has not yet revealed when the hospital will open but the Harrogate Convention Centre has been a hive of activity for the past couple of weeks.

Actor Neil Granger and local hotelier Simon Cotton started work on the video just two days ago and used their connections to reach out to celebrities worldwide with connections to Yorkshire.

Simon told the Stray Ferret: “We have had so much support and everyone was so willing to say thank you to those on the frontline. We have had around two dozen more messages since we finished work on the video but we wanted to get it out there today when there is so much love for the NHS. We are going to be creating another video with messages from Sir Patrick Stewart, Alan Carr and Josh Widdicombe just to name a few.”

NHS and army staff have been working alongside BAM Construction “around the clock” to get the 500-bed facility up and running.

Eight of the convention centre’s halls will be used to accommodate level three critical care beds for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Harrogate District Hospital has reported that another one of its patients who tested positive for coronavirus has died, as the number of confirmed cases in North Yorkshire passes 500.

However, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has for the first time released figures for the number of people who have been treated and discharged. As of today, 51 people who had been admitted to the hospital have gone home.

pic.twitter.com/Ew1l1irgNr

— Harrogate NHS FT (@HarrogateNHSFT) April 16, 2020

The latest patient died on Tuesday and was announced with a further 740 people across England today. Scotland reported 80 deaths, Wales recorded 32 and Northern Ireland reported 18.

Patients were aged between 28 and 103 years old. 40 of the 740 patients, who were aged between 45 and 93 years old, had no known underlying health condition.

Of the 740 deaths, the North East and Yorkshire region made up one of the largest proportion with 150 deaths.

As of today, there are 532 confirmed cases in North Yorkshire. A jump from 486 cases yesterday. Wednesday also marked the first time Harrogate hospital did not report a coronavirus death in 12 days.

The number of deaths in the Harrogate district now stands at 26, though these only include people who have been tested and treated in hospital. Any which happened elsewhere, such as care homes, would not be tested so are not counted in official figures.

Harrogate’s cherry blossoms are now out in full force on the Stray.

North Yorkshire Police has handed out 153 fines to people flouting the coronavirus lockdown rules.

The force has also spoken to thousands of people and taken 2,000 reports from people detailing suspected breaches.

Some of the incidents include people getting drunk and others gathering for a barbeque in Scarborough as well as a couple camping in the North Yorkshire Moors.

Ten of the fines have been issued to parents or guardians for failing to keep their children under control.

The police issued the majority of fines to residents of North Yorkshire as well as 42% who had travelled to the county.

A breakdown of fines across North Yorkshire revealed that the majority of fines were handed out in the Scarborough district.

• Craven District – 20
• Hambleton District – 25
• Harrogate District – 6
• Richmondshire District – 6
• Ryedale District – 5
• Scarborough District – 44
• Selby District – 15
• City of York – 32

Men appear to be the worse culprit for breaking the lockdown rules with 126 fines compared to 27 issued to women. While those under the age of 35, especially those under 25, make up the majority of fines.

• 18 – 25: 68 fines issued
• 26 – 35: 49 fines issued
• 36 – 45: 19 fines issued
• 46 – 55: 10 fines issued
• 56 – 65: 4 fines issued
• 65 and over: 3 fines issued

North Yorkshire Police issued 91 of the 153 fines over the four-day Easter bank holiday weekend.

Assistant Chief Constable Mike Walker, said:

“Most people understand the gravity of the situation we face, most people are moved by the tragic stories we have seen, and most people have stayed at home. Yes there have been pockets of breaches across the county, but the majority of people have listened. Each area is different and each area brings its own challenges, for example, all of the fines issued in the Craven area, the home of the Yorkshire Dales, were issued to visitors, whereas in Scarborough and York, the majority of fines were issued to residents.”