This story is sponsored by Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate.

The autumn term is in full swing at Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate, and new pupils are already enjoying all the activities that make it a unique place to learn. 

Chapter House, which accepts children from three months old up to Year 5, is set within a campus offering over 100 enrichment activities on site, ensuring the engagement and enthusiasm of every child. 

Two days a week before school, the school’s Sport Curriculum leader runs Wake Up, Get Up, Move Up, an energetic activity to develop physical and mental wellbeing. 

There’s also a dedicated 45-minute slot each lunchtime for a wide range of activities, including football, swimming and gym and dance, as well as the science club, the art club and the Blue Peter badge club. 

Two of the more popular activities are Digital Leaders and Mindful Moments. The KS2 Digital Leader Jedis help deliver a digital wellbeing message to their peers through assemblies and focus weeks, and the KS1 Digital Leader Padawans start their computing journeys by learning to build, program and play with robots and other hardware. 

A teacher and pupils enjoy an outdoor lesson at Queen Ethelburga’s Chapter House school.

Mindful Moments focuses on mindfulness, which can boost concentration, lower stress and improve emotional regulation skills. Pupils take part in lots of child-friendly activities, such as guided meditation, simple massage and different breathing techniques. 

With a trained specialist in Chapter House, all ages participate in Forest School sessions during the school year. Each class spends two hours a week over a half-term period learning through play, exploration, and discovery in a natural outdoor environment, including cooking on the fire pit! 

After school, children can join Homework Club to have support from academic staff with their prep and every Wednesday there is a sporting activity linked to the main focus sports for the term. 

Even more opportunities for enrichment are provided as part of the curriculum. The Accelerated Literacy and Mathematics activities have in the past included participation in the Quiz Club National Mathematics Championships and creating a school newspaper. 

There are also frequent visits and presentations from professionals working across a range of scientific and related fields. 

Girls singing in the choir at Queen Ethelburga’s Chapter House school.

Karen Kilkenny, Head of Chapter House, says that the wealth of extra activities is part of a deliberate strategy to provide a broad, dynamic and engaging educational experience for all of Queen Ethelburga’s pupils. She said:  

“As every parent knows, there’s far more to children’s development than just formal education. Our traditional curriculum is of course excellent – our pupils do well academically – but we also do everything we can to ensure that their horizons are broadened well beyond the confines of the classroom. 

“We want every one of our pupils to leave Chapter House and Queen Ethelburga’s with the best academic qualifications they can attain, but also with rounded personalities, enriched by the skills and abilities learnt during the many extra-curricular activities we provide.” 

Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate was founded in 1912 and in 1991 moved to the Thorpe Underwood estate, between Harrogate and York, where it has what are widely regarded as some of the best educational facilities in the country. It welcomes children from three months old and supports them through its four schools: Chapter House (3 months to Year 5), King’s Magna (Years 6 to 9), The College and Faculty (both Years 10 to 13). 

Find out more: 

Queen Ethelburga’s will be holding a Whole School Open Morning on Saturday, September 30. One-hour tours begin at 9.30am and run every half-hour till 11am. After the tour, the academic and admissions staff will be available to answer any questions in The Atrium, where visitors can also enjoy a light lunch.

To book a place, go to the Queen Ethelburga’s website.  

More open days will be held on November 18, January 27, March 9 and April 27.

Two Harrogate men were forced to sleep outdoors on Wednesday night when they were refused a bed for the night at a youth hostel in the Lake District. 

John France and Mick Murphy had just completed a 15-mile walk up three mountains when they turned up at dusk at YHA Patterdale, where they planned to stay the night. 

But staff at the hostel said Youth Hostels Association (YHA) policy required visitors provide some official form of identification, such as a passport or driving licence. John had a driving licence, but Mick did not, so staff members said John was welcome but Mick was not. 

Not wanting to leave Mick out in the cold, John refused his offer of a bed and both men slept in their car. 

John said: 

“Patterdale has one B&B and it was full, so we had to sleep outside. It was cold and raining and we were drenched, so it was a very uncomfortable night. 

“We thought it was just the staff at Patterdale being inflexible, so when I finally got home on Thursday I called the YHA head office, but they confirmed that the policy had been correctly enforced. 

“But what if we’d been teenagers and it had been winter? There’s a big difference between a hotel in a town and a youth hostel in an isolated area. If they carry on like this, someone is going to perish out there – within sight of a youth hostel.” 

When visitors book places in YHA hostels online, they are told that “all guests aged 18 or over will be required to show a valid form of photographic ID upon arrival”.

It also warns: “We reserve the right to refuse accommodation at our discretion.” 

Forms of identification accepted by the YHA include a passport or driving licence, a student ID card, a Travelcard, UK CitizenCard, an EU resident’s ID card, YOTI digital identification, or government-issued identification for members of local authorities, the police and fire services, the NHS or the armed forces. 

But some walkers arrive at youth hostels without booking, so may not be aware of the requirement to show ID. 

Asked about the policy, a YHA spokesperson told the Stray Ferret: 

“YHA’s number-one priority is safeguarding the thousands of young people that stay with us each year. As such, and as per the industry norm for accommodation providers, all guests are required to have proof of ID when arriving at the hostels. This has been the case for a number of years. 

“The ID requirement is clearly stated in the pre-stay communication guests receive and also in our booking terms and conditions on our website.” 

They added: 

“Under no circumstance would YHA turn anyone away from its site if there was a risk to life.” 

But John said he did not accept the YHA’s explanation of its ID policy. He said: 

“This is not about safeguarding. Turning 18-year-olds away, most of whom won’t have photo ID, is not safeguarding them.

“The YHA have lost sight of the ethos they were founded upon. It’s a charity that is supposed to ‘help all, especially young people of limited means, to a greater knowledge, love and care of the countryside’.

“But the prices have rocketed beyond the means of most young people and they’re acting like any other branch of the hospitality industry. It’s crazy – the YHA have lost the plot.”

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A father-of-five from Harrogate has launched a campaign to raise funds for his own medical treatment after being diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer. 

Stuart Gray, whose father is Leeds United legend Eddie Gray, has stage four cholangiocarcinoma – a cancer that forms in the bile ducts. He has been told that by the time this cancer begins to show symptoms, it is usually too advanced for surgery, which is currently the only known cure. 

Complicating the situation, he has also been diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a chronic liver disease with no known cure, which doctors believe was a likely contributing factor in the development of the cancer. 

Writing on the GoFundMe page set up by his brother Nick, Stuart said: 

“The severity of my illness means that doctors expect my life expectancy to be significantly reduced. However, treatments are available for the cholangiocarcinoma that can prolong life expectancy, and in some rare cases even cure this terrible disease, and I am determined to do everything I can to fight it with everything I have.” 

By Friday afternoon – just a few days after launch – Stuart, 49, had already raised over £30,000 of his £100,000 goal. 

In an update posted today, Stuart said: 

“To all the people who have donated and sent messages and good wishes, I want to say how deeply thankful I am to each and every one of you. It means the world to me and my family to see the support we have. Love Stuart x” 

Some of the treatments for Stuart’s illness are widely available on the NHS, but some of the newer and more experimental treatments are less readily available and very costly. 

In addition, Stuart’s treatment could include biopsies and testing, CT, MRI scans and X-rays, the fitting of stents to relieve pain, alternative wellbeing therapies, and travel and accommodation costs when seeing consultants in London or abroad. 

Stuart said: 

“Unfortunately, time is not on my side, and to wait for approval of these various experimental treatments, and then for the treatments to be administered by the NHS, will likely take years. Accessing these drugs and treatments privately is costly and can be difficult. 

“My family and I will be posting regular updates along the way and will be partaking in various fundraising efforts to help pay for any treatment that may be needed in the coming months and, God willing, years. 

“Any help or support you can offer during this process would be appreciated more than you will ever know.” 

Stuart will also donate a percentage of the funds raised to AMMF, the cholangiocarcinoma charity. He added: 

“If/when treatment is no longer needed, for whatever reason, all of the surplus funds will also go to the AMMF.”

Like his father and his famous uncle, Frankie Gray, Stuart is also a former footballer, having played for various clubs including Celtic and Reading, as well as making seven appearance for Scotland at under-21 level.

Read more:

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A new document published by the administrators of failed housebuilder Ilke Homes has revealed that its debts are far greater than previously believed, and that employees stand to gain little from any settlement. 

Ilke Homes collapsed into administration in June, causing the loss of 1,100 jobs and leaving a long list of creditors wondering when they might get any money back – and how much they might receive. 

A Statement of Affairs published on the government’s Companies House website two weeks ago appeared to show that the company left debts of about £320 million, but it transpires that that figure applied only to Ilke Homes Limited (IHL), which is one of three companies currently in administration by AlixPartners. 

The other two, Ilke Homes Land Limited (IHLL) and Ilke Homes Holdings Limited (IHHL), were part of the same operation and have also left debts, of £52.8 million and £23.9 million respectively. 

The total combined sum of the three companies’ debts amounts to £397.95 million. 

Read more:

• Collapsed Flaxby firm Ilke Homes owed £320m to 300 creditors
• 600 Ilke Homes staff join legal action over job losses
• Ilke Homes: More than 1,000 staff made redundant

The document also details how much various creditors are likely to receive. For example, IHL owes 1,061 employees a total of £724,614 in the form of holiday pay and pension arrears – an average debt of £683 per person – but the statement lists this debt as being payable at “nil” pence in the pound, meaning they will get nothing. 

By contrast, secured creditors will receive the full amount owed to them. For example, IHL is expected to repay the whole of its £221,000 debt to Barclays Bank, but none of its £2.2 million debt to HMRC. In all, it is expected to repay £326,000, or just 0.1%, of its £321 million total debt. 

IHLL is expected to repay its debts to secured creditors Redlawn Land Ltd (£7.7 million) and Barclays Bank (£5.4 million) in full. Claims from HMRC of £279,743 and from former employees of £43,258 are also expected to be paid in full, but other unsecured creditors are expected to receive just £694,000 of the £39.4 million they are owed. 

In the case of IHHL, the amounts of repayments to unsecured creditors, who are collectively owed nearly £23.9 million, are listed as “uncertain”. 

The three Ilke companies collectively owe Homes England £68.7 million, a sum which appears on all three of their balance sheets due to a system of cross-guarantees. Of this debt, IHL will repay £105,000, IHLL will repay £1.005 million, and IHLL will repay just £30,000. In total, Ilke will repay just £1.14 million of its £68.7 million debt to the government agency. 

In all, the three Ilke Homes companies are expected to pay off £15,478,001 of their debts – or just 2.9% of the total. 

This story was updated on September 20. A previous version wrongly stated that Ilke’s total debts exceeded half a billion pounds. This was because the £68.7 million that Ilke owes to Homes England appears as a liability on the balance sheets of all three Ilke companies, as they have all guaranteed it, and so was counted three times instead of just once.

More than 200 people have already signed up to a new Facebook group designed to help local parents with neurodiverse children, just days after it was set up by two Harrogate mothers. 

Emily Mitchell and Ashlie Charleton founded Sen Hub Harrogate – Parent Support to enable parents of children with special educational needs (SEN) to access information about SEN-friendly groups and classes, as well as support and advice about Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) and the Disability Living Allowance (DLA). 

Emily, whose daughter Elsie is autistic and non-verbal, told the Stray Ferret: 

“We want to make a beautiful little community where we can all help and support each other. It can be quite lonely sometimes as the parent of a neurodiverse child, so it’s really nice to be able to reach out and find other people who are in the same position and understand the challenges. Having that support is absolutely vital.  

“There are actually quite a lot of things going on now. We’ve got Neurodiverse Stay and Play on Thursday mornings at Oatlands Community Centre, Diverse Minds every second Tuesday after school, and Saturday afternoon sessions at Harrogate Gymnastics on Hornbeam Park – and there’s a lot more stuff starting up and becoming available. 

“It’s really nice to be able to find things that enable us to give our kids a ‘normal’ upbringing.” 

The pair started the group – which can also be found on Instagram – after being shocked by how little help parents received when their children were first diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder. 

Ashlie, whose son Harry is three-and-a-half, said: 

“They say there’s no handbook for raising a child, but having a neurodiverse child is a completely different ballgame.

“When I was going through the process of finding out my son was autistic, we were more or less left to it. We were given an online course to go on, which turned out to be a video call with about 50 other parents, but there was no opportunity to get individual feedback or ask questions personal to our children. We weren’t told anything about all the things, like DLA and EHCP, that can make life easier. We just didn’t want other parents to go through all that.”

In a report published in May this year, North Yorkshire Council estimated that since 2016 the number of children and young people with SEN and an EHCP has increased by more than 110% across the county.

Read more: 

• Harrogate autism school could save £4m a year
• 86% support plans to open autism school in Harrogate
• Lack of special need provision in schools ‘failing children’, says Harrogate mother

A Hollywood actor who became a household name in the 1950s was honoured with a commemorative plaque at his family home in Harrogate on Saturday. 

Michael Rennie was born in 1909 in Idle, near Bradford, and went on to become the highest-paid filmstar in Britain in 1946, starring with many of the leading actors of the post-war period, including Orson Welles, Clarke Gable and Vivien Leigh. 

Arguably his most famous role was as Klaatu, the alien ambassador in the 1951 blockbuster The Day the Earth Stood Still. 

Less than three years after leaving Hollywood, he died at 1 Otley Road – his mother’s home – in Harrogate on June 10, 1971. His ashes were interred up the road in Harlow Hill Cemetery. 

The brown Harrogate Civic Society plaque was unveiled on the gatepost at 1 Otley Road by his son, David Rennie, who had instigated the process. 

The plaque includes the enigmatic words ‘Klaatu barada nikto’, uttered by Michael Rennie’s alien character in The Day The Earth Stood Still.

As well as the brief biographical details that tell passersby who Michael Rennie was, it also includes the words ‘Klaatu barada nikto, a phrase uttered by his character in The Day the Earth Stood Still.

The phrase, described by one journalist as “the most famous phrase ever spoken by an extraterrestrial”, has become iconic among science fiction fans, and its meaning has been the topic of much debate and speculation.

According to film historian Steven Jay Rubin, the film’s screenplay writer, Edmund H North, said it meant “There’s hope for Earth, if the scientists can be reached”. 

Also present at the unveiling ceremony were: Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough; Michael Harrison, charter mayor of Harrogate; Stuart Holland, chair of Harrogate Civic Society; David Bown, chief executive of Harrogate Theatre; Paula Stott, chair of Harrogate Film Society; as well as neighbouring residents and members of the Rennie family. 

Mr Holland said:

“Of the 94 brown plaques Harrogate Civic Society have unveiled over the years, 71 relate to buildings and places, but only 23 to people.

“We’re very keen to recognise people who have contributed to or influenced the town, and we hadn’t commemorated an actor before, so we were very pleased to be able to have this one made for one of the town’s finest, Michael Rennie.” 

Read more:

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Business owners on a parade of shops in Harrogate are getting ready for a rare royal visit.

Anne, Princess Royal will be dropping in on Prince Albert Row – which is named after her great-great-great-grandfather – at the top end of Station Parade.

The Grade II listed buildings are home to some of Harrogate’s longest-established and respected businesses, including Woods Fine Linen, which has supplied royal households since it was founded in 1895.

William Woods, of Woods Fine Linen, said:

“Prince Albert Row is such a beautiful part of Harrogate and somewhere we are incredibly proud to be a part of. It is truly is a great honour to be welcoming Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal and to be sharing this experience with our neighbours and friends.”

In preparation for the visit, which will take place on Wednesday, September 20, retailers led by Woods have produced a leaflet highlighting the businesses on Prince Albert Row, which has been distributed to hotels and tourist information centres across the region.

The Harrogate BID and Harrogate Chamber of Commerce have also been ensuring the row of shops looks its best, sprucing up exteriors and giving street furniture a new lick of paint.

Matthew Chapman, Harrogate BID manager, said:

“We’re pleased to be supporting the royal visit through our in-house street ranger repainting street furniture, presenting additional floral displays on Prince Albert Row, as well as helping the businesses distribute their new leaflet.

“The royal visit is certain to further shine a spotlight on Prince Albert Row and Harrogate as a great place to visit, for its beautiful buildings as well as fantastic shops.”

Martin Mann, acting chief executive of Harrogate District. Chamber of Commerce, added:

“We are all looking forward to welcoming the Princess Royal to Harrogate and working together to ensure she gets to see Harrogate at our best.”

Pictured above: Left to right: Helen James of Helen James Flowers; Jonathan Woods, director of Woods of Harrogate; Matthew Chapman, manager of Harrogate BID; Francesca MacLaverty of Woods Fine Linen; Martin Mann of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce; Gillian Vincent of Rigby & Peller; Stephen Gee of Stephen Neall Interiors; Sarah Woods, director of William Woods Interiors; Richard Staples of Bang & Olufsen; and Jesper Callisa, owner of Jespers Bar & Kitchen. 

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A pop-up-restaurant created by Afghan refugees will hold its launch event this month in Knaresborough. 

The Afghan Kitchen will offer food and drink for up to 60 diners at Gracious Street Methodist Church, with both meat and vegetarian menus available. 

The initiative is the brainchild of Nahid Hamidi, who fled Afghanistan in August 2021 when the Taliban seized control of country. Her husband, Jamil, was an interpreter for the British Army – and was even injured in the line of duty – but his role with British armed forces made him and his family an immediate target, so even though they had visas to travel to the UK and were packed and ready to go, they were forced to leave with nothing in an American cargo plane. 

University educated, Nahid was the director of an international charity in the northern province, Badakhshan, and speaks English well. But after the family moved to Harrogate in November 2021, she quickly recognised how difficult it was for many of her fellow countrywomen who lacked the necessary English skills to find work. 

She told the Stray Ferret: 

“I worked for a charity in Afghanistan, and helping is like my hobby! I wanted to help my Afghan lady friends, because they really want to work, and cooking is one thing they really know how to do – we all learned to cook from our mothers. 

“I’m employing two of them so far, but eventually I hope to employ 20 or more. I want to run these events in Skipton, York, and right across Yorkshire.” 

Diners at an Afghan lunch cooked by Nahid for the Refugee Council earlier this year.

The Afghan Kitchen is supported by Harrogate District of Sanctuary, which has been helping the Hamidis and other Afghan families since their arrival in the region. 

Nahid said:

“I really hope it all goes well. There will be Afghan food, Afghan music, and hopefully also an Afghan atmosphere – a real Afghan experience.

“I just want to get feedback as good as I received from the Refugee Council when I cooked lunch for 32 of them – they really liked my food. In Afghanistan, if someone visits and we can’t feed them, it just doesn’t feel right. But if we can, then we’re happy!”

Feedback from the Refugee Council lunch for 32 people was overwhelmingly positive.

The first Afghan Kitchen pop-up restaurant will be held on Saturday, September 23 from 7pm to 9.30pm. Tickets are running out fast, but a second event is planned for Harrogate, on Saturday, October 21 at Kairos Church, just off Cold Bath Road.

Two set menus are available: a meat menu at £20 and a vegetarian menu for £17. Both include a starter, main course, bread, salad and dessert. Gracious Street Methodist Church is not licensed, so no alcohol is permitted on the premises. 

Tickets for either of these events can be reserved by emailing TheAfghanKitchenYorkshire@gmail.com.

Read more:

• Refugee organises Afghanistan Day at Harrogate College
• Council set to buy 11 homes for Afghan refugees in Harrogate area
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Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday, Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  and sharing cooking tips – please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe. 

I was excited to try out head chef Samira Effa’s new menu at Bar & Restaurant EightyEight at Grantley Hall near Ripon.

I first knew of Samira from the Great British Menu competition where she was my choice to win. She suggested the eight-course tasting menu.

The first course of fragrant Tom Kha Gai with rice crisp topped with chilli miso ketchup and sorrel was a silky-smooth and well-balanced soup with high notes of lemongrass, citrus, subtle heat level, the right amount of sweetness and great depth of flavour.

With a great mouth-feel, flavours that thankfully lingered on, I couldn’t help licking my lips to capture every last sensation. The rice wafer dissolved on the tongue and the heat from the addictive ketchup started as a slow burn that crept up on you. This course was a ‘smack you in the face’ kind of flavour and a wonderful start to the dinner.

The second course of Warrendale Wagyu beef tataki with sesame ponzu, daikon, onions and shiso had a calming effect on the tastebuds, almost as though it was gently courting you. The toasty and spiced notes from the sesame seeds and oil were beautiful.

The slightly pickled daikon, light and fresh with the right amount of crunch, was served with lightly seared and dressed tender beef. The emulsion was like a great mayonnaise on steroids and the magic happened when you put everything together, as it resulted in a taste sensation that was light, elegant and delicious. This course took your tastebuds in a completely different direction, which made it impossible to compare with the earlier course.

The Warrendale wagyu beef tataki.

The third course of grilled diver-caught king scallops with smoked kimchi butter sauce, leek and oyster leaf was a sight for sore eyes, with the lightly seared scallops proudly sitting on a stunning sauce speckled with finely chopped herbs.

The kimchi butter gave body and character to the dish and the sweetness of the scallop married well with the delicate but yummy sauce with subtle notes of lemon and a hint of chilli that popped up at the end of each bite. The sauce was so delicious that I wished I had a piece of bread to mop it all up; it felt criminal to leave any of it on the plate.

The king scallop with smoked kimchi butter sauce, leek and oyster leaf.

The fourth course of roast cauliflower satay, coconut, kafir lime, and coriander made me see the vegetable in a whole new light. Who knew cauliflower could be sexy?

Cauliflower delight

Cauliflower roasted in masala spice nestling on a bed of silky-smooth purée that was as light as air, topped with a drizzle of light satay sauce. The stunning lime gel brought everything together with a burst of sweetness and sharpness that awakened your taste buds. I had a ‘happy laugh’ in my belly as this course made me smile with joy. I scraped my plate clean which is really something for someone who doesn’t usually like cauliflower. Like Oliver Twist, I wanted more.

The fish course of robata grilled halibut, fragrant shell bisque, Whitby crab gyoza, pak choi and sea herbs had perfectly charred yet juicy fish. The bisque had a great lobster-shell flavour with notes of lemongrass and coconut cream, and the micro herbs lent an aniseed flavour to complete the balance of sweet, salty, sour and umami. The accompanying dumpling had a skin that melted away leaving one to enjoy the delicate crab filling with the pak choi bringing in a juiciness that cleansed your palate, allowing you to experience the flavours all over again.

I was in love with the five-spiced Thirkleby duck breast, crispy confit leg, celeriac and umeboshi plum before I’d even tasted it. The accompanying sounds from my friend and me were all that was needed to confirm the yummy-ness of the dish. Juicy five-spiced duck meat in a crunchy coating, tender and pink duck breast, rich and delicious yet light plum jus and celeriac was a well-executed dish and a perfect way to end the savoury courses.

I couldn’t decide on out my favourite course; I had been taken on a culinary roller coaster journey with each stage as exciting as the previous one. I was eager for the dessert courses.

The glazed Yorkshire strawberry, mint and jasmine dessert was a visual and flavourful triumph. The strawberry sphere with the thinnest shell housed a sublimely light mousse with a mint centre. The meringue shell dissolved as soon it landed on your tongue and before you could say ‘Jack Robinson’, the strawberry shone through this dessert.

I didn’t think the strawberry dessert could be topped until the caramelised white chocolate and cherry, white sesame and tonka came out looking even more visually striking. The mousse, sat on crunchy bits, was like eating an elegant cheesecake, cherry ice cream brought a slight bitterness and the cherry compote was sharp enough to reengage your brain after you went to dessert heaven. The delicious sesame crisp was a sensational nod to an ingredient that popped up in different guises.

We ended the meal with salted caramel dark chocolates with a hint of liqueur. The mocktails were excellent, staff were so attentive they spotted a napkin that had slipped to the floor and brought a clean one.

Overall it was a belter of a meal and we left floating on a gastronomic cloud. Samira has created an eight-course meal that is a delight to eat and easy to fall in love with. Shout out to the incredible head pastry chef (@stefthepastrychef) for doing things with pastry that many of us can only dream of.

I highly recommend you go check out Bar & Restaurant EightyEight at Grantley Hall, where your mind-blowing experience starts as you drive onto their glorious grounds before eating in a fairytale-like dining space.

Next week, I will be writing about my visit to Dutch Barn Orchard Vodka.

Read more:

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• Yemi’s Food Stories: A visit to Rudding Park’s kitchen garden
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A Harrogate convenience store is set to close temporarily next week for refitting and rebranding works.

The McColl’s shop on Royal Parade, opposite the Royal Pump Room Museum, will close at noon on Tuesday, September 12 and reopen 10 days later as a Morrisons Daily. The changes will include complete rebranding and alterations to the internal layout of the shop. 

The new-look store is due to reopen at 7am on Friday, September 22. 

A Morrisons spokesperson told the Stray Ferret: 

“The new Morrisons Daily fresh food convenience store in Harrogate will offer customers a carefully tailored mix of Morrisons own-brand products alongside branded favourites. 

“As well as new ranges, the store will receive a complete redesign internally and externally, incorporating Morrisons bright, modern branding. Fresh food is at the heart of the store, and we hope customers will love it.” 

The revamp of the Royal Parade shop is part of a rolling programme of works, as McColl’s shops are converted into Morrisons Daily stores following the acquisition of McColl’s by Morrisons last year. 

McColl’s had 1,164 shops when it was bought out of administration by Morrisons in May 2022. Of these, Morrisons said it would sell off 132 which were loss-making, including the one on Harlow Hill. The rest – such as the Bilton store, which was converted last year – are to be rebranded as Morrisons Daily stores.

In a second-quarter trading update issued in June, Morrisons said the 400 stores it has converted so far had seen increased sales. It added that it now has almost 650 Morrisons Daily stores across the UK, and expects to have almost 1,000 by the end of the year.

Read more:

• Councillor says Harrogate McColl’s closure has led to resurgence for independents
• Bilton’s McColl’s to rebrand as Morrisons Daily
• Future of Harrogate district McColl’s in question