Flora Grafton, Author at The Stray Ferret

Harrogate man pleads guilty to racial harassment at fish and chip shop

A man has admitted racially aggravated harassment at a fish and chip shop in Harrogate.

Darren Beeforth, 37, of Charles Avenue in Harrogate, appeared at York Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

According to court documents, Beeforth was charged with one count of racially aggravated harassment and one count of threatening to damage property.

The former offence took place at Dougie’s Fish and Chips on King Edward’s Drive, on March 22, while the latter happened on the same road on the same day.

Beeforth reportedly harassed members of staff at the takeaway and then threatened to smash a man’s windows, the document added.

The defendant also pleaded guilty to one count of assault by beating, which happened on the same day.

Beeforth reportedly assaulted a woman by beating her at an address in Harrogate.

He has been remanded in custody until his sentencing, which will take place on May 7, 2024, in York.

New bus service set for Harrogate’s Wedderburn Road

A new bus service is set to once again serve Wedderburn Road in Harrogate.

The X4, operated by Connexions, will offer two return services a day from Monday to Friday.

It will depart from Harrogate Bus Station to Wedderburn Road, via Wetherby Road, and will return to the bus station via Knaresborough Road.

The X4 will leave Harrogate at 10.30am and 1pm, and will return from Wedderburn Road at 10.42am and 1.12pm, Monday to Friday.

A Connexions spokesperson told the Stray Ferret the X4 service will begin operating on May 20.

They said, due to “registration reasons”, the service will be free to ride between May 20 and June 3. After that, the £2 bus fare cap will apply.

The spokesperson added:

“We wanted to give people in that area a service since they didn’t have one.

“I just hope as many people use it as possible to make sure it keeps running.”

The service is funded solely by Connexions, the spokesperson said.

The news comes after the 104 service, which ran between Wedderburn Road and Harrogate town centre, was scrapped in November 2018.

Nearby residents and councillors have since called for the service to be reinstated, as one local told the Stray Ferret the removal of the service was like a “slap in the face”.

Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Andrew Jones, responded to the news:

“It has been many years since there was a bus service from Wedderburn Road into town. Local councillors and I tried repeatedly to persuade bus companies to re-instate a service.

“Whilst this is a low number of services per day I hope that residents are able to use the service and demonstrate to the operators that there is demand for the service to grow.”

Historic Harrogate Arms reopens for first time in a decade

The Harrogate Arms Café has opened to the public today.

The site, which sits in the Royal Horticultural Society Harlow Carr Gardens, has been closed since 2014.

It was originally built in 1844 by the then-owner of the estate, Henry Wright, along with a Bath House.

During its time, it has seen many guises, including a hotel, Thai restaurant, nightclub and pub.

However, after the RHS bought the site in 2014, it set out to restore the two historic buildings.

Today, it reopened for the first time in a decade as a café.

The Harrogate Arms Café.

Conservative councillor of Killinghall, Hampsthwaite & Saltergate and mayor of Harrogate, Michael Harrison, cut the ribbon alongside Clare Matterson, the director general of the RHS to mark the occasion.

The RHS was granted listed building consent in 2019 and has since spent “several millions” on the renovation process, head of site Liz Thwaite said.

Liz Thwaite.

Ms Thwaite told the Stray Ferret:

“The RHS didn’t have the internal funding for the works back in 2014, but by 2019, when we got the building consent, the funding was then in place internally.

“There has been a lot of unforeseen issues along the way and things popped up that we didn’t expect, like bats roosting and wet weather.”

Inside the café.

Ms Thwaite said the horticultural charity decided to take on the project to “link both the Harrogate Arms and the Bath House back to their historic landscape”.

It wanted to give visitors a garden café, as well as the teahouse and Bettys, and offer “more space” to enjoy the gardens, she added.

A spokesperson for the RHS said at the opening sustainability is “at the core” of the charity and has been central to the renovation process.

They added the café will not offer plastic water bottles or single-use coffee cups, and uses Brazilian coffee from “one of 200 regenerative coffee farms”.

The coffee kiosk.

Ms Thwaite told the Stray Ferret:

“We’re feeling really, really excited about the opening.

“We had hoped it would open sooner, but due to weather issues it hasn’t been possible. But nevertheless we’re still so excited.

“I think customers are going to be delighted with it and it will help grow visitors and memberships to the site. People can walk around the garden and have a lovely coffee or lunch here.

“It will showcase what we grow, as well as offer an important message to encourage people to grow their own produce.”

The RHS hopes to use locally sourced produce at the Harrogate Arms Café, and will source a lot of ingredients from the Harlow Carr kitchen garden.

The charity is also undertaking 2-acres of landscaping works around the café, which includes planting mature tree and digging swales to manage rainfall.

The Harrogate Arms Café is officially open to the public.

It offers indoor and outdoor seating, as well and breakfast, lunch and all-day menus. The cafe will be open during summer garden operating hours (9.30am to 6pm) every day.

Plans approved to convert Tockwith tennis court into multi-use games pitch

A planning application to convert existing tennis courts into a multi-use games pitch in Tockwith has been approved.

The plan, which was tabled to North Yorkshire Council in January, outlines plans to re-surface the two current tennis courts, install LED floodlights and erect new fencing.

The Stray Ferret reported on the proposal in February and spoke to Mike Corbett, chair of Tockwith Sportsfield Trust, which submitted the application.

Mr Corbett said at the time the new site would have an all-weather surface, adding:

“The current tennis courts are hard courts, but the surface is poor and weeds are coming through.

“Of course, we’re doing this to improve the club itself, but also to attract young people and give them something to do, rather than just being on their phones.”

A drawing of the proposed new site.

He said the new pitch will be suitable for tennis and five-aside football, adding the trust also planned to install basketball provisions at the open-air site.

Mr Corbett previously told the Stray Ferret the new fencing could also make the pitch suitable for padel tennis.

The trust planned to fund the project partly through section 106 monies, paid by developers who are building new housing developments in the village.

It will also be funded by the football club and Tockwith Festival. North Yorkshire Council approved the plans on Monday, April 22.

The Stray Ferret contacted Tockwith Sportsfield Trust about the approval, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.

Man, 31, dies following collision on A1(M) near Boroughbridge

A man has died after his HGV lorry collided with an overhead bridge on the A1(M) this morning.

North Yorkshire Police said the incident, which happened at around 2.10am, occurred on the southbound carriageway of the motorway between junction 48 (Boroughbridge) and junction 47 (Allerton Park).

Police closed the A1(M) this morning to respond to the incident. The force said the southbound carriageway is now expected to be open after 4pm.

In an updated statement, the force said the HGV lorry collided with an overhead bridge near the Allerton Waste Recovery site. The driver died at the scene.

It added:

“The southbound carriageway was closed to allow emergency services to attend the incident and investigate the scene. It currently remains closed for scene recovery work to take place, two lanes are expected to open to traffic after 4pm.

“We’re now urging anyone who saw the collision or the HGV involved in the collision prior to it that has not already made contact to get in touch. Our officers are particularly keen to hear from anyone who may have any relevant dashcam footage.

“Anyone with information is asked to email mcit@northyorkshire.police.uk or phone North Yorkshire Police on 101 and speak to the Force Control Room.”

Quote reference number 12240071188 when passing information.

Officers also took to social media this afternoon to ask motorists not to use their phones when driving.

It came after several people drove past and filmed the scene of the collision on the A1(M).

Police said it would be taking action against the drivers. A spokesperson for the force added:

“We have taken registration details of approximately 30 vehicles, and we will follow up with action against the drivers – this will ultimately be points and a fine, but they may end up in court.”

Former Harrogate Arms to reopen as café tomorrow

The historic Harrogate Arms is set to reopen as a café tomorrow.

The grade two-listed building, which closed a decade ago, will finally be brought back to working order.

Originally built in 1844 by Henry Wright, the then-owner of the estate, the Harrogate Arms and Bath House were set in pleasure gardens, which are now part of The Royal Horticultural Society’s Garden Harlow Carr.

The Harrogate Arms had several faces during its time, including a hotel, inn, nightclub, restaurant and pub, before closing to the public in 2014.

But the RHS was granted listed building consent in 2019 to convert the site into a café.

The horticultural charity today said it has been “working hard to restore the premises”, which will offer indoor and outdoor seating, as well as a menu focused on “seasonal ingredients”.

It added the café will offer a breakfast, lunch and an all-day menu, along with artisan coffee.

The new landscape of RHS Garden Harlow Carr by planners Gillespies.

In a press release, the RHS said:

“Each day will feature a special menu utilising produce directly from our Kitchen Garden to champion the use of fresh ingredients.

“It will also showcase some fantastic ways for preserving foods from the garden from the summer so they can be used in the colder and less productive months. Think anything from pickled cucumber to chilli oils and kimchi!”

New jobs will be created as part of the café opening, the charity said, adding it hopes to use as much locally sourced produce as possible.

Liz Thwaite, head of RHS Garden Harlow Carr, also said:

“We can’t wait to re-open this building which holds so many memories for members of the local community and really look forward to welcoming them back to the brand new Harrogate Arms Café.

“This project has been a long time in the making, as we wanted to create something fresh and exciting for our visitors that celebrates our rich heritage.”

The Harrogate Arms Café will open to the public from around 11am tomorrow (April 25), an RHS spokesperson said.

New pilates studio to open in Harrogate next week

The latest addition to Harrogate’s fitness and wellbeing scene will open next week.

Harrogate Pilates Studio, based on Claro Court Business Centre, will offer a range of pilates classes, including reformer, matt, stretch bar and yoga.

Owner Emma Ryder, 26, has spent her life dancing. She began aged three and went on to become a professional dancer.

Despite finding work on cruise ships and on TV, she told the Stray Ferret it was lockdown that pushed her to find her true passion: pilates.

She said:

“I spent lockdown doing my matt pilates qualification and have been teaching it since 2021. It was then that I had a moment of ‘wow, this is what I really love’.

“I love it because I can apply a lot of my dance knowledge into my work.”

The reformer machines.

The former Harrogate Grammar School pupil then completed her reformer pilates training in 2022 and has since taught in local gyms and to private clients.

She said it is thanks to growing up in Harrogate that she has managed to build a client base here, adding several clients would “always suggest” opening her own studio.

Ms Ryder told the Stray Ferret she wants to deliver a smaller, more personal service in Harrogate and create a “community”, rather than a “come to the studio and leave environment”.

She added:

“In places like London, there can be just inches between the matts or reformer machines. It’s much more personal here.

“I wanted to create a space in which I can interact with all the people in the room – it’s a high-end service and the space and session should reflect that.

“I’d love it to be the kind of place where you end up knowing the person on the reformer machine next to you!”

Harrogate Pilates Studio boasts six reformer pilates machines, each costing £3,000, as well as eight matt spaces.

Ms Ryder will teach classes along with three other freelance teachers.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“In my opinion, everyone should do pilates. It’s so good for posture, for strength and endurance – everything!

“This studio is also a great place to start if you’re new to it because it’s such small groups and you won’t feel like you’re getting lost. It’s an inclusive space, which is exactly what I hoped for because I know reformer can look scary at first.”

Ms Ryder added she is feeling “nervous but excited and optimistic” about the opening.

All equipment is available to use at the studio, Ms Ryder said, adding people do not have to bring their own matts but can if they would like.

Drop-in reformer sessions cost £20, while drop-in matt sessions cost £10.

A matt membership, which offers unlimited matt classes, will set people back £65 per month, and a monthly reformer membership costs between £65 and £110 dependent on the number of sessions.

Harrogate Pilates Studio will open its door on Wednesday, May 1. Classes will be held throughout the day from Monday to Thursday and Saturdays.

It is based in Unit 5 on the business park, next to Doors Direct. Bookings are now open.

Harrogate blinds and shutters company enters liquidation

A blinds and shutters company near Harrogate has gone into liquidation.

HG – NY Blinds and Shutters Ltd, which was based in a unit on Clint Bank, broke the news in an email on Saturday, April 13.

In the email, seen by the Stray Ferret, the company said the move followed “unforeseen financial difficulties” which meant it is “no longer able to sustain its operations”.

Amanda Simmons, who sent the email, also said:

“As a result, we are in the process of initiating the liquidation procedure. This means that the company will be winding down its affairs and assets to pay off its creditors.

“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause you. We want to assure you that we are committed to handling this process with transparency and integrity.

“Sadly, I had to let all staff go at the end of March, without pay, so I am not able to offer any further fitting services.”

The move comes less than two years after the company, which manufactured and installed blinds and shutters, was set up in May 2022.

According to The Gazette, Cleckheaton based liquidators, XL Business Solutions, were appointed on April 3.

The Stray Ferret contacted the liquidators, who said the process is still “ongoing”, but confirmed the company has ceased trading.

The email to customers also said:

“I have asked the supplier if they are willing to allow me to give you their details to arrange for your order to be dispatched directly to yourself.

“I will inform you of their response asap.

“Thank you for your understanding and co-operation as we navigate through this difficult situation. We appreciate your business and hope for your understanding during this time of transition.”

Details of the liquidation, including a list of creditors and debts, have not yet been uploaded to Companies House.

Grammar guerrilla takes Harrogate road sign matters into own hands

A vigilante has taken action against the council’s decision to eliminate apostrophes from Harrogate district road signs.

The move comes after North Yorkshire Council last week told the Stray Ferret it will abolish apostrophes from road signs after a new sign was installed on St Mary’s Walk.

The new sign, which read ‘St Marys Walk’, sparked concern among local grammar guerrillas – and it seems someone has now taken matters into their own hands.

Shortly after it was installed, someone, armed with a piece of black tape, drew an apostrophe on the new sign, which now reads ‘St Mary’s Walk’ (pictured).

(L) the new sign before being corrected. Another sign nearby (R).

The council said the new format was being adopted by other councils across the country, but it proved less than popular with local residents.

One man, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Stray Ferret last week:

“I do not feel I have been consulted about the council deciding to use poor English language.”

Another upset resident commented on the Stray Ferret’s Facebook post:

“Yes, let’s teach our kids how not to write properly, when the poor English teachers are trying to get students through their grammar tests and, later, exams.

“The teachers are having to waste their valuable time explaining to their students why the teacher knows what they’re talking about and that North Yorkshire Council’s decisions are flawed and incompetent.”

A similar initiative happened in 2014 – which saw a similar fate.

The Guardian reported at the time that Cambridge City Council’s decision to abolish apostrophes led to a backlash from “self-declared defenders of grammar” who used marker pens to fill in missing apostrophes on road signs.

Rivers charity seeks volunteers to join River Nidd improvement project

A charity in Pateley Bridge is recruiting volunteers to take part in a project to improve the quality of the River Nidd.

Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust received £500,000 from Yorkshire Water last year after the company breached its permitted level of sewage discharge into Hookstone Beck, in Harrogate. The incident in 2016 led to the loss of fish and invertebrates.

The trust has now joined forces with the Wild Trout Trust and Nidd Action Group to deliver the iNidd scheme to improve the river and is seeking volunteers.

Charlotte Simons, senior project manager at the trust, said:

“The £500,000 payment has enabled us to redouble our efforts in monitoring the health of the River Nidd and its tributaries, which will help us target our restoration plan.

“The appointment of a river enhancement project manager to oversee this iNidd workstream means that we have been able to start building partnerships and are now ready to recruit a cohort of volunteers, who will be specially trained to support the programme.”

The charity is looking for 20 people to join the riverfly monitoring programme and monitor aquatic invertebrate populations in a certain part of the river.

Volunteers will be required between May and September. No prior experience is needed.

Ms Simons added:

“Riverfly monitoring is a vital tool in establishing the overall health of a stretch of river, since testing the chemistry of the river water only offers a snapshot of actual pollution levels.

“Animals in our rivers respond to water quality throughout their whole life span with many aquatic invertebrates such as caddisfly and dragonfly larvae and nymphs not able to survive in polluted water, so their presence or absence is a very strong indicator of pollution levels.”

The trust said all training, equipment and protective gear will be provided.

To sign up, email jennifer.lee@ydrt.co.uk.

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