The owner of Brew Bar has opened a new coffee shop in the centre of Harrogate.
Simon Somerville-Frost, who has operated his original venture on St Winifred’s Avenue since 2018, opened the new coffee shop on Royal Parade this week under the name &… Harrogate.
&… Harrogate provides lunch and brunch as well as a wide range of coffees, pastries and bakes. It plans to transition to also operate as an evening bar in the weeks ahead.
It took about nine weeks to transform the former Gron building, which closed last year.
Mr Somerville-Frost said &… Harrogate was designed to look and feel completely different to Brew Bar, which has established a reputation as a community coffee shop in the saints area of Harrogate.
He said:
“We just decided to something totally different. It’s a completely different look from Brew Bar and a really nice space.
“It’s a natural evolution from Brew Bar. I didn’t want the space to look too ‘coffee shop’.We’ve gone for a quite darker aesthetic so we can transition easily into an evening bar.
“People feel comfortable in both environments and we are excited to get going.”
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Boroughbridge Primary School celebrates 90th birthday
Boroughbridge Primary School has celebrated its 90th birthday with fun activities and a look back at history.
Years 1 and 2 learned about play time games from the past, such as hopscotch, drop the handkerchief and catch the flag.
Year 2 children looked at photographs of the past and went to see where they thought they were taken from and watched a film from 1933, Alice in Wonderland, and compared it to modern films.
Key stage 2 children took part in three different sessions: playground games from the 1930s, a music quiz to see how music has changed in the last 90 years and a history session exploring the old school logbooks, photographs and newspaper clippings.
Friends of Boroughbridge School organised tea, cake, hot dogs and an inflatable.
Former headteacher Mr Roberts, who was in charge when many parents were pupils, also attended and said he was delighted with how well the school is flourishing.
Year 5 teacher Ms Frampton was able to provide many historical photographs and school logbooks from past years.
Headteacher Emma Ryan said:
“The event was the perfect opportunity to involve the children within their history lessons and learn about our school and how much it has changed over the years.
“It was an absolute delight to welcome all our families into school to celebrate its 90th birthday.”
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Call for speed bumps on Pateley Bridge High Street
Pateley Bridge Town Council is to investigate the possibility of installing speed bumps on High Street following a complaint by a resident.
The unnamed resident, who lives on Kings Court, wrote to the council calling for speed bumps at the top and bottom of the narrow street.
They said it would deter “speeding cyclists, motorbikes and boy racers”.
At their monthly meeting last night, town councillors agreed to look into the idea, although any final decision would be taken by North Yorkshire Council, which is the highways authority.
Andrew Murday, who is a town councillor and also the Liberal Democrat councillor for Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale on North Yorkshire Council, said he would look into the criteria for allowing speed bumps.
Cllr Mike Holt said the issue of speeding on High Street, which cyclists approach downhill in all directions, had been debated many times and speed bumps were the only realistic option, although he added the faded double yellow lines could be re-painted.
Cllr Neil Thompson said illegal parking on the street was the main problem, although it was mentioned that disabled people with Blue Badges were entitled to park on double yellow lines for up to three hours and this had to be taken into account.
Councillors agreed to consult on the idea before contacting North Yorkshire Council if the idea was viable.
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Artist opens gallery in Pateley Bridge
An artist whose gallery officially opened in Pateley Bridge last weekend has thanked local people for their support.
James Owen Thomas is known for his environmental activism through art. Much of the art on display in his gallery highlights issues on this topic and in particular single use plastics.
He was recently commissioned by Whitewoods Wellbeing near Bewerley, where he is the artist in residence, to create a collage of trees.
His latest collage involved collaging a Van Gogh portrait using discarded national lottery scratch cards. This was sold to a buyer in Leeds who visited the gallery.
James, who has lived in Pateley Bridge for more than 10 years, said:
“This is an area of outstanding natural beauty so I feel very lucky to live here and I am inspired in my art by all the nature in the local surroundings.”
“The idea of the official opening was to invite everyone local as a way of thanking them for their support and for them to see how I am developing my art business. “
Among those attending the opening was North Yorkshire deputy lieutenant, Professor David Hill, who gave a talk on environmental issues and praised James’ art for making a positive statement.
The gallery is open 11am to 3pm Wednesday to Friday. The Ripon City Photographic Society is also exhibiting at the gallery until July 30.
James (right) displays one of the pieces in the gallery.
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Ripon man used Snapchat to engage girl, 13, in sexual communications
A Ripon man has been jailed for attempting to engage a 13-year-old girl in sexualised communications.
David Wesling, 48, a former cellist and chorister with Ripon Cathedral Choir, was sentenced to 32 months at York Crown Court today.
Wesling, of Littlethorpe Lane, Littlethorpe, was caught when he contacted a child profile on Snapchat.
He pleaded guilty to the following offences, which occurred between 27 April 2023 and 16 May 2023.
- Attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child
- Facilitating the offence of sexual activity in the presence of a child, causing them to watch a sexual act
- Breaching a sexual harm prevention order
Investigating officer, Detective Constable Kerri Jones, of North Yorkshire Police’s online child abuse team, said:
“This case sends a message out to adults attempting to engage in online sexual activity with children, that this behaviour will not go unnoticed.
“This is not the first time that Wesling has attempted to have sexual communications with a child. He is already a convicted registered sex offender, after being found guilty of similar offences in 2019 when he was jailed for 12 months and issued with a sexual harm prevention order.
“Wesling has shown blatant disregard for the law and his conditions by committing similar offences again. Despite his attempts to deny these offences when interviewed by police, the overwhelming evidence against him has resulted in him being remanded and pleading guilty at court.”
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Dropped cigarette causes late night shed fire in Harrogate
Firefighters from Harrogate dealt with a shed fire that spread to a garden fence last night.
The incident happened shortly before 11pm on Skipton Road,
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log said two appliances from Harrogate and one from Knaresborough were summoned.
The fire spread to a conservatory, approximately 15 metres of garden fencing and 20 metres of plastic guttering . The log said:
“Crews used two breathing apparatus, two hose reel jets, two thermal imaging cameras and lighting to extinguish the fire.
“The cause of the fire was accidental, due to a dropped cigarette.”
A ventilation fan was used to clear light smoke damage in neighbouring properties.
Shortly afterwards, at three minutes past midnight, Harrogate firefighters were mobilised again to a Ford Mondeo engine fire on Grove Park Avenue.
Crews used breathing apparatus to extinguish the fire. The incident log said:
“The cause of the fire is believed to be an electrical fault. Advice was given to the vehicle owner.”
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North Yorkshire Council spends £171,000 a year on weather services
North Yorkshire Council has agreed to pay £171,000 a year on weather services for the county.
The council uses weather forecasting and data to plan highway services, such as gritting.
It awarded three-year contracts to MetDesk and Vaisala in 2018 to provide forecasting and weather stations respectively.
The contracts were renewed for two years in 2021 and the council has now agreed to extend them for a further two years.
Vaisala’s contract was for £114,000 and MetDesk’s was for £57,000.
James Gilroy, team leader for highways asset management at the council, said in a report to councillors, who approved the deals last week:
“The weather forecasts from Metdesk enable an overall winter maintenance plan to be established. The real time data from the Vaisala weather stations allow this plan to be more finely tuned to the situation on the ground.
“Extending the contracts is the lowest cost option and given the current performance of the respective contractors it is a low-risk approach.”
A council photocall at one of the weather stations last year
The report added 10 new solar/wind-powered weather cameras and two new weather stations had been bought at the cost of £200,000 in autumn 2021.
Sixteen original weather stations were also upgraded at a cost of £265,000 “to broaden the coverage we have across the county”.
Met Office among bidders
A council spokesperson said the weather forecast it used “requires more detail that than the standard free to access services”.
They added the services were put out to competitive tender in 2018, when the Met Office was among the bidders.
The report said there are 10 climatic domains within North Yorkshire’, which are defined as areas with similar weather characteristics.
The domains are Northern Dales, Central Dales, Western Dales, Harrogate, Vale of York and Vale of Mowbray, Selby area, North York Moors, Vale of Pickering, Northern Wolds and Howardian Hills, Eastern North York Moors and Coast and Scarborough and Filey.
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Asked why it was necessary to have 27 weather stations in North Yorkshire, the spokesperson said:
“Weather stations are placed across the county and monitor humidity, road temperature, air temperature and wind speed. Some stations have cameras on them, allowing you to see the road conditions. This helps road users to make more informed travel decisions.
“As you know, weather conditions can change rapidly. Having a wider coverage of stations allows us to make more informed and accurate decisions on gritting.”
Greenhow is the highest area around Harrogate. Pic: John Benson
Of the 27 sites, four are located in the Harrogate district, on the A6108 near Masham, the A658 Harrogate bypass, the A59 at Kex Gill and at Greenhow village.
The council is also able to access sites managed by National Highways on the A1(M) near Dishforth.
A list of all the locations in North Yorkshire is available here.
Knaresborough’s Conyngham Hall to hold outdoor Pink Floyd classical concertA 20-strong orchestra will play music by Pink Floyd in the first outdoor concert to be held at Conyngham Hall in Knaresborough.
Paradox Orchestra will perform hits such as Wish You Were Here, Money, and Comfortably Numb in an event on September 3 celebrating 50 years of one of the most influential rock groups in history.
The grounds of the grade two listed venue near the River Nidd in Knaresborough can hold up to 2,000 people.
A number of food and drink vendors will also attend the concert by candlelight to give it a festival feel.
Paradox Orchestra features classically-trained musicians who reimagine rock, pop, and dance classics.
Founder and artistic director Michael Sluman said:
“Like a sonic time machine, Pink Floyd’s music has taken us on a journey through the past 50 years, capturing the essence of each era and leaving an indelible mark on the history of music.
“Paradox Orchestra is looking forward to performing their greatest hits in such a stunning backdrop.”
“We promise audiences an incredibly high-level of musicianship on stage, as well as a showmanship associated with world-class large-scale orchestras.”
Tickets cost £25. Further information is available here.
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Knaresborough’s ex-crime commissioner sells marketing firm
Former crime commissioner Philip Allott has sold a majority stake in the Knaresborough marketing firm he founded almost 30 years ago.
Allott and Associates has become part of the Breakout Media Group, a digital marketing agency based in Stockton-on-Tees, the two firms announced today.
Mr Allott will continue to be involved as a consultant but has relinquished his role as director. Breakout Media founder Mike Lewis will take charge as managing director.
Mr Allott, who set up the business with his wife Sandra in 1994, said the move was “a step into the realms of semi-retirement” although besides his consultancy role he and Sandra remain directors of Boardroom Matters, which provides data protection and legal services.
The former pupil of Knaresborough’s King James’s School has combined marketing with a career in politics, having served as leader of the Conservatives on Harrogate Borough Council and stood unsuccessfully for election as a Conservative MP five times.
He was elected North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner in May 2021 but stood down in October the same year in the wake of criticism of comments he made on the murder of Sarah Everard.
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Mr Allott told the Stray Ferret he had reached an age where he wanted to wind down and the acquisition presented an opportunity “that’s good for the business and clients”.
He added:
“It’s been an honour to grow Allotts into the agency it’s become, with a very talented team and clients literally across the world from Canada to Europe, Asia to Australia.
“I’m delighted to hand over the reins to Mike as part of the succession plan and equally delighted that I’ll still be involved in the company to see where it takes the group next.”
Breakout Media aims to create a group of specialist marketing agencies covering the whole of the UK.
Mr Lewis said:
Harrogate village bridge set for lengthy closure“Breakout Media has grown massively since I founded it five years ago and I’ve been looking for a PR and marketing agency with synergy and similar values to our own – and we found them in Allotts.
“This move is part of an ambitious growth strategy to make Breakout Media Group a dominant force in the UK and international marketing landscape. It’s business as usual going forward, as Allotts has a great formula for delivering for clients – and that can only be improved by the highly complementary skill sets across our teams. I can’t wait to get cracking.”
A Harrogate village bridge looks set to be closed to traffic for a long time after a large crack appeared.
North Yorkshire Council closed the bridge on Church Lane in Hampsthwaite suddenly and without warning on Friday.
It acted after a two-inch wide gap appeared at the side of the bridge, prompting safety concerns. It was possible to look through the gap and see the River Nidd.
In an update today the council said 15 metres of the parapet, which is the safety barrier, on the damaged side of the wall needed to be rebuilt.
No timescale or cost was given but the scale of the work indicates long-term closure is likely.
The update did, however, say plans were being drawn up for pedestrians to use the undamaged side of the bridge, which joins Hampsthwaite and Clint.
The crack in the bridge
It is not yet known if cyclists will be permitted to cross.
The cause of the problem remains unknown.
The statement said:
“Following an onsite assessment by engineers we are able to confirm that the parapet has been pushed out over the edge of the bridge deck and this has damaged several of the corbels that support from beneath.
“These need to be repaired and 15 metres of the parapet taken down and rebuilt using hot lime mortar.
“The bridge will remain closed to traffic – due to ongoing safety concerns and the fact the bridge is narrow – until the repairs can be completed. Engineers are working on a scheme and aiming to get contractors on site to start them in July.
“Plans are currently being drawn up to open a section across the bridge, on the opposite side to the damaged parapet, to allow safe crossing for pedestrians.”
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