LNER to offer free period products on Harrogate trains

LNER has become the UK’s first train operator to offer free sanitary products onboard its trains.

The firm, which operates services between Harrogate and London King’s Cross, said in a statement today it will introduce the scheme across its entire fleet.

Passengers can request a ‘package for a friend’ directly from an LNER team member onboard, or by scanning the catering service QR code next to their seat. A team member will then “discreetly” deliver the products to seats, LNER added.

The move comes after a survey, carried out by YouGov on behalf of LNER, found 22% of people have experienced a time when they, or someone they are with, needed sanitary products but could not access them.

LNER said it first introduced the scheme at London King’s Cross station after recognising “everyone should have access to period care products when they need them”, and has now partnered with organic period product company TOTM to expand the delivery.

Gill McKay, an on-train delivery manager at LNER, said:

“Customer feedback, supported by research, highlighted the upset that can be experienced by not having access to period products.

“We believe everyone should be able to travel with confidence and in comfort and providing free, environmentally friendly products to anyone who needs them is just one way we can provide support, help the planet and break down barriers and stigma.”

Kiley Yale, head of sales at TOTM, added:

“We are really excited to be working with LNER to champion period comfort, wellbeing and dignity across their trains, stations and offices.”

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Harrogate district buses to cap youth fares at £1

Bus fares for young people in the Harrogate district will be capped at £1 as part of a one-year pilot scheme.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive members yesterday accepted £3.5 million of funding from the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Network North Bus Service Improvement Plan, which will be used to introduce the scheme.

The pilot will include expanded bus timetables, improvements to bus shelters and £1 travel fares.

£2.1 million of the money, which has been allocated to local authorities in the north and the midlands after plans for the HS2 rail project were halted, will fund additional weekday bus services during peak times across three Harrogate district routes.

These include:

A further £715,000 of the funding will be used to provide £1 bus fares for people aged under 19, which will apply county-wide, while £158,000 will be used to hire more staff to improve boarding times and information services at bus stations across the Harrogate and Scarborough districts.

Maintaining and improving bus stops, additional cleaning services and repairs to Ripon bus station’s waiting facilities will also fall under the scheme at a cost of £76,000.

Cllr Keane Duncan, the council’s executive member for highways and transport, said:

“As a result of our efforts, bus services in North Yorkshire have seen a significant reversal of fortune since the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Passenger numbers are up and we’ve protected at-risk services. Now, I am pleased we can go further.

“With £3.5 million of extra funding, we are able to introduce lower fares for under-19s, invest in bus stops and fund expanded routes in all corners of the county.

“This is very welcome news for passengers, but it is of course vital that services are supported so they can continue in the longer term.”

The council has urged the public to “get on board with the pilot” to ensure the services will continue beyond 2025.

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Bon Jovi and Blondie tributes among headliners for Harrogate’s Fake Festival

Harrogate Fake Festival will make a comeback this summer – with somewhat familiar faces along the way.

Six professional tribute bands will take to the stage on the Stray to perform renditions of some much-loved rock and pop classics.

Among the fake band headliners are Blondie tribute Blondied, Vicky Jackson as P!NK, Ultimate Green Day, Bon Jovi Experience and Fore Fighters – a Foo Fighters duplicate.

Ultimate Green Day. Pic: Fake Festivals.

Organisers said:

“Fake Fest in Harrogate is always special, but last year was a whole new level.

“This year will be a full day of non-stop adrenaline-pumping anthems that are just screaming to be rocked. If last year is anything to go by, it’s going to be straight up heaven.”

Fake Festival, which was first held in Harrogate in 2015, is a family-friendly event and welcomes people of all ages.

As well as the music, there will also be rides, stalls and entertainment to keep children happy.

Food traders and a bar will also be on offer.

Fake Festival Harrogate will take place on Saturday, July 13, from 11.45am to 11pm.

Tickets start at £27.50 and are on sale now.

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Spofforth Golf Course re-opens after lengthy closure

Spofforth Golf Course has re-opened following months of uncertainty over its future.

The course, which provided its first update on operations since September last Thursday, was listed for sale for £2 million last summer.

It appeared to be under new ownership in October after Lister Haigh, which marketed the course, changed the listing to sold subject to contract.

But there were no announcements until last week when the golf course took to social media to announce the course would “finally” re-open on Friday, March 15.

The post said the course was “still very wet” but added the team “are eager to get back to golf”.

People can now book tee times for the 18-hole pay-and-play course, which costs £18 for a single player.

The Stray Ferret reported on the uncertainty of the site’s future this month after the apparent new owners remained silent on the situation.

We contacted the club again today; a person who answered the phone said the course had remained closed since November “due to the weather”.

However, when asked about the long-term future of the course and for an update on its ownership situation, the person said it was “a private family matter” and declined to say more.

Spofforth Parish Council previously told the Stray Ferret it understood “the sale has been concluded”.

The parish clerk also said at the time the family that owned the club was “still in residence at the house” but did not provide any further details.

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Three arrested following police chase between Harrogate and Ripon

Three people have been arrested following a police chase involving dogs and a helicopter through several villages near Harrogate this afternoon.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement officers attempted to stop a VW Golf on the A61 at Ripley at about 1.45pm.

The statement added the vehicle raced off and was pursued through Bedlam, Bishop Thornton and Shaw Mills before coming to a stop on a country lane in Markington.

Police and dogs searching for the suspects

It added:

“The occupants ran from the vehicle and a significant amount of resource was sent to the area.

“A police dog was involved in the search and a police helicopter was scrambled to assist with checking on a vast open area.

“A 17-year-old boy, an 18-year-old man and a 20-year-old man were arrested in connection with the incident.”

In an updated statement, the force said searches carried out by police drug dogs found a quantity of “what is suspected to be a class-A drug” was forensically recovered from the side of the road.

Police added the teenager and two men were arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving, failing to stop for the police and intent to supply a class-A drug.

All three were interviewed and released on conditional bail.

The Stray Ferret received reports of a large police presence on the verge of the A61 at South Stainley, which runs between Harrogate and Ripon, just after 2.40pm today.

A witness, who was a passenger on a passing bus, said the police appeared to be carrying out a “manhunt”.

Another witness on the same bus added:

“I saw police officers searching along a hedge line and in a field. There were two cars parked and a lady was talking to the police. I’m guessing the other car belonged to whoever they were looking for.

“There were two police vans and four police cars. One of them drove of at speed towards Nidd, behind South Stainley.”

The VW Golf 

A member of Markington Village Facebook group also said a car went “racing through” the village followed by “six police cars after it”.

Someone commented on the post to add the police had been “looking for someone on foot who has gone through the fields”.

The Stray Ferret was also alerted to a large police presence in Killinghall.

Reports say the A61 Ripon Road between Killinghall and Ripley is also closed.

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Knaresborough school celebrates 50 years of foreign exchange programme

A Knaresborough secondary school is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its foreign exchange programme.

King James’s School launched the exchange programme with its German partner school, Bruder Grimm Gesamtschul in Bebra, in 1974.

It came after Knaresborough was twinned with the town, based in Hesse, back in 1969.

Over the last five decades, both schools have held annual exchange programmes, whereby pupils visit each other at their neighbouring schools to develop friendships and improve language skills.

However, former languages teacher and UK founder of the school’s programme, Alan Hemsworth, said the programme “nearly didn’t happen at all”, adding:

“We had serious difficulties in finding accommodation for all the pupils and only a last-minute appeal in the local paper saved the day.”

Two pupils even stayed in a caravan at the bottom of someone’s garden, Mr Hemsworth added.

This year’s cohort of pupils will visit Bebra this month to commemorate the anniversary, as well as attending a special event in aid of the big birthday.

Pupils will sport hoodies made for the occasion.

Mrs Allison, one of the school’s languages teachers, said:

“Every year, I come across students participating in the exchange whose parents have fond memories themselves of spending time with their German friends.

“The school’s original aims in promoting the exchange were simple but important, and still hold good today: to promote tolerance, understanding and friendship, and a desire for pupils of all ages to learn a foreign language.”

Staff also recounted the days when English and German students would contact each by pen and paper. They said students now maintain friendships over social media and many meet each other virtually before meeting face-to-face.

Headteacher Mrs Martin also said:

“It is a great privilege to take part in these historic celebrations. Good international relationships are as important today as it they were in 1974 and I hope this exchange continues to go from strength to strength, bringing cherished memories and long-lasting friendships for years to come.”

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Tanker operation raises sewage concerns on River Ure

A three-week tanker operation on the River Ure near Boroughbridge has raised concerns about how well a treatment plant can cope with sewage.

Boorughbridge resident Caroline Slater contacted the Stray Ferret saying she had noticed a “raw sewage” smell when walking her dog near the river.

She attributed the smell, which she believes is due to excess sewage flowing from a wastewater treatment plant in Aldborough into the river, to recent periods of heavy rainfall, as well as “the large number of new houses built in the area”.

Ms Slater said:

“The pumping station at Boroughbridge sewage works cannot cope with the amount of sewage.

“The Ure is really polluted. Sometimes there are huge banks of foam which do not dissipate, greasy films and a smell of sewage.

“I have witnessed contractors cleaning up the riverbank areas after floods and using the river as a dumping ground for waste.

“It was really smelly down there on Saturday when there was no pumping going on. It just smelt like raw sewage.”

Ms Slater also said “tankers have been pumping sewage out from Aldborough road for the past three weeks — maybe more — and taking it away”.

She added:

“I have contacted Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency. I really am despairing. I would ideally like to get some momentum going to try to clean up the River Ure.

“Young people bathe in it at the salmon ladders in the summer, also at Ripon and Masham, further up and downstream. It isn’t safe. Nature is suffering. Nobody seems to be accountable.

“I am also extremely concerned about the continuation of house building in the area and what effect this will have on infrastructure that cannot cope. “

Town council also ‘doubts’ treatment plan can cope

The Stray Ferret contacted Cllr Robert Windass, a Conservative who represents Boroughbridge and Claro on North Yorkshire Council, about the matter.

Cllr Windass said Boroughbridge Town Council shared Ms Slater’s concerns.

He added:

“I am aware that tankers are pumping out sewage from the Aldborough treatment plant and taking it to other plants. This happens when the River Ure is in flood as it has been for the past few weeks with all the rain we have had.
“Certainly, the town council and many residents have expressed concern about whether the Aldborough treatment plant can cope with the increased sewage because of the number of new homes built in and around Boroughbridge. They always say that it can but when situations like this occur, we have our doubts.
“Personally, I have not been downstream of the treatment plant recently, but I will make a point of doing so in the next few days.”

Yorkshire Water’s response

The Stray Ferret put Ms Slater’s concerns to Yorkshire Water and asked for confirmation on whether excess sewage is being released into the River Ure.

A spokesperson said “diluted wastewater from storm overflow” is released into the river during periods of heavy rainfall. If more rainwater is pumped into the treatment works than it is designed to handle, an excess is released into nearby rivers.

The spokesperson added:

“The storm overflow at Boroughbridge wastewater treatment works is in operation currently due to the amount of rainfall in the area recently and possible groundwater infiltration into the sewer network.

“Storm overflows are permitted by the Environment Agency and act as a relief valve during periods of heavy or prolonged rainfall to prevent wastewater backing up and flooding homes and businesses.”

Yorkshire Water said the tankers were in place due to groundwater potentially infiltrating a sewer. The firm said this was also as a result of heavy rainfall and could result in wastewater escaping the network from manholes if left unmanaged.

The spokesperson added:

“Our teams are currently tankering in the area to relieve pressure on the sewer network and will be carrying out a thorough investigation of the network in the coming days to identify any possible sources of infiltration.”

The firm added the tanker was also removing some wastewater, groundwater and sewage flow from within the network and taking it to the treatment works. It said this was “taking the pressure off the sewers to prevent pollutions”.

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Jobs lost at Black Sheep Brewery in Masham

The new owners of Black Sheep Brewery have made redundancies at the Masham firm.

Keystone Brewing Group, which acquired the brewery from administration in May last year for £5 million said a “strategic restructuring” resulted in the “reduction of a small number of roles” within Black Sheep.

The company attributed the redundancies to “enormous challenges” faced by the hospitality sector and said “efficiency measures are essential” to secure the future of the brewery.

Chief executive Mark Williams said the organisation was “forced to consider all options available”, adding:

“This is an incredibly difficult time for all, and we are saddened the impact of this decision will have on our valued colleagues.

“Making redundancies is always the last resort, but unfortunately we have been forced to consider all options available to us.

“This is about making the brewery as efficient as possible, and securing its legacy for years to come.”

The Stray Ferret asked Black Sheep Brewery to confirm whether those made redundant had been paid. The team responded:

“The Black Sheep Brewery team can confirm that all staff who’ve since left the business as a result of this restructuring have been paid as agreed within the terms of their redundancy.”

We also asked the company to confirm exactly how many redundancies were made, but did not receive a response.

The news comes just weeks after the firm announced former chief executive Charlene Lyons had stepped down after nine years in post.

In a press release issued last month, the company said Ms Lyons had left “to pursue other interests”.

Ms Lyons was kept on following last year’s sale of Black Sheep, which also resulted in a “small number” of staff losing their jobs at the time.

Administrators Teneo Financial Advisory revealed sales fell from £19 million in 2019 to £14 million in 2022 – resulting in a £1.6 million loss.

Creditors, including HMRC, were owed nearly £3 million.

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New bookshop to open in Pateley Bridge

A new book shop is set to open in Pateley Bridge.

Paper People Books, which will take over the former JOT Gallery site on the High Street, will stock books and literature for different age groups.

Owner Kerry Thorpe, who moved to Pateley Bridge six months ago, said the shop will offer adult fiction, children’s literature, books on the local area and more.

There will also be a large children’s room with games and puzzles to encourage young ones to read and play.

Ms Thorpe told the Stray Ferret:

“Reading should be fun, not a chore and we want people to feel happy and spread a bit of joy when coming into the shop.

“I’m a former art teacher and always loved books and people, using your imagination and being creative. I’m dyslexic myself and wanted to show books are for everyone.

“I work with children who say they can’t do certain things because they find reading, spelling and traditional work difficult.

“If you have an idea and really believe in something you can do it with hard work. This is something I wanted to show my children too.”

Ms Thorpe added the book shop will be a “good addition to the town”. She hopes to run various in-store initiatives to help people in the wider community.

These include a ’till round-up scheme’, whereby people round up their payment and the extra money is donated to local schools to fund new books for children.

Ms Thorpe also said the team are working with Bark and Read, a Kennel-club owned foundation, which invites children to read with their support dogs. She said the charity will hopefully visit the Pateley Bridge shop once a month to run sessions.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“We are super excited to be opening, we hope to bring a bit of fun to reading, inspire others and work with local schools and people to really make this a success.

“We feel everyone needs a book in their lives, we are all so busy and sometimes it’s just great to switch off, read a book and really escape.”

Paper People Books will have two official opening weekends: March 23 and 24, and March 30 and 31.

The shop will then open Tuesday to Friday, as well as weekends during the summer.

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Cold callers arrested after Harrogate woman in 80s hands over bank card

Three men have been arrested after a Harrogate woman in her 80s handed over her credit card in a door-to-door cold call.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement today one of the three men, who are from Middlesbrough, entered the woman’s home on the pretence of selling household items after being released from prison on March 6.

The statement adding:

“He pressurised the victim into handing over her bank card and pin number and withdrew the maximum amount he could.

“He fled from the property when he saw a friend of the victim arrive on the drive.”

Police investigations identified a vehicle connected to the incident.

The car was intercepted when it re-entered Harrogate a few days later and officers arrested the three men inside.

The statement added:

“The suspects were taken into custody for questioning. The driver, 51, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to burgle and drug driving after testing positive for cocaine at the roadside.

“The passengers, one aged 37, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to burgle and a 31-year-old was arrested on suspicion of burglary with intent to steal.”

The statement said the men have been released on conditional bail pending further enquiries.

‘Check before you open the door’

Police warned people to be on their guard against door-to-door sellers, who they said can be “pushy” and “threatening” and may charge inflated prices.

It urged people to:

Police added:

“If anyone who cold calls tries to enter your home without your permission, is threatening or refuses to leave your property, call 999.

“Older people are targeted due to their trusting nature, so if you have older parents, relatives or friends, please share this message with them and check they know how to stay safe if cold callers knock on their door.”

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