The original Harrogate Christmas Market on Montpellier Hill could be set to make a comeback this year.
Brian Dunsby, co-organiser and founder of Harrogate Christmas Market Ltd, confirmed it had submitted an event management plan to North Yorkshire Council to stage the event from November 2 to 5.
The event was held annually from 2012 to 2019 until it was halted by covid.
Harrogate Borough Council then scuppered its prospects of returning by refusing to grant a licence and organising its own town centre Harrogate Christmas Fayre in conjunction with Market Place Europe, a specialist market company based in Greater Manchester.
But Harrogate Borough Council was abolished last weekend, with the new North Yorkshire Council taking its place.
The original Christmas market, which was organised by local people, had 170 traders and 53 coaches booked to attend in 2021 when the rug was pulled from under its feet.
By contrast, last year’s town centre fayre only had about 50 stalls, and some people have said there were too many food outlets and not enough craft stalls.
The fayre was accompanied by a giant Ferris wheel near the war memorial, an ice rink in Crescent Gardens and the Candy Cane Express free road train, which were popular with many visitors.
Some people welcomed the decision to hold the event in town rather than on the muddy Stray. Others said the new event lacks charm compared to Montpellier Hill.
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Destination Harrogate, a tourism organisation within North Yorkshire Council, issued a press release yesterday saying this year’s fayre would be extended from 10 days to 18 and run from December 1 to 17.
Because the dates for the seasonal events do not clash, there is the possibility that both could take place this Christmas.
Mr Dunsby declined to comment beyond confirming Harrogate Christmas Market Ltd had submitted its event management plan for what he hoped would be a similar event on Montpellier Hill to those staged up to 2019.
Too many food stalls?
Yesterday’s news release by Destination Harrogate announcing this year’s market extension did not mention North Yorkshire Council.
The Stray Ferret asked Destination Harrogate who was in charge of the market now Harrogate Borough Council no longer existed, who authorised the fayre extension and what response it had to claims that last year’s event had too many food stalls.
It said in a statement:
Harrogate office issues urgent plea for help to save stranded pigeon“The Harrogate Christmas Fayre has always been an event owned and operated by Market Place Europe and Destination Harrogate will continue to support them at a local level.
“The decision (to extend) was based on feedback from many of the town centre retailers, hoteliers and hospitality businesses, following the impact that the market made on their December trading. After taking on board the feedback from those sectors in particular, and following discussion with Market Place Europe, we’ve been able to agree the addition of the extra week and weekend.
“The market is open to any trader that wishes to apply to have a stall. We would actively encourage any local traders that would like to be part of the Christmas fayre to apply – as we have done since the new event was introduced in 2021. The variety and volume of stalls are dependent upon those traders that come forward and want to take the opportunity to be involved.”
A shared office space in Harrogate has issued an urgent plea for help after an injured pigeon was found in the building this morning.
Staff at Community House on East Parade discovered the young bird hiding behind a box in reception this morning.
They turned a cardboard box into a makeshift home and are attempting to keep it alive while help is found.
Karen Weaver, strategic lead at Harrogate and District Community Action, which is based in the building and has responsibility for it, said:
“We’re keeping it hydrated but it’s not keen to eat so far. So if any one can offer it a good home and more expert knowledge than we have here we’d love to hear from them ASAP.”
Staff at Community House, which has 30 serviced offices, believe the pigeon was dislodged when the building’s gutters were cleaned yesterday.
A coo for help from #Harrogate tweeters; we've had an unusual visitor to @HGcomhouse this morning & we're struggling to find a safe home for this young pigeon which snuck into our reception earlier, mum not in sight 😭. Advice welcome,we've tried RSPCA & they can't help. 🙏🐦🪶 pic.twitter.com/IN9BJcDDgT
— Karen Weaver (@KarenWeaver2020) April 5, 2023
They think the bird is too young to fly and contacted animal welfare charity the RSPCA but it was unable to help.
Ms Weaver said:
“We need someone to give it some TLC, help it feed and drink, hopefully survive and thrive and then fly off.
“We’ve got interest from the teenage daughter of one of our team but mum would be happy for it to be rehomed elsewhere if we can find someone willing this afternoon.
“We get lots of requests for help here at Community House but we’ve not had one from a homeless bird before!”
Community House reception can be contacted on 01423503700.
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Birstwith artist Clare Granger becomes High Sheriff of North Yorkshire
High Birstwith artist Clare Granger has become the first High Sheriff of North Yorkshire to be appointed by King Charles III.
Ms Granger succeeded James Lambert at a ceremony at York Crown Court this week in the presence of the deputy lieutenant, Philip Ingham, Lady Justice King and Sean Morris, the Recorder of York.
High sheriffs represent the monarch in matters relating to law and order whereas lord-lieutenants are the sovereign’s personal and military representatives.
Ms Granger will seek to raise awareness of the value of the arts in the areas of mental health and the criminal justice system.
In her declaration speech, she said:
“We are all aware how many people are suffering with their mental health particularly following the pandemic. The arts have a huge role to play in helping people to find a way of coping.”
Clare Granger (left) and Lady Justice King
Ms Granger qualified as a solicitor and worked in York before changing career to become a professional artist. She trained in Florence and has been represented by a London gallery for 20 years.
She is also a school governor, a champion of IDAS, the domestic violence charity and a patron of Henshaws, a charity which supports people with disabilities.
She said:
“I am deeply honoured to have been appointed to this role and I look forward enormously to meeting, thanking and supporting, where I can, the judiciary, those who work in the emergency services and the wonderful volunteers who are working so hard in our county.”
Main photo shows (left to right), Simon Hickey, Edward Granger, Mark Granger, Clare Granger, Lady Justice King, Philip Ingham, James Lambert, Peter Worth and Sean Morris, Recorder of York
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Firefighters rescue man retrieving his shoe in Knaresborough
Knaresborough firefighters dealt with an unusual call-out last night when a man ran into problems retrieving his shoe.
The man climbed on to the roof of Knaresborough Community Centre on Stockwell Avenue in pursuit of his footwear.
It is not known how the shoe got there but the person then required help getting down.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident log said firefighters were summoned at 8.15pm last night. It added:
“Crews from Knaresborough assisted a young male down from the roof of the community centre after trying to retrieve his shoe.
“A triple extension ladder was used.”
Further details about the man, and what happened to his shoe, have not been revealed.
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Taxidermy displays star in Harrogate’s alternative Easter window
An alternative Easter window display is catching the eye of shoppers and passers-by in Harrogate.
Art collector Mark Hinchcliffe has curated the display at West Park Antiques, which hosts 40 independent traders on West Park.
Mr Hinchcliffe, who owns The Chapel on Grove Road, has created a window that combines taxidermy with Easter eggs.
A white peacock, a golden eagle and a black swan are among the star attractions.
Easter eggs and taxidermy
Mr Hinchcliffe, who is keen to shake-up Harrogate’s art and cultural scene, said the idea was to combine birds and eggs to promote the life-affirming Easter message in an original and less obvious way.
He said:
“It’s a left-field and Victorian gothic alternative to Bettys Easter window.”
West Park Antiques
Lisa Hawksworth, who owns West Park Antiques, said:
“We always do our own window theme and Mark approached us about doing something new. We’ve known him for years and know he’s creative.
“Mark has a great eye and knowledge of design and when you see what he has achieved at The Chapel, it was an easy decision to let him do it.”
The display is expected to remain in place until April 17.
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Harrogate Fire Station’s aerial ladder platform shows its value in York
Harrogate Fire Station demonstrated the capabilities of its aerial ladder platform in an exercise at York Minster today.
The platform, which is the longest in North Yorkshire, was utilised on Saturday during a chimney fire at the Castle Inn in Knaresborough.
It was in action again today as part of a training exercise in which Harrogate firefighters were joined at the minster by crews from York, Huntington and Acomb.
According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Risk and Reward Model 2022-2025, which describes how fire resources will be deployed, the only other aerial ladder platforms in the county are based at Huntington, near York, and Scarborough.
However, the other two are only capable of extending 32 metres, whereas Harrogate’s can reach 45 metres.
The platform can extend to 45 metres.
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- Three months of roadworks on A61 from Harrogate to Ripon set to begin
Three months of roadworks on A61 from Harrogate to Ripon set to begin
Roadworks are set to bring three months of disruption to motorists travelling between Ripon and Harrogate.
The A61 will be dug up as part of fibre optics company City Fibre‘s £46 million digital infrastructure upgrade in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon.
Work has been completed in most areas. However, signs have gone up on the A61 Ripon Road warning that nighttime work will take place between April 17 and July 13.
Kim Johnston, regional partnership director at City Fibre said:
“From April 17, we will be starting work on the A61 between Harrogate and Ripon.
“This work will last for approximately three months and will require traffic management on one side of the road.
“Works will take place 7pm to 6.30am, Monday to Friday, with the road returned to two-way traffic every morning.”
Traffic lights will be in place during these hours, and no detours are planned.
A City Fibre spokesperson added “there may be a small amount of weekend work, subject to confirmation with highways”, adding:
“If this is the case, City Fibre will actively avoid any weekend with a major local event like Harrogate Flower Show.”
The entire length of the A61 between Ripon and Harrogate will be affected.
Ms Johnston said:
“CityFibre is investing £46m in transforming Harrogate and Ripon’s digital infrastructure and bringing next generation full fibre connectivity to almost every home and business in the area.
“This is a major undertaking, which is why we work closely with our build partner, local authorities and the council’s highways team to manage disruption as best we can and ensure works are delivered quickly, and always to our high standards.”
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All Creatures star pokes fun at Harrogate station’s ‘harassing’ staircase
All Creatures Great and Small star Samuel West has poked fun at the number of brightly coloured warnings that greet commuters at Harrogate train station.
People using the stairs to cross platforms are greeted by a raft of brightly coloured messages imploring them to do everything from use the handrails to keep to the left.
West, who plays Siegfried Farnon in the Channel 5 remake of the drama series about vets, expressed his sensory overload on social media after a recent visit to the station.
The actor and narrator tweeted to his 104,000 followers:
https://twitter.com/exitthelemming/status/1642619635194372100
The post has attracted 4,500 likes and 249 retweets.
One person replied that it looked like a “seriously bossy set of steps” while another described it as “a sensory nightmare”.
Somebody else said:
“A frustrated copywriter finally given a platform… so to speak!”
Several commented they would be too worried about tripping to read all the messages.
A spokesperson for rail operator Northern said:
“We carry out regular inspections of the stations across our network and we’ll certainly take this into consideration.”
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Harrogate road to be closed until November
The closure of a busy road in Harrogate is to continue until November.
A section of road where Kingsley Road meets Bogs Lane has already been closed for five months to enable Redrow to carry out work at its 133-home Kingsley Manor development.
The closure, which prevents traffic using Kingsley Road and Bogs Lane as thoroughfares, has divided opinion.
It has also heightened fears about emergency vehicle response times as the route can be used as an alternative when Starbeck level crossing barriers are down.
North Yorkshire County Council issued a temporary prohibition of traffic order that came into effect on November 7 last year.
The order was for 12 months but at the time David Faraday, technical director for Redrow (Yorkshire), said “we don’t anticipate the works will take the full six months to complete”.
But signs have now appeared saying the closure will be active until November.
Kingsley Road, shortly before the road closure.
Mr Faraday said today:
“Unfortunately due to reasons beyond our control, essential works at the entrance to our Kingsley Manor development have been delayed. We informed the local authority of this and in January they granted permission for road closures to be extended until November 2023 in the interest of safety.
“We are pushing to complete the works, which include bringing new high voltage electricity cables to the site as quickly as possible so that the roads can be reopened. We would like to thank residents for their patience and understanding while the works are being undertaken.”
Knaresborough Road ‘saturated’
Local resident Clare Ayres said she was disappointed and wanted the road to re-open as soon as possible because it would ease “the saturation of traffic on Knaresborough Road” and surrounding routes.
Ms Ayres added:
“It won’t be long before they start building on the land on Kingsley Drive, which will mean more lorries and congestion. I’m also concerned about access for emergency vehicles.”
Cllr Chris Aldred, a Liberal Democrat who represents High Harrogate and Kingsley on North Yorkshire Council, said there was no obligation on Redrow to consult on the matter as the traffic order applied for 12 months.
He also said the developer had been obliging by maintaining a footway for pedestrians and cyclists, who would have otherwise faced a 1.4-mile diversion.
Cllr Aldred also said he supported moves to permanently close the road at the bridge where Kingsley Road and Bogs Lane meet. He said:
“It would stop the notorious Kingsley rat run, once and for all, so a further six months actually allows time to continue this experiment whilst the works continue.”
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Free chicks bring Easter magic to Bilton
Free chicks are once again appearing in Bilton over Holy Week to bring some Easter magic to children.
Members of Bilton Grange United Reformed Church knit the chicks and leave them on the hedge outside the building each morning.
They will be appearing every day this week until Easter Sunday.
Children are welcome to take them for free.
The volunteers have run similar initiatives during other Christian festivals. For instance, they put out angels at Christmas and doves at Whitsun to spread joy.
The chicks are laid on the hedge at the junction of Skipton Road and Woodfield Road every morning until Easter Sunday.
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Members of Bilton Grange United Reformed Church pictured giving away the chicks last year.