John Grainger, Author at The Stray Ferret

Historic Harrogate home up for auction again with slashed asking price

Pineheath, the derelict mansion on the Duchy estate that failed to find a buyer at auction earlier this month, is to be re-offered for sale at a much reduced price.

The 17,000 sq ft, 40-room house on Cornwall Road in Harrogate was earlier marketed for £3.5 million, but will now be included in FSS’ next auction with a guide price of £3 million.

Pineheath was built in the 1890s and from 1927 was the Harrogate home of Sir Dhunjibhoy Bomanji, a wealthy Indian shipping magnate who been knighted in 1922 after reportedly donating £1 million to the war effort during the First World War.

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 the death of Sir Dhunjibhoy’s daughter in 2012, Pineheath was sold for £2 million to developer Jason Shaw.

The house currently has planning permission for conversion into 12 flats, and the lot includes 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.

Simon Croft, partner at Harrogate estate agent FSS, said:

“The front runners at the June 8 auction have not been able to finalise funding and we cannot delay the sale any further so it has been included, with a much-reduced guide price of £3 million.

“This will, we believe, bring in a fresh impetus of buyers and should also allow parties to potentially sell the two already modernised coach houses if vacant possession is obtained, thus recouping capital and leave them with Pineheath as a standalone project.

“At around £1.6 million this could then be converted to a single residential house, though of course the already implemented planning consent for 12 apartments could also be continued.”

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, but also failed to sell at auction for its £1.85 million guide price.

Mr Croft said:

“The building plot on Rutland Drive will not be publicly offered at this time as it became clear parties interested in the plot wanted to know Pineheath had sold and would therefore be developed and improved.

“So we will market it again, subject to a successful sale of Pineheath, although a fruitful purchaser of Pineheath will be able to negotiate a purchase of the plot post-sale if desired.”

Pineheath will be re-offered at auction by FSS on July 13.

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Harrogate man appointed UK ambassador to Iraq

A diplomat from Harrogate has been appointed the UK’s new ambassador to Iraq.

Stephen Hitchen takes over the role from Mark Bryson-Richardson, who has been in post since July 2021.

On his Twitter feed, Mr Hitchen said:

“Delighted to be appointed as the next UK ambassador to Iraq, really looking forward to getting to know this fascinating country and building UK and Iraq’s partnership.”

The son of a solicitor and Methodist lay preacher, Mr Hitchen has deep family roots in the area, and was a pupil at St Peter’s CE Primary School and Ashville College.

Upon graduation he joined the civil service and worked for the Ministry of Defence for eight years, including 18 months’ full-time Arabic language training.

Following postings to Cairo and Kuwait, he became head of the Iran political team in the Middle East and North Africa directorate of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). In 2012 he was made head of Middle East reporting in the same department.

After three years as counsellor regional affairs based in Amman, Jordan, he became the FCO’s director of national security for the Middle East and North Africa, and lastly was appointed director of the counter terrorism department at the renamed Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

In a video post on the British Embassy’s Facebook page, Mr Hitchen, who is fluent in Arabic, said:

“The mission of our embassy is to help our friends in Baghdad and Erbil to strengthen the prosperity, and stability and sovereignty of Iraq. […] I’m hugely looking forward to my arrival in Iraq.”

Mr Hitchen will take up his post next month. Most UK ambassadors to Iraq over the last 20 years have spent two years in the post.

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Royal visitor to Great Yorkshire Show revealed

This year’s royal visitor to the Great Yorkshire Show will be the Duke of Gloucester, organisers have revealed.

The duke, who is a first cousin to the late Queen Elizabeth II, will make his first visit to England’s biggest agricultural show on its first day, Tuesday, July 11.

In 2021, King Charles III and The Queen Consort visited and last year it was the turn of Princess Anne, The Princess Royal.

The duke will be taken on a tour of the livestock and exhibits with show director Charles Mill and lord-lieutenant of North Yorkshire Jo Ropner.

Mr Mills said:

“We are delighted to welcome the Duke of Gloucester to the Great Yorkshire Show for the first time and look forward to showing him some of the highlights including horses, cattle and the latest in farming technology.”

Also attending on Tuesday will be some of the industry’s top-level leaders with MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.

The chair of the cross-party environment, food and rural affairs committee, Sir Robert Goodwill MP, and committee members will launch a report on the merits and risks involved in species reintroductions in England.

TV presenter Adam Henson will then chair a discussion on the challenges and opportunities for the farming sector.

He will be joined on stage by: Minette Batters, president of the National Farmers’ Union; Mark Spencer, a minister in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Sir Robert Goodwill.

The show will run from Tuesday, July 11 to Friday, July 14.

Volunteers spruce up Starbeck and the Pinewoods

Armies of volunteers have been out in force lately, doing their bit to improve the parts of Harrogate they care most about.

Starbeck railway station has been given a makeover by a team of volunteers from Northern, Starbeck in Bloom, Friends of Starbeck Station and Halifax Station Partnership. They gave the underpass a new lick of paint and then spent time litter-picking and tidying up the platforms, underpass and surrounding areas.

There are now plans for three murals to be installed at the station.

Photo of volunteers at Starbeck railway station who spent a day tidying it up and painting the underpass.

Volunteers have given Starbeck railway station a “clean bill of health”.

Tony Baxter, regional director at Northern said:

“I’d like to thank everyone who volunteered to spend the day at Starbeck – there has been an amazing transformation in just one day.”

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, litter-pickers are hoping to make the effects of their work last longer by putting up new ‘Volunteers Have Tidied Here’ signs.

A pilot study by Keep Britain Tidy has found that such signs, telling the public about volunteers’ clean-up efforts, can help reduce littering by more than 40%.

The signs, designed specifically for the Pinewoods Conservation Group, have been paid for by Walker Foster Solicitors.

Neil Hind, chair of the Pinewoods Conservation Group, said:

“We are very grateful to Walker Foster Solicitors for their funding to help make this happen and to our many volunteers who litter-pick as part of our organised events and also in their own time.

“We hope that these signs act as a reminder that somebody is giving up their time to pick up litter that should have been disposed of properly.”

The Pinewoods Conservation Group plans to hold various work sessions over the summer that will be advertised on its website and on social media.

Knaresborough man to contest local by-election for Lib Dems

The Liberal Democrats have selected NHS worker Matt Walker as their candidate for the forthcoming Selby and Ainsty by-election.

Mr Walker was brought up in Knaresborough, just outside the Selby and Ainsty constituency boundary, and currently represents the Knaresborough West division on North Yorkshire Council.

He previously campaigned to be the Lib Dems’ candidate for the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency at the next General Election, but Tom Gordon was selected instead.

A manager in the National Health Service who has raised funds for charities in Harrogate, Mr Walker said he will be putting the NHS at the top of his concerns during the by-election.

He said:

“As a candidate I will be a passionate campaigner for the area, listening to residents’ views and championing their issues.

“Residents across Selby and Ainsty have been let down, our NHS is on its knees. In my professional life I am a manager in the NHS, and in one of my previous roles I spent time managing the GP out-of-hours and minor injuries unit at Selby Memorial Hospital. I’ve seen first hand just how amazing our NHS is and just how much damage the Conservatives have done to it.

“The Liberal Democrats will be fighting for every vote at this election. Whether it’s the crisis in our NHS or the cost of living, the government has taken North Yorkshire for granted for too long and it’s time for a change.”

The Lib Dems polled just 4.5% of the vote in the 2019 election, which Nigel Adams won with a majority of 20,137 for the Conservatives.

Mr Adams’ decision to resign triggered the by-election, which will be held on Thursday, July 20.

The other candidates declared so far are: for the Green Party, Arnold Warneken, the councillor for Ouseburn on North Yorkshire Council; for the Labour Party, Keir Mather, a senior public affairs adviser for the Confederation of British Industry (CBI); for the Conservative Party, barrister and East Riding of Yorkshire councillor Claire Holmes; for the pro-Brexit Reform Party, David Kent; and for the Yorkshire Party, Mike Jordan, whose defection from the Conservatives earlier this month lost the party its majority on North Yorkshire Council.

Tyler Callum Wilson-Kerr, a councillor for Aberford & District Parish Council and former Yorkshire Party member, has also confirmed he will stand as an independent. The youngest candidate in the field, he will be campaigning on a platform of devolution, sustainable energy, tenants’ rights, social housing, and the abolition of tuition fees.

Although Selby and Ainsty is centred on Selby and reaches almost as far south as Pontefract, its northern portion includes Spofforth and many of the villages in the Vale of York, such as Great Ouseburn, Green Hammerton and Tockwith.

Photo ID required to vote

In a statement, North Yorkshire Council said anyone interested in becoming a candidate in the Selby and Ainsty by-election must submit a completed set of nomination forms before the deadline at 4pm this Friday (June 23).

Residents of the Selby and Ainsty constituency have until midnight on Tuesday, July 4, to register to vote and until 5pm on Wednesday, July 5, to apply for a postal vote. If someone is unable to vote in person or by post, they have until 5pm on Wednesday, July 12, to apply for a proxy vote.

Voters attending the polling station for the by-election will need to bring photographic identification, such as a UK photocard driving licence, a passport, or concessionary travel passes, such as an older person’s bus pass or blue badge.

Anyone without an accepted form of ID should apply for a free voter authority certificate by 5pm on Wednesday, July 12.

Flaxby firm Ilke Homes files administration notice

Ilke Homes, the manufacturer of modular housing based at Flaxby, near Knaresborough, has filed a notice of intention to appoint an administrator as a deadline to save hundreds of jobs approaches.

The company has been looking for a buyer since running into financial difficulties it attributed to “volatile macro-economic conditions and issues with the planning system”, which had “complicate[d] fundraising and housing delivery”.

The Stray Ferret understands the company has been offered to potential buyers for bids over £1, and some major house-builders have been approached.

Any bids for the business will need to be submitted before the end of this week, when the firm’s existing backers will decide the firm’s future.

If no deal is forthcoming, the company could enter administration in 10 days.

Ilke Homes said it needed additional funding to fulfil a £1 billion order book and to protect jobs, adding that new investment was needed to build its pipeline of 4,200 new homes.

The company specialises in modular housing that is built in its factory and then put together on site in a process that saves time and costs, reduces carbon emissions, and is not weather-dependent.

Earlier this month, the company told most of the nearly 1,000 employees at its 250,000 sq ft factory not to come into work until further notice, although they have reportedly remained on full pay.

Ilke Homes was established in 2017 and opened its Flaxby factory the following year. Since then, it has built up a client base that includes major institutional investors, housing associations, developers and local councils.

In 2021, the company raised £60 million in investment, half via a loan from government agency Homes England and half from investors.

A year later, it raised a record-breaking £100 million from new and existing shareholders, following successive years of triple-digit growth.

Comedian Hugh Dennis to reveal Studley Roger’s secrets on TV this week

Comedian and presenter Hugh Dennis will be on TV revealing the archaeological secrets of a lost mansion at Studley Royal on Thursday (June 22).

The Great British Dig episode, which was filmed over five days last September in the deer park next to Fountains Abbey, follows the show’s resident experts as they learn more about a mansion that stood there until 1946, when it burned down.

The gutted house was demolished, and it was only years later, during Storm Arwen in 2021, that a tree on the site of the former mansion was blown down and its roots exposed some interesting masonry.

The episode Studley Royal – the Missing Georgian Mansion will be aired for the first time on Thursday, June 22 at 9pm on More 4.

Mark Newman, National Trust archaeologist, said:

“There has been National Trust archaeological research at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal for 37 years, but no matter how much we discover there always seems to be more to find. It’s a rare and exciting opportunity to have a programme like The Great British Dig getting involved with our archaeological research. Understanding the detailed history of our properties, and the archaeological riches they conceal, is undoubtedly a ‘long game’.

“The discoveries we made were extremely exciting and moved on our understanding of a number of Studley Royal’s mysteries considerably. We really look forward to them being revealed on air on 22 June, and to further explorations that will no doubt tell us even more.”

The Studley Royal episode is followed on Thursday, June 29 at 9pm by The Great British Dig at National Trust Cherryburn in Northumberland, The Birthplace of a Celebrity Illustrator.

The Great British Dig presenter Hugh Dennis, whose father John was Bishop of Knaresborough from 1979 to 1986, said:

“It was a genuine treat to be able to dig at not just one, but two National Trust properties at Studley Royal and Cherryburn. We unearthed some amazing finds, met some great volunteer staff who were more than happy to get their hands dirty, and ate our fair share of scones too.”

Stone-carved poem to be unveiled at Brimham Rocks

A poem specially written by the Poet Laureate and carved into a permanent art installation will be unveiled at Brimham Rocks this Thursday (June 22).

Huddersfield-born poet Simon Armitage was commissioned by the National Trust to write the poem, which encapsulates why it is such an important place for nature, wildlife, and visitors.

A permanent art installation of two large stones, each containing a verse of the poem, will be positioned at Brimham on the north moor adjacent to the rocks, offering a place of reflection and contemplation.

The poem’s name, Balancing Act, reflects the sometimes conflicting roles the National Trust must play in both protecting and sharing Brimham Rocks.

Simon Armitage is professor of poetry at the University of Leeds and was appointed Poet Laureate in 2019. He said:

“It was a chance to get reacquainted with the rocks. I’d explored them as a child and in my memory, they were almost mythical or pieces of an alien landscape. Coming back to the area as an adult and a poet they were no less fascinating and mysterious but carried new messages connected to the environment, the precarious state of nature and the importance of wild spaces to our well-being.

“I also discovered that Brimham Rocks is more than just the stones, and the poem is a celebration of the wider ecosystem, from some of its more glamorous and obvious manifestations to micro-organisms, open moorland, and seemingly empty skies.”

Brimham Rocks is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Designated by Natural England, the status is used to protect the natural, environmental, or geological heritage of the British Isles from development, pollution, or insensitive land management.

Justin Scully, general manager at Brimham Rocks and Fountains Abbey, said:

“We are delighted to be working with Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and to have a physical representation of his poem Balancing Act as a permanent art installation on the moor at Brimham.

“We want to make Brimham Rocks feel more relevant to people and their everyday lives. We want it to be a place of reflection and inspiration, where visitors can come and spend some quiet time connecting with nature as well as a place where they come to climb, hike and play.”

The poem has been carved by the National Trust’s lead specialist craftsperson, Richard Dawson, into a type of North Yorkshire sandstone called Witton Fell. Sourced from an independent local company, the stone was chosen for its colour and texture, which is representative of the stone formation at Brimham.

The poem Balancing Act will be used by the National Trust to provide example and inspiration for further engagement with the public through literary events and activities with other artists and education providers.

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Tories select replacement candidate for Selby and Ainsty by-election

The Conservative Party has selected its new candidate for the forthcoming Selby and Ainsty by-election following the shock withdrawal last week of its previous nominee.

Claire Holmes, a barrister and East Riding of Yorkshire councillor, will contest the seat in place of Michael Naughton, who quit the race due to an “unforeseen family medical emergency”.

Speaking to the BBC, Ms Holmes said:

“I know right now people want an MP who’ll only focus on improving our local communities across Selby and Ainsty – not on political point-scoring in Westminster.

“That means I will work with Rishi Sunak and the government on our five clear priorities: halving inflation, growing the economy, reducing debt, cutting hospital waiting lists and stopping the boats.”

The by-election was triggered by the resignation of MP Nigel Adams, who was first elected in 2010 and has since held several ministerial posts under prime ministers Theresa May and Boris Johnson. He was nominated by Mr Johnson for a peerage, but did not make the final list.

Mr Adams had already said he would not contest the seat at the next election, but stepped down immediately after former Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation in the wake of the cross-party Privileges Committee report into the Partygate scandal that he had misled Parliament.

The by-election in Selby and Ainsty will be held on Thursday, July 20, the same day as the by-election in Mr Johnson’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency.

The other candidates declared so far are: for the Green Party, Arnold Warneken, the councillor for Ouseburn on North Yorkshire Council; for the Labour Party, Keir Mather, a senior public affairs adviser for the Confederation of British Industry (CBI); and for the Yorkshire Party, Mike Jordan, whose defection from the Conservatives earlier this month lost the party its majority on North Yorkshire Council.

The Liberal Democrats are due to announce their candidate this week, but are not expected to campaign heavily in the constituency ahead of the ballot, in order not to split the anti-Tory vote. In 2019 they only won 8.6% of the vote in the constituency, compared with Labour’s 24.6%.

The Conservatives, however, won 60.3% of the vote, giving them a 20,137 majority, which means that Labour will need a huge swing of 18% to win, according to Sir John Curtice, professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde.

Photo ID required to vote

In a statement, North Yorkshire Council said that anyone interested in becoming a candidate in the Selby and Ainsty by-election must submit a completed set of nomination forms before the deadline at 4pm this Friday (June 23).

Anyone without an accepted form of ID should apply for a free voter authority certificate by 5pm on Wednesday, July 12.

Business Breakfast: Harrogate woman launches padel sports clothing range

It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. Our next networking event is lunch at Manahatta, on June 29th at 12.30pm.

Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

Harrogate’s growing reputation as the “padel capital of the North” has been boosted with the launch of a new clothing and apparel company devoted to the sport.

Padel Boyz, which sells T-shirts, hoodies, shorts, skirts, socks and sweatbands for men and women, is the brainchild of former PE teacher Sonja Bancroft.

Ms Bancroft, a former Rossett School pupil who later taught at Boroughbridge High School and Boston Spa Academy, said:

“I’m thrilled to be bringing Padel Boyz to the market, and I feel like there has never been a better time to be promoting padel tennis in the UK.

“We’ve worked tirelessly to develop a range of sportswear that reflects the passion and energy of this dynamic game, and we’re confident that our customers will be delighted by the quality and fit of our range.”

We started Padel Boyz to get away from traditional tennis wear – we wanted a cooler, younger look. We’ve started simple, but we plan to add more colours and more lines, such as jumpers, later in the year.”

Padel is a sport similar to tennis but played with a solid, stringless racquet, in an enclosed court like squash. It was invented in Mexico in the 1960s, and is now one of the fastest-growing sports in the world.

It is gaining increasing numbers of fans in our area as more opportunities to play are created. Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre, on Hookstone Wood Road, launched its first outdoor padel court in 2019, and then Surge followed in 2022 with six Adidas-branded indoor padel courts at its centre on Hornbeam Park.

Last summer, Ripon Tennis Centre opened two new outdoor padel courts, and just last month, Harrogate Spa Tennis Club opened two new outdoor courts at its home off Claro Road and has seen players book sessions from across Yorkshire.

Sonja said:

“Padel is growing in popularity in this country so fast, now seems like the perfect time to launch a brand like this.

“My aim is to create a successful, growing business, but we’ve only just launched and we’re still small, so we’ll see how it goes.”

Harrogate company achieves industry recognition

A Harrogate company has been awarded an industry recognised certificate for environmental performance.

Net zero consultancy Flotilla, based on Station Parade, achieved B Corp status, which is certified by not-for-profit organisation B Lab.

It recognises companies which meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.

Mark Woodward Grant Walker Caroline Linford Dan Cox Sara Snow Sally Wood Helen Fox Anthony Bagshaw Jess Morris Francesca Woodward John Rastrick and Joe Hobbs.

(Left to right) Flotilla team Mark Woodward, Grant Walker, Caroline Linford, Dan Cox, Sara Snow, Sally Wood, Helen Fox, Anthony Bagshaw, Jess Morris, Francesca Woodward, John Rastrick and Joe Hobbs.

In order to achieve the status, Flotilla went through a rigorous assessment process which examined the impact of company decisions on employees, customers, suppliers, the communities the business serves and the environment.

John Rastrick, chief executive of Flotilla, said:

“Receiving B Corp certification is an outstanding achievement for everyone here at Flotilla.

“Not only does it honour our commitment to a better future, but it provides a framework for continuous future improvement.”