Knaresborough Business Collective, which was set up to encourage more people to visit the town, has folded.

The group, which was established in the wake of the vote not to create a Knaresborough Business Improvement District, announced the news on social media today.

Founders Natalie Horner and Annie Wilkinson-Gill said “the time has come to say enough is enough”.

The duo organised numerous initiatives for the town including Christmas trees for traders, a scarecrow festival and business awards.

Their decision followed the theft of 20 Christmas trees last week, which Ms Horner described as “absolutely sickening”. Her own printing business Sid Horner and Sons was burgled six days earlier.

It prompted numerous messages of support from people saying how grateful they were for all that the two women have done for the town.

Peter Lacey, from Knaresborough Chamber, thanked the group for all its “hard work for the town”.

The collective’s demise may reignite calls for another ballot on whether to establish a BID.

Ms Horner and Ms Wilkinson-Gill said on social media:

“This was not an easy decision, and one not taken lightly by either of us. We have powered through adversity, harassment, theft, abuse, criticism, vandalism, complaints, slander, all of which has crossed the line to personal attacks on our own businesses and characters.

“We did what we did because we love Knaresborough, it’s businesses, it’s community, it’s residents, but we could only handle so much when we are doing every part of it voluntarily. We have neglected our businesses, our families, our homes and our health, both mental and physical, and the time has come to say enough is enough.

“We have achieved so much over the last few years, and while we loved it, every single thing we have done has been met with some form of negativity or been destroyed. We both have strong shoulders and thick skin but it is too much for two people to take. We have six young children between us and five businesses. It feels as though what turned from people being grateful soon became what people just expected.”

The post said Ms Horner, who runs printing firm Sid Horner and Sons, had lost lost thousands of pounds by printing items for free and Ms Wilkinson-Gill had paid her own staff to work at events.

It added the two women will still do things for town on a personal level, including the Knaresborough Business Awards.

Knaresborough Business Awards. Pic Brian King

They will also spend funds accrued on CCTV cameras for traders “as our parting gifts for town”, with any money left being split between local charities.

The post concluded:

“Thank you to everybody who has helped us, thanked us, supported us and volunteered, we are so grateful and think Knaresborough really is the best place, not just all the wonderful businesses but the people who make it what it is.

“We are proud of what we have achieved in just a few years and hope if anything comes of this it is that everybody supports each other and their businesses.”

Read more:

• Annual Christmas Tree Festival returns to Knaresborough
• Council defends putting EV charge points in Knaresborough car park after furore

Firefighters were called to a heater fire at a property in Ripon last night (Sunday).

A crew from Ripon was called to premises on Boroughbridge Road at 5.52pm after the alarm went off.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report said firefighters found a water heater on the first floor in a kitchen area had caught fire.

It added:

“The fire was contained to the water heater and was out upon our arrival. Fire crew investigated and isolated the heater.”

Later last night, an unattended incense stick set fire to a plant pot at a home in Harrogate.

Harrogate and Knaresborough firefighters were called to Belmont Road at 10.23pm

The incident report said “the fire was extinguished prior to our arrival by the occupier” and only damaged the pot.

Read more:

• Harrogate Spring Water plans reignite debate on trees and plastic.
• Woodland Trust backs Ripon campaign to save veteran beech tree

After more than a year of silence, Harrogate Spring Water has revived plans to expand its bottling plant on the edge of town.

Expansion would enable the company, which sells just over 100 million litres of bottled water a year, to grow and would create 50 jobs.

But to achieve this, it would fell 450 trees alongside the company’s headquarters on Harlow Moor Road to create extra space.

Felling trees is always an emotive subject. The fact that they were planted by schoolchildren concerned about climate change and the land will be used to produce more plastic bottles further heightens feelings.

Views on both sides will be aired this week.

Today (Sunday, November 26), the campaign group Save Rotary Wood – Again is holding a meeting at the Friends Meeting House in Harrogate to consider its next moves.

On Thursday, November 30, Harrogate Spring Water, which is part of French multinational Danone, will hold a public consultation event at the Crown Hotel in Harrogate.

Protestors are unlikely to accept the loss of trees quietly.

The most prominent activist, Sarah Gibbs, stood for hours in a tree costume outside Harrogate Borough Council’s headquarters as part of the protests the last time the issue came before councillors in January 2021.

Activist Sarah Gibbs

On that occasion, councillors rejected Harrogate Spring Water’s expansion plans after a debate that made national headlines and saw ex-Countryfile presenter Julia Bradbury join campaigners in opposing the move.

The company’s message this time is clear — it has listened and is engaging more and doing more to mitigate the loss of trees.

Last time, the woodland offered as compensation wasn’t accessible to the public.

This time, it has a contractual agreement with a landowner to buy a two-acre site and plant 1,200 trees if the application is approved. The site would be open to anyone.

Richard Hall, managing director of Harrogate Spring Water, said it also has an agreement with a local charity “that doesn’t want to be named” to plant another 1,500 trees in a “local and accessible site”.

This means the trees lost will be replaced either on a 3 to 1 ratio or 6 to 1 ratio and result in an increase in biodiversity levels, says the company.

The latest plans for the site.

It took Harrogate Spring Water more than a year since an online consultation last year to publicise its latest proposals.

Asked why it took so long, Mr Hall said it had listened to feedback then considered options and negotiated over the land —  which he says “multiple people own it through a family”. Finally, it worked up the plans.

He added:

“Agreements regarding land do take quite a lot of time.”

He won’t reveal the sum but says the value of the land, on which saplings would be planted, is a “significant part of the investment”.

Mr Hall said:

“We are starting to show we are listening to the community and responding to what the community says.”

He cites talks with Pinewoods Conservation Group as further evidence of this.

“We have had detailed discussions about the type of path, the route, the usage, how the paths would join up with other footpaths, That’s the sort of detail we are wanting to discuss with the community.”

Harrogate Spring Water’s headquarters on Harlow Moor Road.

Harrogate Spring Water made a loss during covid but has recovered strongly and is eager to expand.

It already has outline planning permission, which means the principle of development has been established. It is now preparing a reserved matters planning application, which would agree the details.

Mr Hall hopes the application will go before councillors in February. Even if it is approved, work is unlikely to start for two or three years. But he says it will be good for the company and the town.

“We are a local business that is building the name of Harrogate.

“We think we are an asset to the community but also want to be seen as responsible.

“There was some concern about the trees being lost. And we think we’ve addressed that.”

Read more:

• Harrogate Spring Water reveals plans for 1,200-tree community woodland
• Harrogate Spring Water ‘reviewing plans’ to expand bottling plant ahead of new application

But some people will never believe the loss of a 25-year-old woodland can ever be mitigated, or trust a multinational that employs 100,000 people worldwide, including 80 at Harrogate.

What will the company do if people take direct action if the trees are due to be felled?

“There will always be some objectors and we will have to see at the time what the nature of that objection is.”

After a lengthy hiatus, the debate is about to ramp up again.

The Pitcher and Piano in Harrogate has been taken over by the company that used to run the town’s Viper Rooms nightclub.

The bar, on the hospitality-rich John Street, will be known as The Harlow from Monday.

Paul Kinsey, who owns Harewood Group, announced the news today.

Mr Kinsey said in a statement:

“We are pleased to announce that from Monday, November 27 we have taken over the former Pitcher and Piano on John Street in Harrogate. In the short term it will be renamed The Harlow.

“We aim to immediately introduce live music and DJ Christmas party nights and create a great night out to complement our existing high quality food and drink service.”

John Street is a popular night spot.

He said the company was recruiting staff and management to add to the team it had inherited.

Mr Kinsey added:

“Then In the new year an exciting new concept will be introduced which we think our customers will love as much as we do.

“This is the start of our relationship with major pub companies taking over some of their sites and introducing the high quality management and entertainment that are our trademarks.”

Harewood Group owned the Viper Rooms, which closed in December last year.

Mr Kinsey lives near Harrogate and has continued to keep his eye on the market for opportunities.

The Stray Ferret reported in September that  the search was on to find a ‘self employed pub partner’ to take on the Pitcher & Piano.

Read more:

• Harrogate’s Pitcher & Piano to change name and management
• Harrogate’s former Viper Rooms building still empty despite interest

About 35 volunteers with wellies and spades planted thousands of crocuses on the Stray at West Park in Harrogate this week.

Some 40,000 crocus bulbs have been added to the Stray over the last couple of years.

The perennials, which flower in late winter and spring, have become synonymous with the 200 acres of parkland around Harrogate. It is believed there are between six and eight million of the flowers on the Stray.

This week’s effort focused on the Otley Road section, which has not been covered in recent planting schemes.

Organised by North Yorkshire Council, which manages the Stray, people from Bilton Conservation Group, Harrogate manufacturer Belzona Polymerics, the charity Open Country and individual volunteers took part in this week’s planting.

This week’s planting.

Crocuses flowering in spring this year on West Park Stray.

Read more:

• Stunning crocus displays in Harrogate thanks to planting by volunteers
• Harrogate village doctors’ surgery to close

Hundreds of people filled Knaresborough Market Place last night for Bright Friday.

The community event began with a light parade from Knaresborough Castle to the Market Place, where there was festive music and entertainment.

At 6.30pm, Father Christmas appeared and at the end of a countdown the Christmas tree lights were switched on, marking the start of the festive period in Knaresborough.

Bright Friday began several years ago. It always takes place on the same day as Black Friday but rather than being about shopping and money, it is a free community event that brings people together to celebrate the spirit of Christmas.

Here are some photos from last night.

Read more:

• ‘Absolutely sickening’ 20 Christmas trees stolen in Knaresborough
• Frustration grows over ‘rubble on the road’ saga in Knaresborough

The light parade was led by torchlight.

Hundreds of people wait for the lights to be switched on.

Town crier Mark Hunter and his consort.

Mayor Hannah Gostlow paves the way for Santa.

Moss Healthcare Harrogate has announced it is to close its Killinghall practice.

Dr Nick Taylor, a senior partner at the company, wrote to patients today informing them of the news.

He said the landlord had decided not to renew the lease and the surgery will close in October next year.

The letter said:

“Moss Healthcare Harrogate is sorry to advise our patients that the branch site operating on Ripon Road in Killinghall will have to close in October 2024, when the current lease on the premises terminates, as the landlord has recently advised there is no option to renew the lease.

“We are currently working with the local NHS integrated care board, who commission health care services, and other partners to identify options for ensuring seamless future care to all our patients.

“We will keep patients informed as we work through this process.”

The Killinghall practice is one of three operated by Moss Healthcare Harrogate, which also has sites on King’s Road in Harrogate and in Jennyfields.

Villagers — especially those who find it difficult to travel — have long feared its demise.

In May this year Moss Healthcare Harrogate announced the surgery would temporarily close in the afternoons due to “staffing issues”.

The site has a sizeable car park in the middle of a village where parking is at a premium. It is next to the Greyhounds Inn, which has been closed for several years.

Read more:

• ‘Staff issues’ forces Killinghall surgery to reduce hours
• Chatsworth House dental patients in Harrogate to be offered alternative NHS provision

The Christmas season will get underway in Knaresborough tonight with Bright Friday.

The event — billed as the antidote to Black Friday — is a free community occasion that includes the Christmas tree lights switch on, a parade to music, mulled wine, Father Christmas and a school choir.

Organised by Knaresborough Town Council, it begins with a performance by Meadowside Academy Choir in the Market Place.

At 6pm, the light parade sets off from the war memorial in the grounds of Knaresborough Castle and at 6.30pm the Christmas tree lights are switched on.

Cllr Hannah Gostlow, the Mayor of Knaresborough, said the event is always held on the same day as shopping extravaganza Black Friday.

She added:

“It’s an antidote to Black Friday because it’s all about community and doing something positive — the true spirit of Christmas.”

Read more:

• ‘Absolutely sickening’ 20 Christmas trees stolen in Knaresborough
• Frustration grows over ‘rubble on the road’ saga in Knaresborough

A trader who runs a business group in Knaresborough has said she is “absolutely sickened” after about 20 Christmas trees were stolen.

Natalie Horner, co-founder of Knaresborough Business Collective, organises the annual distribution of Christmas trees to shops in Knaresborough. The trees make the town more festive and any left over are given to charity.

The trees had been delivered and were in the process of being sent out this week when burglars struck last night.

In a social media post this morning Ms Horner, whose own commercial printing business Sid Horner and Son was burgled six days earlier, said:

“I cannot believe I’m posting this six days after my shop was burgled. Last night two men came and robbed around 20 trees.

“We are going to do our best to get as many shops done as possible but it means we will be short now and will have to refund some businesses.

“The saddest part is any trees left over every year we donate to charities and people who can’t afford a tree.”

The post said the criminals had also broken festoon lights, adding:

“I’m absolutely sickened somebody would do this and it’s just a constant battle at the moment and we are done in.

“If anybody hears of trees for sale or sees them in somebody’s garden today please message us. Also please check CCTV If you are on the High Street as we believe they left via the bottom end of the High Street.”

It’s not the first time one of the collective, which organises initiatives that boost the town centre, has suffered criminal damage.

Several scarecrows that formed part of a half-term trail for children to enjoy last month were vandalised.

Read more:

• Firefighters tackle car fire at Aldi in Knaresborough
• Frustration grows over ‘rubble on the road’ saga in Knaresborough

A giant inflatable snow globe is coming to Ripon as part of the city’s festivities next month.

Residents and visitors will be able to step inside the inflatable to create a free Christmas photo opportunity.

The globe, which will have biodegradable snow, will be in Ripon from December 14 to 17.

Ripon Business Improvement District, which is funded by traders to increase the number of city centre visitors, has devised the scheme in partnership with tourism organisation Visit Harrogate.

They are marketing the snow globe as “a hugely popular attraction that instantly transports you to your very own winter wonderland”.

It will be in Ripon at the same time as the winter wonderland illuminations in Spa Gardens, which take place from December 15 to 17.

Here’s where you can find the snow globe:

December 14 — 1pm to 7pm The Ripon Inn, Park Street

December 15 — 1pm to 7pm Ripon Cathedral forecourt, Minster Road

December 16 — 1pm to 7pm Ripon Market Square

December 17 — 1pm to 7pm Ripon Market Square

Read more:

• Tree campaigners to hold protest against Ripon Cathedral’s £6m annex plans
• Moorside Primary School in Ripon rated ‘good’ by Ofsted