Scarborough could drag Harrogate district into tier three

There are fears the Harrogate district could be dragged into a higher tier of coronavirus restrictions amid rising infections elsewhere in the county.

Scarborough is a particular concern as the seven-day average rate of infection has shot up to 254 per 100,000 people from about 150 a week ago.

The area also has the highest positive rates in the whole of the north east of England.

The Harrogate district has 86 infections per 100,000 people. It has remained at about the 90 mark for a few weeks now.

North Yorkshire is currently in tier two. But the possibility of dividing the county into different tiers was raised at a coronavirus press briefing this morning.

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Richard Webb, the corporate director of health and adult services at North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“There has been a dramatic increase of cases in Scarborough. Particularly scary as the increases are among children and those in their 30s.

“People are mixing indoors there. They put themselves and the whole area at risk.”

Asked about the next tier review on December 30, Mr Webb said “up until now” local health leaders had not expected any change to the county’s tier two status.

But he added cases were rising in parts of the county and the door remained open to splitting North Yorkshire into different tiers.

The government highlighted Scarborough as “the most concerning area” in North Yorkshire when it reviewed the tiers last week. Case rates have almost doubled since then.

Back then the government review concluded the “trajectory [did] not warrant tier three” but last weekend’s events highlighted how quickly things can change.

Local health leaders told the forum no confirmed cases of the new coronavirus strain had been recorded in the county but nevertheless they acknowledged it could already be here.

Skipton Road misery continues with return of gas works

The dreaded Skipton Road gas works will return next month bringing more misery for motorists in Harrogate.

Northern Gas Networks started work in July to replace just under a kilometre of decades old metal gas pipes with plastic.

Many months on with no end in sight North Yorkshire County Council told the gas distributor to pause the works in October.

However, the works will restart on January 4 and are due to finish on March 5. It will cover the stretch of road from the fire station to the junction with Regent Avenue.

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A diversion will be in place but previously there has been a lot of traffic in the area with a four-way traffic system.

That four-way system will be replaced by a two-way system when it returns next month.

Most of the work will be done in the street and engineers will follow safe distance working rules of at least two metres where possible.

Russ Kaye, the business operations lead for Northern Gas Networks, said:

“We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused during these essential works.

“It is vital we now complete this postponed project as soon as possible in order to continue to maintain a safe and reliable gas supply.

“We want to assure residents and road users that we will be working hard to complete this scheme as safely and as quickly as possible.”

It was painful for drivers in the area who had been forced to sit in traffic but it was worse for Bilton Working Men’s Club.

The club even filed a claim against Northern Gas Networks for loss of earnings caused by the long-running roadworks.

Harrogate sisters’ literary lunches go global in lockdown

Two Harrogate sisters who were initially hit hard by lockdown say their literary lunches business has bloomed in the last year.

Sibh Megson and Beth Hocking set up Gliterary Lunches in 2006 out of a love for good books, food and company.

The pair took their unique events to cities across the country to work with authors like Lionel Shriver, Jodi Picoult and Tony Parsons.

Coronavirus hit the events industry hard this year but Gliterary Lunches moved online to lift peoples’ spirits.

Initially free to attend, the Gliterary Lunch Hour raised £3,600 for the charity MIND.

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Authors and customers have gotten involved from around the world including New York, Sydney Singapore and Stockholm.

Sibh said the attendance has grown rapidly since the first online events:

“Having to cancel our spring programme of events meant we needed to find new ways to keep the business buoyant and our customer base close.

“Our first paid-for event in September was for 100 people, and we are now hosting over 300 which is a rapid growth in numbers.

“Authors are delighted with the opportunity to talk to readers as they can’t attend the usual round of promotional events.”

Beth added that the events are no longer limited in any way:

“We have been pushed to be more creative and think outside the box, and get to grips with the technology.

“We are no longer limited by geography or capacity, and our corporates are now able to entertain their clients from all over Europe.

“We’re very aware how the situation is hitting businesses hard and we’re mindful just how lucky we are.”

Tickets cost £10 per person to attend the Gliterary Lunches or £35 per person, which includes a bottle of Prosecco, chocolates and a signed copy of the book.

Find out more by clicking or tapping here.

Mum and daughter team behind floral Ripon ‘hidden gem’

A strong mum and daughter team with a keen eye for detail and flair for showstopping centrepieces are behind this hidden gem of florist.

Barbara Yates opened Flower Design on North Street in Ripon 35 years ago with the help of her young daughter, now Sarah Moore.

The pair may have been in the same spot for all those years but people are still stumbling across their shop, whether in person or online.

Over the years the business has changed. Since leaving the Interflora florist scheme, they say they have been able to design bouquets that are unique.

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Weddings have been a big part of Flower Design in recent years. The florist, in an ordinary year, would supply flowers for around 70 weddings.

That side of the business has been decimated in 2020, but the sales of house plants and wreaths have flourished.

Sarah Moore told the Stray Ferret what has kept her happy in the shop after more than three decades:

“It is the look on people’s faces actually. The feedback you get from people when they see the flowers, that’s a really big thing.

“You will find us on wedding days working as early 3am , it is a lot of work. We have to do a lot of prep work and we have to make the arches in situ.

“It can difficult living up to the expectations of brides but we enjoy it because it makes everything different.

“We have our differences as a mum and daughter team but we are lucky because we do gel quite well and we have our separate areas.”

While Sarah’s mum Barbara started the business 35 years ago she has another 25 years of experience under her belt. She added:

“It always need to be cold in here but people always come in and say how lovely the flowers smell. We can’t smell much because we’re used to it though.

“People say they can smell it down the road when we have the doors open in the summer. That’s how some find our shop.”

This is part of the Stray Ferret’s ‘hidden gem’ series, highlighting small, independent businesses. They need to be tucked away but growing in popularity with an eye-catching and unique product or approach. Send us an email with your nominations.

Just 11 coronavirus cases in Harrogate district

The Harrogate district has recorded just 11 more coronavirus cases in the daily figures today.

It is one of the lowest daily increases since the second wave of the pandemic but remains above the cases reported in tier one areas.

So far, the Public Health England figures for the district total 3,939 since early March.

Harrogate District Hospital has not reported any further coronavirus deaths since December 12. On that day the hospital reached 106 deaths.

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The seven-day average rate of cases for the district is at 93 per 100,000. For North Yorkshire, the number is 116. Scarborough has the highest rates in the county at 214.

The Harrogate district learned this week that it will remain in tier two after the first government review of the national tier rules.

Tier rules are based on factors such as infection rates, particularly in the over 60s, and pressure on hospitals.

Case rates in the Harrogate district remain more than double those in tier one areas.

Harrogate gallery ‘Giraffle’ raises £1,000 for food bank

A Harrogate gallery has raised £1,000 for the town’s Trussell Trust food bank with a “Giraffle.”

Watermark Gallery, on Royal Parade, sold 200 tickets at £5 each and pulled the name of the winner today.

A six-year-old boy called Dominic, and whose parents own Westmorland Sheepskins just up the road, won the top prize created by illustrator Jane Ray.

Jane created the five-feet tall paper mache giraffe based on the main character of a book called “Zeraffa Girraffa.”

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Just as the character of that book travelled far to her new home in Paris, Zeraffa toured the Harrogate district in past few months.

The giraffe took pride of place in the windows of Catherine Smith Vintage, Bespoke Eyewear, Westmorland Sheepskins and the Little Ripon Bookshop.

When Dominic found out that he had won Zeraffa he jumped for joy out in the town centre. Anna Martola, of the Watermark Gallery, told the Stray Ferret:

“It is a real treat that it is going to someone who is going to love it, and a little boy just like in the story of Zeraffa.

“I mean it took Jane three weeks to paint and her original art pieces go for between £1,000 and £7,000 so it’s definitely a little investment.”

Liz Hawkes, owner of the Watermark Gallery, previously said:

“Zeraffa was a real talking point in the window of our gallery, and we had countless enquiries about buying her.

“I think people saw her as a ray of sunshine during a somewhat challenging time.”

Infection rates in Harrogate district ‘too high for tier one’

Local health and police leaders have acknowledged there will be disappointment in the Harrogate district at the news that it will stay in tier two.

Infection rates across North Yorkshire fell rapidly from mid-November but have plateaued lately at a rate that is still five times higher than it was in the summer.

After announcing the tier decisions this morning, the government released a written explanation on how it reached its verdict for North Yorkshire, which describes the outlook in the county as ‘improving’.

Besides the county’s overall infection rate, other key factors in determining the tier level include infection rates in people aged over 60, which are described as ‘stable or decreasing’.

Another factor is hospital coronavirus admissions, which are decreasing steadily. The government explanation said:

“The epidemiology indicators are too high for allocation to tier one but the trajectory does currently not warrant inclusion in tier three.”

The explanation highlights Scarborough as the most concerning area of North Yorkshire because infection rates are above 150 people per 100,000.

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Richard Flinton, chair of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which is a partnership of organisations tackling emergencies in the county, said:

“We know there will be some disappointment in areas where rates are lower, that we remain in tier two as a whole county.

“But we can see that rates of reduction have flattened out and in some areas have risen again and our priority has to be about keeping our people safe.

“If we have to stay in tier two to achieve it then we must work to the government’s tiering plan.”

Christmas bubbles

Amanda Bloor, the accountable officer for North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, which buys health services for the county, added:

“Colleagues across the NHS continue to do a phenomenal job to provide health services for the people of North Yorkshire and York.

“Even though there will be a brief and specific relaxation of government guidance over the holiday period we are urging people to make sensible choices.

“Your choices now will help protect NHS services for those who need them most this winter.”

Chief inspector Charlotte Bloxham, silver lead for North Yorkshire Police’s covid response asked people to “carefully consider their own situation” and “make an informed decision based on their own personal circumstances” regarding Christmas arrangements. She added:

“If you have vulnerable people in your family, please consider carefully whether forming a Christmas bubble with them is the right thing to do.

“There will be no exemption period in place for New Year’s Eve celebrations, so it may be an idea to plan now for a quiet end to 2020.”

Harrogate district remains in tier two

The Harrogate district will remain in tier two after the first government review of the national tier rules.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock made the announcement in the House of Commons this morning.

But there was disappointment for West Yorkshire, including Leeds, which was hoping to move down from tier three to tier two.

This could have implications for local pubs and restaurants, as well as policing, which have had to deal with people flouting the rules and travelling to North Yorkshire for a night out.

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Tier rules are based on factors such as infection rates, particularly in the over 60s, and pressure on hospitals.

Case rates in the Harrogate district remain more than double those in tier one areas.

The Harrogate district currently has a rate of 84 infections per 100,000 people compared to 25.9 per 100,000 in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, which is in tier one.

What are the rules in tier two?

Tier two:

What about Christmas?

Coronavirus restrictions will be eased in England between December 23 and December 27.

Three households will be able to form a temporary bubble. It must be fixed but there will be no limit on numbers joining bubble.

Those who are self-isolating should not join one of these so-called Christmas bubbles.

If someone is in an at-risk group the government has said they must use their own judgement and consider the risks of mixing over Christmas.

Harrogate restaurant offers free meals for homeless people

An independent Harrogate restaurant is stepping up to the plate once again and offering free meals for homeless people on Christmas Day.

Portofino Ristorante will open from 2pm to 4pm to serve a full turkey dinner for anyone without a roof over their head.

As well as the food, those in need will also come away with a Christmas gift in the form of gloves, hats, scarves or sleeping bags.

Ozgur Babat, owner of the Italian restaurant Portofino, told the Stray Ferret:

“Many businesses are struggling right now but we are lucky enough to be in a position to help others.

“The response has been incredible, so many people have shared it online so hopefully we can reach those people in need.”

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With the help of charitable people locally the restaurant is already at full capacity for winter clothes and sleeping bags.

The restaurant will serve turkey with pigs in blankets, stuffing, seasonal vegetables, roast potatoes and gravy from its new Christmas menu.

The restaurant has been inundated with donations.

Coronavirus guidelines means that everyone will have to sit on a seperate table, so there will be room for around 25 people.

Since sharing the news on the Portofino Ristorante page, people have shared the post more than 1,000 times.

North Yorkshire schools told to not close early for Christmas

Schools in North Yorkshire have been told to not close early for Christmas, despite fears over the potential spread of coronavirus.

Two schools approached North Yorkshire County Council requesting early closure but their bids were rejected.

Most schools in the county will close on Friday, although 45 will finish a day earlier so they can hold a teacher training day.

Amanda Newbold, assistant director for education and skills at NYCC, said at a coronavirus press briefing today:

“We had two schools discussing whether they would close prior to this date. We have discouraged them from doing so.

“They should only close because of close contacts and isolation reasons so we are really pleased that the majority are staying open.”

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School attendance in the county is currently at about 89%. This figure has remained consistent over the last couple of weeks.

The briefing also revealed 19 schools are partially closed to year groups or bubbles.

It also emerged there are 184 patients in hospitals in North Yorkshire, with 22 of them in Harrogate.

While the county-wide bed numbers are 17 lower than this time last week, there was an increase of 10 patients yesterday.

The Harrogate district recorded a further 36 coronavirus cases today, the highest figure since November 23 when there were 37 cases.