John Plummer, Author at The Stray Ferret

Person trapped in Harrogate hotel lift suffers panic attack

Firefighters were summoned to a Harrogate hotel today when a person trapped in a lift suffered a panic attack.

A crew from Harrogate were called to the hotel on Ripon Road at 9.21am this morning.

According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report, three members of staff were stuck in a lift.

The report does not say which hotel it was or how long they were trapped.

It said:

“Crews gained entry to the lift and administered oxygen to one occupant who was suffering from a panic attack.

“Incident then lift with life engineer.”

Missing Harrogate woman found

A missing Harrogate woman has been found, police have said this afternoon.

The woman, was reported missing by her family on Tuesday, June 20 — six days after she was last seen by neighbours at her flat in Starbeck on June 14 .

North Yorkshire Police issued an urgent appeal for help finding her that day.

The force have now said:

“The 56-year-old woman who went missing from the Starbeck area on Wednesday 14 June has been found.”

Historic Harrogate hotel reopens after 152-day transformation

The former St George Hotel in Harrogate reopened yesterday after a 152-day transformation.

The hotel has new owners, a new name and a completely refurbished look and feel, which it is hoped will attract local people to eat and drink there.

Now called the Harrogate Inn, it has adopted a country pub feel that is the hallmark of owners the Inn Collection Group.

The Newcastle-based company has added the venue to its portfolio of 32 locations that also includes the Black Swan at Helmsley and the Wordsworth Hotel in the Lake District.

Closer to home, the Inn Collection Group also owns the Ripon Spa Hotel and Dower House in Knaresborough, which are due to reopen under new names the Ripon Inn and the Knaresborough Inn this summer.

The Harrogate Inn

The Harrogate Inn, which closed at the end of January for refurbishment, has a new entrance, a new bar and restaurant, six extra rooms, two new outdoor patio features. Meals are available from 11am to 9pm.

Louise Stewart, property director at the Inn Collection Group, said:

“The works have been extensive with a total refurbishment of the old function rooms and reception area of the old St George Hotel, the creation of the new grand entrance and remedial works to the building’s roof.

“It has delivered a venue which has been warmly received by those we have shown around prior to reopening, and I hope that the inn is going to delight guests going forward.”

The Harrogate Inn project has been managed by Silverstone Building Consultancy and delivered in partnership with 7Formation.

Harrogate Carnival to be held on July 30

Harrogate Carnival is set to take place on Sunday, July 30.

The free event will begin with a street parade through the town centre before heading to Valley Gardens.

The attractions will include a troupe from Leeds West Indian Carnival and a dance stage with belly dancing.

First staged in 2019, the carnival is commissioned by Destination Harrogate, which is a tourism organisation run by North Yorkshire Council and produced by Harrogate International Festivals.

The event, which celebrates global diversity, costumes, sounds and flavours, will include music, dance, themed food zones, art and craft workshops and street theatre.

John McGivern, destination events manager at Destination Harrogate, said:

“This exciting and unique event is perfectly suited to the Valley Gardens, one of many fantastic event spaces that we’re fortunate to have here in Harrogate.

“Carnival will also draw visitors from further afield to join in the celebrations with our residents, with opportunity to boost our visitor economy and showcase the town as an amazing visitor destination.”

Cllr Derek Bastiman, the council’s executive member for open to business, said:

“Carnival is a chance for our community to come together, embrace diversity and create lasting memories.”

The full programme will be announced closer to the date on the Harrogate International Festivals website for more information: https://harrogateinternationalfestivals.com/

The arts charity is seeking volunteers to take part in the carnival.

Multiple fire crews called to barn blaze at Kirkby Malzeard

Crews from four fire stations were called to Kirkby Malzeard last night to deal with a fire in a barn containing hay bales.

Firefighters from Ripon, Bedale, Lofthouse and a water bowser from Boroughbridge rushed to a farm at Ringbeck Road at 6.11pm.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report said:

“Crews worked to protect surrounding buildings and to extinguish the fire.

“The farmer assisted with a tractor in turning the bales over as crews battled with a changeable wind to extinguish the fire.

“The fire resulted in 100% damage to approximately 85 hay bales and also fire damage to the roof of the barn.”

Harrogate college Henshaws retains ‘good’ Ofsted rating

Henshaws has retained its ‘good’ rating in an inspection report published today.

The independent specialist college in Harrogate, which provides education and training for learners with profound and multiple disabilities and complex needs, was praised for its “effective and caring support”.

The three-day visit by three inspectors in May was Henshaws’ first Ofsted inspection since 2018.

Their report said:

“Learners behave well in lessons and around the college as a result of the effective and caring support of staff.

“Learners are respectful towards each other, staff and visitors. Staff create a calm environment, which enables learners to flourish.

“Learners know that staff will not tolerate poor or unkind behaviours, such as swearing and name calling.”

They added “staff support learners well to become active citizens and members of their communities” and that leaders and managers have a “clear vision” that enables learners to build confidence, develop independence and achieve their aspirations.

The report said:

“They support learners, for who it is appropriate, to prepare for employment or to participate in volunteering opportunities.

“They help learners to make friends, learn to live more independently and to look forward to a positive future.”

Safeguarding is described as “effective”. However, Ofsted said a small number of sessions “are not age appropriate” and urged the college to “ensure that the pace of learning in all lessons is appropriate to enable learners to make the progress of which they are capable”.

Besides its overall ‘good’ rating, Henshaws was assessed as ‘good’ in five of the six sub-categories. It was rated ‘outstanding’ in the sixth, which was for personal development.

‘Wonderful to be recognised’

The college on Bogs Lane provides day and residential provision for 66 people. Most learners are aged 19 years and over and all have an education, health and care plan coordinated by their local authority.

The personalised curriculum includes subjects such as art, music, dance, horticulture, English, mathematics, a forest school and swimming.

Sally Daniels interim chief executive and director of education and care services, said it was delighted by the outstanding mark, adding:

“The new inspection framework is generally viewed as being more challenging and we are very pleased to have maintained our overall ‘good’ rating.

“In addition, our safeguarding processes were rigorously challenged during the inspection and found to be highly effective.

“We work tirelessly to provide our students, their families and their carers the best support and curriculum we can and it is wonderful that this has been recognised by our regulator.”

Cool breeze fails to deter naked walkers near Ripon

More than 80 people took part in an inaugural naked walk near Ripon on Saturday.

The two kilometre hike for over-18s took place at the Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park, between Ripon and Masham.

It was one of a series of fundraising Naked Heart Walks organised this summer by British Naturism, which promotes naturism.

The walks at stately homes and gardens are advertised as opportunities to let people “feel the breeze on your skin as you raise money for the British Heart Foundation”.

Saturday’s event took place shortly after the Himalayan garden closed to members of the public and despite the late hour, and cool conditions, a total of 83 people took part.

Sasha Jackson-Brown, estate and operations manager at the Himalayan garden, said it was approached this year by British Naturism about hosting an event.

Ms Jackson-Brown said the venue’s remote location made it suitable and the event attracted a good turnout even though “the weather could have been a bit warmer for them”.

She added there was a relaxed atmosphere and the Himalayan garden would be open to hosting similar events in future.

A spokesman for British Naturism said:

“The amount raised so far for the British Heart Foundation is £1,420 including donations on the day and funds raised by individuals.

“The event was so successful that we plan to repeat it next year. Every participant said that they had thoroughly enjoyed the event.”

Harrogate Fire Station installs swift nest boxes on drill tower

Harrogate firefighters have put eight swift nesting boxes on their drill tower to help save the endangered species.

The swift population has fallen dramatically in recent years due to declining numbers of insects, climate change and the loss of old buildings used for nesting.

The Knaresborough Swift Group estimated last month only a dozen remained in the town and appealed for help finding new nesting sites to save the birds from disappearing.

Its plea, reported in the Stray Ferret, sparked numerous offers of help from Knaresborough as well as nearby towns and villages.

Harrogate firefighter Alex van Zeller, who is passionate about protecting swifts, was among those who responded.

His intervention led to eight boxes supplied by the swift group going up at the drill tower at Harrogate Fire Station on Skipton Road. The station’s aerial ladder platform was deployed to put up the boxes.

The drill tower’s height and space surrounding it makes it a perfect nesting site for swifts.

Waterstones in Harrogate to host book signing on Saturday

Local author Colin Philpott will be signing copies of his dystopian novel Deathday in Waterstones in Harrogate on Saturday.

The novel, published by Thirsk-based publisher Fisher King, is set in England in 2045 by which time euthanasia at the age of 90 has been made compulsory by law.

Mr Philpott, who said he does not advocate compulsory euthanasia, hopes the novel will nevertheless stimulate discussion about what should happen to all of us in later life.

Mr Philpott, who lives in Bishop Monkton, is a former head of BBC Yorkshire and a former director of the National Media Museum in Bradford.

Copies of his earlier non-fiction books will also be available at the book-signing, which will take place from noon until 1pm.

Knaresborough stride to victory in Harrogate 10K

Knaresborough Striders won the prize for the best team performance at the Harrogate 10K yesterday.

A total of 742 runners took part in the race — well up on last year’s 486.

It started and finished at Harrogate Sports and Fitness Club and took competitors around Crimple Valley, finishing with the dreaded ‘Crimple killer’ uphill final kilometre.

Organised by Harrogate Harriers, Olympic triathlon champion Jonny Brownlee was on hand to present trophies to the winners.

Ben Douglas, of Leeds City Athletic Club, claimed first place in the men’s race in 34 minutes and two seconds. The 33-year-old had won the Leeds 10K in May.

Jack Kelly, running for Knaresborough firm and race sponsors Harmony Energy, was runner-up for the second consecutive year.

Rebecca Flaherty, of Bingley Harriers, took the women’s race in 37 minutes and 14 seconds — her mum Sarah was second.

Knaresborough Striders’ trio Tom Calvert, Dan Caven and James Ireland secured the Berwins team prize.

It went some way to alleviating the disappointment they felt at last month’s Great Knaresborough Bed Race, when they were part of the team who saw their hopes dashed when a wheel on their seized up.

A fun run for children preceded the adult event.

Here are some photos of the event.

Pictures by Richard O’Brien and Andrew Hawkes Photography