Business Breakfast: New chef named at Wild Swan in Minskip

Are you already thinking of how to reward your employees this Christmas? Why not choose the Harrogate Gift Card?

The Harrogate Gift Card can be spent in over 100 businesses in Harrogate town centre including retail, hospitality and leisure, whilst keeping the spend locked into the local economy.

Complete a corporate bulk order of over £250 and receive 15% discount from November 1 to 15 with the code ‘HGT15’.

Matt Turton has joined the historic 18th century Wild Swan inn at Minskip, near Boroughbridge.

Mr Turton has worked at a variety of venues in Harrogate and with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay when he opened his Heddon Street restaurant in Soho.

Alex Bond, who along with Stephen Lennox bought the Wild Swan in 2021, said:

“Matt’s appointment is crucially important for the future of the Wild Swan. He has a superb reputation in Harrogate and the surrounding area and we are in no doubt that he will take the Wild Swan to a completely new level in terms of the quality and the presentation of our food.”

Mr Turton has had stints at the Fat Badger and the Yorkshire Hotel and as head chef at Jesper’s Bar and Kitchen in Harrogate, as well as working on the set of ITV soap Emmerdale.

He said:

“I have had such a wonderful welcome from the village. I am determined to give Minskip and the surrounding district, an inn to be proud of.

“I have completely revamped the menu and am determined to create enjoyable and imaginative food at competitive prices.”

Charity football tournament

Pantera Property in Harrogate raised more than £5,000 for charity by holding a charity football tournament.

The money will be split and donated to Saint Michaels Hospice in Harrogate and The Leeds Hospital Charity’s fund to create The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Centre.

Established in 2016, Pantera Property is a family-run firm of chartered surveyors, with offices in London, Harrogate, Leeds and Essex.

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Annual Christmas Tree Festival returns to Knaresborough

A festive forest will be sprouting in the church aisles next month, when the Great Knaresborough Christmas Tree Festival returns. 

More than 70 decorated trees will be on display in St John’s Church in the centre of Knaresborough from Saturday, December 2 to Saturday 23, all entered by individuals, businesses, educational establishments and community organisations.

The Christmas Tree Festival has run every year since 2014, and thousands of visitors come to view the trees each year. 

Photo of Christmas trees and three large model sailing ships in the aisles of St John's Church in Knaresborough, at the Knaresborough Christmas Tree Festival in 2022.

Admission to the church to view the trees and other displays is free, but the various fundraising events and activities around the festival raise money for church funds and its nominated charities. Last year, the festival raised £3,000 for charity. 

Visitors can get a sneak peak of the trees before the rush at an official preview evening – complete with seasonal music and mulled wine – from 7pm on Friday, December 1; tickets cost £5. 

There will be live music on the first three Saturdays of the festival, with performances from around 20 local choirs, bands and musicians, and the Christmas Tree Festival Concert is on Sunday, December 10 at 7pm, will feature St John’s Choir and special guests The Paul Mirfin Band. 

The Great Knaresborough Christmas Tree Festival will be open from Monday to Friday at 12 noon to 5pm, on Saturdays from 10am to 5pm, and on Sundays from 12 noon to 4pm.

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Harrogate school invites ex-pupils to 50-year landmark carol service

One of the Harrogate district’s oldest primary schools is celebrating 50 years on its current site with a special carol service. 

Richard Taylor School was founded as Bilton Endowed School by Richard and Francis Taylor in 1785 and moved to its present location on Bilton Lane in 1973, changing its name in the process. 

To mark that event, the Church of England school will be holding a number of events, starting with a carol service at St John’s Church in Bilton on December 11. 

Andrew Symonds, headteacher of Richard Taylor School, told the Stray Ferret: 

“A lot of children have been educated here over the last half-century – we even have some pupils whose grandchildren went to Bilton Endowed School – and we’re hoping that as many of them as possible will come back and help us celebrate, as well as former parents, staff and governors. 

“St John’s is quite a large church, but we hope to fill it. We’ll be singing a lot of the old songs they used to sing when they were here, and there’ll be refreshments afterwards, with a warm and open welcome to all.” 

He said there were also plans to hold a musical concert in the spring term of 2024, as well as photographic exhibition that will include images lent by ex-pupils. He said: 

“We hope as many people as possible who have been a part of Richard Taylor School will come forward with their photos. There’s a lot of celebrate, and we’re sure there are a lot of ex-students who want to help us celebrate it.” 

Richard Taylor School’s 50th anniversary carol service will be held at St John’s Church at 6.30pm on Monday, December 11.

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Community groups gather to create new vision for Harrogate

Harrogate Civic Society and Zero Carbon Harrogate have brought together a range of community groups to tackle the planning void left by the demise of Harrogate Borough Council.

At a meeting this month, the groups discussed the development of a Neighbourhood Plan, which would lay out a shared vision for the development and growth of Harrogate. 

In a report on the meeting, Harrogate Civic Society member Paul Hatherley said the town needed a “strong and deliverable vision”. He said: 

“The challenge is to get an acceptable vision for the town, promoted through the local planning framework. The current reality is Harrogate Borough Council has been abolished and replaced by a new, countywide local authority – North Yorkshire Council.

“The new authority has already started the process of replacing our adopted Harrogate Borough Council Local Plan with a new, countywide local plan. But will this new plan include a vision supported by the Harrogate town community and will its planning policy shape the town the way we want it to be shaped? 

“We could rely on a town council for Harrogate, but this may not be formed for at least two more years.” 

In addition to Harrogate Civic Society and Zero Carbon Harrogate, attendees at the meeting included Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents’ Association, Independent Harrogate, Knox Community Association, Duchy Residents’ Association and the Stray Defence Association, as well as Pat Marsh, the Liberal Democrat councillor who represents the Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone division on North Yorkshire Council, and Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrats’ parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

In places where there is no parish or town council, such as Harrogate, government guidelines stipulate that a forum of 31 people must be designated to take a Neighbourhood Plan forward. A meeting in mid- to late-January will seek to create such a forum.

Mr Hatherley added: 

“I am pleased to report everyone at the meeting supported exploring the issue further and inviting a wider group of individuals and organisations – particularly businesses – to a follow-up meeting.”

The presentation given at the meeting is available on the Harrogate Civic Society website. 

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Lions announce theme for Knaresborough Bed Race 2024

Knaresborough Lions Club has announced the theme of the Best Dressed Bed Competition at next year’s Great Knaresborough Bed Race. 

The annual event is the highlight of the town’s summer and sees 630 people – 90 teams, each with six runners and a passenger – cover a 2.4-mile course through streets and the River Nidd. 

Before the race, the teams gather at Knaresborough Castle, with both beds and team members dressed up to suit the year’s theme, before parading through the town with marching bands and dance groups. 

Suggestions for this year’s theme came in from club members, runners and event supporters, and in the end, the judges’ choice was Great Inventions And Technology Through The Ages, and idea from long-time Bed Race supporters from Somerset, Joe Fielder and Caroline Fletcher. 

Fancy dress is part of the Bed Race fun.

Knaresborough Lions Club’s Martin Brock, who chairs the event committee, said: 

“With literally thousands of years of history to choose from, this theme was a clear winner when it came to the vote.

“We are sure as always that the teams will do the event proud with some amazing designs for the parade.” 

Knaresborough Lions Club has already started work on organising the event, which is scheduled for Saturday, June 8. It is seeking permissions for land usage and road closures, and will open the race to entries on January 1. 

In the meantime, the Santa’s sleigh and Lions mulled wine wagon will be making their annual appearances in Knaresborough. Father Christmas will be appearing at the town’s Christmas market next weekend (December 2-3), where mulled wine will be on sale. 

Santa’s sleigh will also start touring Knaresborough’s streets from Monday (November 27). 

The club is also inviting final entries for its community fund, which closes this Thursday (November 30). Local constituted clubs and groups are invited to apply for small grants as part of the fund. Full details and an application form can be found on the club’s website. 

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Business Breakfast: Manufacturer featured on BBC’s DIY SOS special

Are you already thinking of how to reward your employees this Christmas? Why not choose the Harrogate Gift Card?

The Harrogate Gift Card can be spent in over 100 businesses in Harrogate town centre including retail, hospitality and leisure, whilst keeping the spend locked into the local economy.

Complete a corporate bulk order of over £250 and receive 15% discount from November 1 to 15 with the code ‘HGT15’.

Ventilation manufacturer EnviroVent had its products brought to national attention by contributing them to BBC One’s DIY SOS: The Big Build for Children in Need.

The Harrogate-based company donated six ventilation units to Treetops Hospice in Risley in Derbyshire, which was being built for the show. The EnviroVent ECO dMEV units were used in a new counselling and therapy centre for traumatically bereaved children and young people.

In just 10 days, the DIY SOS team, led by presenter Nick Knowles, created the purpose-built counselling and therapy centre, which is expected will support hundreds of young people in difficult circumstances every year.

EnviroVent key account manager James Garland said:

“It was fantastic to be able to provide assistance for such a wonderful cause. All parties who contributed to this project did some great work, which will benefit the lives of so many children and young people.

Indoor air-quality is so important in keeping people healthy and ventilation systems like these ensure condensation and mould is not able to form and cause an issue.”

Black Sheep in first collaboration

Black Sheep Brewery in Masham has unveiled the fruits of its first ever brewery collaboration.

Ensueño is a joint effort with Piglove Brewing, a Leeds firm whose owners hail from Venezuela.

Ensueño is a Spanish term meaning “to aspire to do something that is unlikely to happen”, a sentiment deemed appropriate for brewery start-ups by the two breweries’ founders, Paul Theakston and Marcos Ramirez.

The ale was devised by Marcos and Black Sheep’s head brewer Alex Brandon-Davies, and features Pilsner malt, wheat and two types of oats, as well as Citra, Mosaic and Sabro hops. Each of Piglove’s beers includes a special ingredient, and Ensueño’s is the dried coffee cherry, cáscara.

Ensueño will be on tap soon at the Black Sheep Brewery Visitor Centre in Masham, The Three Legged Mare in York, and Piglove by the River in Leeds.

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New proposals revealed for scaled-back Harrogate Station Gateway

Plans to improve Harrogate’s town centre may still go ahead in much reduced form, but the costs will not go down, and may yet rise, according to documents published today

The document, published ahead of a council meeting on Tuesday, also gives further details of the proposed £11.2 million Station Gateway.

The original proposals entailed the part-pedestrianisation of James Street and the reduction of a 300-metre stretch of Station Parade to a single lane to make space for cycle lanes. 

But North Yorkshire Council halted the scheme in August following a legal challenge by Hornbeam Park Developments. The council admitted it made an error by not following the correct procedure.

At a meeting on Tuesday next week (November 28), councillors are now set to discuss revised proposals that do not include major alterations to the road layout – the elements that gave rise to the most controversy. 

But despite the more modest scope of the plans, the Supplementary Agenda document published ahead of the meeting states: 

“…a reduced scope scheme is not considered likely to achieve savings but rather will require the entire ‘in principle’ TCF [Transforming Cities Fund] budget”. 

It adds: 

“The risk of further budget increase if a revised project is developed cannot be discounted.” 

The plans to be discussed are believed to focus on those elements of the scheme that gathered the most public support.

One Arch

One Arch

These include public realm improvements to Station Square and One Arch (the foot tunnel under the railway at the bottom end of Station Parade), improved access into the bus station and linked sequencing of the traffic lights between the Ripon Road/King’s Road and the Station Parade/Victoria Avenue junctions. 

The possibility of a southbound segregated cycle lane on Station Parade, while retaining two lanes for motorised traffic, is also being explored. Wider cycling infrastructure improvements would be delivered under further stages of investment. 

The Harrogate Station Gateway scheme is one of three schemes worth £42 million being funded by the government’s Transforming Cities Fund to improve station gateways to town centres in Harrogate, Selby and Skipton. 

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for highways and transport, Cllr Keane Duncan, said:

“We are now at a critical stage in the delivery of the three projects, which will be transformative for Harrogate, Selby and Skipton. 

“Our revised proposals focus on core elements with the most public support. The plans are affordable, deliverable and are built on extensive cross-party engagement with councillors. 

“We are being clear and realistic about what we can achieve now, and the measures we want to deliver in further stages. 

“This is positive progress that puts us in the best possible position to deliver this landmark package of investment while avoiding potential delays and navigating budget constraints. 

“It means we are ready to submit final business cases for the Selby and Skipton schemes next month, and for Harrogate as soon as is possible.” 

Further detailed work on the Harrogate scheme will be required prior to public consultation next year.

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Harrogate’s pantomime season starts tomorrow

Harrogate’s much-loved Christmas pantomime returns tomorrow (Wednesday) with a new production of Dick Whittington. 

The rags-to-riches story of the poor orphan boy attracted to the capital by promises of streets paved with gold and becoming Lord Mayor of London will follow the familiar format, but with a few local twists. 

Co-writer and chief executive of Harrogate Theatre David Bown told the Stray Ferret: 

“It’s a fresh take on the old Harrogate formula. With pantomime, there are certain expectations and conventions, and we work with those, and add in some of the events that have happened in Harrogate over the past year to make it relevant. So, it’s a combination of satire and slapstick, and it’s just great family fun.” 

The panto will run for 76 performances over seven-and-a-half weeks, finishing on January 14. Anchoring the piece will be perennial favourite Tim Stedman, with newcomers including Naail Ishaq and Faye Weerasinghe.  

Harrogate’s annual pantomime is widely regarded as one of the best in the north, and Mr Bown says that’s no accident. He said: 

“We work hard at every element. We concentrate very much on the story, and make it nice and clear and imaginative, so that it’s accessible for the younger members of the audience. Then we layer it with jokes for the adults, although we never do innuendo. 

“We work really hard to find jokes that work, and mix it all with newer music that’s in the charts now, and older music that more people will recognise, so there’s something for everyone.” 

Dick Whittington will open on Wednesday, November 22 and close on Sunday, January 14. Tickets are available online from the box office. 

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Business Breakfast: Investment to supercharge growth at Harrogate firm

Are you already thinking of how to reward your employees this Christmas? Why not choose the Harrogate Gift Card?

The Harrogate Gift Card can be spent in over 100 businesses in Harrogate town centre including retail, hospitality and leisure, whilst keeping the spend locked into the local economy.

Complete a corporate bulk order of over £250 and receive 15% discount from November 1 to 15 with the code ‘HGT15’.

A commercial property management business in Harrogate is on target to achieve 33% growth this year after receiving a six-figure investment from NPIF – FW Capital Debt Finance, which is managed by FW Capital and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.

Robinsons Facilities Services will use the money – which follows a first round of funding in 2020 – to plan for its next phase of growth and create new jobs.

The company was spun out of Robinsons Group in 2013, and since then it has experienced year-on-year growth and has broadened its service offering to include fire, security and life safety systems and many other commercial building services. It now has more than 500 sites in Yorkshire, and deals with a variety of sectors including leisure, industrial, healthcare, multi-property residential landlords and education.

Managing director Luke Kitchen said:

“Today, the business is over almost four times the size it was in 2013 and we’ve broadened our services to include everything that’s needed to maintain and repair commercial buildings.

“The investment received from FW Capital has provided us with a secure platform to grow our business with confidence. We’ve also expanded our workforce and recently taken on an engineer and two more admin roles.”

The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund project is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020 and the European Investment Bank.

Council’s new economic growth plans

North Yorkshire Council has adopted a new five-year economic growth strategy.

The purpose of the plan is to accelerate economic growth across the region, and it includes measures to create a carbon-negative economy, maximise investment, support business growth, increase innovation and productivity and improve skill levels.

Carolyn Frank, York and North Yorkshire Federation of Small Businesses development manager, said:

“Businesses will welcome the joined-up approach recommended in the strategy, and the ambitions outlined, but will be focused on the ‘making it happen’ steps to follow.

“There is widespread economic uncertainty and it is crucial that the council works in partnership with business owners of all sizes to make sure that North Yorkshire continues to be a great place to do business, with businesses and self-employed needs understood.

“There are many exciting opportunities ahead through devolution and these will only be realised by the public and private sectors working in partnership. In a turbulent economy and time of rapid change, a strategy can only make a lasting difference if the implementation is action-oriented, agile and impact focused.”

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LGBTQ+ event in Harrogate to focus minds on Pride parade in 2024

Members of Harrogate’s LGBTQ+ community will be holding a free event at Revolución de Cuba on Parliament Street this week. 

One Love, which is organised by Harrogate Pride Events, is intended as an inclusive event where like-minded people can meet up, drink, dance and relax in a safe space. 

Organiser and DJ Craig Joynson told the Stray Ferret: 

“We’re not charging any money for this. It’s really somewhere you can be yourself and relax with other people who are being themselves too. 

“It’s also a way of letting people know that there is an LGBTQ community here in Harrogate.” 

One Love is the latest in a series of such events that have been held at various places around the town, including a packed evening at Major Tom’s Social on the August Bank Holiday, quiz nights at Lilypad and a regular evening at The Disappearing Chin on the first Friday of each month.

Mr Joynson and other members of the LGBTQ community hope these events will all help to focus efforts to put on a Pride parade in Harrogate next year. He said: 

“That’s the ambition over the longer term. There were a few Pride parades held in Harrogate before the lockdowns and they were very successful, so we’d really like to bring them back. 

“We’ve got a committee now, which is in talks about the council about holding an event, but we don’t know yet where or when it will be held, or even if we have permission, so it’s very much in its infancy.” 

One Love will be held at Revolución de Cuba on Friday, November 24, from 7pm. 

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