Collapsed Harrogate firm Amvoc set to enter administration

An insolvency firm has been appointed to handle the process of placing failed Harrogate firm Amvoc into administration.

Staff at the telemarketing firm were left shocked on Tuesday night when they received a late night email from chief executive Damian Brockway saying “all our offices are closed with effect from tonight”. It went on to blame “covid debts”.

Law firm Aticus Law has now been contacted by 145 former employees as it investigates the circumstances of the company’s collapse and concerns around how the redundancy process was managed, as well as whether ex-staff are eligible to claim for compensation.

Gareth Lewis, director of Leeds firm Lewis Business Recovery and Insolvency, said today it was handling the administration process.

He said:

“I can confirm that following the directors’ decision to make all employees redundant on Tuesday evening, this firm was engaged on Wednesday to assist with the process of placing the company into administration.

“It is anticipated that the company will be placed into administration in the coming days, and we are now collating all financial and employee information to enable us to perform our duties.

“We have contacted former employees through our agents IPERA, who will assist employees with the process of making their claims through the government’s Redundancy Payments Service”.

Founded in Dacre

Mr Brockway set up Amvoc, the trading name of A Marketing Vocation Ltd, from a small office in Dacre in 2010. It sold telemarketing services, initially in the legal sector, and grew rapidly, moving first to Pateley Bridge and then to large offices at New York Mills near Summerbridge. 

It opened a new head office on Cardale Park in Harrogate in 2015, a facility in Leeds in 2018 and an office in Manchester in 2022.  It also had plans to expand to London.

Amvoc’s clients included BP, Barclays, Virgin Media, Leeds Beckett University, and both the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties. 

Its website said it employed 450 staff but the Stray Ferret believes the figure at the time the company collapsed was under 300.

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We again attempted to contact Mr Brockway today. An immediate emailed response said:

“I regret to inform you that Amvoc has been forced to cease trading with immediate effect due to financial difficulties.

“We understand that this news may come as a shock to many of you, and we want to assure you that we are doing everything possible to manage the situation.

“We are in the process of contacting all our staff, clients and partners to inform them of the situation and provide any necessary information. We apologise for any inconvenience or disruption this may cause, and we are committed to minimising the impact on our stakeholders as much as possible.”

 

 

Government overlooks Harrogate district for coronation big screens

The government is to spend more than £1 million showing the coronation on big screens across the country — but the Harrogate district is not included.

Ministers revealed today a dozen sites in Yorkshire and Humber will get big screens to show the coronation of the King and the Queen Consort on May 6 at Westminster Abbey in London. Not a single one is in North Yorkshire.

The closest one to the Harrogate district will be at Millennium Square in Leeds.

Although the selection of Leeds and other major cities, including Sheffield, Bradford and Hull, is not unexpected, some smaller places such as Dewsbury and Halifax are on the list while the likes of Harrogate and Ripon are not.

The decision to choose five places in West Yorkshire — Bradford, Halifax, Wakefield, Dewsbury, Huddersfield and Leeds — and not a single one in North Yorkshire, England’s largest county, may raise eyebrows particularly as many of the places chosen are close to each other.

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The Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced the locations today.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said:

The Coronation will be a magical moment that brings people together to celebrate the best of Britain over a special weekend in May.

These big screens, in major locations in towns and cities in the four nations of the UK, will make it easier for everyone to take part and have a memorable experience to mark this exciting and historic event.

Big screens location in Yorkshire and Humber

Harrogate’s ex-Cold Bath Deli owner publishes first novel

A BAFTA-nominated investigations journalist who lives in Harrogate has published his first novel.

Peter Woolrich, who along with his wife Tracey used to run Cold Bath Deli on Cold Bath Road, spent 12 years working on A Corroded Soul.

The novel is based on his own life as it tells the story of a 50-year-old journalist with questionable character traits who evaluates himself after his mother’s death.

Mr Woolrich said:

“During my career I had guns, knives and a samurai sword pulled on me. I’ve worked for national newspapers, magazines and television.

“In writing my book, you might say I’ve turned the spotlight on myself rather than criminals.”

Peter Woolrich

Peter Woolrich

The novel is set in a fictional village similar to the one Mr Woolrich grew up in and is the first in a planned trilogy.

A Corroded Soul‘s main character, Daniel Connah, uses his difficult relationship with his mother as justification for multiple character flaws, including stealing and being a social misfit and sex addict.

Mr Woolrich, along with Daniel, said he also felt unloved by his mother. When Mr Woolrich’s mother died after a car crash, he was consumed with anger, abandonment and feeling bereft and the book explores whether emotional neglect can be as damaging as physical.

He said:

“Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t beaten or sexually abused in horrific circumstances like many youngsters, but it’s amazing how many people feel damaged by being raised in an unloving environment.

“Some readers have said Prince Harry expresses similar sentiments in his book. Perhaps it’s a question of where we think individual responsibility begins and ends.”

A Corroded Soul is available in bookshops and can be viewed/ordered here.

The book launch, which is open to everyone, is being held upstairs at North Bar in Harrogate at 7pm on April 6.

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Free entry to Harrogate district attractions starts tomorrow

Several Harrogate district attractions will be offering free entry in the days ahead as part of National Lottery Open Week.

The lottery has raised more than £47 billion for good causes since it started in 1994. To thank players, it runs an annual week in which organisations it has funded are invited to provide free entry and special offers.

This year’s open week begins tomorrow (Saturday) and ends on March 26.

The following offers in the Harrogate district apply to anyone who presents a National Lottery ticket or scratchcard, digital or physical.

For the terms and conditions click here, and check the venue listings for dates, times and other terms and conditions. You can search for events here.

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Value of Harrogate district tourism up by £31m, new figures reveal

Visitors to the Harrogate district are staying longer and spending more than they were pre-pandemic, according to new statistics.

However, the number of visitors over the same 2019 to 2022 timeframe fell by 650,000 from 6.47 million to 5.82 million.

Destination Harrogate, the Harrogate Borough Council tourism organisation, said today visitors contributed £637 million to the local economy last year, compared with £606 million three years previously.

The organisation also said the average length of stay increased from 2019 to 3.5 days, compared with 3.3 days three years previously. This is despite the fact the UCI Road World Championships took place in Harrogate in 2019, leading to high hotel occupancy rates in September that year.

John McGivern, destination events manager at Destination Harrogate said it was “fantastic news for our local businesses and residents”, adding:

“The fact that people are staying longer and spending more aligns directly with our objectives of a sustainable tourism model, attracting more revenue into the local economy, whilst minimising the impact on the environment.

“Together with our partners, with whom we share this achievement, we can celebrate the significant impact that our visitors are making on our local economy and can we look forward to further successes going forward.”

The figures are based on a tourism economic impact modelling process called STEAM that uses local supply-side data and visitor survey data. More information on the Harrogate district data is here.

Destination Harrogate aims to grow the visitor economy to £836.7 million by 2030, however its future is unclear after Harrogate Borough Council is abolished to make way for the new North Yorkshire Council in two weeks’ time.

Rudding Park Spa

Rudding Park Spa. Pic: Charlotte Gale

Cllr Stanley Lumley, cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport at Harrogate Borough Council, applauded Destination Harrogate for “boosting the economic impact of visits to the area”. He added:

“Harrogate’s visitor economy is the largest driver of the local economy second only to the property sector, and its value cannot be underestimated.

“With such a positive set of results we can look forward to a prosperous future for Harrogate as a major tourism destination within North Yorkshire.”

Since its launch a year ago, Destination Harrogate has delivered activities including a health and wellbeing campaign under the Visit Harrogate brand to attract higher spending visitors to stay longer for healthy breaks, Harrogate Christmas Fayre; events on the Stray marking the Queen’s platinum jubilee and the return of Harrogate Carnival.

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Law firm to represent about 100 staff at failed Harrogate firm

Almost 100 staff at failed Harrogate telemarketing company Amvoc are to take legal action over the way redundancies were managed.

The Stray Ferret revealed yesterday up to 450 people received an email at about 10pm on Tuesday night from chief executive Damian Brockway informing them the firm had ceased with immediate effect.

Mr Brockway said the company had entered administration and blamed “covid debts”.

Based at Cardale Park in Harrogate, Amvoc also has offices in Leeds and Manchester.

Within hours of the news breaking, employment law firm Aticus Law said it had been contacted by 91 people affected.

The firm said it was now in the early stages of investigating the circumstances of the company’s collapse and concerns around how the redundancy process was managed.

It was also looking into whether ex-employees were eligible to claim for a protective award claim against the company.

Aticus said if its clients were able to successfully pursue a claim, those involved would receive up to eight weeks’ worth of pay in compensation, with a cap of £571 per week.

The Manchester-based firm is currently representing over 130 ex-employees to bring a protective award claim against Made.com which entered into administration last year, around a dozen former employees of FlyBe, and more than 50 staff who lost their jobs when BritishVolt collapsed earlier this year.

Edward Judge, a founding partner at Aticus Law said:

“We have now been contacted by 91 individuals who say that they have been affected by job losses following the recent collapse of Amvoc.

“We are in the early stages of investigating those claims, and advising our clients on their options.”

“As is always the case with protective award claims, the individuals who have reached out to us for advice regarding their rights are understandably very anxious and concerned about what the future has in store for them.”

A protective award is compensation awarded by an employment tribunal if an employer fails in its duties.

Mr Judge added:

“The protective award is a vital safety net for so many families in fast-paced redundancy situations that often leave them with no source of income and absolutely no notice.

“However, many people don’t realise that you can only get a protective award payment if you are included as part of the claim and are listed as part of the Schedule of Claimants attached to the tribunal judgment.”

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Mr Brockway’s email to staff, seen by the Stray Ferret, said: 

“We have appointed administrators with immediate effect who will now be responsible for paying wages this week and all outstanding bonuses.

“I am gutted. Words fail me.

“Unfortunately our covid debts were too high and repayments not high enough. We have been issued with immediate request to pay all outstanding within seven days which is impossible.

“I cannot tell you how upset this makes me.”

 

Rail workers and teachers to strike in Harrogate district today

Rail workers and teachers will be on strike in the Harrogate district today as part of the latest wave of industrial action.

More than 400,000 workers in various sectors took part in strikes yesterday in the biggest day of industrial action since unrest began last year.

They included the first of two planned teachers’ strikes by members of the National Education Union. Picket lines are expected to form outside schools in the district again today.

Today also sees RMT members at 14 train operators, including Northern, stage the first of four planned 24-hour strikes. The next one is due on Saturday.

Northern, whose services include those passing through Harrogate and Knaresborough, will run an amended strike timetable on the affected days, with a 12-hour operation on selected routes from 7am to 7pm.

rail strikes

Northern’s guide to services in the days ahead.

Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, urged customers to check before they travel.

Ms Williams said:

“We’re expecting the skeleton services we can run to be very busy – so customers should plan ahead and check before they travel.

“Given the reduced timetable only runs until 7pm, I’m very keen to stress that people should check their ‘last train home’ on those dates – so that customers don’t find themselves stranded at the wrong end of the line as a result of this action by the RMT.”

Junior doctors staged a picket line on Wetherby Road near Harrogate District Hospital on Monday as part of a 72-hour strike that finished yesterday.

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Business Breakfast: Graveleys fish and chip restaurant opens in Harrogate

It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. The third in our series of networking events in association with The Coach and Horses in Harrogate is a lunch event on March 30 from 12.30pm.

Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

Harrogate fish and chip shop Graveleys has re-opened its restaurant as its comeback gathers pace.

The local institution, which chat show host Michael Parkinson described as his favourite restaurant, appeared to have served its last customer when it closed in November 2019.

But last year’s demise of the ill-fated Catch Seafood venture that took its place paved the way for owner Simon Pilkington to bring Graveleys back to life.

The takeaway reopened last month and this week the restaurant followed suit.

It is open five days a week, from Tuesday to Saturday, but will also open on selected Sundays — including Mother’s Day this weekend.

Graveleys

The restaurant on Cheltenham Parade has an alcohol licence and will focus on good value, no frills fish and chips.

Mr Pilkington said Mother’s Day and Easter were among Graveleys’ busiest times of the year and he was excited to see the business fully operational again.

Harrogate company buys land for student accommodation in York

A Harrogate property company has bought land in York to build new purpose built student accommodation.

Gregory Properties, which is based at Cardale Park, has purchased a strategic site on Foss Islands Road in the city.

A street view of the plan for the accommodation by Gregory Properties.

A street view of the plan for the accommodation by Gregory Properties.

The land was previously occupied by Enterprise Rent-A-Car and sits between both the University of York and York St John University.

The firm has drawn up plans to build a 138-room student accommodation with seven communal rooms, as well as car and cycle parking.

John McGhee, director and head of residential at Gregory Properties, said:

“Our commitment to York as an evolving city is long standing and we are passionate about repurposing brownfield sites in a sustainable way to support modern day use. This site is a prime example of an under-developed site with old, tired and outmoded buildings but well located for student provision.

“We know that York has one of the worst shortages of student accommodation in the UK. Affordable accommodation for students is a priority for both Universities in attracting young talent and with this scheme, we hope that we can deliver against at least a small part of the current shortage.”

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Harrogate Turkish Baths bans nude bathers

Swimwear has been made compulsory for all sessions at Turkish Baths Harrogate following a complaint to the police.

Until this week, clothing was optional at two single sex sessions for men and women each week. It is compulsory at mixed sessions.

But a spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council, which runs the Victorian venue, said:

“Following a complaint at Turkish Baths Harrogate, an operational decision has been made that swimwear is now compulsory at all bathing sessions.

“The complaint related to an incident which due to its serious nature has been reported to the police and is currently being investigated.

“We have a duty of care to our customers and staff members, and in order for all single sex sessions to operate in a safe environment, it has been decided that swimwear must be worn until further notice.”

Harrogate's Turkish Baths.

The Moorish design

The council issued the statement after a bather, who regularly attends men-only sessions unclothed, alerted local media to the change.

The person, who asked to remain anonymous, said recent attendees of single sex sessions received emails yesterday informing them of the change with immediate effect, with no consultation.

He also pointed out the ‘bathing etiquette’ section on the Turkish baths’ website had been amended to say ‘swimwear is compulsory at all sessions (including single-sex sessions)’.

The person said the majority of people at male-only sessions preferred not to wear clothes because they found them uncomfortable.

He added he would monitor the situation in light of the complaint to see whether the unclothed option was reintroduced.

The baths, which has Islamic arches and screens as part of its Moorish design, opened in 1897 and have been fully restored with a plunge pool, steam room and sauna as well as rooms of various temperatures to relax in.

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Leon confirms Harrogate closure amid speculation over site’s future

Leon has confirmed its Harrogate restaurant will close in just over two weeks’ time — as speculation mounts over the site’s future.

The Stray Ferret revealed this week the Wetherby Road fast food venue would cease trading, with the loss of about 20 jobs, on April 2.

Staff were informed of the decision on Monday.

A Leon spokesperson said today:

“We’re confirming we have decided to close the doors of Leon Harrogate on Wetherby Road. Our last trading day will be April 2.

“Guests will still be able to get their Leon fix at the drive-thru in Gildersome, and at the Leon Leeds Station restaurant.”

Retailer EG Group operates sites with franchise partners including Starbucks, Greggs and KFC in the UK.

It considered opening a Starbucks on Wetherby Road before Leon was announced instead.

Our Facebook post about Leon’s closure generated about 400 replies, with people eager to know what will follow.

Some local residents had objected to the site being used as a fast food restaurant because of its proximity to homes and the busy junction of Wetherby Road and Hookstone Drive.

Vehicles will stop using the site after April 2 — but it could only be a temporary pause until a new business moves in.

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