Bus passenger death prompts visibility concerns on “dark” Harrogate road

The death of a man who had just got off a bus near Harrogate this week has prompted calls for better visibility on the unlit stretch of road.

The unnamed man, who was in his 90s, died after being hit by a vehicle on the A61 Ripon Road between New Park roundabout and Killinghall at about 5.50pm on Monday, November 6.

The man had just alighted at the northbound bus stop on the bridge close to the junction with Knox Mill Lane.

Councillor Monika Slater, a Liberal Democrat who represents Bilton Grange and New Park on North Yorkshire Council, contacted council officers after the incident. She said:

“It is a very dark stretch of road with a speed limit of 40mph and no central reservation. I feel that work could be done to improve the visibility for both drivers and pedestrians in that area.

“North Yorkshire Council need to ensure that bus stops are located in safe places and I have asked them to have a look at what they can do to increase the safety of  bus passengers using that stop.”

The unlit stretch of road where the collision occurred.

Cllr Slater received a response saying the council’s road safety team was working with North Yorkshire Police “to fully assess the incident and identify the cause”.

The council officer replied:

“This includes an assessment of the road condition, signs, lines and lighting in the area. Once the report is completed it goes to the North Yorkshire Council executive to review and this would include, if appropriate, any recommendations to alter any of the signs, lines, lighting, etc.

“This is not a quick process as the investigation is very detailed, but we will keep you appraised as this is progressed.”

Read more:

 

Knaresborough Christmas Market Weekend — details revealed

Knaresborough’s Christmas Market Weekend will be held on December 2 and 3 in the town’s historic Market Place.

Almost 60 stalls will be selling seasonal goods and there will be hot roasted chestnuts and mulled wine as well as performances by local dancers, brass bands and choirs.

The town centre will be largely pedestrianised for the event, but a free park and ride is available all weekend from the GSPK car park (postcode HG5 8LF) on Manse Lane to Chapel Street, close to the market square. Buses will run from 8am to 5.30pm throughout the weekend.

As always, the market weekend will close at 4.30pm on the Sunday with a firework finale set against the backdrop of Knaresborough viaduct and Nidd Gorge.

The firework finale. Pic: Charlotte-Gale Photography

 

The Christmas Tree Festival. Pic: Peter Wilkinson

The Christmas Tree Festival at St John’s Parish Church will also take place that weekend.

Market chair Hazel Haas said this year’s market would be “even bigger” than last year’s event. She added:

“We are also keen that the market benefits the town as a whole. Members of our volunteer committee have been liaising with other local organisations and businesses to ensure that we are promoting the full range of festive events taking place in Knaresborough over the market weekend.

“We are also supporting Rotary, Lions, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, Knaresborough ATC and Knaresborough Cricket Club, who are our charitable partners for this year.”

The Christmas market will feature almost 60 stalls. Pic: Charlotte Gale Photography

Committee member Charlotte Gale added:

“We have a fantastic range of local independent shops, galleries, cafes and restaurants in town, not just in the market square, but on the surrounding streets and High Street. We hope that visitors to the market will also take the time to explore everything which Knaresborough has to offer.”

The new Knaresborough banking hub, at the top of Kirkgate, has agreed to open its Post Office counter services during the Christmas Market. This will allow people to access cash over the counter from 9am to 5pm on both days.

Event co-sponsor 1858 Bar & Restaurant will hold an after-party following the firework finale.

Read more:

 

Harrogate bar staff to be trained to prevent attacks on women

Harrogate hospitality workers are to receive training on how to make women feel safer in the town centre at night.

Zoë Metcalfe, the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, announced today her office had been awarded up to £309,911 from the Home Office’s safer streets fund to improve safety for women and girls.

It will fund various initiatives, including vulnerability and spiking awareness training for staff employed in the nighttime economy in Harrogate.

The training aims to make women feel safer at night and tackle violence against women and girls.

The funding will also provide free video doorbells for repeat victims of domestic abuse and stalking.

The commissioner’s office has also secured up to £689,607 from the Home Office to prevent neighbourhood crime, most of which will be spent on security upgrades at homes and farms in and around Scarborough and York.

Ms Metcalfe said:

“Preventing burglary, tackling rural crime and improving safety for women and girls are priority areas within my police and crime plan and violence against women and girls strategy and these initiatives will have a real, tangible impact on how safe people feel both in and outside their homes.”

Read more:

 

Knaresborough flats to house asylum seekers and homeless

Four council-owned properties in Knaresborough are to be used to house asylum seekers and homeless people.

The flats were due to be sold for a combined estimated fee of £879,000.

But North Yorkshire Council announced today they would be taken off the market and used either for unaccompanied asylum seeking children or as move-on accommodation for homeless people transitioning to independent living.

Conservative Gareth Dadd, who represents Thirsk on the council and is also its deputy leader and in charge of finance, made the decision, according to the online notice.

Explaining the reason, the notice adds:

“North Yorkshire Council is under a legal obligation to house unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

“There are eight children on the national transfer list and 12 in hotels. An urgent decision is necessary for North Yorkshire Council to fulfil its obligation.”

The notice added:

“Whilst there are other properties that have been identified as suitable for unaccompanied asylum seeking children accommodation, these require more significant works and are therefore not available for immediate occupation.”

Harrogate Borough Council bought the properties in 2019 after they had been unoccupied for several years.

The council, which was abolished in April this year, restored them and said last year it intended to sell the leaseholds for an estimated £879,900 and retain the freehold.

Graham Swift, Harrogate Borough Council’s deputy leader at the time, said the properties “had been a blight on the high street in Knaresborough for several years” and the local authority had recognised their potential to provide homes.

Read more:

 

‘Disappointment’ at four-month delay on decision to dual A66

Transport for the North has expressed disappointment at the government delaying a decision on whether to dual the A66.

The A66 is the main route connecting North Yorkshire and the Lake District. The Northern Trans-Pennine project would dual 50 miles of road from Penrith to Scotch Corner.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper was due to rule on the £1.3bn scheme on Tuesday this week.

But the decision has now been pushed back until March 7, 2024.

Mr Harper said:

“The reason for the extension is to allow for further consideration of matters including those not resolved at the time the examining authority’s report was received by the Secretary of State.

“This will include the consideration of information submitted by the applicant regarding impacts on the North Pennine Moors Special Area of Conservation, to ensure compliance with the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017.”

Transport for the North, which was formed in 2018 to make the case for strategic transport improvements in northern England, said in a statement today:

“We are disappointed to hear of a delay to the decision on upgrading the A66. But the important thing is to get the right answer, which we strongly believe is upgrading this key route to improve connections and experience for the people that use it.

“Removing the bottlenecks along this key east-west corridor will make the road safer and more reliable for travellers and help freight get across the Pennines by linking ports on both coasts and providing onward connectivity to Scotland.

“It’s not only a hugely important route between the Lake District, North Yorkshire and the Tees Valley – and the dozens of communities in between – it also helps connect Scotland to our towns and cities.”

Read more:

 

Harrogate charity in turmoil after Barclays suddenly closes account

A charity near Harrogate that provides riding therapy to vulnerable children has been plunged into turmoil by the sudden closure of its bank account.

Sarah Kekoa, founder of Autism Angels, said Barclays told her last week it had inadvertently closed the account and would reactivate it within 48 hours.

But nine days later the issue remains unresolved, leaving the charity unable to pay staff or cash-in cheques worth tens of thousands of pounds.

Ms Kekoa told the Stray Ferret she was desperate for the situation to be resolved quickly because it threatened the organisation’s reputation and ongoing viability. She said:

“We can’t pay anyone — it is absolutely diabolical. Our money is somewhere in the ether.

“We deal with some extremely vulnerable children. We have to be here for them and their families and this is putting us in a very difficult situation.”

Sarah Kekoa (centre) with colleagues at Autism Angels.

Ms Kekoa said the charity’s five staff, who are paid weekly, had continued to work despite missing out on their latest wages.

She said three families of her family had banked with Barclays and Autism Angels had been a Barclays customer for 11 years but she was “beyond frustrated” at the length of time the matter was taking to resolve.

She added staff at her local branch had been helpful but it appeared to be a classic case of “computer says no” with messages not being acted upon.

The Stray Ferret has seen an email from Barclays to Autism Angels, dated Friday last week, in which it said it was “trying to get your bank account opened as soon as possible” and apologising for any inconvenience.

Autism Angels, which is based in Summerbridge, near Pateley Bridge, helps people with autism, mental health issues and in crisis ride horses and ponies for therapy.

A Barclays Spokesperson said:

“As part of our ongoing responsibility to help prevent financial crime, and to meet our regulatory obligations, we are required to keep up to date information regarding our customers’ accounts.

“We share a series of communications with our customers including writing to them by post, through alert banners on our digitally active customers’ online and mobile banking as well as reminder SMS text messages and emails asking customers to supply us with some important information relating to their Barclays business account.

“In cases where we do not receive a response with up-to-date account information, we will proceed with the application of card blocks and account restrictions, ahead of issuing final closure arrangements. Therefore, it is very important that account holders respond to these requests.”

Read more:

 

36 community groups in Harrogate district awarded £92,000

Thirty-six voluntary organisations have celebrated being awarded a total of £92,828 by The Local Fund for the Harrogate district.

The fund awards grants of between £200 and £3,000 each year to small organisations with charitable aims in the Harrogate district where a small amount of money can make a significant difference.

It is funded by The Local Lotto, with support from North Yorkshire Council, Harrogate and District Community Action and the Harry Bolland Trust Fund. Two Ridings Community Foundation, which coordinates local giving in North and East Yorkshire, administers the fund.

Two Ridings organised Monday night’s celebration at West Park Hotel in Harrogate, which recognised volunteers from the organisations awarded grants.

They provide services ranging from providing lunches for the homeless, tackling domestic abuse and enabling people in Nidderdale to run safely to improve their wellbeing.

North Yorkshire high sheriff Clare Granger, who joined local councillors at the event, said the successful applicants provided ‘literally a lifeline’ for many people in North Yorkshire.

Celia McKeon, chief executive at Two Ridings, said the fund supported groups with basic running costs, to ensure they can keep their doors open.

Read more:

Here is a list of the successful applicants, how much each one received and for what purpose.

Community Group Amount Awarded Project Description
Artizan 2688 Funding towards staff, craft supplies and refreshments for craft and socialising opportunities for children and teens with Special Educational Needs, alongside support for their parents.
Badapple Theatre Company 1580 Funding towards staff, hall hire, DBS checks and training to run youth session in the rural area of the Ure Valley, and to enable them to earn a recognised award.
Bilton dragon bowling club 1000 Funding towards sprinkler system to make water use more efficient and to support club members with maintenance.
Boroughbridge and District Community Care 3000 Funding towards staff and room hire to train befriending volunteers for people experiencing bereavement, or living with dementia or disabilities, for recently recruited, existing and to-be recruited volunteers.
Claro Enterprises 3000 Funding towards staff, insurance and utilities to run community workshop to support people with mental health difficulties to improve their health and wellbeing.
Dales and Bowland CIC 3000 Funding towards running rural bus service on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
Dancing for Well Being 1200 Funding towards operational costs, including a Dance Movement Therapist, for a trial series of sessions to support those who care for family members with dementia, to support carer’s own needs.
Darley Playing Field Association (DPFA) 3000 Funding towards outdoor play equipment for children in rurally isolated village.
Harlow Hill Community Centre Association 2000 Funding towards new doors to improve the carbon footprint and look of community building.
Harrogate & District Community Action 3000 Funding towards staff and room hire to support befriending and signposting services for older members of the community, particularly the weekly club and where some clients have more complex needs.
Harrogate Hospital Radio 1170 Funding for radios to lend to lonely in-patients in the Harrogate area hospitals.
Inspire Youth Yorkshire 3000 Funding for staff and overheads towards free weekly youth activities.
Jenny Ruth Workshops Limited 3000 Funding for staff and travel costs to offer workers with learning disabilities outreach opportunities, including sales at local shows, visits to stockists and delivering talks to other local groups.
Jenny Ruth Workshops Limited 1500 Funding towards Jennryruth branded t-shirts and fleeces to provide new workers with learning disabilities pride in their work, and being able to represent the organisation at events.
Kairos Network Church 1000 Funding for a second-hand trailer and new security locks, for taking unusual bicycles to events to encourage confidence in cycling, ensuring the organisation no longer has to borrow a trailer.
Knaresborough Museum Association 1500 Funding towards travel, overheads, and display stands to take displays to sheltered accommodation and residential homes to engage those who would not otherwise be able to visit the museum.
Knot Another Choir CIO 3000 Funding towards staging for local inclusive community choir, which will also raise income for the group by being hired out to other community groups.
Lifeline Harrogate 2400 Funding for fruit and veg boxes (subsidised by the provider) to provide a healthy equivalent to crisis loans for food, to people who have recently experienced homelessness and are now accommodated in supported housing.
Lifeline Harrogate 2600 Funding for food and room hire for fortnightly lunch club, to support current and former residents of supported accommodation.
Living Potential Care Farming 1740 Funding for tools, raised beds, compost and seeds to start therapeutic sessions in the walled garden for people living with mental health difficulties.
Low Harrogate Crown Green Bowling Club 2250 Funding to buy bowls and equipment which will make the club more inclusive and to review the irrigation system.
Masham Community Office 3000 Funding towards purchasing the organisation’s premises to secure it as a community asset.
New Beginnings Peer Support 2690 Funding for staff, volunteers, materials etc for workshops looking at self, worth, boundaries and resilience, to increase the health and wellbeing of families, especially children.
Nidderdale Fell & Trail 3000 Funding for training for volunteers to become qualified in leadership and coaching in running, to allow the organisation to expand and offer more running sessions.
Nidderdale Plus Partnership 3000 Funding for three months of Digital Champion Coordinator time to continue to run project to support older people to be safe and confident online, and to stay connected.
Open Country 3000 Funding for staff, volunteer costs, and operational costs towards running an allotment and tree nursery to offer skills development, mental health benefits and social activities for people with disabilities.
Open Country 2450 Funding for staff, volunteers, accessible minibus, and allotment rent to ensure members can access mixed gardening and outdoor activities for those with disabilities or with poor mental health.
Pateley Bridge & BewerleyMemorial Hall 1000 Funding towards extending a local social event by opening for longer, and to offer hot food for the first time as part of the group becoming a warm space, for older people in a rurally isolated area.
Pinewoods Conservation Group 2410 Funding towards tools and PPE to create a new volunteer group to care for the woodland and to support volunteer’s health and wellbeing.
Reflect 2800 Funding for staff, volunteer costs and overheads to publicise support and to increase face to face sessions for people experiencing pregnancy and baby loss, and for those seeking post-termination support.
Ripon City Festival Trust 1986 1800 Funding to support teenagers to engage more with their local community and to address self-care and mental health, by experiencing live theatre themed around wellbeing, taking part in drama workshops and volunteering to encourage other young people to take part in the Festival.
Ripon Disability Forum 2940 Funding to set up a website, particularly to create an interactive route mapping tool, that people with disabilities can design their own travel routes into and around Ripon and the surrounding area.
Samaritans of Harrogate and District 3000 Funding towards volunteer expenses, operational costs and overheads for organisation seeking to reduce the number of people dying by suicide.
Supporting Older People CIO 2940 Funding for staff, DBS checks are publicity to recruit and train befriender volunteers to support older people, and to start a new social group for older residents.
Taking Baby Steps CIC 2530 Funding for staff, travel expenses and sundries to be able to run community drop in groups as a pilot in rural areas, for parents facing pregnancy loss, baby loss, or peri- and post- natal mental health problems in more rural areas of the Harrogate district.
The Trauma Centre Community Interest Company 3000 Funding towards staff to support the running of heavily subsidised self-help evening classes for people with mental health difficulties, which would help reduce the need for more intensive therapy.
The Wellness Gateway CIC 3000 Funding towards staffing, to set up trial Wellness Hub to offer mental health support and signposting in Ripon and surrounding areas.
Village Voices Killinghall 640 Funding for keyboard and accessories to be able to keep rurally isolated village choir running for years to come.
Wellspring Therapy & Training 3000 Funding towards volunteer travel expenses, to be able to offer more counselling sessions and reduce waiting times for people to support people with poor mental health, experiencing family problems and more.

 

 

Two men arrested after Boroughbridge burglary

Two men have been arrested following a burglary in Boroughbridge.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement today a man in his 20s and a man is in his 30s had been arrested and “released on bail pending further enquiries”.

Officers appealed for witnesses and anyone with information to come forward.

The statement said:

“It happened on Willow Grove at approximately 8.30pm on October 20 when a property was broken into and a number of power tools were stolen.

“Officers are appealing for information about any people and/or vehicles seen in the location near to the time of the incident along with any private CCTV or doorbell footage of suspicious activity.”

Anyone with information can email ethan.fleming@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for Ethan Fleming.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote reference number 12230200171.

Read more:

 

Lib Dem leader accuses Tories of ‘pinching’ Harrogate Station Gateway ideas

The leader of the Liberal Democrats in Harrogate and Knaresborough has accused the Conservative transport chief of “pinching” their ideas for the £11.2 million Station Gateway.

North Yorkshire Council is hastily assembling new proposals for the scheme after admitting its previous plans failed to follow the correct procedure in the wake of legal action.

Councillor Keane Duncan, the Conservative executive member for highways, revealed last week that two of the most controversial aspects of the scheme — reducing Station Parade to one lane and pedestrianising James Street — would be scrapped.

A detailed new plan has yet to be published but it is expected to include improvements to Station Square and One Arch and upgrading traffic signals.

Lib Dem leader Pat Marsh said the Lib Dems suggested dropping the Station Parade and James Street proposals at an online meeting of the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee working group on October 31 — shortly before Cllr Duncan’s announcement.

She said the 13 members of the area constituency committee are due to walk around the gateway site tomorrow (Thursday, November 8) with a senior officer at the council.

Cllr Marsh said the visit would enable the council to better understand the area and consider a “better connected” Lib Dem plan for the town centre.

She said previous gateway proposals “started nowhere and ended nowhere”.

Cllr Marsh said:

“There are simple solutions that would connect the town better. They would enable cyclists to feel safer and not upset motorists.”

She added she would reveal full details of the proposals after tomorrow’s meeting but said they included improvements to the public realm near the train and bus stations, keeping the Station Parade taxi rank where it is and “tidying up” the area around the train station car park.

Cllr Marsh said:

“What we feel we have come up with is a better connected scheme.

“We are not playing politics — that is why we put something forward and offered to do a walk round.”

The Stray Ferret has asked Cllr Duncan to respond to Cllr Marsh’s comments but has not had a response.

Read more:

 

Petition calls for investigation into leadership of Harrogate district school

A petition calling for an investigation into the leadership of a Harrogate district school has been launched.

North Yorkshire Council has begun moves to close Fountains Earth Primary School in Lofthouse, near Pateley Bridge.

The school has no pupils left and although the council attributes this and a struggle to recruit teachers as key factors in opening a consultation on closure, parents say long-running leadership issues contributed to its decline.

They say pupil numbers were increasing until parents were alienated and poor leadership prompted them to send children elsewhere.

Their petition has already achieved 500 signatures.

Fountains Earth is part of the Upper Nidderdale Federation, which also includes Glasshouses Community Primary School and St Cuthbert’s Church of England Primary School in Pateley Bridge.

Parents previously said they were “devastated to have been left with no choice but to remove our children” and warned closure would “rip the heart” out of Lofthouse.

Now a petition, launched by Ashley Gatehouse, calls for “a full, objective and thorough investigation into the leadership of the Upper Nidderdale Federation”.

It says small rural schools foster community spirit and can deliver high quality education, when managed and governed appropriately.

The petition says:

“This investigation should carefully assess the leadership and management of the Upper Nidderdale Federation, including their academic performance, financial stability, community engagement and communication with parents.

“It is imperative that all relevant stakeholders, including parents and former parents, direct and non-direct contracted staff as well as local residents, have the opportunity to contribute their insights and concerns during this investigation process.

“We request that this matter is taken seriously and that the best interests of our community’s children are prioritised.

The petition concludes by urging the council to halt closure “until a full and thorough investigation has been conducted”.

A ‘heavy and sad decision’

The Stray Ferret asked the Upper Nidderdale Federation if it wished to respond to the parents’ claims.

A statement by co-governors Helen Nelson and Hugh Smith said:

“The autumn term started at Fountains Earth with no pupils on roll.

“Unfortunately, this is not an unprecedented situation in North Yorkshire and the governing body has looked at every possible option for the school to keep going.

“Without children, there will be no future per pupil funding for the school from April 2024.

“Taking everything into account, and having discussed the situation with officers at North Yorkshire Council and the Diocese of Leeds the governors took the heavy and sad decision to ask North Yorkshire Council to begin consultation on a proposal to close Fountains Earth school. This is a formal process led by North Yorkshire Council.”

Read more:

Amanda Newbold, the council’s assistant director for education and skills, said:

“We very much recognise the problems of falling pupil numbers at small rural schools, which is an issue affecting a number of communities in North Yorkshire.

“Sadly, there are currently no children enrolled at Fountain’s Earth CE Primary School in Lofthouse in Nidderdale.

“After a challenging time for all, the school governors have made the difficult decision to begin the formal process of applying to the council for a consultation on proposed plans to close the school.

“The request will be formally considered in November. If a consultation is given the go-ahead, it would be undertaken later this year and include a public meeting.”