Boroughbridge High School could close its sixth form permanently, depending on the outcome of a consultation requested by its governors. 

North Yorkshire Council is due to discuss the proposal to change the age range at the school by closing the sixth form at a meeting on Tuesday, January 9. If approved, the new arrangements would come into effect on August 31, 2024. 

The sixth form at Boroughbridge High School has been temporarily suspended since September 2022. 

The school has worked in collaboration with other schools since 2016 to try to maintain sixth-form provision.

Initially, it worked with Easingwold and Thirsk Schools, but this collaboration ended when Easingwold School joined the Outwood multi-academy trust. Since then, the school has collaborated with King James’s School in Knaresborough, and the two schools federated in January 2021. 

But due to the demographics of the area, pupil numbers at Boroughbridge High have decreased by more than 40% – from 756 in 2013-14 to 438 in 2022-23. During the same period, numbers in the sixth form have plummeted by 97%, from 131 to just 4, according to figures published by the council. 

Consequently, the federated governing board of Boroughbridge High School and King James’s School suspended the sixth form at Boroughbridge from September 2022. 

The latest request by the board would make that arrangement permanent. 

A council document published ahead of the meeting notes that “the school population is now stabilising and is projected to increase in future”, partly due to housebuilding in the area. But the school’s the governing body does not feel that numbers would be large enough to attract enough government funding that would enable a financially viable sixth form. 

The consultation as proposed would open on January 19 and close on March 1, and a final decision on the sixth form’s fate would be made by North Yorkshire Council on May 28 or June 18. 

Read more:

• Ofsted says Boroughbridge High School ‘requires improvement’
• Boroughbridge High School agrees to close sixth form
• Knaresborough’s King James’s School rated ‘good’ by Ofsted

The retaining wall on Briggate in Knaresborough has been added to the long list of road and bridge repairs recommended for approval by members of North Yorkshire Council environment executive.

The work has been budgeted at £150,000 and is one of nearly 1,000 schemes across the county included in the £45.8 million highways capital programme 2024/25. 

The programme includes 225 schemes in the Harrogate district, ranging from the resurfacing of York Place in the heart of Harrogate to patching work right on the district boundary near Angram reservoir at the top end of Nidderdale. 

The cost of the schemes ranges from various road surface patching works in the Jennyfields area of Harrogate at £362 each, to the resurfacing of Ripon’s Market Place at £330,000. 

The schemes also include work on the bridge over Scot Beck at Thornthwaite, and further work on the landslip on the A59 to Skipton, both costed at £100,000. 

The other scheme in our district that has been added to the list is the resurfacing work on Lancaster Park Road in Harrogate, budgeted at £170,000. 

Schemes worth £3.27 million have been deferred to future years from the 2023/24 annual programme. Those in the Harrogate district include drainage projects at Darley and Beckwithshaw (budgeted at £10,000 and £48,000 respectively) and construction work on Oak Beck Bridge in Harrogate, which has a budget of £1.5 million – by far the most expensive of all the schemes across the whole county. 

The Highways Capital Programme covers the whole of North Yorkshire – which consists of Richmondshire, Hambleton, Scarborough, Ryedale, Craven, Harrogate and Selby areas – and is based on a funding settlement of £40.07 million from the Department of Transport. 

The council’s environment executive recommended that the corporate director for environment approve the programme, in consultation with environment executive member for highways and transportation.

The list of schemes is available here.

Read more:

• No 12: The Great Wall of Briggate saga in Knaresborough
• Decision day approaches for £630,000 Ripon city centre resurfacing scheme
• ‘Unforeseen circumstances’ delay Oak Beck Bridge replacement — again

Excellence deserves to be recognised and celebrated. The 2024 Stray Ferret Business Awards is the event to put your business, people or great initiative in the spotlight!

Make the most of your efforts by reading our top 10 tips for writing your submission for success.

Entries close on January 19, 2024.

The contract to build 37 affordable homes at the Old Goods Yard on Hutton Bank in Ripon has been awarded to a York company.

Yorkshire Housing has appointed York Science Park-based NuSpace Homes to construct the mixed-tenure homes on the site, which was previously home to warehouses used by companies such as Millennium Windows and Power Plastics.

The scheme will provide 37 homes for rent, rent to buy and shared ownership and is being supported by grant funding from Homes England.

Yorkshire Housing is the biggest housing association based solely in Yorkshire, and owns and manages around 20,000 homes across the region, including older people’s accommodation and homes for low-cost rent.

Outline planning permission for the Hutton Bank site was granted in 2021 by Harrogate Borough Council, which was replaced by North Yorkshire Council in April this year.

The site is in an area that is deemed as having high housing demand, and at the time outline planning was approved Harrogate Borough Council said the proposed development would help “regenerate a gateway site in one of the District’s main settlements”.

Demolition of the existing vacant buildings is set to start soon, and construction of the homes is due to start early in the new year.

Sian Webster, director of development at Yorkshire Housing, said:

“We’re really pleased to be working alongside NuSpace Homes to deliver these quality new homes.

“This development will regenerate a disused brownfield site and give more people the chance to have a place they’re proud to call home.

“There’s a need for more affordable homes across Yorkshire, and this scheme takes us a step closer to reaching our target of building 8,000 new homes across the county.”

It is hoped that the first homes will be ready to move into early in 2025, and the site will be completed by December the same year.

Charity given cash from financial services profits

A charity based in Harrogate has received a £1,000 Christmas gift from the Benefact Group.

The British Thyroid Foundation, which is based at Hornbeam Park, was nominated to win a share of £120,000 by members of the public as part of the Benefact Group’s annual 12 days of giving Christmas campaign.

Founded in 1887, the Gloucester-based Benefact Group is an international group of financial services businesses that gives all available profits to charities and good causes.

The British Thyroid Foundation, which supports people to live better with thyroid disease, was one of two causes chosen for Benefact Group awards in North Yorkshire; the other was Fulford St Oswald’s C E Primary School Parent Teacher Association.

Mark Hews, group chief executive of Benefact Group, said:

“We are thrilled to be giving £120,000 to 120 fantastic charitable causes across the country and I’d like to thank every single North Yorkshire resident that took the time to nominate a charity close to their hearts. We know that £1,000 can make a huge difference to the incredible work that charities do and we’re looking forward to seeing how this financial boost will change lives for the better.

“Benefact Group is the third largest corporate donor in the UK and has an ambition to be the biggest. Owned by a charity, Benefact Trust, all of its available profits go to good causes, and the more the Group grows, the more the Group can give.”

Read more:

• Business Breakfast: MP visits Harrogate company in support of IT campaign
• Business Breakfast: Boroughbridge man named AA Patrol of the Year
• Business Breakfast: Growth hub hosts business support event at Ripon Cathedral

This story is sponsored by Children’s Corner Childcare.

Companies from across the region were recognised at the Yorkshire & Humber Family Business Awards last month, but none had a better night than Children’s Corner Childcare. 

The group, which runs 10 childcare settings, including one in Harrogate, all rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted, was the only double winner of the evening. 

It not only scooped the Business Services award, but operations manager Nicola Stanworth also won the only individual award of the evening, for Employee of the Year. 

Nicola beat a field of 16 finalists from every sector across the region. She said: 

“I was over the moon – I never expected to be singled out like that for doing what I do. To know that other people recognised all the effort I put in was an amazing feeling. 

“I’m completely dedicated to Children’s Corner. I started working here as a 15-year-old while doing my GCSEs, and had a part-time role here while I was doing my teaching degree at Leeds Metropolitan University. Once I’d graduated, Early Years education called me, and I came here full-time. 

“I have a diverse role, looking after all the operations and logistics, and I never switch off – it’s just how I’m built!” 

Children’s Corner was set up in 1995 by former police officer Lesley Dawson and her husband Allan when they couldn’t find a nursery they liked for their first son. Nearly 30 years later, two of their three sons also now work in the company, making it a truly family-run enterprise. 

Nicola Stanworth was named Employee of the Year at the Family Business Awards.

Nicola said: 

“We treat all the children as individuals and focus on making them independent, to prepare them for their next steps in life. We keep our sites fresh, and replace all the resources regularly, and everything’s included in the price, such as healthy meals, milk and nappies.

“Parents can even keep up to date with their children’s progress with the Children’s Corner app. 

“A lot of people say our nurseries feel like a home from home.” 

Children’s Corner is now recruiting across all its nurseries, and is looking for only the best candidates with a small number of opportunities still available at their Harrogate nursery. 

Children’s Corner Harrogate is currently hiring for an Early Years Educator. Click or tap here to apply.

All the company’s key staff have recognised childcare qualifications however Children’s Corner were also recognised at the House of Commons this year as one of the Top 50 SME’s in the UK offering Apprenticeships with a number of apprenticeship opportunities also available for anyone looking to get into the Early Years sector.

Nicola said: 

“Working at Children’s Corner is fantastic anyway, but in addition to the usual benefits, we offer childcare discount, a four-day working week, and even the possibility of study trips abroad, through our charity arm in Malawi. If you’ve got the skills and qualifications join the best nursery group in the region, get in touch.”

Find out more: 

For more information about childcare with Children’s Corner, go to www.childrenscornerchildcare.co.uk. 

If you’re a childcare professional and are interested in joining the Harrogate team, take a look at our current vacancies. 

Excellence deserves to be recognised and celebrated. The 2024 Stray Ferret Business Awards is the event to put your business, people or great initiative in the spotlight!

Make the most of your efforts by reading our top 10 tips for writing your submission for success.

Entries close on January 19, 2024.

An AA man operating from Boroughbridge has been named Patrol of the Year at the breakdown organisation’s annual awards ceremony.

The award is the AA’s highest accolade for its roadside patrols across the UK, and Chris Wood will now spend the next 12 months as the public face of the UK’s biggest drivers’ organisation, representing it within the motor industry and to the media.

Chris said:

“I can’t quite believe I’ve won this award. I was so proud just to be nominated among so many outstanding patrols, so when I heard I’d been shortlisted as one of the finalists I was absolutely gobsmacked.

“To be named Patrol of the Year is unbelievable – it hasn’t quite sunk in yet. I’m really excited to see what lies ahead during the coming year.”

The judging process began in late September with nominations from across the UK, before six finalists were put through intensive technical and driving tests, panel interviews and mock radio interviews at the AA’s head office in Basingstoke in November. The awards were held at Vox Conference Centre in Birmingham.

Dean Keeling, managing director of Roadside Services at the AA, said:

“The AA Awards ceremony gives us the opportunity to recognise the efforts of the AA people who go above and beyond to help others and the Patrol of the Year award is the epitome of this.

“Chris exemplifies the values which set AA patrols apart with the skills to turn around a broken-down driver’s day and get them back on their way despite the challenges of working at the roadside in all weathers.

“His award is a true testament to his hard work, outstanding service and dedication and is a well-deserved accolade. Congratulations to Chris and all our finalists and award winners.”

[the_ad id=”179874″] 

Snowplough maker named Bodybuilder of the Year

Ripon-based Econ Engineering is celebrating after scooping a major award at the ‘Oscars’ of the commercial motoring and road haulage industry.

The UK’s leading supplier of winter maintenance vehicles won Bodybuilder of the Year at the Commercial Motor Awards in Birmingham, where the cream of operators, dealers and suppliers competed for the top honours.

Econ, which supplies 85% of the nation’s winter maintenance vehicles from its assembly plant in Ripon, beat Lothian Vehicle Bodybuilders from Scotland and Cambridgeshire-based TVS Interfleet to the award.

A team from Econ was at the Road Transport Ball on Thursday, held at Birmingham NEC‘s, Vox Conference Centre to pick up their award.

Managing director Jonathan Lupton said:

“Words cannot describe how proud I feel right now to have come away with such a prestigious award.

“We know how hard every member of our team works to ensure that we maintain the high standards that Econ are renowned for, and this award goes to each and every one of the Econ family.”

Read more:

• Business Breakfast: Growth hub hosts business support event at Ripon Cathedral
• Business Breakfast: Council hires marketing firm to promote numeracy project
• Business Breakfast: Care equipment firm to move away from Harrogate

The first ever Harrogate Self Care Week will kick off the new year, with a programme of free events to boost health and wellbeing.

Launched by Harrogate Business Improvement District, the week, which runs from January 22 to 27, will feature a range of self-care workshops, activities and classes, along with a themed market to help visitors work on their ‘body, soul and mind’, according to organisers.

Harrogate Turkish Baths will get the ball rolling on Monday, January 22 by hosting a free two-hour session in the frigidarium, steam room, heated chamber and plunge pool.

Throughout the rest of the week, the programme will include a mosaic-making event at Artizan, flower-arranging with Helen James, various yoga classes, a dynamic session with Ebru Evrim, gym training with F45 and gong bath therapy.

To close on Saturday 27, a pop-up health and wellbeing-themed market will be held in the Victoria Shopping Centre, with a range of traders and stalls on offer for visitors to explore.

Matthew Chapman, manager of Harrogate BID, said:

“Since William Slingsby discovered the first spring in 1571, Harrogate has been a flourishing spa town that has been supporting both self-care and wellbeing.

“We are proud to be working with BID members and partners on this new campaign to showcase our present day offer, which remains world renowned.”

Harrogate BID has partnered with self-styled “holistic wellbeing warrior” Kitti Johnson for the new event.

A certified yoga instructor, crystal bowl sound healer, reiki and shamanic practitioner, Kitti has taught workshops on energy healing, journaling, anxiety, the chakras and essential oils for a number of years.

She said:

“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to raise awareness of all the wonderful wellbeing services and ways that people can look after themselves as part of Harrogate’s first ever Self Care Week.

“We have a wide variety of classes and workshops for people to discover new ways to take care of their wellbeing and to kick-start a healthy, happy mind, body and soul for 2024.”

Further details on the programme are set to be released in the New Year.

Any businesses or independent providers in the BID area wishing to get involved, or anyone looking for further information, should email the BID team.

Read more:

• Novelist Ruth Ware to curate Harrogate crime writing festival
• Annual Christmas Tree Festival returns to Knaresborough
• Business Breakfast: Harrogate BID appoints communications officer

The company that owns Your Harrogate radio station has had its small-scale DAB multiplex licence for Wetherby and Harrogate revoked after mounting transmission costs made the venture economically unviable. 

But Your Harrogate will continue to broadcast on the local DAB multiplex for North Yorkshire, with no disruption for listeners. 

Nick Hancock, who is content director and one of the co-owners of Your Harrogate, told the Stray Ferret: 

“This is really a back-end issue. It’s a bit like renting a house for ages and then having the chance to buy it. The small-scale DAB multiplex licence for Wetherby and Harrogate would have meant we owned it. 

“The local DAB multiplex actually has better signal strength and better coverage, so the listener won’t notice any difference. It was just an ownership issue.” 

The regulator, Ofcom, awarded the licence in 2022 to Wetherby and Harrogate Local DAB Limited, which is owned by Your Harrogate directors Nick Hancock and Adam Daniel, plus Alan Everard from Wetherby Community Radio and Mark Oldfield, chairman of Harrogate Hospital Radio.

The company, which operates as Your Harrogate, said it had £25,000 set aside to launch the multiplex. In its application it said: 

“Our transmission proposal is one that is realistic, compliant, and economically viable.” 

Small-scale DAB multiplex licences cost just £500 per year, as well as a non-refundable £500 application fee. But other expenses, described by Mr Hancock as “transmission costs”, escalated in the intervening period, ultimately making the project unviable. 

Ofcom may revoke a licence if it believes a service will not launch within 18 months of an award, and after it heard Your Harrogate could not continue with its plans, it exercised this option.

In a statement, it said it would consider re-advertising the Wetherby and Harrogate multiplex licence “should we receive any expressions of interest”.

But Mr Hancock said:

“We were the only people who applied for the licence in the first place, so I’d think it’d be unlikely Ofcom will advertise it again, to be honest.”

Your Harrogate launched in February 2021 to fill the gap in local radio left by Stray FM, where Mr Hancock had been a well-known presenter. Stray, which had covered the district since 1994, rebranded when owner Bauer Media announced it was making it part of the national network Greatest Hits Radio.

Digital audio broadcasting (DAB) radio allows the bundling of a number of radio stations together in a multiplex. Each multiplex can then be broadcast using an individual frequency from a transmitter. A DAB radio can then single out each radio service from the multiplex for the listener. 

This bundling into multiplexes allows for more radio stations and requires less power to broadcast, making it more cost-effective. But it can also give lower-quality sound and the signal can drop out more frequently.

Read more:

• Your Harrogate set to launch tomorrow
• Harrogate district to get new local radio station
• Harrogate radio station Stray FM to close

Excellence deserves to be recognised and celebrated. The 2024 Stray Ferret Business Awards is the event to put your business, people or great initiative in the spotlight!

Make the most of your efforts by reading our top 10 tips for writing your submission for success.

Entries close on January 19, 2024.

The owners of a Harrogate-based care equipment specialist have announced plans to move its offices away from the town.

Vivid Care said its decision to move away from Linkside House on Forest Lane Head to new premises at Thorp Arch, near Wetherby, is part of a strategic change of direction for the family-run business.

Vivid Care supplies specialist seating, care beds, falls response devices and mobility equipment, and is part of the CoreCare Group. It will be moving its Harrogate showroom to an appointment-only showroom at Thorp Arch at the end of the year. Vivid Care’s employees will join colleagues at the new site from CoreCare Group sister companies, including Innova Care Concepts, Dependall Logistics, and Aquadapt Home Installations.

The current retail showroom in Harrogate will close on December 21, and the new appointment-only showroom will open at Rofta House, Thorp Arch on January 2, with retail sales continuing online.

Formerly Yorkshire Care Equipment, Vivid Care has 50 years of experience in supporting the NHS and care organisations to provide independence and enhance the lives of those with care needs. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the team worked closely with colleagues at sister company Innova Care Concepts to help the NHS with the setup of the Nightingale Hospitals.

Managing director Tristan Hulbert said:

“It’s the right time to enact the next stage of our strategic plan to move our offices to be in our group headquarters in Wetherby.

“As part of this move, the head office building is undergoing new investments with a refurbished office, new video conferencing facilities, a redesigned canteen, and a new state-of-the-art showroom.

“It will allow us to continue our growth in supporting our NHS, reduce our carbon footprint, and promote further collaboration across the CoreCare Group as a whole.

“We’d like to thank all our loyal Harrogate customers for their custom over the past 27 years, and look forward to welcoming them by prebooked appointment to our new space in Wetherby in the new year.”

Read more:

• Business Breakfast: Harrogate firm wins dealer excellence award
• Business Breakfast: Harrogate businesses collect chocolate for people in need
• Business Breakfast: Ripon bucks national footfall trend – data

One of the best-known butchers in the Harrogate area died on Monday, more than 50 years after founding his family business. 

Ian Audsley, 84, was a well-known figure both in food retail circles and in his local area in the south of Harrogate. 

Mr Audsley launched his business in 1970, and his shop on St Winifred’s Avenue West, JE Audsley Family Butcher, long ago widened its customer base far beyond the Saints area of the town. Now run by his son, John, it continues to command loyalty among many of its clientele. 

A notice issued by his family said: 

“His commitment and passion have shaped the character of our establishment, and his unwavering dedication has made it a cherished part of the lives of countless individuals. 

“Ian’s impact extends far beyond the business he founded; it encompasses the relationships he nurtured, the moments he shared, and the lives he touched. His genuine kindness, infectious spirit, and commitment to community service have left an indelible mark on all who had the privilege of knowing him.”

Read more:

• Fundraiser set up for well-known Harrogate woman who has died
• ‘Two in one’ burglars strike in Harrogate
• EXCLUSIVE: Stray Ferret reveals not a single litter fine in Harrogate district for past three years

This story is sponsored by Emma Mellor Handmade Rugs. 

Home improvers looking for the perfect rug need no longer struggle to visualise it in their own home, following the launch of a unique new service by a shop in Harrogate. 

Emma Mellor Handmade Rugs only sells beautiful hand-knotted, naturally dyed rugs, woven from wool or silk. Each is a one-off, so choosing one can be enjoyable but also a challenge – which is where the company’s new home viewing service comes in.

Owner Emma Mellor will bring any rugs a customer has selected online or in the Harrogate showroom to their home, so they can see them in situ before making a final choice. And if they decide to buy one, delivery has already been made. Emma, who lives locally, said: 

“I started the home viewing service because I know from my own experience that you might find a rug you love in the showroom, but it can be really difficult to visualise it in your own home. 

“Rugs are quite ‘alive’ textiles, and their colours can appear to change in different settings, depending on the light, the dimensions of the space, and what other fabrics or textiles you have in the room.

“You need to find something that will complement what you already have, rather than clashing with it. It’s a very personal service.” 

Emma Mellor Handmade Rugs, on Albert Street in Harrogate.

Emma Mellor Handmade Rugs, which also has a shop in York and an office in London, sources most of its pieces from Nepal, Afghanistan and Morocco, but it also has some antique Persian rugs. Sizes vary from small mat-sized pieces to oversized rugs right up to 7m by 4m, or bigger. 

Emma said: 

“My target customer is anyone with really good taste. They believe in good quality, they don’t believe in the throwaway culture, and they’re interested in colour. 

“These are all individual pieces – each one is unique – so when you buy one, you know that no-one else will have one like it.” 

All the rugs Emma sells are certified by GoodWeave International. The certification means they’re guaranteed to have been made ethically, with no child labour involved. 

Emma Mellor also pays her weavers a premium above market price, to ensure they can support their families. This also ensures their age-old skills don’t die out. 

The company is just about to bring out a new range of rugs designed by Emma herself and fresh off the loom in Nepal.  

Emma said: 

“The weavers really are the most incredible artists. Out of a ball of wool, they can create wonderful works of art. 

“I feel really privileged to sell these pieces, which are made by people far more skilled than I’ll ever be.” 

Find out more: 

To see – and feel – our latest range of handmade rugs, come to our showroom at 13/15 Albert Street in Harrogate, which is open Tuesday to Saturday, from 10.30am to 4.30pm. 

Alternatively, you can find all our ranges on our website, www.emmamellorhandmaderugs.com.

To book a home viewing appointment, call us on 01904 622822.