A free yoga event will be held in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens this evening to mark the summer solstice.

Today is the longest day of the year, with the sun not due to set until 9.42pm in Harrogate.

To mark the occasion, Ebru Evrim, who owns a yoga and pilates studio on James Street in Harrogate, will lead people through 108 sun salutations, which are moves to greet the sun.

The event is open to everyone who brings a mat, and people can take part in as much or as little as they like. Instructors will be on hand to show beginners through modified variations.

It is free but pre-booking is required.

The company’s website says there will be “beautiful calming music in a stunning natural, peaceful setting”, adding:

“It is a truly powerful evening of connection – with self, with others, and with nature and the sun.”

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A road accident this afternoon has reignited safety concerns for children walking to school in Harrogate.

A red Fiesta mounted the pavement on Yew Tree Lane — the same street where 15-year-old Rossett School students Fraser and Reuben were taken to hospital with serious injuries following a collision with a vehicle in February.

No further details of today’s incident are known — the Stray Ferret has asked North Yorkshire Police to provide some information.

But the sight of a car on the pavement prompted the father of one of the teenagers who was injured in February to get in touch to say it reinforced the need for safer roads around schools.

He said:

“A lot of people are campaigning for a 20 mph speed limit on roads near schools.

“The issue feels very close to home when I see something like this so near to where my son’s accident took place.”

The Yew Tree Lane area is particularly busy because it caters for children attending three secondary schools — Ashville College, Harrogate Grammar School and Rossett School – as well as primary schools, nurseries and pre-schools.

But the parent said 20 mph “should be the limit outside all schools”, including small village primary schools.

A petition calling for a 20 mph limit to be imposed on streets across the south of Harrogate was handed to North Yorkshire Council last month.

Hazel Peacock, who delivered the petition on behalf of the campaigning parents, said the limit would “change people’s attitudes in regard to comfort around walking, cycling and mobility users”.

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The Track and Sleeper pub in Knaresborough has won the award for best newcomer awarded by the Harrogate and Ripon CAMRA branch.

The pub opened on Knaresborough train station’s platform two in 2021.

Renovations to the building earned the pub an urban heritage award from the National Railway Heritage Award scheme. Now the Campaign for Real Ale, which promotes real ales and cider, has also recognised its efforts.

Alan Gould, chairman of Harrogate and Ripon CAMRA, praised father and son duo Phil and Cameron Paling for navigating difficult trading conditions.

Alan Gould (centre) presents the award.

Mr Gould said:

“The award recognises the risks taken in establishing a new business especially in hospitality but the bar must serve cask beer of a consistent good quality to be considered.

“A number of newer venues in the Harrogate area don’t meet that criterion as they don’t serve any cask beer.”

Phil runs the family’s Mexborough brewery while Cameron manages the bar as well as another pub in Swinton.

Mr Gould also alluded to the idea of a new Rail Ale Trail – when pubs across a certain train line create a pub crawl with participants travelling between the stops on a train.

He suggested a Leeds to York trail could be created as a number of pubs have now opened along this route. The Track and Sleeper would definitely be an important stop on this possible route.

CAMRA has also recently given a number of awards to other pubs in the area. These include: Major Toms for Cider Pub of the Year and Club of the Year going to the Oatlands.

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Planners have rejected a bid to build 20 homes and 12 glamping pods at the former Nidd Valley Saw Mills.

Wakefield-based Milner Homes submitted plans to redevelop the former mill alongside the River Nidd at Dacre Banks.

The mill was sold to the developer in 2020 after its former owner retired.

Milner Homes, planned to convert the mill into five homes, and build a further 15 two to four-bedrooms homes, as well as a dozen glamping pods.

It said the proposal, submitted last year, would “create a distinctive residential development which is sympathetically designed to respect the surrounding built and natural environment” and “promote sustainable tourism”.

But North Yorkshire Council refused the application this week.

The housing and glamping pod scheme as outlined for the Nidd Valley Saw Mills site.

Trevor Watson, assistant director of planning, listed nine reasons for refusal.

He said “no exceptional circumstances” for the scheme, which is outside the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35 for development, had been demonstrated.

Other reasons included “a significant, adverse landscape and visual effect upon the landscape and scenic beauty of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty”,  “insufficient evidence that the continued use of the site for employment purposes is not feasible or viable” and flood concerns.

Mr Watson added:

“The proposed layout creates a scheme that is of poor quality, does not create a safe and accessible environment or reflect the principles of good, sustainable layout design.”

Hartwith cum Winsley Parish Council objected because the application was outside the local plan boundary and also because of highways and noise concerns.

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The two local Conservative MPs voted in support of a report last night that found Boris Johnson deliberately misled MPs over lockdown parties.

The Commons backed the report by 354 votes to seven — however 225 MPs either abstained or did not turn up to vote, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Andrew Jones, who represents Harrogate and Knaresborough, and Julian Smith, who represents Skipton and Ripon, were among the 118 Tories who supported the report by parliament’s Privileges Committee.

Mr Smith tweeted afterwards “upholding the rules of parliament is key to our democracy”.

Tonight I voted to support the cross party privileges committee report. Boris Johnson did a number of positive things as Prime Minister, but upholding the rules of parliament is key to our democracy https://t.co/YFJIsOs1zU

— Julian Smith MP (@JulianSmithUK) June 19, 2023

Mr Jones indicated his intentions last week when he said:

The cross-party committee’s report found Mr Johnson committed repeated offences when he said covid rules had been followed at No 10 at all times.

The Selby and Ainsty constituency, which covers part of the Harrogate district, does not currently have an MP following Nigel Adams’ resignation.

A by-election will take place on July 20.

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Hundreds of posters have gone up around Harrogate and Knaresborough in the search for missing Sophie Lambert.

Four nights have now passed since Sophie, 22, was last seen at her home in Starbeck.

The police search is focusing on the area near the river at Bilton in Nidd Gorge after a member of the public found Sophie’s mobile phone, bank card and jumper there on Saturday morning.

Sophie was last seen on Friday night.

A Facebook group to co-ordinate the search has been set up and already has over 1,000 members. You can visit it here.

Knaresborough printers Sid Horner and Son printed 1,000 posters yesterday showing a photo of Sophie and urging people to report any sightings.

Inspector Graham Waller, the critical incident inspector based at Harrogate, said yesterday there had been “no positive sightings” of Sophie since she vanished and nothing has emerged overnight.

Numerous groups took part in searches along the river and around the Bilton area last night and are continuing to do so this morning.

North Yorkshire Police has said in a statement:

“Sophie is described as white, 5ft 3in, aged in her early 20s, slim build, with long dark brown hair that is possibly plaited or wavy.

“She has a distinctive scar on her forehead which is likely to be noticeable.

“It is unknown what clothing she has on, but her family said she tends to wear jogging bottoms and has dark green Adidas trainers with a white sole.

“If you have seen a woman matching Sophie’s description or photograph, please call North Yorkshire Police immediately on 999 quoting reference 12230110845.”

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A mobile phone, bank card and a top belonging to missing Sophie Lambert have been found, police said today.

The possessions were discovered by a member of the public on Saturday morning near the river at Nidd Gorge, which is the focus of the search for the 22-year-old from Starbeck.

North Yorkshire Police revealed the news at a media call today, at which they said a 30-strong search party consisting of police, mountain and underwater rescues had been combing the 500-metres area around where the items were found in Bilton.

Sophie Lambert

They added helicopters and dogs had also been employed in the operation.

Inspector Graham Waller, the critical incident inspector based at Harrogate, said there had been “no positive sightings” of Sophie in the 72 hours since she disappeared.

Insp Graham Waller pictured at the police search scene today.

He added the search would widen and continue “as long as necessary” during daylight hours if Sophie is not found. He said:

“We are very concerned for Sophie’s welfare.

“It’s totally out of character for her to be away from home for this long.

“At the moment we don’t have any suggestion she has come to harm but we are keeping an open mind.”

Asked what people could do to help, and whether they should take part in search parties, Insp Waller urged people to “remain vigilant” and contact the police if they had any information but said he would “discourage” members of the public taking part in search parties because of the “difficult terrain” in Nidd Gorge.

In today’s update, police said Sophie was last seen at home by her family at 6.50pm on Friday night and then captured shortly afterwards on CCTV camera at 7.06pm.

She was wearing dark trousers, a black top with a white adidas logo and dark shoes with a white sole. She had her hair tied back and was carrying a bottle with a pink lid.

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• CCTV footage released in search for missing Sophie
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Two men have been jailed for their part in stealing newly-installed boilers and other equipment worth £143,000 from housing developments in the Harrogate district.

Shaun Andrew Finley, 34, of Goldthorpe, Barnsley, and Stephen William Case, 43, of Dunscroft, Doncaster, targeted boilers, furniture and other equipment belonging to building companies and contractors.

They struck at homes in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Killinghall, Kirk Hammerton and Dishforth.

Finley was jailed for five years and Case for four years and two months when they were sentenced at York Crown Court on Friday.

The court heard that between June 1 and December 15 in 2020 they targeted prestigious new build developments 22 times.

According to a North Yorkshire Police press release today, officers identified a pattern in the burglaries which involved the same method of breaking into the properties and removing the items.

The press release added:

“They specifically targeted houses that were ready for occupation. This caused considerable disruption and upset to the homebuyers and added cost and inconvenience to the developers.

“Through detailed analysis of CCTV and automatic number plater recognition data, the investigation team were able to place the vans and cars they were using – often driving in convoy – in and around the new build locations that they burgled.

“They also uncovered that Finley and Case were actively avoiding detection by registering, and insuring, their vehicles in the names of innocent members of the public. They also used cloned registration plates. This resulted in the arrest of two men who had nothing to do with the crimes, as well as numerous speeding tickets.”

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At the sentencing, Judge Sean Morris commended the work of detective sergeant Steve Peachman, the now retired detective sergeant Marcus Dawson, and analyst Libby Edison for the effective investigation which secured the convictions.

The Judge said they were “a credit to North Yorkshire Police and the people of North Yorkshire”.

DS Steve Peachman, from the force’s operation expedite unit, said:

“The outcome of our investigation shows that if you choose to embark on conspiracies with organised crime groups, you can expect lengthy custodial sentences.

“We proved that Finley and Case were principal participants in committing crime in North Yorkshire.

“They used a high degree of sophistication, but it was not enough to escape justice.”

A man died in a crash near Harewood Bridge that led to the closure of the A61 for more than 12 hours yesterday.

Police said today the man, who has not been named, was a taxi driver in his 40s.

He died at the scene of the crash, which occurred at about 1.20am yesterday morning on the A61 Harrogate Road at Dunkeswick. The road reopened at 3.20pm.

North Yorkshire Police is now appealing for witnesses to the collision, which involved a grey BMW and a black Peugeot taxi.

It said in a statement today:

“Sadly, the driver of the taxi, a man in his 40s died at the scene. His family have been informed and are receiving support form specially trained officers.

“The driver of the BMW, a man in his 20s remains in hospital.

“The stretch of road was closed until 3.20pm on Sunday afternoon to allow officers to investigate the scene.

Anyone who saw the collision or has dashcam footage is urged to dial 101, select option 2 and ask for Steve Hawkins.

Alternatively, you can email DC 55 Steve Hawkins on Steve.Hawkins@northyorkshire.police.uk

Quote reference number 12230111568 when passing information.

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Ripon Grammar School sixth former Samuel Cann is aiming to complete 100 holes of golf in a day for charity this week.

The teenage golf fan, who only started took up golf two years ago, estimates the five-and-a-half rounds will take about 16 hours to complete.

He therefore plans to tee-off at Ripon City Golf Club at 4am on Wednesday and finish by 8pm this Wednesday, June 21.

Sam, 18, who will raise money for Prostate Cancer UK, said:

“I am undertaking this challenge in support of friends and members at the golf club who are suffering or impacted by someone suffering from prostate cancer.

“Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, with around 143 men diagnosed every day, and 1 in 8 men being diagnosed in their lifetime.”

The charity’s Big Golf Race, which has been running since 2020, challenges golfers to take on either 36, 72 or — new for 2023 — the ultra marathon 100 holes in a day.

Sam will be supported by other Ripon City Golf Club members who will join him for a round during the challenge, which he hopes will raise up to £500.

Sam, from Sharow, hopes to study aerospace engineering at the Manchester University after completing his A-levels.

There is a JustGiving page for the event, which you can find here.

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