This story is sponsored by Lucy Pittaway.

One of the UK’s favourite artists says she has been “blown away” by the reception since opening her new gallery in Harrogate before Christmas. 

Lucy Pittaway already has four other galleries across the North – in Richmond, Yarm, Keswick and near her home in Brompton-on-Swale – where she sells original artwork and prints of her paintings, which she calls “art that makes you smile” – but wanted a presence a little further south. 

She said: 

“We’ve been blown away by the reception we’ve had in Harrogate – not just from other traders, but from local people coming into the gallery too.The feedback’s been wonderful. The gallery has been really well received, which makes us feel we’ve definitely made the right decision opening here.

“Footfall’s been incredibly strong. We were getting people wanting to come in before we’d even opened. It’s actually been quite challenging, because we’ve had to take on more people just to cope with demand.”

Lucy Pittaway graduated from Northumbria University with a degree in Graphic Design, and went on to teach and lecture at Darlington Technical College of Art and Design. It was only after she had started a family with childhood sweetheart Neil that she felt it was the perfect time to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a professional artist.  

Her pictures, which often feature scenes, animals and characters from the Yorkshire Dales, can now be found in homes and galleries across the UK and beyond. 

She has won an armful of prestigious awards from the Fine Art Trade Guild, including Best Up-and-Coming Artist, Best Art Website of the Year, and the UK’s Most Popular Published Artist in 2018, 2019 and 2022. 

Nevertheless, when Lucy decided to open her gallery in the heart of Harrogate, on Prospect Place at the end of James Street, she had little idea of how local traders would respond – but she needn’t have worried. 

She said: 

“Coming to Harrogate has been really eye-opening. It’s a very welcoming town. From a business-to-business point of view, we were really quite overwhelmed by the help we received from [tourism body] Destination Harrogate. They took a lot of time out to answer all our questions about recruitment, seasonality, advertising and business organisations.

“Other businesses have been very supportive too, and I think that says a lot about the genuine nature of businesses in Harrogate. They want to do the best for their customers and are interested in improving choice on the high street.”

Buoyed by the success of the Harrogate opening, Lucy is now hoping to repeat the achievement in other towns in the region. 

She said:

“We’ve just gone through some major renovation at our head office in Brompton-on-Swale, and have invested a lot in new warehousing and office space, which will help us feed more galleries and expand. 

“We want to bring a vibrancy to the high street to make people smile. We’re planning to open more galleries this year – so watch this space!” 

Find out more:

Discover why Lucy Pittaway is the UK’s most popular published artist by visiting her newest gallery at 21 Prospect Place, Harrogate.

Or check out her latest paintings on her award-winning website, lucypittaway.co.uk.

This story is sponsored by Kempston Parkes.

House prices may plummet elsewhere, but in Harrogate they’ll remain buoyant, the town’s foremost chartered surveyor has said. 

Andrew Kempston-Parkes was speaking as one of the biggest national lenders, Nationwide, revealed that UK house prices fell for the fifth consecutive month in January. He said: 

“I’ve seen four booms and crashes in my career, and what I know about Harrogate is that when that happens, we’re affected the least.

“Harrogate gets back to its highest values quicker than anywhere outside London. We’re very resilient. 

“There might be a contraction across England and Wales over the next 12 months, but it will be relatively shallow, at just 2 to 3%, and here there’ll be no contraction at all.” 

Nationwide also warned that “strong economic headwinds” made it unlikely that sales figures would improve soon, meaning it would be “hard for the market to regain much momentum in the near term”. 

Mr Kempston-Parkes, who has more than 25 years’ experience in the property industry, said other market indicators told a different story:

“If they were concerned, they wouldn’t be offering 95% loan-to-value mortgages.” 

January’s Rightmove data, for example, showed a slight increase in house prices nationally, and lending institutions have done little to tighten availability of loans. 

Several factors weigh in Harrogate’s favour according to Mr Kempston-Parkes, including its proximity to Leeds and York, its high levels of employment, the clean environment, good schools, and even custom from the American base at Menwith Hill. He said:  

“Harrogate and its environs are still a destination place – people come to live in a spa town in a rural area. Communications are excellent – there are six trains a day to King’s Cross. 

“I had a client just yesterday from London who is moving up here to work from home three times a week and stay a couple of nights in London. There are still a lot of people wanting to live here. Half our clients are from outside the town. 

“My experience tells me that if there’s any correction here it’ll be mild and we’ll recover more quickly and better than anywhere else. The property market will remain strong.” 

Mr Kempston-Parkes earned his professional qualifications form the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in 1997, and founded Kempston-Parkes Chartered Surveyors in 2011. It now employs 14 people from its offices in central Harrogate. 

Find out more:

Kempston-Parkes Chartered Surveyors provide surveys and valuations for all purposes, including purchase, inheritance tax, capital gains tax, matrimonial assessments, boundary disputes and Land Registry plans. 

For more information, go to www.kempston-parkes.co.uk, or for a confidential conversation about your requirements, call 01423 789111.

A gaming café in Harrogate is raising money to create a calm space in its store designed specially for autistic customers. 

Geek Retreat has teamed up with autism support specialist KoKoPie Families to hit its £250 fundraising target and is already a third of the way there.  

Supporters can make a donation to guess the number of sweets in a large jar in-store or enter a prize draw to win a hamper. 

The initiative will culminate on Saturday, February 25, when the Geek Retreat will hold its main fundraising event at its Oxford Street premises, with a bake sale, portrait-drawing and game-play. 

Geek Retreat staff member Maddy said: 

“It’s really important to me and the team at Geek Retreat that everyone has a space where they feel safe and wanted. I already see this happening at Geek Retreat, and can’t wait to see how the fundraiser makes that goal include as many people as possible.” 

The funds will be used to supply sensory equipment, a film-screening licence and equipment, bean-bags, stim-kits, and inclusive books to add to the café’s diversity library. 

Nurse consultant Laura Hellfeld, who runs KoKoPie Families, said:  

“Partnering with Geek Retreat was a quick decision as we share a vision of creating inclusive and accepting spaces. The resources bought through this fundraiser will be incredibly valuable for ensuring even more community members know that they are valued and welcomed into a café that has been adjusted to fit their needs.” 

Geek Retreat is a national franchise operation, with about 50 stores across Britain. 

To donate to Geek Retreat’s inclusive calm space fundraiser online, go to its JustGiving page.

Read more:

• ‘Long waiting lists’ for child ADHD and autism in Harrogate, says MP
• Harrogate’s Geek Retreat to create autism-friendly space
• Harrogate Library to launch Lego club for children with autism and disabilities

A Harrogate district private primary school is launching a new free monthly parent and baby group for children up to the age of three. 

Belmont Grosvenor School (BGS), which is based at Swarcliffe Hall in Birstwith, will hold its first session of First Steps in its Magic Tree Nursery on Friday, February 24. 

Meeting on the last Friday of each month, parents and babies up to the age of 36 months will be offered a different free activity, such as yoga or dance, aimed at encouraging a child’s development in their early years.  

Belmont Grosvenor School nursery manager Joanne Henderson said: 

“At this time, when the entire country is struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, First Steps parent-and-baby group at BGS is something that is free and will hopefully benefit local families.

“The activities we have planned for our monthly meetings are experiences our children here at BGS enjoy and we wanted to share them with our local community.” 

The first session, on February 24, will be Music and Dance, hosted by Belmont Grosvenor’s music co-ordinator Mrs Jo Sadler. Aimed at babies from birth to 18 months, the session will include action songs, stories and dance, as well as the chance to have fun with the musical instruments. 

On Friday, March 31, there’s an Easter Egg scavenger hunt across Belmont Grosvenor’s 20 acres of grounds planned for older children, from 12-months to three years, with an Easter treat at the end.

Hazel Roman from Harrogate Baby Massage will be running a free First Steps class for parents and babies at BGS on Friday, April 28 while older children will be able to sign up for a Forest School session through First Steps on Friday, May 26.  

All sessions are free and will run from 9.30 to 11am but need to be booked in advance. Free tea, coffee and snacks will be provided, as well as everything needed to take part. 

To book a free slot, go to Belmont Grosvenor’s website, or call Belmont Grosvenor on 01423 771029, or email admin@belmontgrosvenor.co.uk.

Read more:

• Nidderdale school celebrates top rating from inspectors
• TV presenter Helen Skelton visits Harrogate district school
• PHOTO GALLERY: Hampsthwaite defeats Birstwith in village tug of war

Harrogate is not known for its high-end contemporary architecture, but the few examples that come up for sale tend to be rather special. 

Greenway, a detached four-bedroom property off Rossett Green Lane, is the latest of the genre to hit the market, and its price tag alone suggests something a little out of the ordinary. 

Its guide price of £1.5m is several times the average asking price for the district, but then, this is no average property. 

Accessed from a private road and standing behind solid-oak electric gates, Greenway is nothing if not exclusive. Once you’ve got past the intercom entry system, you find yourself in a light, spacious central reception hall with bespoke cupboarding, double-height window and a steel-spined handmade oak staircase with glass balustrade.

The hand-made oak staircase winds round a steel spine.

The L-shaped dining kitchen is state-of-the-art, with wine cooler and boiling water tap, and the dining and family areas open up onto the large outdoor terrace. There’s also a home office, an integral double garage, and a 25-foot-long living room with remote-controlled gas fire.

At the top of those oak stairs, there are four double bedrooms – three of them with en suite bathrooms, two with dressing rooms, and one with a balcony area. 

The kitchen includes integrated appliance, wine cooler and boiling water tap.

As if all that weren’t enough, what really gives this house an edge is its technology. There’s smart underfloor heating throughout, it’s fully networked with wireless access points and ethernet cabling, and all the windows have electric blinds which can also be controlled remotely. In fact, the whole property is protected by an intruder alarm and external camera system – which can also be controlled remotely.

There are also gardens with a hidden patio, which currently houses a rotating seven-seater garden pod.

The lounge in Greenway opens out via sliding glass doors onto the terrace.

Greenway came onto the market yesterday and is marketed by Harrogate agent North Residential. 

Director Harriet Cheshire told The Stray Ferret: 

“There’s not much out there at the moment in the £1.5m bracket, but there are a lot of people out there with cash for the £1.25-1.5m price range, so we expect this property to attract quite a bit of attention. 

“Its technology is a definite plus. A lot of people nowadays are very tech-savvy and want to be able to control everything in their home by phone, so some will really see the premium in it.” 

Read more:

• Harrogate councillors approve sixth Kingsley housing scheme
• Free security upgrades for some Harrogate district homes and farms
• Harrogate Knight Frank directors set up North Residential estate agency

This story is sponsored by the National Trust.

Finding something to do at the weekend can be challenging, especially if you have dogs, but the National Trust team at Fountains Abbey say they’re on a mission to make it easy. 

Under the National Trust’s Paw Print dog-friendliness scheme, the attraction has been named a three-paw site – the highest possible rating. 

Jenni Shepherd, senior marketing and communications officer at the National Trust, said:

“We’re always getting comments about how welcoming we are to dogs at Fountains Abbey.

“The admissions team even has doggy treats on hand for the waggiest tails!” 

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Park is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, and includes the ruins of the medieval monastery, the Georgian water garden and the deer park.

Where you lead, your dog can follow!

Visiting dog-walkers can see all the historic attractions up close, as well as following paths around the site and trails through surrounding woodland.

“When people see the amazing abbey ruins, they often think they can’t possibly take a dog there, but actually at Fountains, dogs can go pretty much everywhere their owners do,” said Jenni. 

“We get a lot of tourists visiting from other areas of the country, where historic sites perhaps don’t welcome dogs so readily, and so they think they can’t bring their dogs here either.

“But Fountains Abbey is actually one of the best places to bring a dog. 

“There are drinking stations and dog waste bins throughout, and there’s a wide range of pet products for sale in the Visitor Centre shop.

“There’s even dog-friendly ice-cream available at the Studley refreshment kiosk and in the Visitor Centre restaurant. 

“Your dog can go everywhere you go. Dogs are even allowed in the deer park, as long as they’re kept on a short lead.” 

Woodland walks are a favourite pastime among dog-owners visiting Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal.

Last month, the National Trust unveiled plans to upgrade its facilities at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal.

A new visitor building will be built around the existing tearoom. There will be a fully accessible café, more toilets and a new admissions area, with all areas remaining dog-friendly. Jenni added:

 “Yorkshire as a destination is a dog-lovers’ paradise, and Fountains Abbey really stands out as one of the best places here to take your dog.

“There’s so much to do and see here, you can stay all day – and your dog never has to leave your side.” 

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Find out more about visiting – with or without dogs – here.

The staff of a landmark Harrogate hotel have been left awaiting confirmation of redundancy, as its new owners closed the business and shuttered its doors today. 

The Hotel St George is to be remodelled and reopened as a pub with rooms following a 16-week programme of works, but none of the hotel’s 76 current employees has been invited to remain in post. 

General manager Paul Donkin said the day marked the end of an era: 

“It’s very sad – there’s a lot of upset here today. I came into this job just as lockdown ended, and I had seven weeks to put together a team and get the hotel back up and running. We’ve spent two years building the business back up again, so to see it close is hard to take. It’s very emotional for those of us who have put such a lot into it.” 

The St George Hotel, opposite the Royal Hall on Ripon Road, was bought in February last year by The Inn Collection Group, a Newcastle-based company that also owns the Ripon Spa Hotel, Dean Court in York, and the Black Swan in Helmsley, among others.  

The Inn Collection Group is the hotel’s third owner in as many years. Its previous owner, Bespoke Hotels, acquired it from Specialist Leisure Group, which went into administration in May 2020. 

Mr Donkin said: 

“Why they want to make everyone redundant, only to have to find new staff when they reopen, I don’t know – it makes no sense to me. 

“But to give them their due, Inn Collection Group have followed all the proper procedures and have been very decent about it.” 

Mr Donkin said the blow of redundancy had been further softened for most of the hotel’s employees because he had managed to find them alternative employment. 

He said: 

“The day after I heard the hotel was to close, I emailed the general managers of all Harrogate’s hotels, and they’ve all been fantastic, sending me their vacancy lists and moving heaven and earth to find people jobs. Probably 95% of staff now have new jobs to go to. 

“I always said hospitality was the best job in the world, but in Harrogate it’s even better.” 

The St George Hotel grew out of the Chequers Inn and was renamed after George III’s gift of the Stray to the people of Harrogate in 1778. 

It was enlarged several times during the 19th century and renamed the St George shortly before the First World War. 

It was badly damaged by fire in 1927 and requisitioned by the Post Office and Air Ministry during the Second World War before re-opening as a hotel in 1952. It acquired a spa facility in 1985. 

Read more:

• 76 jobs at risk at Harrogate’s St George Hotel
• St George Hotel in Harrogate to close at end of month
• Ripon’s Spa Hotel aims to reopen next spring

Angry villagers in Minskip, near Boroughbridge, are joining forces to fight against an industrial development which they say could endanger a Roman mosaic. 

They also say the development at Hazeldene Fold, an otherwise residential cul-de-sac, is out of character with the village and does not comply with the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place.  

Local resident Lynne Scott said: 

“The mood here is very angry, because the developer hasn’t made any effort to interact with us or tell us what’s going on. They’ve already done massive groundworks without even having planning permission yet, and we just don’t know if there’s been any damage to the archaeology there.” 

The developer, Harrogate-based Forward Investment Properties, has applied to Harrogate Borough Council for retrospective planning permission to demolish some Nissen huts on the site, and build four light industrial units, a car-park and a turning circle for goods vehicles. 

But campaigners believe the existing buildings may well conceal Roman remains. According to local resident Tony Hunt, a Roman mosaic floor is reported to have been discovered when the huts were built in 1970 but covered over with a layer of sand and plastic to preserve it. The location cross-references on Ordnance Survey maps with a square-shaped earthwork, and a Roman coin hoard was found nearby in the 19th century. 

Mr Hunt said: 

“My conclusion is that the data confirms that the ‘Ancient Enclosure’ at the top of Hazeldene Fold is the site of the Roman encampment which served the Roman fort at Aldborough”. 

Forward Investment Properties has agreed to an “appropriate scheme of archaeological investigation and recording” as part of a planning condition to be applied if planning permission is granted, but residents say the groundworks could have done damage already, even before any such investigation has taken place. 

2017 application rejected

Campaigners point to a 2017 application to build five houses on the site, which was rejected. Planning officers said then that the development would tower over neighbouring properties, create noise and disturbance, lack an adoptable highway, and be “out of keeping with the acknowledged linear form of the village”. They say the current proposals should be rejected for the same reasons. 

Forward Investment Properties says its application should be approved because there is a shortage in the Harrogate district of employment sites of the type being proposed, and points out that the site has long been used for commercial purposes.

Read more:

• Missing section of main Roman road found at Green Hammerton
• Calls for archeological survey into Knaresborough’s Roman past
• Thieves steal 10 motorbikes in Minskip

Access to the site is via Hazeldene Fold, a private residential road managed by Hazeldene Fold Management Company Ltd. On formation, the company was made up of one representative from each of the eight homes on the road, plus one from the original developer of the houses. Each of these nine members has a single vote on communal matters, including those involving planning permission. 

Residents believe the developer’s vote should pass automatically to the new owner of the site, but the new owner, Forward Investment Properties, has not so far contacted the company or its individual members. 

Ms Scott said: 

“It makes you feel suspicious. If someone is upfront with you and you can ask them questions, you can have a conversation and iron things out. But if you have a body you can’t get hold of, you feel you have no control.” 

Forward Investment Properties is registered with Companies House as a limited liability partnership and its three members are believed to be brothers. One of them, Daniel Ward, was approached by the Stray Ferret, but declined to comment. 

The family of a missing Yorkshire soldier from the First World War has found out where he was killed – but only by chance. 

Joseph Cyril Verity was one of 13 children born at East Witton, and later lived at North Stainley. His family settled at Warren House Farm, Fearby, near Masham, but he soon emigrated to Canada to be a rancher. When war broke out in Europe, he joined the Canadian Mounted Rifles and was deployed to Flanders. He was killed, aged 30, at Passchendaele on November 1, 1917, but his body was never found. 

His name is inscribed, along with those of 6,927 other missing Canadians, on the Menin Gate, and last year the Passchendaele Museum in Belgium launched an online portal, called Names in the Landscape, that shows where more than 1,400 of them were killed or buried – with Joseph among them.

Joseph Verity (back row, centre) was one of 13 children in a family that lived near Masham.

The museum recently sent a letter to his last known address in England, Warren House Farm, asking for more information about him. By pure chance, the current occupant of the farm, Gerald Broadley, is related by marriage to Joseph. 

Mr Broadley’s sister-in-law, Ruth Verity, lives near Kirkby Malzeard and is keeper of the family tree. She said: “Warren House Farm hasn’t been kept in the family – Gerald’s family just happened to take it over when Joseph’s family moved out in 1967. When he received the letter from the Passchendaele Museum, he recognised straight away who it was about, and my nephew brought it to me. It’s amazing, really.” 

The Verity family believe that Joseph was killed by sniper-fire, but have never known where. The museum researchers have found that it happened at a post called Dump House, on the front line north-east of Ypres. 

The Battle of Passchendaele, which became known for its appallingly muddy conditions, was fought from July to November 1917, for control of high ground south and east of Ypres. It is estimated to have claimed between 500,000 and 850,000 men on both sides.

Names in the Landscape is supported by the Flemish Government and Library and Archives Canada. 

Read more:

• Ex-soldier from Harrogate researches 1,000 names on war memorial
• Story of the lone Japanese First World War soldier buried in Ripon
• Harrogate district soldiers given military burial 104 years after death

The Mercer Art Gallery in Harrogate has launched a new exhibition of pieces by local artists living with disabilities. 

The World Through Our Eyes features pieces created over the last year by “differently able” artists working with Harrogate-based Artizan International. 

The registered charity supports people with disabilities in the UK and in the developing world, through therapeutic arts and crafts workshops, training and social enterprise. 

Liz Cluderay, Artizan’s UK director, said: 

“Adults living with disabilities in our community have the potential to develop their creativity at Artizan, through our programme of arts and crafts activities, we aim to reduce loneliness and support mental health and increase general wellbeing.” 

Artizan hold arts and crafts workshops every day from its town centre premises, overseen and guided by local artists helping to develop their skills and experience of different art mediums. 

Hannah Alderson, who is studying at Harrogate College for an MA in Creative Practice, helped to curate the exhibition. She said: 

“We’re not just holding the art sessions for the sake of it – our artists are all making real progress and becoming very accomplished in a range of mediums and techniques. 

“This is really about the adults with additional needs and celebrating the quality of their work. It just goes to show that they are just as able to create fantastic pieces of art as anyone else.” 

The artists, whose disabilities range from visual impairments to learning disabilities, have selected their best pieces of work for the exhibition, which opened on Saturday. 

The World Through Our Eyes will run for six weeks at the Mercer Art Gallery, Harrogate. There will also be a private viewing, with the chance to speak with Artizan members, on Sunday, February 5, from 4.15 to 5.15pm.

Read more:

• Artizan café in Harrogate expands to second floor
• ‘Drab’ Harrogate town centre street to get colourful makeover
• First look at Harrogate cafe helping disabled people into jobs