Sainsbury’s sets opening date for Harrogate town centre store

Sainsbury’s has confirmed that its new store in Harrogate town centre will finally open next month.

The Sainsbury’s Local on Cambridge Street will welcome customers on January 13. The supermarket chain had hoped to open in the summer but only received planning permission in July.

The store will create about 25 jobs and some roles are still available.

Surplus food from the store will go to Harrogate District Foodbank, which has partnered with Sainsbury’s to help those who need it most.

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New store manager Simon Wilton said:

“I’m delighted to confirm the opening date for our new store and we’re really looking forward to welcoming customers from next month. My colleagues and I are working hard to get everything ready for opening.

“It’s been a fantastic team effort so far and we can’t wait to bring our passion for food and brilliant customer service to Cambridge Street.”

The development will bring the former Topshop unit at 33-37 Cambridge Street back into use after four years.

The developer plans to split the building into three separate units. Sainsbury’s occupies the largest on the left side.

Skipton Building Society is also planning to move in but it is unclear at this stage which business will take on the third unit.

Harrogate train line boost with extra service every hour

Northern has introduced an additional service on the Leeds, Harrogate and York line, meaning there will now be two trains every hour.

The train provider held a launch event yesterday at Knaresborough station, which is one of the stations to benefit from the extra capacity.

Representatives from North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council, York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership and Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones attended.

Network Rail carried out a £9.8 million upgrade of the signalling system and track layout to facilitate extra trains this time last year.

York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership secured £9.6m for the work from the government’s Local Growth Fund.

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Mr Jones said:

“This investment in local rail is much-needed and welcomed.

“The signalling upgrade and the improvement project will see more and faster services operating between Leeds, Harrogate and York.

“This is one more in a long list of improvements in our rail services which have seen more direct services to and from London and improved rolling stock on the local line.

“It is fantastic news that we have been able to double the capacity on this section of the line.”

North Yorkshire County Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, said:

“This timetable improvement, which owes much to the county council’s £10m track and signals upgrade scheme of last year, complements our transport priority of improving east-west connectivity across the county and region.

“The enhanced timetable is another step towards encouraging people to use public transport rather than their cars. It also supports the visitor economy and anticipates growth in residential and commercial development along the A59 corridor.”

Pictured are: (left to right) Andrew Jones MP, David Dickson (chair of York and North Yorkshire LEP), Cllr Don Mackenzie (North Yorkshire County Council), Tony Baxter (Northern regional director) and Wallace Sampson (Chief Exec at Harrogate Borough Council).

Four Harrogate district parish councils join campaign for 20mph limit

A prominent environmental campaigner from Harrogate is urging more parish councils to support an initiative to reduce some speeds limits from 30mph to 20mph.

Malcolm Margolis has been lobbying parish councils since September to join the 20’s Plenty for Us movement.

The movement consists of 500 local groups campaigning for 20mph to be normal on residential streets and in town and village centres

So far, four parish councils in the Harrogate district have signed up for the initiative. They include Bishop Thornton, Shaw Mills and Warsill, Tockwith with Wilstrop, Goldborough and Flaxby and Haverah Park with Beckwithshaw which have pledged support to 20’s Plenty.

Malcolm Margolis

Mr Margolis said he does not believe every 30 mph limit should be reduced to 20mph but that the move would be welcome on roads where people live, work and go to school. He told the Stray Ferret:

“I am definitely hoping to get more parish councils signed up. There are a few councils which will be debating the matter at their next meetings.

“We are confident there is huge, overwhelming support across North Yorkshire. Not only would it save lives but it would also reduce air pollution.

“I do not understand the reasons North Yorkshire County Council has given as to why it could not do this. It would not cost very much and would be policed as much as 30mph roads.

“Unfortunately all that is stopping the movement is a few people, mainly politicians.”

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However, North Yorkshire County Council, which is the highways authority, said it has consulted with North Yorkshire Police and other interested parties and does not believe speed reductions would be appropriate.

Karl Battersby, corporate director of business and environmental services, said:

“We are committed to making the network as safe and accessible as possible for all road users and will continue to talk to communities to consider options to allay road safety concerns.

“A revised 20mph speed limit policy is currently going through its approval process following a review by a task group set up by the Transport, Economy and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

“This review, which reported its conclusions this year, heard from traffic engineers, road safety and public health officers, North Yorkshire Police and the 20’s Plenty campaign group.

“The task group resolved that it is not appropriate to apply a countywide default 20mph speed limit.”

Mr Battersby added that speed is not a major cause of collisions in North Yorkshire and that it would require significant investment, as well as future maintenance costs.

Harrogate transplant patient completes 850-mile charity walk

A double transplant patient from Harrogate received a warm welcome at the hospital today when he completed a year-long 850-mile charity walk.

Mark Smith, who received a new kidney and pancreas, is a keen walker and has completed various challenges raising £17,000 in total but this latest feat was his most difficult yet.

Hospital staff, representatives of Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity, as well as Harrogate borough mayor and mayoress Trevor and Janet Chapman cheered as he arrived at the hospital this afternoon.

His 850-mile target represented the 850 million people who suffer with kidney disease across the world.

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His latest challenge has raised £615 for Kidney Care UK and Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity. You can donate by clicking or tapping here.

Mr Smith told the Stray Ferret:

“My favourite walk was a 23-mile walk from my home in Jennyfields. I first went to Ripley then all the way out to Birstwith and then to Winksley and back. I got some ice cream on the way.

“It’s about determination and resilience. You can’t think about the ‘what ifs’. Life is short. The transplants have not stopped me and neither have my other conditions.

“When you go on the organ donor register you are not just saving someone’s life but you give them the chance to lead a better life they never imagined.”

Harrogate district vaccine centres could open on Christmas Day

Vaccination centres in the Harrogate district could open on Christmas Day and Boxing Day as part of the government drive to offer all adults a booster by the end of the year.

Firefighters are delivering vaccines in another bid to speed up the programme, public health officials in North Yorkshire revealed at a press conference today.

The officials said things were changing “very rapidly” across the country and although there were still no confirmed cases of the Omicron variant in the Harrogate district, they added it was likely to be present and spreading fast.

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Amanda Bloor, the accountable officer for the North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, told the press conference:

“The NHS is already experiencing high demand from patients. I would continue to ask people to be patient and respectful.

“We are expecting that a number of staff leave will be cancelled to mitigate the continued pressures. They are going to be working longer hours to get everyone through.

“In terms of the booster programme. This is the most complex phase yet, we are now moving with pace. We are looking at how best to increase capacity.

“All sites are increasing capacity on a daily basis. You can now access a vaccine very early in the morning to very late at night.

“We anticipate sites being open across the county every day except Christmas Day and Boxing Day but if we need to look at demand on those days we will do so.”

We have compiled a list of the sites in the Harrogate district where you can get a vaccine. You can see it by clicking or tapping here.

Harrogate District Hospital is set to open a vaccine centre tomorrow, which will only have capacity for booked appointments.

It is unclear how many vaccinations the hospital will administer a day or what times it will be open.

Harrogate domestic abuse charity sees referrals triple due to covid

The founder of a Harrogate domestic abuse charity has blamed coronavirus for an increase in domestic abuse after the number of referrals tripled in a year.

Lindsay Oliver is chief executive of New Beginnings, which provides comfort and support to abused women when they have settled into new homes and the crisis team has withdrawn.

This time last year the charity took two referrals a month. More recently it has been receiving on average six a month.

The number of active clients over the same period has also more than doubled, from 15 to 35.

That increase in referrals and clients, Ms Oliver believes, is the after-effects of coronavirus lockdowns this year and last year. She told the Stray Ferret:

“We are just now starting to see the outcome of coronavirus. Many people need support but the Harrogate district has been so generous.

“It’s very difficult, particularly at Christmas. Part of the abuse is financial so these women often have lots of debt so struggle to buy gifts and a nice meal.

“With donations from the community and businesses we work with Roots and Fruits (Harrogate greengrocers) to provide our families with a big hamper of food and a turkey.

“Not only are we able to provide food with the support of our amazing community but we are also able to give them gifts, not just for the children but for the women too.”

Some of the donations for the Christmas campaign.

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Where can I go for further support?

If you are in a physical or emotionally abusive relationship, click here to contact IDAS, which is the largest charity in Yorkshire supporting people affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence.

If you’re out of an abusive relationship but need further support, you can self-refer to New Beginnings. Email enquiries@newbeginningspeersupport.com.

‘Severe weather’ delays Otley Road cycle path in Harrogate

North Yorkshire County Council said today that severe weather had delayed completion of the first phase of the Otley Road cycle path in Harrogate.

The first phase of the much delayed scheme was due to finish today. It has focused on creating the cycle path from Harlow Moor Road to Arthur’s Avenue.

The council, which is the highways authority, said today the majority of work on the footpath and carriageway will be completed by tomorrow.

It added the roads and footways around the construction works will reopen on Saturday for Christmas and New Year while the council pauses the scheme.

New permanent traffic signals are expected to be in operation from Monday and over the Christmas period.

The remaining phase one cycle path works will restart in the week commencing January 3 and are now due to finish by January 14.

A press release issued by the council today said “recent severe weather conditions have delayed completion of the cycle path”.

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Highways area manager Melisa Burnham said:

“We have made every effort to complete the work, but the weather has been against us.

“We will lift the works over the holiday period for the convenience of residents and aim to complete the work quickly in January, though this again will be subject to weather conditions.”

Phases two and three

Work on the second phase, which will cover Harlow Moor Road to Beech Grove, is set to start in March.

It is unclear when phase three, from Harlow Moor Road to Cardale Park, will start. That stretch of the cycle lane relies on developer funding from housing built in the west of Harrogate.

The county council is currently working on various plans, including a feasibility study, for phase three.

The cycleway aims to improve safety and alleviate congestion along the Otley Road corridor.

It will complement other schemes, such as the Beech Grove low traffic neighbourhood and future projects in the town centre, ultimately providing a cycle facility from the west of Harrogate to the town centre.

 

No vaccine passports: Harrogate Town prepares to reduce capacity

Harrogate Town have confirmed that there will be no requirement to show proof of coronavirus vaccination at the EnviroVent Stadium.

Under the government’s Plan B restrictions, unseated venues with more than 4,000 people need to check for a negative covid test result or an NHS covid pass.

The EnviroVent Stadium on Wetherby Road can hold up to 5,000 fans so it is just over that limit. However, attendance has not gone over the 3,500 mark so far this season.

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A spokesman for Harrogate Town told the Stray Ferret:

“If it came to it, we would cap ticket sales below 4,000, however we don’t foresee this being necessary with average numbers falling well below 4,000 this season to date.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and are still waiting on further advice, but will follow government, English Football League and local authority guidelines to ensure the safety of visitors and staff alike.

“We are encouraging face masks, hand washing and ask anyone with covid symptoms or living with anyone with covid symptoms not to visit the stadium.”

There is a mixed picture across League Two. Some clubs, like Harrogate Town, have opted for reduced capacity while others will ask for a covid pass.

The Witcher: First pictures of Harrogate district filming for major Netflix show

Two beauty spots in the Harrogate district are set to feature in the second series of a major Netflix show starring Henry Cavill as Geralt.

The Witcher, which has a cast and crew of around 250 people, was filmed at both Plumpton Rocks near Harrogate and Fountains Abbey near Ripon.

In the first series, most filming was done in countries such as Hungary, Austria and Spain. However, due to coronavirus restrictions Netflix had to look for locations in the UK.

In October last year, the Stray Ferret showed a picture taken by reader Jo McGregor at Fountains Abbey of a film crew in action. The National Trust would only say at the time it was a “major TV series”.

Ahead of the release of series two of the Witcher on Friday, the National Trust and the owner of Plumpton Rocks have now confirmed the details and released behind the scenes pictures.

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Justin Scully, general manager of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, said:

“It was great to see such an exciting amount of activity happening onsite last year. Filming for The Witcher was by far the largest scale filming we’ve ever had here.

“Our visitors really enjoyed seeing such a big production happening around the property and had fun guessing what was being filmed, which we had to keep confidential at the time.

“There was a huge amount of work that went on behind the scenes to make it all happen.

“We worked for months with the production team from Netflix as well as specialist filming conservators so that we could ensure the safety of visitors, staff and of course the abbey and water garden.”

The National Trust added that the location fees it received will be spent on essential work at Fountains Abbey.

Robert de Plumpton Hunter, who owns Plumpton Rocks and has spearheaded a major £700,000 renovation at the site over the last several years, told the Stray Ferret:

“Netflix brought a major crew for the Witcher to Plumpton Rocks, where they filmed for about two weeks.

“Particularly during coronavirus it was great for Harrogate’s economy. I am looking to forward to watching it.”

More pictures from behind the scenes:

A crew member uses a VFX ball to capture lighting information from the set within the ruins of Fountains Abbey. Photo: Netflix

An elaborate set and special effects light up the abbey ruins during a dramatic scene. Photo: Netflix

MyAnna Buring as Tissaia de Vries in the ruins of Fountains Abbey. Photo: Netflix

Harrogate’s showground vaccine centre expands

Harrogate’s vaccination centre at the Great Yorkshire Showground has expanded to accommodate more vaccinators as part of a push to meet the government’s ambitious booster target.

Overnight the team has increased the number of clinical pods to cater for four more vaccinators and five more administration staff.

It means that rather than administering 1,700 jabs in a day, the team will be able to give 2,000 jabs.

There is now also room for more walk-ins to wait inside in anticipation of the colder weather to come.

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Tim Yarrow, operations manager at Yorkshire Health Network, a federation of the 17 GP practices in the Harrogate and district that operates the showground vaccination site, told the Stray Ferret:

“Firstly, I would urge anyone over 30 to book an appointment and for all walk-ins to bring their NHS number. It saves the team so much time.

“I have been trying to manage the staff the best I can so they can cope and it’s safe. We have had an extremely busy four days, it was like a tidal wave at the weekend.”

Walk-ins are available between 9am and 4pm every day and not outside those times.