A Harrogate woman found a sick pigeon on James Street and instead of walking by decided to rescue it and nuture it back to health.

Hayley Norman, who works for local charity Carers’ Resource, was moved when she saw a rather sad looking young bird on James Street.

At first she decided to leave the bird with the assumption that its parents would come back to care for it.

Three days and plenty of rain later Hayley decided to go back and see if the pigeon was still there. It was and looking in a worse state.

Armed with a shoe box Hayley managed to scoop up the young pigeon, who she has named James after the street where she found it, and took it home.

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With days of hand feeding and keeping James warm, Hayley managed to find him a professional in Pickering to help eventually release it. She told the Stray Ferret:

“I rang a vet for some advice. They said that I could bring it in and they would put it to sleep. That’s not what I wanted to do so I decided to take on its care myself. When I rescued it I am sure some people thought I looked crazy. Normally I would just walk past but I couldn’t this time.”

Would Hayley do it again? Absolutely. It might not be for everyone but there are plenty of groups online dedicated to pigeon rescue.

The RSPB’s advice tells people that it is rarely possible to catch injured birds and warns that careless handling may cause further injury.

A care home in Harrogate has adopted new technology in the fight to save lives from coronavirus this winter.

Vida Grange, which is a specialist dementia home in Pannal, has installed alcohol gel-secreting door pads to limit the spread of coronavirus among staff and residents.

The pads are designed to kill germs on doors, which can help to protect people from coronavirus. They could be particularly useful in care homes, where many residents struggle to remember the importance of hand hygiene.

Yorkshire company Surfaceskins, which created the pads last year, has seen a global spike in interest in the pads. But this is the first home in the Harrogate district to introduce them.

Adam Walker, Surfaceskins inventor, with James Rycroft, the managing director of Vida Healthcare, at Vida Grange in Pannal today. They are seen holding the pads.

At an event today at Vida Grange to mark the deal, James Rycroft, the managing director of Vida Healthcare, which owns Vida Grange, described the pads as a “welcome addition to our armoury”, He added:

“Sometimes people forget to use the alcohol gel but you can’t escape the Surfaceskins.

“The coronavirus pandemic took the world by surprise so we are trying to do all we can to protect our residents and staff.”

Read more:

• Care home visits in district may be allowed after October
• Harrogate hospital prepares for winter with 100 coronavirus beds

Mr Rycroft said new technologies and strict procedures were helping to protect residents.

Some staff at the care home have tested positive for coronavirus in recent weeks but, so far, none have passed the virus on.

Adam Walker, one of the inventors of Surfaceskins and a Harrogate resident, said:

“This product does not clean your hands but it is designed to keep itself sterile. We still need people to use gel dispensers and wash their hands. However, if you do that and use a dirty door you could still infect yourself. The Surfaceskin helps clean hands stay clean. It is a vital missing link.”

Mr Walker added the product was not a knee-jerk reaction to coronavirus. He said he came up with the idea about 10 years ago.

North Yorkshire has retained the dubious honour of being the UK’s worst blackspot for killing birds of prey – a grim title it has retained for a decade.

Birdcrime 2019, a report by the RSPB, said the county had the highest number of raptor persecution incidents in the UK. It was responsible for 15 of the 85 confirmed cases.

Many of the case studies the RSPB cited were recorded in Nidderdale.

In 2019, a hen harrier was found shot dead on a grouse moor in Nidderdale. The bird, named River, had a tracking device and had two pieces of shot lodged in its body.

In the same year a red kite was also found poisoned just outside of Pateley Bridge.

The killings have continued into 2020, with the shooting of a buzzard, the poisoning of a red kite and a dog all near the town.

Read more:

• Grouse shooting in Nidderdale: barbaric or necessary?
• Six suspected poisonings of birds of prey in Nidderdale
• ‘Nidderdale cocktail’ found in poisoned dogs in Pateley Bridge

The report highlights how many birds of prey in the UK are shot, trapped or poisoned, despite it being a criminal offence.

The charity said there had been a spike in incidents since lockdown and called for stronger regulation, including a review of grouse shooting.

North Yorkshire Police has issued several appeals for information about the killings of birds of prey but have found it difficult to prosecute.

A bull, which escaped from a farm over the weekend, was shot dead yesterday after it roamed on to Pannal Golf Club and became aggressive.

Some players felt the animal’s presence uncomfortably close before the police turned up at about 11am.

The Stray Ferret spoke to a golfer, who asked to be referred to as Shed, who had to play a shot a mere 30 yards from the bull. He said:

“We saw how the bull had been racing around the course. There were marks all over. Then we got to the 12th and we saw the bull in the woods. I needed to play a shot from quite close and it was starting to scratch at the ground in agitation. I still managed to hit the ball and it was quite a good shot.”

The bull’s owner, who had been keeping a close eye on the animal from a quad bike, told police it had pre-existing health conditions.

According to North Yorkshire Police, the farmer suggested the “most humane course of action was to put it down”.

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• Harrogate’s Muslim community raises £85,000 for first Mosque

The police cleared the golf course and sent everyone to the club house before officers worked with a slaughterman to kill the bull.

A spokesperson for the force said the bull had pre-existing health conditions, adding:

“The animal was clearly distressed and was becoming aggressive towards members of the public. Officers were worried it could injure someone or cause a serious collision if it ran onto the main road nearby.”

Dahlias that smell like chocolate, pink sunflowers and bright blue poppies. It may not be what you think of when you imagine a wasteland but this florist has transformed her small space in Ripon into a blooming oasis for flowers and wildlife.

The Secret Garden, which is – as the name suggests – hidden away just off Studley Road in the city, is trying to change people’s perceptions of flowers.

Victoria Ramshaw started the project four years ago to try and increase biodiversity. Unlike other flower farms, The Secret Garden is a wave of different colours.

The Secret Garden needs 24 hours notice to pick out the perfect bunch.

Someone looking to grab a quick bunch of flowers may need to look elsewhere as Victoria needs a full day’s notice to head out to the garden and pick out the perfect bouquet.

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• Colourful donut shop is a Harrogate ‘hidden gem’
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Victoria’s flowers don’t need any insecticides, any air miles or any plastic. She told the Stray Ferret:

“Florists are used to working with thousands of one type of flower but I don’t think it’s right. What I do is honest and natural. The people who like it really enjoy what I do. I am not here to make a big profit – I am just trying to get by doing something I love.”

The Secret Garden may have only a modest following online, but she gets great reviews from fashion designers, brides to be and those wanting to send gifts to their loved ones.

The former wasteland has been transformed in just a few years.

Coronavirus lockdown has been difficult for lots of businesses but Victoria says that The Secret Garden has seen a spike of interest since summer.

She is trying to get people to enjoy the space she has built more and more. She also plans to host photography and art workshops inspired by the flowers, the wildlife and the river.

Another one of The Secret Garden’s more long term plans is to install glamping pods and renovate an airstream caravan so people can connect with the outdoors.

This is part of the Stray Ferret’s ‘hidden gem’ series. We are trying to highlight 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.

Harrogate’s growing Muslim community has raised £85,000 to open the district’s first Mosque.

The Harrogate Islamic Association (HIA) normally meets in Christian churches or community centres but soon could have a space to call its own.

While the group does not expect to have a big meeting soon, it hopes to have the former Nidderdale Children’s Resource Centre in Starbeck ready for Ramadan next year.

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The group, which was established in 2011, has been looking for a place to convert into a Mosque for years until it found the “Goldilocks” building.

It was just the right size and the Muslim owner offered it to the group at a sizeable discount.

With 80% of the asking price already accounted for and a deadline of the end of September, the HIA went public with a fundraiser just a few weeks ago.

This former children’s centre in Starbeck could soon become a Mosque.

Zahed Amanullah, the fundraising campaign organiser, said the HIA saw an “amazing response” with some individuals donating thousands of pounds. He told the Stray Ferret:

“The building is perfect for us. We would only need to knock down one wall and decorate. We still need to get through planning but the dream is to have it open and in use by around March to April next year for Ramadan.”

The HIA plans for the Mosque to be a welcoming space for the entire community and has already had discussions with its future neighbours about how they could use it.

A new Harrogate-based provider will take over Henshaws residential services as the charity struggles with its finances.

Homes Together, which has run care homes for the last 16 years, will now run the service which includes seven homes in Harrogate and one in Knaresborough.

The Henshaws Residential Care service provides 24/7 for disabled adults.

It is different to the part time care of Henshaws supported living services, which North Yorkshire County Council is preparing to run.

North Yorkshire County Council is said to be supportive of the Residential Care transfer.

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• County council proposes taking over Henshaws homes service
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The chief executive at Henshaws, Nick Marr, said today that the charity was “very distressed” to cease operation of the homes service:

“But we can no longer sustain the costs of our residential services. We will do everything we can to ensure continuity for our residents. It is critical to Henshaws that the service remains intact and continues with a recognised provider.

“Therefore, we are very pleased that a decision has been made to transfer the services to Homes Together.”

Steve Jones, who runs Homes Together, was previously the principal at Henshaws College. Many of his former students now live in the residential service.

Henshaws has invited its service users, parents and carers to take part in face-to-face or virtual meetings to raise any questions they might have.

All staff who currently work in the homes service have the opportunity to transfer on their existing terms to Homes Together.

Mr Marr added that despite “months of effort” Henshaws was unable to make the homes service sustainable.

The charity’s latest financial accounts detailed how in the year up to August 2018 it spent £12.3 million – which is £1 million more than its income.

No further accounts have been published by the organisation. The Stray Ferret has approached North Yorkshire County Council for a comment.

Killinghall CE Primary School has welcomed students back today after someone at the school tested positive for coronavirus.

The school, on Otley Road in Killinghall, said today its hot lunch service is not available due to reduced staffing.

Headteacher Sarah Bassitt also thanked parents for collecting their children at short notice yesterday lunchtime. She reiterated that the coronavirus case is not connected to any of the pupils.

Read more:

• Killinghall school closes after positive coronavirus case
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• Harrogate High School reports covid case

The headteacher’s letter from yesterday said the school had identified a “very small” number of staff who had “close contact” with the individual concerned.

Stuart Carlton, the corporate director of children and young people’s services at North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“There are no other cases within the school and we hope the person affected enjoys a speedy recovery. Our schools remain very safe places.

“Killinghall is only one of four schools that have closed since the beginning of this school year out of hundreds of education settings which we are supporting in North Yorkshire.

Mr Carlton added that the council takes rapid and timely action whenever there are coronavirus cases in schools and said “we are working with 44 settings”.

Just seven weeks remain to raise a further £115,000 to build a community woodland between Harrogate and Knaresborough.

So far, the volunteers behind the Long Lands Common project have raised £186,000 towards their £300,000 goal.

If they manage to pass that figure by November 20 they will consider trying to raise another £75,000 to improve access to the woodland.

Long Lands Common is 30 acres of open farmland surrounded by fields and hedgerows between Bilton Triangle and The Avenue in Starbeck.

A duck pond, wildflower meadow, sensory garden and woodlands craft area are all included in the plans.

Read more:

• Public support vital for Harrogate’s first community woodland
• Take a look at what might be Harrogate’s first community woodland

It is an ambitious target but the organisers behind the project remain confident they will reach it.

Chris Kitson, one of the organisers and a teacher, told the Stray Ferret:

“We are confident but we are not complacent. It is going very well but we need people to buy more shares. There are 700 people who have put down a pledge but not yet bought any shares.”

To increase support, the organisers plan to deliver 48,000 leaflets and have asked volunteers to come forward.

Anyone interested in volunteering can email Long Lands Common by clicking or tapping here.

Shares in Long Lands Common need to be bought by people aged over 16 in £50 lots, with the minimum amount set at £50 up to a maximum of £37,500.

To learn more and buy shares, go to the Long Lands Common website.

The project received help recently in the form of £35,000 match funding from the Community Shares Booster Programme.

Harrogate TSB will close next month, with the bank attributing the move to a shift in customers to online banking.

The branch on Oxford Street, which was part of the first wave of 82 TSB closures announced last year, will close on November 27 .

TSB has since announced a further 164 branch closures as part of plans to save £100 million by 2022.

When the Harrogate branch closes, the nearest TSB bank will be in Leeds.

Read more:

• Central Harrogate bank to close by December
• Knaresborough’s only bank to remain open for time being
• Plan for a home at former Knaresborough high street bank

A TSB review into the use of the Harrogate branch found 73 customers visited it regularly each month.

It also revealed weekly transactions had gone up in 2019 compared to the same time in 2016.

A notice in the bank’s window.

Debbie Crosbie, chief executive of TSB, said:

“We are reshaping our business to transform the customer experience and set us up for the future. This means having the right balance between branches on the high street and our digital platforms, enabling us to offer the very best experience for our personal and business customers across the UK.”

Another central Harrogate bank, The Co-operative Bank, is due to close by December 1. The Co-op also blamed a drop in footfall for it closure.