North Yorkshire Police today issued an appeal to find a key witness follow a sexual assault in Harrogate.
The incident, which happened in the Victoria Shopping Centre toilets, took place on September 17.
A man and a woman entered a cubicle together and police believe the man in the image may hold important information.
The force said in a statement:
“The suspect in the case has been identified and officers want to stress that the man they want to trace is not a suspect, but a witness who may be able to provide vital information.
“A man and a woman went into public toilets in Victoria Shopping Centre in Harrogate, opposite the railway station.
“They were both followed into the toilet by the man in the image below. The man appears visibly surprised to see both the man and woman enter the male toilet together and may remember the incident.”
The statement added officers hope the man reads the appeal and gets in touch because he “may be able to provide key information that could assist their investigation”.
The police added:
“If you believe that you are the man, or you also saw a man and woman in the male toilets that day, please get in touch.
“Anyone with any information is asked to email lorraine.whipp@northyorkshire.police.uk or call 101, press option 2 and ask for Lorraine Whipp.”
Quote reference number 12230176639 when passing on information,
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Read more:
Remembrance Day: A guide to services in the Harrogate district
Remembrance services will take place across the Harrogate district to honour the fallen.
We’ve collated a list of the services across the district that are being held.
You can email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk if you know of others to add.
Ripon
Thursday, November 9.
Ripon Community Poppy Project will hold a concert of remembrance at Ripon Cathedral.
Ripon City Band, The Dishforth Military Wives Choir and Brackenfield School will all perform.
The event will begin at 7pm and tickets cost £13.50.
Sunday, November 12.
A service will be held in Ripon Spa Gardens from 10.45am. It will include two minutes’ silence and the laying of wreaths, followed by the usual parade.
A civic service of remembrance will then be held in Ripon Cathedral from 11.40am – 1pm.
The Right Reverend Anna Eltringham, Bishop of Ripon, will lead the service.
Harrogate
St Peter’s Church — Friday, November 10
The Festival of Remembrance will be held at St Peter’s Church, on Cambridge Road, as part of the Cenotaph Centenary.
The Harrogate Band and The Fishers Singers will perform at the event, which will be led by Harry Satloka of Harrogate’s Free Walking Tours.
There will also be presentations and poetry, as well as a remembrance service.
Tickets cost £10 and all proceeds will go to the Royal British Legion.
It begins at 8pm.
St Wilfrid’s Church — Saturday, November 11
A two-minute silence will held be at 11am at St Wilfrid’s Church on Duchy Road.
This will be followed by a talk on the men named on the church’s WWI memorials, as well as an exhibition in their honour which is on display.
Email bookings@stwilfrid.org to reserve a place.
Town centre – Sunday, November 12
The annual Harrogate Remembrance Day parade and service will be held at the cenotaph war memorial.
People can arrive from 10am. The service will begin at around 10.50am, followed by the two-minute silence at 11am.
After that, the Reveille and wreath laying will commence.
The Kohima Epitaph will be read before the march-past begins.
St Peter’s Church — Sunday, November 12
A Remembrance service with a choir will be held at St Peter’s Church, on Cambridge Road, just after the cenotaph service.
It will begin at approximately 11.15am.
Starbeck – Sunday, November 12
A two-minute silence will be observed at 11am at the war memorial on Starbeck High Street. Wreaths will be laid.
Later, at 3pm, the Starbeck Remembrance Ceremony will take place at the cenotaph on Starbeck High Street.
It will be led by the Harrogate branch of the Royal British Legion, with a parade by local uniformed organisations.
Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones will attend the service, and readings will be led by the church and pupils of Starbeck Primary Academy.
Stonefall Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery – Sunday, November 12
A service starting at 1pm will include prayers, music from the Harrogate Band, a short talk by Reverend David Hoskins and a two-minute silence. Also, wreaths will be laid by community leaders and representatives of British and allied forces, and students from Ashville College and Harrogate’s Army Foundation College will lay flowers on each grave.
West Park Church — Sunday, November 12
A service will be held at the church, including an act of remembrance, from 10.30am.
It will be led by Reverend David Hughes.
Another service will be held at 3.30pm to mark the end of the More Than a Name on a Memorial exhibition.
Knaresborough
Sunday, November 12
The commemorations will begin with a service at St John’s Church from 9.30am.
A parade from the church to the war memorial in the castle grounds will follow.
There will be a two-minute silence at 11am, followed by a service of remembrance at the memorial.
Nidderdale and Pateley Bridge
Saturday, November 11.
The annual Armistice Day service and parade takes place at the war memorial from 10am. Those attending will include a representative of the lord-lieutenant’s office, a platoon of troops from the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, local dignitaries and community organisations and schools etc.
It is organised by the Nidderdale branch of the Royal British Legion and The Church in The Dale.
Sunday, November 12
10am Joint Service of Remembrance at Holy Trinity, Dacre Banks with a collection for the Royal British Legion.
11am Act of Remembrance at Summerbridge War Memorial, followed by refreshments at Summerbridge Methodist Church.
2pm Remembrance Concert and Service at Darley Memorial Hall
6pm The Royal British Legion Service of Remembrance at St Mary the Virgin, Greenhow Hill. Led by the Reverend Darryl Hall, there will be a two-minute silence, a sermon by Jane Spooner and music from Nidd Chorale.
Boroughbridge
Sunday, November 12.
A remembrance service and parade will be held at St James’s Church in Boroughbridge.
It will begin at 10am.
Masham
Friday, November 10.
A remembrance service will be held for locals and pupils of Masham School at St Mary’s Church from 10.45am.
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Harrogate prepares for milestone Remembrance Day service
Large crowds are expected in Harrogate town centre on Sunday for the annual Remembrance Day service and parade.
The event is always a major occasion, with road closures and large crowds gathering around the war memorial to pay their respects and observe a two-minute silence.
But this year’s activities will be especially poignant as it coincides with the 100th anniversary of the town’s war memorial, which was unveiled by Henry Lascelles, the 6th Earl of Harewood, on September 1, 1923.
It cost £12,000 and contains the names of 1,163 men and women who died in two world wars.
Sunday also marks the end of the Cenotaph Centenary — a programme of events since the start of September commemorating the centenary.
You Must Remember This, which is being held tonight at the West Park United Reformed Church, will feature military-themed music by three choirs.
Attention will then turn to Sunday’s Remembrance Day activities.
Service at the war memorial
Crowds are invited to gather at the war memorial from 10am.
The service will commence at 10.50am, followed by the two-minute silence at 11am.
Wreaths will be laid, the Kohima epitaph will be read the and the reveille will play.
The memorial was built in 1923.
Road closures
North Yorkshire Council has said the following roads will be closed on Sunday from 8:30am to 1pm to facilitate the parade and service:
Cheltenham Crescent, Oxford Street, Union Street, Parliament Street, Albert Street, Prospect Place, James Street, John Street, Princes Street, Cambridge Crescent, and Cambridge Road.
Only one lane will be open on West Park during the parade.
A full list of services across the district is available here.
Read more:
- Remembrance Day: A guide to services in the Harrogate district
- Last Post marks 100th anniversary of Harrogate war memorial
Harrogate nursery staff ‘adore the job they do’, says Ofsted
Kindercare nursery on Pannal Ash Road in Harrogate, has been rated ‘good’ by Ofsted.
The findings were published in a report yesterday following an inspection in October.
Government inspectors rated the nursery, which was registered in 1993, as ‘good’ in all four categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.
However, the assessment did see the grading fall from a previous ‘outstanding’ in 2018.
The report said “children enjoy their time at the nursery” and found staff provide a “safe and well-resourced” learning environment. It added:
“Children and babies are keen to explore and have a go at the wide range of activities on offer.
“They like trying tricky activities, such as catching falling leaves and taking turns to build ‘wobbly’ towers of bricks.”
Inspectors said the behaviour and attitudes at the nursery, which has 86 pupils, are “very good”.
The report also described the 20 members of staff as “wonderfully positive role models”, adding:
“They treat children with respect and are consistently kind and calm in their manner.
“Staff use sensitive and age-appropriate methods for managing unwanted behaviour.
“They frequently praise children for being kind and helpful. This helps to support children’s confidence and self-esteem.”
The manager was described as “knowledgeable, proactive and enthusiastic”. She seeks and receives good support from senior managers and reflects on staff training and wellbeing needs, the report added.
Inspectors also praised the “fun and warmth” shown by staff to babies, and noted they “clearly adore the job they do”.
They said:
“The special educational needs coordinator has a clear understanding of her role and responsibilities.
“Staff work with partner agencies to ensure that children’s individual needs are identified and well met. This makes sure that children have a consistent approach towards their care and learning.”
Safeguarding was found to be “effective”.
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Areas of improvement
However, the inspectors did say not all staff interactions with children “fully support them to make the best possible progress”. They added:
“Some staff do not give children sufficient time to deepen their ideas, solve problems, predict outcomes and find different ways of doing things for themselves.”
The report also found:
“At times, staff do not ensure that the outdoor learning environment has a rich range of play experiences to further support children’s development. This limits children to build on their growing physical skills.”
Ofsted said to improve, staff should “strengthen the already good teaching” to improve the children’s focus, as well as make full use of the outdoor space “to help to keep children engaged in their play”.
The Stray Ferret contacted Kindercare for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
The nursery is owned by Busy Bees Ltd, which has more than 390 nurseries across the UK and Ireland.
Firefighters called to two-vehicle collision near HarrogateHarrogate firefighters and colleagues from Moortown in Leeds were called a two-vehicle collision in North Rigton last night.
The incident, which happened at 7pm, took place on Harrogate Road.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident log said:
“Two males were able to self-extricate from their vehicles prior to fire brigade arrival.
“Both men were left in the hands of the ambulance.”
It added the men had sustained “unknown” injuries.
No further details have been revealed.
Read more:
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The Harrogate crew was also called to the St Patrick’s Way area of the town following reports of young people starting a fire in a recreational ground.
The log said staff at the nearby ambulance station reported the incident, which happened at 1.11am this morning.
It added:
“[The] crew extinguishes a fire measuring one square metre using a hose reel.”
20mph speed limit proposed for Harrogate’s Woodfield Road
North Yorkshire Council has proposed new road safety measures for Woodfield Road in the Bilton area of Harrogate.
The project, funded through the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s AJ1 project road safety fund, will see the introduction of traffic calming measures, including speed cushions and a 20mph speed limit.
Cllr Paul Haslam, a Conservative who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge, told the Stray Ferret the measures were being taken “for the safety of children” ahead of the former Woodfield Road Community Primary School re-opening.
There school, which closed at the end of last year, is due to reopen as a secondary school for 80 autistic children in September 2024.
The former Woodfield Road Community Primary.
Cllr Haslam secured a £20,000 budget for the road safety project and a spokesperson for the council said “the cost will be within the £20,000 fund”, with exact costs “still to come from contractors”.
The council hopes the project will be completed before April 2024.
The scheme follows another major road safety package unveiled by the council in September to create an extensive 20mph zone in the Pannal Ash and Oatlands area of the town.
The proposed area for the new zones included seven Harrogate schools. These are Harrogate Grammar School, Rossett Acre Primary School, Rossett School, Ashville College, St Aidan’s Church of England High School, Oatlands Junior School and Oatlands Infants School.
Read more:
- Landmark Harrogate road safety and transport package unveiled
- Harrogate autism school could save £4m a year
Scope closes Knaresborough charity shop after 35 years
Scope has closed its Knaresborough charity shop after 35 years on the High Street.
The store, which opened in 1988, served its last customer on Saturday.
It stocked second-hand clothing and accessories and was one of 190 Scope retail stores in the UK. Profits fund the charity’s work to campaign for disability equality.
Debbie Boylen head of retail at Scope, said the store was “no longer viable to trade”, adding:
“We were very sad to close our charity shop in Knaresborough, we have had such incredible support from this wonderful and generous community.
“The cost-of-living crisis, coupled with the pandemic, has placed an enormous pressure on stores trading on high streets across the UK, with significant and lengthy closure periods.”
Despite the closure, Knaresborough still has another seven charity shops, including Oxfam and Cancer Research UK, to shop at.
Scope also has a store on Beulah Street in Harrogate.
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Handrails installed at Pateley Bridge war memorial after veteran falls
Safety rails were installed around Pateley Bridge war memorial today ahead of this weekend’s Remembrance Day service.
It comes after an elderly veteran tripped when laying a wreath during last year’s service.
Suzanne Smith, clerk to Pateley Bridge Town Council, said the man was not hurt but the incident “highlighted the need for a handrail”.
Ms Smith added:
“In a joint venture, Pateley Bridge Town Council and Bewerley Parish Council had to jump through a lot of bureaucratic hoops to get the necessary permission to install the handrails.
“Fortunately, we succeeded, just in time for this years’ service.”
The handrails have been made by Chiltondale Architectural Wrought Ironsmiths, which is based in Summerbridge. Ms Smith said:
“They are high quality, galvanised and powder-coated to ensure they are almost maintenance free.
“They have been designed to match the existing handrails on the bandstand in the Recreation Ground and also the very small rail that runs round the bottom of the war memorial.”
The production and installation of the handrails cost £927.42 and has been funded by North Yorkshire Council’s Locality Fund – a £10,000 budget given to councillors to support local communities.
Ms Smith added:
“Bewerley Parish Council, Pateley Bridge Town Council and the Royal British Legion are very grateful that at the Armistice Day event this Saturday, the handrails will ensure that veterans and parishioners can safely and independently access the memorial to lay wreaths.”
The annual Armistice Day parade and service will take place at the Pateley Bridge war memorial on Saturday, November 11, from 10.30am.
Read more:
- Remembrance Day: A guide to services in the Harrogate district
- Harrogate district adorned in poppies as Remembrance Sunday approaches
Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal 2023: Dementia Forward is a ‘godsend’ for husband, says wife
This year’s Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal is to raise £30,000 for a much-needed minibus for Dementia Forward in the Harrogate district.
The appeal is kindly sponsored by Vida Healthcare.
Please give generously to support local people and their families living with dementia. Let’s not forget who needs our help this Christmas.
Today, Flora spoke to a local couple about how Dementia Forward has helped them.
This Christmas, many people in the Harrogate district – families, friends, colleagues – won’t remember the festivities like others will, and their families can only sit by and watch as they lose their memories.
One local couple, Val and David Smith, have used the services on offer at Dementia Forward – including its Hub Club – during their nine-year battle with dementia.
The Smiths, who have been happily married for 56 years, received David’s diagnosis in 2014. Dementia has continued to rob David of his former life, and rob Val of the husband she knew.
Val, who was previously a legal secretary, took on the role as her husband’s carer, but soon realised this was not something she could face alone.
She said:
“There was a seven-year gap in between. David’s symptoms became more obvious and it was clear I needed much more help.
“I rang up and told the staff about David’s diagnosis. They came and did a home visit before he joined the Hub Club.
“He was reluctant at first but once I’d convinced him, he started coming once a week. He loved it so much, he now comes three times per week.”
Before his diagnosis, 79-year-old David lived a normal life – he worked for Leeds City Council and was a proud Leeds Rhinos fan. But dementia can affect anyone and quickly changes the lives of those around them. Val added:
“This is a disease that touches so many people’s lives and, without Dementia Forward, both our lives would be very different.
David attends the Hub Club – which takes places every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday – where he is surrounded by dementia support advisers and other people living with the disease who understand each other.
He does crosswords, plays dominos, snooker and, apparently, wins the morning quiz every time.
The Dementia Forward team strive to make the Hub Club a place where those living with dementia feel cared for and seen. They even curate playlists for each member made up of their favourite music to sing along to.
David said:
“I find it somewhere comfortable with nice people – it’s just something to do and gives me an interest.”
Dementia Forward not only provides support for those living with such a progressive condition, but also vital respite and advice for their carers.
Val described the charity as a “lifeline” and said the help they have provided both her and her husband has drastically improved her mental health. She added:
“It’s amazing – it’s just a break for me. I can go swimming, meet a friend, or just go home and potter around.”
Val also noted the positive impact it has had on her husband:
“It’s given him independence from me because we were spending 24/7 together. He’s made friends and he’s chatting to people.
“It gives me comfort to know he is comfortable, safe and secure.
“It’s a godsend.”
Even Val and Dave’s little grandson loves to drop grandpa off at Hub Club.
However, Val is losing her husband before her eyes – a heartbreaking experience shared by thousands of families and carers of those with dementia across the district. Dementia Forward eases the pain as much as it can – but it can only do so with the help of charitable donations.
Every donation to our campaign will go directly to Dementia Forward, helping us hit our £30,000 target to buy the charity a much-needed new minibus and bettering the lives of those living with dementia and the people around them.
Dementia Forward’s current bus urgently needs to be replaced. The charity would seriously struggle to afford a new one, which is why they need your help to keep this vital service going. Without it, many people living with dementia wouldn’t be able to access the help and support they need.
Please, click here to donate whatever you can – you never know when you, your family or a friend may be in need of Dementia Forward’s help too.
Thank you.
The NHS found that one in 11 people over the age of 65 in the UK are living with dementia. For those who need urgent help or have a dementia-related enquiry, call 0330 057 8592 to speak to a helpline adviser.
Metal fences to remain in Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens until next year
The metal fencing around the pavilion in Harrogate‘s Crescent Gardens will remain in place until the new year, North Yorkshire Council has confirmed.
The fencing was erected last month as a “temporary measure” to prevent a group of rough sleepers from occupying the building.
The group, which inhabited the pavilion for two weeks in September, returned twice after being dispersed by officials.
A spokesperson for the council told the Stray Ferret this morning:
“The fencing is a temporary measure, but will remain in place until the new year as a result of the Christmas ice rink going into the gardens this month.”
The ice rink, which was put up on Crescent Gardens for the first time last year, is part of a three-year Christmas activity licence introduced by the former Harrogate Borough Council.
In a report at the time, Kirsty Stewart, the council’s grounds and maintenance manager, said the festive licence “will generate a minimum income of £37,500 per year”.
A rose arch has been erected as part of the Crescent Gardens revamp.
This has helped to fund a £21,000 revamp of Crescent Gardens.
Last year, the pavilion was used as a makeshift boot room for ice skaters, however its use this year is uncertain following the recent update.
Read more:
- Metal fencing to remain indefinitely in Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens
- Rose arch erected — but will Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens be renamed?