John Grainger, Author at The Stray Ferret

Choose life at Hampden House, care provider says

This story is sponsored by Elizabeth Finn Homes.

Older people looking for a safe and comfortable place to live in care should look no further than Hampden House in Harrogate, a national care provider says.

Elizabeth Finn Homes operates nine care homes across England and Hampden House, on Duchy Road, is the only one in the North of England.

The purpose-built home has 56 rooms, all with en suite facilities and views over the landscaped gardens or courtyards.

General manager Jane Hooren, who is a Registered Nurse and has been in the health and social industry her entire career, said:

“At Hampden House, we provide the highest level of service and facilities, including award-winning restaurant-style dining, a beauty salon, fully-licensed bar and industry-leading social engagement.

“We strongly believe that residents should retain as much of their independence as possible, and the importance of staying both physically and mentally active is key to achieving that.”

Photo of a nurse and manager at an Elizabeth Finn care home.

Elizabeth Finn Homes attract the very best staff.

Hampden House, which is rated ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission, provides both nursing and personal care, on a permanent or short-stay basis, as well as offering end-of-life care. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Turn2us, a national charity providing practical help to people who are struggling financially.

The home, which enjoys 24-hour-a-day security in one of Harrogate’s most exclusive areas, encourages residents to lead full and active lives, and even offers trips in a specially adapted minibus to places of interest and entertainment, or simply to the local shops – all facilitated by excellent care staff.

Photo of a resident at Hampden House care home in Harrogate, sitting in a wingback armchair, reading a tabloid newspaper.

At Hampden House, residents are encouraged to remain mentally active.

Jane said:

“We seek to employ the best, so we can provide the best, and our employees regularly achieve awards recognising their achievements in customer care and service delivery.

“Along with our excellent staffing levels, Hampden House is equipped with the very best equipment to help my team go about their duties and ensure the comfort and safety of our residents.”

Find out more:

If you or a loved one would like to know more about life at Hampden House, contact Elizabeth Finn Homes on 01423 209 049, or visit our website.

Historic Harrogate house fails to sell at auction

A house once owned by Harrogate’s wealthiest family was up for auction last week, but failed to find a buyer.

Pineheath, a 17,000 sq ft, 40-room house on Cornwall Road, went for sale on Thursday with a guide price of £3.5 million, despite being in a derelict condition.

The house has planning permission for conversion into 12 flats, and the lot included the adjoining former chauffeur’s cottage, which has been refurbished into a pair of semi-detached coach houses yielding rent of £51,000 a year.

A 0.545-acre parcel of land behind the site, on Rutland Drive, is believed to be the last undeveloped parcel on the Duchy estate and was for sale as a separate lot with a guide price of £1.85 million, but also failed to sell.

Simon Croft, partner at estate agent FSS, said:

“We had lots of interest in both lots from developers across the north of England, but they didn’t quite reach the reserve the vendor was prepared to accept. Perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised, given the economic headwinds developers are facing.

“We’re now having discussions with the registered bidders to see if can cut a deal that works for everyone. We’re very close, so we’ll be trying to strike while the iron’s hot and make the sale over the next few days.”

Pineheath was built in the 1890s and from 1927 was the Harrogate home of Sir Dhunjibhoy Bomanji, an extremely wealthy Parsee shipping magnate who divided his time between India, Windsor and Harrogate. A generous philanthropist, he was knighted in 1922 having apparently donated £1 million to the war effort.

In its heyday as a family home, Pineheath was fully staffed and had gold-plated taps, a centrally-heated garage of Rolls-Royces, and its distinctive glazed cupola is said to have been covered in gold leaf.

Following Sir Dhunjibhoy’s death in 1937, his charitable works were continued by his widow, Lady Frainy Bomanji, who threw herself into civic life, becoming became vice president of the Harrogate Festival of Arts and Sciences, president of the Harrogate Friendship Club and president of the Friends of Harrogate.

Affectionately known as Lady Harrogate, she was made an Honorary Freeman of the Borough by Harrogate District Council in 1984. She died in 1986 and the couple’s legacy was continued by their daughter, Mehroo Jehangir, who herself died in 2012.

Pineheath was sold the following year for £2 million to Jason Shaw, who planned to renovate the house and return it to its former glory as a luxury family home. But by that time, it was in need of a lot of work.

Mr Shaw cut down protected trees at the property and was fined £24,000 by a court. He later applied to build two five-bedroom homes in the grounds of the site, but was refused permission three times by councillors, who felt the proposed properties were too big.

He finally obtained the planning consent currently in place, for conversion to apartments, in 2016; it can be viewed online.

Suds With Buds celebrates world’s brewers, street food and live music

This story is sponsored by Rooster’s Brewing Co.

Brewers from across the UK and the United States have been invited to bring their finest beers to Harrogate for Rooster’s Brewing Co’s first ever Suds With Buds festival of beer, street food and music.

The event on Saturday, July 1 will see more than 20 breweries converge on Rooster’s Hornbeam Park home, spanning the brewery and yard, Taproom, beer garden and The Sample Room upstairs.

Tom Fozard, commercial director at Rooster’s, said:

“Suds With Buds is an event we’ve been wanting to put on for several years, but one thing or another has stopped initial ideas from becoming reality… until now! On the back of Rooster’s celebrating our 30th anniversary in 2023, we’re biting the bullet and making it happen.

“Some of the UK’s most respected and talked about breweries will be descending upon our little corner of the world, as well as a handful travelling from much further afield, creating a truly unique, combined line-up of over 100 beers.”

Brewers and food from across the world

Joining brewers from Britain, such as Burning Sky in Sussex and Cromarty Brewing Co in Scotland, will be Colorado brewers Odell Brewing Co and Crooked Stave, and Stiegl from Austria. Some brewers will even be flying in specially to pour their brews in person, including: Jeremy Grinkey, co-owner of California start-up Everywhere; Kevin Smith, head brewer at Bale Breaker Brewing Co in Yakima, Washington; Evan Price, owner of Green Cheek Brewing Co in California; and Jaakko Saivosalmi, managing director of Finnish cider company Brinkhall.

On top of the beers, some of the tastiest street-food the North has to offer will be served up by local legends Paradise Tap & Taco and Jack In A Box, as well as Knead Pitta and the Pizza Bus from further afield.

There will also be live music on a specially-built stage in the beer garden, featuring Sheffield two-piece Hot Soles, Ralph Pelleymounter, David Broad, Ramona Rose, The Silver Reserve and Trainer Trouble.

Tom said:

“To say this is the first event of its kind we’ve decided to put on, we can’t quite believe the quality of the musicians we’ve managed to secure! It really is just a ridiculous line-up.

“As with the previous annual open days we used to host back on our old site in Knaresborough, we’ll have Tony Safari spinning his ever eclectic collection of funky vinyl in The Sample Room throughout the day too.”

Suds With Buds will run from 2 to 8pm on Saturday, July 1. Tickets cost £25 and the price includes a souvenir Suds With Buds glass, as well as an event programme with full beer menu. The price of the tickets will also cover all of the associated costs of putting on the break-even event, including staffing, equipment, the provision of a wellness area, security, the musicians and additional facilities.

Find out more:

To secure your ticket for this unprecedented celebration of modern UK and US brewing and to sample some of the finest beers in the world, some of them never before served on this side of the Atlantic, just head to the Suds With Buds page of Rooster’s website.

Use code FERRET_10 at checkout and save 10%!

Bed race entrants urged to ‘keep your head above water’ when crossing polluted Nidd

Great Knaresborough Bed Race competitors crossing the polluted River Nidd this weekend have been urged by organisers to keep their heads above the water.

Last week a young child was reported to have been taken to hospital with an E. coli infection after playing in the river at Knaresborough.

It came after a report by Professor Peter Hammond, a retired professor of computational biology, last month revealed the equivalent of 317 Olympic pools of raw sewage were discharged into the river at four sewage treatment works in 2020.

Nidd Action Group and Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones are campaigning for a stretch of the Nidd at Knaresborough Lido to be granted bathing water status, to ensure the river is cleaned up.

Saturday’s bed race will see hundreds of competitors crossing the river as part of the course.

Bed Race chairman Martin Brock, of Knaresborough Lions, said:

“It goes without saying that we wish the youngster a speedy recovery from their infection. We know for our teams and the crowds that the river crossing is an integral part of bed race and one that they look forward to every year. The teams recognise when signing up for the event that they are participating at their own risk.

“We will flag at the team briefing about the Nidd, although it is local knowledge that the water isn’t perfect, and that when crossing, you keep your head above water.”

Safety measures

Last year, the Nidd saw 870 sewage dump incidents, according to Environment Agency figures, and recent water testing by researchers from the University of Leeds has shown the harmful bacteria E. coli is at unusually high levels.

E. coli is a bacterial infection that can cause severe stomach pain, bloody diarrhoea and even kidney failure. It is found in the gut and faeces of many animals, particularly cattle. Its presence at such high levels in the River Nidd is thought to be caused by either sewage dumps or by run-off from livestock farmland – or both.

Mr Brock added:

“Ultimately, no one is forced to go through the river and we do implement safety measures if teams choose to cross including limiting the number of beds in the river and having divers from the Upper Wharfdale Fell Rescue Association in the Nidd.

“The final decision to cross the river is taken on the morning of the race and if advice is given that it is unsafe, we would cancel the crossing. However, as things stand, with the recent spate of fine weather and a low river level, we are planning for the traditional river crossing on Saturday 10th.”

Harrogate and District Green Party said today the bed race was “an incredible event… being put at risk by Yorkshire Water’s cavalier approach to their sewage problem”.

It accused the government, supported by local MP Mr Jones of “putting profits before people”.

Mr Jones replied by saying recent data showed E. coli levels had drastically dropped and urged the Greens to join the Nidd clean-up campaign. He added:

“Politicians laying blame at one another’s door for a situation that has existed ever since the Victorians built our sewerage system is not constructive.”

The annual bed race was first held in 1966, and sees 90 teams of seven complete a 2.4-mile course around the town. This year’s theme for the pre-race fancy-dress parade is “That’s Entertainment”.

Bilton couple set to celebrate 80 years of marriage

A couple who fell in love as teenagers will become one of Britain’s longest married couples when they celebrate 80 years of marriage this summer.

Roy and Freda Ward, who are both 98, met at the age of 17 when they both worked at the Dorchester Cinema in Hull. Freda was an usherette and Roy was second projectionist and was also responsible for changing the batteries in the usherettes’ torches.

Speaking from the couple’s home in Bilton, Roy told the Stray Ferret:

“I always made sure Freda had the brightest torch!”

Freda said:

“We would always try to get the same day off, and when we did, Roy would take me for a fish-and-chip supper. It was lovely.”

A year after meeting, they planned a June wedding, but the Register Office was bombed, so they had to wait three days, before finally tying the knot on July 1, 1943.

Even when called up to the Royal Navy, Roy carried on as a projectionist with the Entertainments National Service Association, showing films at military bases throughout England. Following demobilisation, he took up plumbing, but carried on working as a projectionist in the evenings.

The couple owned shops in South Cave and Ferriby, Hull for years, before eventually moving to Harrogate in the 1980s, where they opened a greengrocer’s and delicatessen, RP & F Ward, on Skipton Road.

Following retirement, they have kept busy; Freda was going to the local gym until she was 95, and still exercises on her rowing machine, and Roy, a keen chef and bread-baker, only stopped driving last month.

The couple, who plan to celebrate their oak wedding anniversary with family, have three children, Michael, Roger, and Lesley – now all in their 70s – as well as three grandchildren and a great-grandson.

Asked what the secret to a long and happy marriage was, Roy said:

“I’ve no idea – I can’t put my finger on it. But we’re happy, so whatever it is, it must work!”

Freda was more certain. She said:

“We just love each other. We get on wonderfully well, and we never quarrel. We always discuss things first before doing them, so that we know we’re both happy with it. It just works. We’re very happy.”

The Wards are thought to be Harrogate’s longest-married couple since Starbeck couple Ron and Beryl Golightly celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary in February 2021.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the average marriage is expected to last for 32 years. Just 16% of marriages reach their 60th wedding anniversary; the figure for the 80th anniversary, although not provided by the ONS, will be far smaller.

Yorkshire Radiators moves to become one-stop shop for home heating

This story is sponsored by Yorkshire Radiators.

A family-run company that supplies bespoke radiators direct to the customer has expanded into new, purpose-built premises to meet increased demand.

Yorkshire Radiators has moved to a two-storey property on the new Harrogate West Business Park, on Penny Pot Lane in Harrogate. The carbon-zero unit includes a warehouse, spray booth and showroom all under one roof.

Clyde Williams, who set up the business with wife Crystal in 2020, said:

“These new premises mean we’re now like a one-stop for radiators. We source the radiators, powder-coat them at our factory in Yorkshire, and deliver them, cutting out the middleman. We’ve streamlined the process – we get hold of the stock, store it and sell it ourselves – so there’s no wholesaler, and for the customer, that means low prices.

“We’re able to compete with the internet but with personal service – for example, we do site visits.

“Our competitors typically charge double the price with an eight- or 10-week wait, whereas we can offer the perfect style of radiator in the colour you want, with a lead-time of just a week. It’s fast service with personal delivery.”

Yorkshire Radiators offers three different styles of radiator – with round, flat and oval profiles – in a range of sizes, 10 horizontal and eight vertical, and a choice of 12 colours.

Photo of Clyde Williams, whose company, Yorkshire Radiators, has just moved to new premises on Harrogate West Business Park.

Clyde Williams has been in the radiator business for nearly 20 years.

Clyde said:

“Radiators sold online typically come in black, white or grey, but we can colour-match all five components of the radiator – the brackets, pipe cover, valve, air-bleed valves, and the radiator itself, meaning we can find a solution to suit most households.

“There’s a lot to take into account – the size of the room, the strength of the wall, the location of the pipes, and the levels of window-sills and shelves – so if someone is decorating a room, I always advise they start with the radiators and work around those. We supply two Harrogate-based interior designers – Stylesmith Interiors and Caroline Gardner Interior Design – and that’s how they like to work.”

Yorkshire Radiators has also set up an incentive scheme for local tradesmen, which is good news for them and their customers. Local trades interested in this deal should call 07838497803 or email by tapping here.

Clyde, who is originally from South Africa, has been in the radiator business for nearly 20 years and hopes to grow his company into a national concern.

He said: “As in any sector, if you offer good service and aim to be the best, you can carve out a business anywhere. That’s what we’re trying to do. We do things properly, we don’t rush things, and the results can be stunning.”

Find out more:

As the season changes, you may not be thinking about central heating any more, but summer is the time to invest in your home, ready for next winter!

If you’re redecorating a room, moving into a new property, or just want a beautiful new radiator perfectly matched to your décor, drop into our showroom at Unit 9, Harrogate West Business Park, HG3 2FN; it’s open every weekday from 9.30am to 5.30pm (3pm on Wednesdays) and by appointment on Saturdays. Alternatively, visit the Yorkshire Radiators website.

Major new exhibition seeks sponsors for young artists

Mercer Art Gallery in Harrogate is appealing for sponsors to support a major new exhibition this summer.

The show, called Total Recall: Myth and Memory, will feature archive works and new acquisitions, as well as some contemporary works by five young Northern artists.

Co-curator Joe Nickols said:

“We are exhibiting some highlights from our collections, including John Piper prints, paintings of Harrogate by John Atkinson Grimshaw, and intriguing works by Cândido Portinari.

“New acquisitions come from Lisa Dracup, Kate Mellor, Caroline Walker, Dorothy Cross, and Martin Creed. To complement this we are working with five contemporary Northern artists to further the exhibitions resonance to our area and explore how art is developing. These artists are: Sally Barker, Ka Bird, Jill McKnight, K Walker, and Hang Zhang.

“The exhibition is a great opportunity for these new artists to show their work in a public gallery. We are hoping to grow a budget of around £2,000, which will go to support the artists, transportation of artwork, and outreach production costs. The Mercer Art Gallery is striving to be more inclusive and grow engagement with the local community, and this exhibition is part of this progression.”

Metallic fluid-looking pink and white shapes on a black background - detail from plmvlt, a 2021 work by Newcastle artist Ka Bird.

A detail from plmvlt, a 2021 work by Newcastle artist Ka Bird.

The exhibition, due to run from July 13 to the end of October, will feature some pieces that have been seldom seen, as well as others which may be more familiar to viewers, such as a copy of Work No. 88 by Turner Prize-winning artist Martin Creed. The work caused considerable controversy and made headlines internationally when it was first unveiled in 1995, as it consists simply of a “sheet of A4 paper crumpled into a ball”.

Joe said:

“Some people don’t enjoy that piece, but it does ask a lot of questions. What was it? What memory was inside it? What does it contain?”

Mercer Art Gallery is currently hosting an exhibition of works by Yorkshire-born Martin Creed, in collaboration with Tate and National Galleries of Scotland.

Creed’s Work No. 370 Balls 2004 fills the entire main gallery at the Mercer. The vast installation features nearly 1,000 balls of different scale, weight and texture. Visitors will also be able to see Creed’s iconic neon Work No. 890: Don’t Worry 2008 alongside Work No. 1340 2012, a large-scale wall painting of diagonal stripes.

Artist Rooms Martin Creed runs until July 2, and admission is free.

For information on Mercer Art Gallery and its exhibitions, go to its page on the North Yorkshire Council website.

Hunt is on for the best photos of the Skell Valley

The winners of a new photography competition are to have their pictures included in an exhibition in Ripon this autumn.

The competition, which has been launched by the Skell Valley Project in collaboration with the National Trust, Nidderdale AONB, Ripon Museum Trust and Ripon City Photographic Society, is for people of all ages and abilities.

Entrants must submit impactful images taken somewhere in the Skell Valley that capture its landscape, wildlife and nature or its cultural and historical features. A map of the area is provided with the competition information to locate where photos are taken.

Map of the Skell Valley, running from Dallow Moor in the west to the city of Ripon in the east.

A map of the area is provided with the competition information to locate where photos have been taken.

Stuart Ward, president of Ripon City Photographic Society, said:

“The landscape around the River Skell offers great raw material for taking inspiring photographs – from the wild moorland of Dallowgill at the top of the valley through to rolling farmland in Nidderdale AONB, Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal World Heritage Site, Hell Wath Local Nature Reserve and the historic City of Ripon – it’s a photographer’s paradise!”

The Skell Valley Project is a four-year scheme led by the National Trust and Nidderdale AONB to rejuvenate the 12 miles of the River Skell.

The project is working with local partners, landowners, farmers, and volunteer groups to improve the landscape’s resilience to climate change, help nature to thrive, protect and conserve its heritage and increase people’s access to green space following the coronavirus pandemic.

The £2.5 million project is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, European Regional Development Fund, Wolfson Foundation, Royal Oak Foundation and other funders and donors.

Josie Campbell, senior project co-ordinator of the Skell Valley Project, said:

“Whether you’re a smartphone user that takes the odd snap or a more experienced photographer who’s a dab hand with a macro lens, we’re looking for entries from anyone inspired to capture the unique character of the River Skell and its surroundings.”

Competition entrants are welcome to submit a maximum of three photographs to skellvalleyprojectteam@nationaltrust.org.uk. The closing date for entries is midnight on Tuesday, August 1, 2023. For more information about the competition and how to submit photographs, see the National Trust website.

Entries will be judged by a panel including members from Ripon City Photographic Society, Skell Valley Project and Ripon Museum Trust.

The 20 winning photographs will be displayed as part of an outdoor exhibition at Ripon Workhouse Museum between Saturday, September 23 and Sunday, November 5, 2023.

Read more:

Council to consult on Harrogate school for autistic children

A proposed school for children with autism moved a small step closer to being created in Bilton yesterday (Tuesday, May 30), when North Yorkshire Council accepted a recommendation to consult on the plans.

The matter will now be thrown open for public discussion by stakeholders for a six-week period from Monday, June 12.

The school, at the site of the former Woodfield Community Primary School in Harrogate, would provide school places for children and young people with autism in North Yorkshire. A total of £3.5 million has been earmarked to upgrade the site to enable it to cater for up to 80 pupils with autism aged between 11 and 19.

The potential opening date for the new school is September 2024.

Welcoming the decision, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for education, learning and skills, Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, said:

“I’m delighted that the council is to explore this proposal. The new facility would help meet a rising demand for special school places in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon and the surrounding area.

“Currently there are 432 children with the primary need of autism accessing existing North Yorkshire special schools and we are committed to providing further support.”

She added:

“This would provide children and families with a more local offer of provision than is currently available without significant travel.”

North Yorkshire has already announced £20 million of investment in children and young people in North Yorkshire with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including the creation of new places in Special Schools and mainstream SEN Resource Bases.

Since 2016, the number of children and young people with identified SEND and an education, health and care plan (EHCP) has increased by over 110% in North Yorkshire. As this trend continues, it is estimated that the county will need an additional 350 SEND school places over the next three to five years.

North Yorkshire Council said the investment would enable it to find suitable placements for more young people closer to their local communities and deliver better value for children and families from the county, including improving existing provision to create “modern, fit-for-purpose spaces suited to a wider range of pupil needs”.

Woodfield Community Primary School closed at the end of December after years of falling pupil numbers and a sustained “inadequate” rating by Ofsted.

Officers believe the site is suitable for a new special school due to its layout and location in a central part of the county. There are no planned changes to the community library and children’s centre on the same site.

Harrogate village school to close this summer, councillors agree

A primary school between Ripon and Boroughbridge will close this summer due to a decline in pupil numbers, North Yorkshire Council has decided.

Skelton Newby Hall Primary School will shut for good after the council’s executive members approved the move yesterday (Tuesday, May 30).

The school has suffered from dwindling numbers of children for several years and in autumn 2022 had nine pupils on its roll.

By February 2023, just one pupil remained at the school, and all teaching was taking place at Sharow Church of England Primary School, which is federated with Skelton Newby Hall.

Ofsted inspectors last visited the school in March 2020, grading it as “requiring improvement”.

A consultation on the proposed closure was carried out by North Yorkshire Council to allow parents, teachers, governors and local people an opportunity to share their views. A further statutory representation period ended on April 27. Following yesterday’s decision, the school will close on August 31.

The area formerly served by Skelton Newby Hall will now fall within the catchment area of Kirby Hill Church of England Primary School, just north of Boroughbridge.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for education, learning and skills, Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, said:

“North Yorkshire Council does everything possible to support our small schools. However, our priority must be the children’s education and that it remains fit for purpose to give them the best start to their lives.

“Unfortunately, falling pupil numbers at Skelton Newby Hall Primary School have been a concern for quite some time. Pupil numbers determine the school budget and we have a duty to ensure every child has the best possible opportunity to succeed.

“The school’s governing body, staff and parents have been active in their collective efforts to raise numbers at the school over recent years, but pupil numbers have continued to fall.”

Cllr Wilkinson added:

“To close the school has been an incredibly difficult decision to make, but we have to put the education of pupils first.”

North Yorkshire has about 50 schools and academies with fewer than 50 pupils. North Yorkshire Council said it would “continue to lobby the Government strongly for fairer funding for the county’s schools”.