Firefighters are dealing with an incident at the Castle Inn pub in Knaresborough.
The aerial ladder platform was called to the pub, where smoke was seen coming from the roof.
Early indications suggest it may be a chimney fire. Eye-witness accounts so far do not report seeing any flames.
The pub, on Castlegate, is widely known as The Vaults.
North Yorkshire Police has reported road closures are in place.
We will update this article when further details are available.
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4,000 people attend sold out Springtime Live in Harrogate
A total of 4,000 people attended Springtime Live at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate today.
The event, which showcases food, farming and the countryside, featured pigs, goats and sheep brought by local farmers including Ian’s Mobile Farm and the Yorkshire Lamb Orphanage.
Peppa Pig and Peter Rabbit also entertained the youngsters while Diggerland was at the event for the first time.
Ripon Farm Services donated mini tractors which youngsters could ride around in an indoor circuit.
There were also cookery workshops and a climbing wall as well as alpacas, reptiles, Ferretworld’s Roadshow, Rare Breeds Survival Trust and forest crafts.
Springtime Live is organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, a farming charity that also organises the Great Yorkshire Show.
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Commissioner rules out Harrogate fire engine rethink despite faulty data
North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe has ruled out reconsidering plans to reduce the number of nighttime fire engines based in Harrogate.
Ms Metcalfe’s three-year fire service blueprint last year decided the number of overnight appliances at the Skipton Road fire station would be cut from two to one.
One of the main concerns during consultation was this could lead to life-threatening delays at Starbeck level crossing if a second fire engine were required in an emergency.
Ms Metcalfe allayed fears by telling councillors firefighters knew the train times and could ring ahead to Network Rail if they needed to cross urgently.
But her office admitted last month this information, which it said had been “relayed in good faith by the commissioner”, was incorrect, which heightened concerns.
Ms Metcalfe, a Conservative, responded by saying concerns about Starbeck level crossing had been “the subject of limited media coverage”.
She added there was “misunderstanding on the part of the media and therefore also local stakeholders and the public” about the significance of Starbeck level crossing in her Risk and Resource Model 2022 to 2025, which outlines how fire service resources should be deployed.
She added:
“I want to reiterate that the Risk and Resource Model proposals were subject of a detailed modelling and consultation process undertaken in support of the review of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service provision.
“The nature of the misunderstanding does not warrant a reconsideration of the resource proposals and statutory planning process that is now complete.”
But Ms Metcalfe added:
“Nonetheless, I recognise that local concerns about this misunderstanding should be addressed and I propose to offer a meeting with myself and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, should any local councillor wish to avail themselves of that opportunity.”
‘Gates down for five minutes’
Cllr Pat Marsh, a Liberal Democrat on North Yorkshire Council who raised concerns about Starbeck level crossing with Ms Metcalfe last year, said the issue “cannot be batted away” and called for a meeting at the level crossing. She added:
“I have major concerns when the gates are down for a long period of time and ambulances and fire engines are waiting it can make the difference between life and death as it did in my family.
“The gates are down on some occasions for at least five minutes. If you are having a heart attack or your house is on fire every minute is precious.”
Cllr Paul Haslam, a Conservative on North Yorkshire Council, said he was willing to meet Ms Metcalfe in the hope of putting pressure on Network Rail. He said:
90 jobs at stake as struggling Ripon firm Farmison seeks buyer“We have been working round this issue for a long time.”
Struggling Ripon premium meat online retailer Farmison & Co is in negotiations with a potential buyer.
The firm, which employs 92 staff, is in advanced discussions with another online butcher, Tom Hixson of Smithfield.
A company called Tom Hixson Farmison was registered with Companies House this week. Thomas Hixson is listed as the sole director.
It is hoped the deal will be finalised next week and save jobs at one of Ripon’s biggest employers.
Farmison is based on Bondgate Green in Ripon
Last year Farmison founder John Pallagi sold the firm, whose customers include Harrods and Fortnum & Mason, to Scottish private investors Inverleith LLP.
Mr Pallagi remained as chief executive and a new three-year business plan was agreed.
But Mr Pallagi told the Stray Ferret today the plan had “faltered” and he hoped the situation would be resolved soon.
He has approached Ripon and Skipton Conservative MP Julian Smith and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for help after the company encountered “choppy waters” caused by issues such as war in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis and Brexit.
Mr Pallagi added:
“The most important thing now is protecting jobs and protecting the supply chain. I’m hoping a sale will support that.
“I’ve got people who have worked with me here for 11 years and we have gone from nothing to staying open during the pandemic and delivering seven days of the week.
“It’s unfortunate that we have got into this situation.”
Mr Pallagi said he was “not overly chuffed” at seeing the company he had built up face difficulties.
But he added he believed the Farmison model was the right one and the firm could have a strong future.
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Mr Pallagi co-founded Farmison to work with local farmers and encourage people to ‘eat better meat’.
Despite sales doubling to £12m in 2021, the company then made a loss of £2.6m and faces an uncertain future if a deal is not reached.
The Stray Ferret has approached Tom Hixson of Smithfield for comment.
Government rejects cycling schemes in Harrogate and Knaresborough
Cycle schemes in Harrogate and Knaresborough will not go ahead after the government rejected the bids for funding.
North Yorkshire County Council applied for £3.19 million from the fourth round of the Department for Transport’s active travel fund.
It would have paid for segregated cycle routes on Victoria Avenue in Harrogate, a section of the A59 between Mother Shipton’s Cave and Harrogate Golf Club and a project in Richmond.
But the DfT allocated the £200 million to bids from other local authorities instead.
The council indicated in a news release last month it had been allocated £1.08m from the fourth funding round and been invited to bid for an additional £2.16m. But it said today it had actually not been awarded a penny.
The news is another blow for attempts to encourage cycling in the Harrogate district after phase two of the Otley Road cycle route was abandoned and traffic calming measures on nearby Beech Grove were reversed.
There is still no final decision on the £11.2 million Station Gateway, which would improve cycling around the train station.
It also appears to leave wider plans to create a connected, segregated cycle route from Cardale Park to Harrogate town centre in tatters.
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North Yorkshire County Council’s Conservative executive member for highways and transportation, Cllr Keane Duncan, said:
Paperchase in Harrogate to close tomorrow“We are inevitably disappointed that our ambitious £3.19 million bid to enhance facilities for cyclists and pedestrians through the fourth round of the government’s active travel fund has not been successful.
“We believe we put forward strong proposals for the three schemes.
“We are seeking detailed feedback from Active Travel England so we can understand the reasons behind their decision. We hope to work with them to progress schemes in these areas and elsewhere in the county successfully in future.”
Paperchase in Harrogate will close tomorrow after the company went into administration last month.
The cards, gifts and stationery company has been holding a closing down sale since administrators Begbies Traynor took control of the business.
The James Street shop has already sealed off half of the unit as stocks run low. It is running a 70% off sale and selling some cards for as little as 10p.
Tesco bought the rights to the cards, gifts and stationery brand, entitling it to sell Paperchase items in its supermarkets, but did not buy the stores.
The move affected 106 Paperchase shops and more than 800 staff nationally. All stores are due to cease trading by Monday.
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Record readership for Stray Ferret with 2 million page views this month
The Stray Ferret has had a record breaking March, with more than two million page views and almost 300,000 unique users.
The Harrogate district news service, which is now three years old, has seen consistent growth in readership.
The figures quoted have all been verified by Google Analytics.
More than 30,000 people follow Stray Ferret posts on the various social media channels.
The most read stories in March included hundreds of job losses due to the sudden close of telemarketing firm Amvoc in Harrogate, disruption across the district due to snow fall, Knaresborough tractor run and the closure of the fast food restaurant Leon.
Tamsin O’Brien, director of the Stray Ferret said:
“We set out to provide a service that we thought the residents of the Harrogate district wanted — well written news and information in an easy-to-read digital format. We constantly aim to be first with the news and be as local as possible. To have two million page views shows just how much people value this information and are engaged in where they live.
“Our readers tell us how much they like the fact our news content is free of annoying pop-ups or Google ads and we only allow local advertisers who also want to engage local residents — so the whole site is solely for the people and businesses of the district.”
This month also saw the Stray Ferret launch its annual Business Awards and establish a networking Business Club.
Thanks to all our readers and advertisers. Please keep us up to date with your news and views.
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Headteacher of King James’s School in Knaresborough leaves after 15 years
Carl Sugden, headteacher of King James’s School in Knaresborough, will leave tomorrow after 15 years in charge of the secondary school.
Mr Sugden first came to Knaresborough as deputy headteacher aged 33 in April 2000.
He left in 2005 before relinquishing his role as head of Sherburn High School, at Sherburn-in-Elmet to succeed David Hudson as headteacher of King James’s in 2008.
The 1,575-pupil Knaresborough school was rated ‘good’ by Ofsted this year.
Clare Martin, principal of Bradford Girls’ Grammar School, will succeed Mr Sugden as head at the start of the summer term on April 17.
Mr Sugden said he had totted up that he had done about 600 assemblies, 400 staff briefings, 13 founder’s says, 80 prize-givings and 2,500 bus duties, adding:
“And I even managed to keep teaching history until just about the end. That is what I will miss the most, being in the classroom with our young people.”
Mr Sugden said:
“The school is a great community and there is a special history and ethos here, which I have tried to nurture and to maintain.
“I’m immensely proud of what this school has achieved, with the support of many great colleagues, over the past few years. In particular the challenges of the pandemic, and the post pandemic, which stretched us to the limit.
“When you look back at the last three years it is incredible what we all dealt with; lockdown, key workers’ children supervision, online learning, lateral flow tests, bubbles, centre assessed grades, masks and vaccinations.”
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He said that for all the challenges, he didn’t regret a moment:
“It has been fulfilling and I am grateful to have worked in such a vibrant education community. I am not retiring, I will continue to work in education, but I plan to have a little more time to do some of the things I enjoy.”
Mr Sugden praised colleagues for “doing a pretty amazing job, going above and beyond to deliver a very high quality of education and enrichment opportunities” despite “extreme funding pressures”.
He wished Ms Martin well.
“Clare and I worked together back in the early 2000s, when she was, like me, a young teacher at King James’s.
“She has a strong track record as a deputy head and headteacher in schools in Leeds and Bradford. I wish her all the very best in the new role.”
Former Harrogate Town player Jack Diamond charged with rape
Former Harrogate Town player Jack Diamond has been charged with rape.
Northumbria Police confirmed today Gateshead-born Mr Diamond had been charged with one count of rape and one count of sexual assault.
He joined Lincoln City on loan from parent club Sunderland after a second loan spell at Harrogate ended last year.
Lincoln City have terminated his contract and parent club Sunderland have suspended him pending the outcome of the judicial process.
A Northumbria Police spokesperson said:
“In May last year, we received a report that a woman had been sexually assaulted inside an address in the Washington area.
“An investigation was immediately launched and a man was subsequently arrested.
“Jack Diamond, 23, of Fatfield, Washington, has now been charged with one count of rape and one count of sexual assault and is due to appear at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court in May.”
Mr Diamond played for Town on loan during their National League campaign in 2019-20, scoring one of the goals at Wembley that earned promotion to the English Football League for the first time ever.
He returned to the club on loan during the 2021-22 season in League Two of the English Football League.
In his two loan spells, he scored 16 goals in 66 appearances.
A Lincoln City statement said:
“Jack Diamond’s loan spell at City has been terminated with immediate effect.
“The club are unable to make any further statement at this time.”
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Air ambulance lands after serious collision in Knaresborough town centre
An air ambulance has landed in Knaresborough after a man was injured in a serious collision this morning.
Police cordoned off part of the market place at about 11.30am this morning. The road has now reopened.
Shortly afterwards an air ambulance landed in the castle yard. It has now left the scene.
The man was injured near Appleton’s butchers and the library.
North Yorkshire Police issued a statement at 12.40pm today, which said:
“We’re with ambulance colleagues attending a serious collision in Knaresborough’s Market Place.“It happened at about 11am and involved two cars and a pedestrian. A man has been taken to hospital.“Please avoid the area while the emergency services work at the scene.”
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