Yorkshire Water to spend £2.7m to improve Kirkby Malzeard beck

Yorkshire Water is set to spend £2.7 million on work to improve the water quality of a Kirkby Malzeard beck.

The firm said today the project, which will take place at the village’s wastewater treatment works, aims to reduce the levels of phosphorus in Kex Beck, which eventually joins the River Laver near Ripon.

High phosphorous levels, which are caused by issues such as sewage and agricultural run-off, can reduce water quality and lead to fish deaths.

The project, which will be delivered by engineering firm Tilbury Douglas, is part of Yorkshire Water’s £500 million investment into phosphorus removal across Yorkshire.

Project manager Simon Balding said:

“The quality of the water in our local rivers is incredibly important for the environment and to our customers.

“Reducing the amount of phosphorus entering the watercourse within treated wastewater is one of the ways in which we are committed to continuing to improve the health of our rivers.”

Phosphorus is often found in household products, including washing detergents and shampoo, as well as in land fertilisers.

The firm said it is an “essential part of many ecosystems” but can become damaging to human and animal life if left unmanaged.

The project, which Yorkshire Water said will “positively impact” around 7.5 miles of the Kex Beck watercourse, is set to begin next month and be completed by spring 2025.

It comes months after the firm announced a similar scheme at the Killinghall wastewater treatment works.

It said in November it would spend £19 million on new technologies to reduce phosphorous levels in the river Nidd.

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Papa Johns to close Starbeck restaurant

Papa Johns today announced the closure of 43 UK restaurants – including the Stonefall Avenue site in Starbeck.

The news comes after the company, which has 450 UK sites, revealed it was set to close “low-performing” branches as part of a new optimisation strategy.

In a press release today, Papa Johns said a review had identified 43 underperforming locations in the UK that were “no longer financially viable”.

They are set to close by the middle of May.

Chris Phylactou, managing director at Papa Johns UK, said:

“Our priority is our team members, who will be fully supported throughout this process. Our goal is to work with impacted team members and attempt to find redeployment opportunities where available. We understand the impact this will have on our team members and are committed to supporting them during this time.

“While this is a difficult decision, closing these underperforming locations will give us the opportunity to invest back into the right locations with the right partners for long-term growth.”

Papa Johns did not reveal how many staff members will be impacted by the move.

As well as Starbeck, branches in Leeds, Doncaster and Middlesborough are among the nearby locations affected.

Mr Phylactou added:

“We are focused on driving shared profitable growth across our UK restaurants, by continuing to make improvements to our business to ensure that we are well positioned for the future. We have been encouraged by the results so far from these initiatives.”

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Plan to convert Harrogate house into children’s home

A planning application has been submitted to convert a residential Harrogate house into a children’s home.

The change of use application, submitted by Jolyon McKay, was put to North Yorkshire Council last week.

It outlines proposals to turn Oak Back, a house on Ashgarth Court near Ashville College, into c2 classified housing – which refers to residential accommodation for people in need of care.

In a covering letter to the council, Mr McKay said:

“We aim to convert our family’s c3 [dwelling house] in to a c2 [residential child placement].

“This will cause no change to the exterior or interior of the property. The plan for the home will be to remain looking and feeling as if it were an average family home.”

The application adds there will “never be more than a maximum of three children living at the home in permanent residence”. It added that this was in order to “create a sense of family for the children”.

The children’s home would have four bedrooms and employ nine full-time staff.

North Yorkshire Council will make a decision on the application at a later date.

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Council-owned Brimhams Active to spend £8,000 on staff awards party

Council leisure company Brimhams Active is to spend at least £8,000 of public money on a staff awards ceremony this weekend.

Brimhams operates all leisure provision in the Harrogate district on behalf of North Yorkshire Council, including leisure centres in Harrogate, Ripon Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge, as well as Starbeck Baths.

A source alerted the Stray Ferret to Sunday’s event at the Pavilions of Harrogate. They added:

“I would think as a North Yorkshire Council-owned company, the council taxpayers’ money they have left at the end of a financial year would go back to the council rather than finding an excuse to spend it, particularly given the increases we’ve all had on our council tax bills this week.”

The new Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre

The Stray Ferret contacted North Yorkshire Council for further details of the event, including the cost.

Mark Tweedie, managing director of Brimhams Active, initially said costs had been “kept to a minimum by suppliers sponsoring the awards” but did not disclose a figure.

He added:

“Our annual people awards event is a fabulous opportunity to recognise and celebrate effort and achievement.

“The event itself helps our people who work day-to-day across different facilities to come together and connect. It plays a huge part in boosting morale, which in turn helps enhance workforce productivity.

“Up to 200 members of our team will attend the awards event at the Pavilions of Harrogate.”

When pressed for a figure, Mr Tweedie said:

“The venue hire and food is charged at £40 per person and we have 200 people attending. We are very careful in how we manage our budget. We believe this is a sound, proportionate investment in our people that helps to optimise people recruitment, retention and productivity for a business with a circa £8 million turnover.

“This investment serves to acknowledge and celebrate outstanding team and individual efforts that have delivered remarkable results, including overachieving in relation to footfall and budget and achievement of national accreditations (Quest and Water Wellbeing) within 2.5 years of the company’s inception.”

He added “the decorations are provided by staff” and the photographer and DJ were “providing their services in kind”.

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Brimhams to be abolished

Brimhams Active, which was set-up up by the now defunct Harrogate Borough Council, is due to be abolished after executive councillors decided to bring leisure provision back in-house in January.

The council’s current portfolio, which includes 19 leisure centres, 16 swimming pools, three wellbeing hubs, a nursery and Harrogate’s Turkish Baths, is run by five different operators.

But despite councillors stating the existing Brimhams model is “particularly advanced”, the leisure shake-up will see all these services moved to a single in-house operation.

The local authority believes the new structure will see a greater focus on health and wellbeing, provide more opportunities for people to participate and will focus on addressing inequalities.

It hopes the transition will be complete by 2028.

Council-owned Brimhams Active to spend £8,000 on staff awards party

Council leisure company Brimhams Active is to spend at least £8,000 of public money on a staff awards ceremony this weekend.

Brimhams operates all leisure provision in the Harrogate district on behalf of North Yorkshire Council, including leisure centres in Harrogate, Ripon Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge, as well as Starbeck Baths.

A source alerted the Stray Ferret to Sunday’s event at the Pavilions of Harrogate. They added:

“I would think as a North Yorkshire Council-owned company, the council taxpayers’ money they have left at the end of a financial year would go back to the council rather than finding an excuse to spend it, particularly given the increases we’ve all had on our council tax bills this week.”

The new Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre

The Stray Ferret contacted North Yorkshire Council for further details of the event, including the cost.

Mark Tweedie, managing director of Brimhams Active, initially said costs had been “kept to a minimum by suppliers sponsoring the awards” but did not disclose a figure.

He added:

“Our annual people awards event is a fabulous opportunity to recognise and celebrate effort and achievement.

“The event itself helps our people who work day-to-day across different facilities to come together and connect. It plays a huge part in boosting morale, which in turn helps enhance workforce productivity.

“Up to 200 members of our team will attend the awards event at the Pavilions of Harrogate.”

When pressed for a figure, Mr Tweedie said:

“The venue hire and food is charged at £40 per person and we have 200 people attending. We are very careful in how we manage our budget. We believe this is a sound, proportionate investment in our people that helps to optimise people recruitment, retention and productivity for a business with a circa £8 million turnover.

“This investment serves to acknowledge and celebrate outstanding team and individual efforts that have delivered remarkable results, including overachieving in relation to footfall and budget and achievement of national accreditations (Quest and Water Wellbeing) within 2.5 years of the company’s inception.”

He added “the decorations are provided by staff” and the photographer and DJ were “providing their services in kind”.

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Brimhams to be abolished

Brimhams Active, which was set-up up by the now defunct Harrogate Borough Council, is due to be abolished after executive councillors decided to bring leisure provision back in-house in January.

The council’s current portfolio, which includes 19 leisure centres, 16 swimming pools, three wellbeing hubs, a nursery and Harrogate’s Turkish Baths, is run by five different operators.

But despite councillors stating the existing Brimhams model is “particularly advanced”, the leisure shake-up will see all these services moved to a single in-house operation.

The local authority believes the new structure will see a greater focus on health and wellbeing, provide more opportunities for people to participate and will focus on addressing inequalities.

It hopes the transition will be complete by 2028.

Boroughbridge takeaway opens Harrogate branch

A Boroughbridge takeaway has opened a second branch in Harrogate.

Bozza Fodder, which was first established in the kitchen of the Fox and Hounds pub in 2019, began serving food at The Manhattan on Beech Avenue last Thursday.

Owner Mark Davies, who moved from Teeside to Boroughbridge, said he hopes to bring a taste of the northeast to north Yorkshire and introduce Harrogate residents to a “proper Teeside parmo”.

Mr Davies said he launched Bozza Fodder, which currently offers takeaway, eat-in and delivery services, after realising Boroughbridge “did not have a food delivery service of its own”.

He said after struggling to find IT work locally, he turned to the kitchen to develop his skills.

Mr Davies and his partner Rachael have since offered the town traditional takeaway-style food, including pizzas, burgers and wraps, which he said is “nearly all made in-house”.

Now embarking on a new venture in Harrogate, Mr Davies said:

“I play a lot of pool and started playing at the Manhattan club in Harrogate.

“When I told the owner about my venture in Boroughbridge, he too had an unused kitchen which we thought could be used to benefit us both.”

Bozza Fodder’s chicken parmo.

Bozza Fodder Harrogate also offers both eat-in and takeaway food, as well as delivery services around the centre of the town and as far as Jennyfields and Starbeck.

Chicken parmos, pizzas, gyros, toasted sandwiches and desserts are all available at the new Harrogate site.

Mr Davies said people can expect “the same great service we provide in Boroughbridge but with a few twists to the menu”, adding:

“It’s very exciting times and I’m looking forward to seeing new faces and getting good feedback. Harrogate is a big place, but we have equally big ambitions!

“My mum passed away not long after I started the business, and she always wanted me to do well.

“I’ve put my heart into it for her and I hope she’d be proud how far we have come.”

Both Bozza Fodder branches are open Monday to Friday, from 4pm to 10pm, and 1pm to 10pm on Saturdays.

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Harrogate GP surgeries to merge

Two Harrogate GP surgeries are set to merge towards the end of this year.

East Parade Surgery and Park Parade Surgery, which are both located on the same floor of the Mowbray Square Medical Centre on Myrtle Square, announced the move today.

The practices said in a statement the surgeries already “work closely together and share several teams and services” .

It added the partners Emma Keating and Sarah Wilkinson felt a single, larger practice will allow them to “pool the skills of team members to create an organisation equipped to survive and thrive in the NHS of the future”.

The statement said:

“We believe in continuity of care and the people you already know will be part of the new surgery. There will also be the choice for you to see clinicians from across a larger team.”

The statement said the merger, which is being overseen by the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, will take place in early October, adding both sites will “work hard” to ensure a smooth transition for patients.

Patients already registered will be automatically transferred to the new surgery, which does not yet have a name.

The statement said people can contact the medical centre to express their views, as well as to submit ideas for a new surgery name.

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Harrogate hospital greengrocer for sale

A Harrogate fruit and vegetable company is up for sale.

KD Fruiterers, a family-run business based outside Harrogate District Hospital, today took to social media to announce the news.

In a video shared on Facebook, owners Kris Dickinson and Cat Recchia said although they have “worked very hard to build KD”, the couple feel it’s time to “start a new chapter”.

Since launching the business in 2018 the couple have started a family, they said, and are now looking for someone to take over KD Fruiterers so they can “realign” their work-life balance.

The owners added:

“This then becomes a great opportunity for someone with the time to grow the business further.

“For anyone who may be interested in taking on a well-established business, please get in touch.”

The Stray Ferret approached KD Fruiterers about the sale. Ms Recchia said:

“It’s a really great business and we want to support whoever takes it on to continue its success.”

The owners said the company’s delivery service would also be included in the sale, but did not disclose the asking price of the business.

The video assured existing customers that the current owners will “continue to provide the same great service” until the change of ownership, and the couple urged people to “please stick with us and we will keep you informed”.

KD Fruiterers asked those looking for more information to contact Ms Recchia on 07837100009.

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Irish firm revives name of collapsed Flaxby housebuilder Ilke Homes

Collapsed local modular housebuilding firm Ilke Homes‘ name has been brought back to life.

The company, based alongside the A1(M) at Flaxby near Knaresborough, ceased trading and entered administration last June with the loss of more than 1,000 job losses and debts of £320 million.

Government housing agency Homes England, which was owed an estimated £68.7 million, was among the substantial list of creditors. Employee claims were reported to be more than £720,000, while HMRC was owed £2.1 million and unsecured creditors’ debt at the company totalled £249.3 million.

However, Irish company Homespace Residential Limited is now using the Ilke Homes name.

The Stray Ferret understands Homespace bought some of Ilke Homes’ assets in October last year, including some inventory items and the intellectual property, which gives it the right to use the firm’s name and logo.

 

The home page of the Ilke Homes website how contains information about Homespace.

It says:

“Homespace was born through the completion of a strategic asset purchase agreement, taking ownership of Ilke’s trademarks, design IP, modular stock and technology patents.”

It goes on to say Ilke Homes “delivered over 1,000 high-quality energy-efficient homes” during its six-year lifespan and that Homespace has “proven built designs available for nine core house types”.

AlixPartners UK, which was appointed liquidator last year, said Ilke Homes faced “challenges of unprecedented inflation and a lack of land supply linked to planning processes”.

The firm told the Stray Ferret today it was still acting as liquidators for Ilke Homes, but declined to comment further.

The Stray Ferret reported in August that more than 600 former employees of the company were to take legal action over the handling of the redundancy process.

We contacted Homespace to find out more about the acquisition but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

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Former Harrogate vet died after injecting animal euthanasia drug, inquest hears

A former Harrogate vet took her life by taking drugs used to euthanise animals after reactivating her licence, an inquest heard.

Sarah Jane Bromiley, 49, was found dead at a house on Red Hills Road, Ripon, on May 22, 2023.

Coroner Catherine Cundy said the death raised questions about how registered vets can acquire controlled drugs without an official premises inspection.

Ms Bromiley first registered as a veterinary surgeon in 1988 but stopped practising in 2006 following the birth of her first child.

The inquest heard during that time she had “non-practising status”, and instead began working as a practice manager at her husband’s dental surgery in Ripon.

But the coroners court in Northallerton heard yesterday Ms Bromiley later registered to re-activate her licence with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) in October 2020, and was able to order a quantity of a controlled drug to her home address without an official premises inspection.

Ms Cundy said Ms Bromiley’s application was accepted by the RCVS just a month later, when she registered her family’s second residential home as her practice premises.

In May 2021, Ms Bromiley indicated to the RCVS she was “not sure” when she would officially begin practising as a vet but outlined her business plan to offer euthanasia services to small animals and horses through home visits.

The coroner said, based on evidence supplied by the RCVS, which is responsible for regulating individual vets and sole practitioners, and the Veterinary Medications Directorate (VMD), which is responsible for inspecting veterinary practices, she was satisfied that this method of veterinary practicing was “not uncommon, particularly in rural areas”.

No inspection of premises

Although originally registered in Ripon, the court heard Ms Bromiley changed the address of her registered veterinary practice to that of her family home on Rutland Drive, in Harrogate, on July 1, 2021.

The VMD was notified of the change, the coroner said, and offered Ms Bromiley an official inspection of the new address.

The coroner said:

“I accept that the VMD emailed Sarah and offered to carry out an inspection of the updated premises on February 2, 2022.

“Sarah replied to the email a week later, on February 9, to say she had ‘not yet started operating as a practice’, and asked what the inspection would involve.

“Sarah was then sent the inspection criteria by the VMD and was told she would be contacted again in six months’ time. But by then, she would sadly already be deceased.”

The coroner attributed the VMD’s delay in carrying out inspections to a “considerable backlog following the pandemic”.

In January 2022, Ms Bromiley told the RCVS she was planning to use both the Harrogate and formerly registered Ripon addresses as her practices, but just over a year later, added she “still had not begun work on animals”.

Neither property was ever inspected, the court heard.

Ordering the controlled drugs

The court heard, although a formal premises inspection never took place, as a registered veterinary surgeon, Ms Bromiley was able to order controlled drugs.

She placed the first of two orders with wholesaler National Veterinary Services in July 2021 and said the substance would be “for use on small animals”.

The coroner said the wholesaler undertook the relevant checks “as required” when a vet places an order of restricted substances, adding Ms Bromiley filled in the relevant forms before the drugs were delivered to her home address in Ripon.

The coroner said there was “no evidence” to suggest the first order was ever used on animals.

Ms Bromiley then ordered a larger quantity of the same controlled substance in April 2023. However, this time, she noted the order was “urgent” and was, again, required for use on small animals.

Instead of home delivery, Ms Bromiley made a 200-mile round trip from Harrogate to Stoke-on-Trent to collect the drugs, where she was required to show her drivers’ licence and provide a signature.

At the time, she also collected other veterinary paraphernalia, which the coroner concluded was used to assist her death a little more than a month later.

Coroner’s conclusion

Ms Cundy said from the spring of 2020 until her death, Ms Bromiley attended regular medical consultations. She complained of “chest pains, fatigue and low blood pressure”, but the only diagnosis ever given was that of a cyst on her jaw, the court heard.

She was also told she may be suffering from long covid, the coroner said, adding Ms Bromiley grew “frustrated” at the absence of an official diagnosis.

However, Ms Cundy cited Ms Bromiley’s medical records, which stated she was showing signs of “low mood” in April 2022 – more than a year prior to her death – but had declined a referral to mental health services.

The coroner then concluded the journey to obtain the euthanasia drug, instead of home delivery, was done to “conceal” the order from others, adding:

“I find collecting the drugs was indicative of Sarah’s mind and I suspect her growing intent to take her own life.”

On Sunday, May 21, 2023, Ms Bromiley told her husband, Roger, she would be staying at their second property in Ripon, which the court heard was “normal” for the couple.

The coroner said the couple exchanged messages that evening until 10pm.

However, concerns grew after Ms Bromiley did not turn up for work at the dental practice the following day (Monday, May 22).

The court heard Mr Bromiley visited the property at lunch time to check on his wife, but found the door was “locked with the key on the inside”.

Ms Cundy then said Mr Bromiley returned to the house at around 6pm with a screwdriver to unlock the door, adding:

“Inside, Mr Bromiley found an envelope on the landing outside one of the upstairs bedroom doors. It said, ‘do not come in – call the police or 999’.”

Ms Cundy concluded, according to notes left by Ms Bromiley addressed to her husband, children, family and even the coroner, she was “adamant she was not mentally ill” and instead said she was suffering from “grief”.

The coroner also said:

“I find along with the police investigation there was no third party involved or any suspicious circumstances surrounding Sarah’s death.

“I believe she acted alone and intravenously self-administered the drug, which was found at a level associated with fatality in the toxicology report.

“I conclude a cause of death of suicide and find Sarah, sadly, took steps to meticulously end her own life.”

Ms Cundy noted she would send a “letter of concern” to the Veterinary Medications Directorate and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons expressing concern over the means by which registered vets, who are in the “same regime someone like Sarah was in”, can acquire controlled drugs without an official premises inspection.

She did, however, recognise it would not be “practical or realistic” to request a second signature upon delivery of controlled drugs to sole practitioner vets as a means of preventing similar acts, when they “don’t work alongside other vets”.

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