John Plummer, Author at The Stray Ferret

Model boating to continue in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens

A 99-year-old tradition of model boating looks set to continue in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens.

Members of Claro Marine Modellers and a representative from North Yorkshire Council held talks at the boating lake today about a new fountain.

The model boating club was concerned the fountain would damage boats and bring an end to their hobby in Harrogate.

But Adrian Selway, the new club secretary who has been sailing model boats for 30 years in Valley Gardens, said the talks had reached a solution.

model boats boating fountain

Mr Selway said the council had agreed the fountain will not operate when club members sail their boats on Sunday mornings all year round and on Wednesday evenings during summer.

He added:

“It was a very amicable meeting and the outcome was favourable. The council was anxious to support the club.”

Harrogate Borough Council’s decision to spend £6,000 installing the fountain prompted concerns of boats running aground on the structure.

There were also fears spray from the fountain could ruin boats.

Harrogate Borough Council was abolished at the end of last month. North Yorkshire Council has inherited its assets, including Valley Gardens.

Two children admit Knaresborough graffiti outbreak

Two children have admitted being responsible for an outbreak of graffiti in Knaresborough.

Graffiti appeared throughout the town early this month, including on Knaresborough House and on High Bond End and Boroughbridge Road.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said today:

“Following enquiries, those who were responsible for the graffiti — two children aged 14 and 15 — have been identified and have taken responsibility.

“They have agreed to a community resolution disposal and will be taking part in removing the graffiti and will be receiving an appropriate educational and restorative input to teach them about impact of graffiti on the community and local businesses.”

Community resolution disposals are usually issued to remorseful first-time offenders and do not constitute a criminal record.

Some of the recent graffiti

The clerk of Knaresborough Town Council told the Stray Ferret it had been “very concerned about the amount of graffiti” that had appeared recently.

The clerk said individual councillors had been trying to tackle the problem with the help of CCTV, adding:

“Knaresborough Town Council is currently asking for more CCTV coverage behind Knaresborough House.”

She added the mayor, Cllr Kathryn Davies recently organised a drop-in session with the police on Stockwell estate following reports of anti social behaviour in that area.

Graffiti at Knaresborough House

Blubberhouses crash: lorry driver banned for being three times over limit

A lorry driver who lost control on the A59 at Blubberhouses on Tuesday was three times over the drink-drive limit.

Jacek Borowski, 51, from Poland lost control of his HGV heading down the hill.

His vehicle blocked the road completely for most of the day, causing significant disruption on the main route between Harrogate and Skipton.

Nobody else was involved or injured.

Blubberhouses collision driver banned April 2023

The lorry blocked the road for most of the day.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement today Borowski had been banned within 24 hours of the incident. It added:

“Officers breathalysed the driver who blew 92 micrograms of alcohol in 100 milligrams of breath – almost three times the legal limit.

“He was remanded into custody immediately and put before York Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 19 April where he pleaded guilty to driving over the prescribed limit and was disqualified from driving for 23 months.”

Have your say on new development plan for Pannal and Burn Bridge

A six-week consultation on a neighbourhood plan which will guide development in Pannal and Burn Bridge is underway.

The consultation is the last chance for local people to have their say on how the area around the two villages will be shaped going forward.

The Pannal and Burn Bridge Neighbourhood Plan, which was drawn up by the local parish council shortly after it was created in 2016, is the first such document sent out for consultation by the new North Yorkshire Council.

If approved, it will be considered alongside in all future planning applications — although it can be overruled.

It has already been the subject of local surveys – but this new consultation is the last before it goes for independent examination.

Those surveys aimed to ensure the plan reflects aspirations and concerns and showed that green area conservation was a prime factor, along with the need to address traffic pollution and parking congestion around the school.

Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council chair Howard West said:

“We realise the villages need to grow, but we trust that any future development will be in keeping with the local area.

“We want to retain and cherish the rural character of our villages while still catering for our future employment and residential needs. Village protection is at the heart of this plan and we urge people to make sure they have had their say.”

Cllr Derek Bastiman (1) (1)

North Yorkshire Council’s Conservative executive member for open to business, Cllr Derek Bastiman (pictured above), said:

“Neighbourhood plans are an important part of the planning process, allowing communities to help shape their area and therefore guide future developments.

“North Yorkshire Council has to consult on the plan the parish council has submitted and we are calling on people to express their views before it goes for final examination.”

The consultation runs until Wednesday, May 31. The documents and comment forms are available here and representations can be submitted online.

Alternatively, the comment form can be downloaded and comments sent to PlanPolicy.har@northyorks.gov.uk or Planning Policy, North Yorkshire Council, PO Box 787, Harrogate HG1 9RW.

Updates and information on earlier stages of preparing the plan can be found here.

Liberal Democrats back creation of Harrogate town council

Liberal Democrats have come out in favour of the creation of a Harrogate town council.

A second consultation on whether to set-up a town council runs until May 5.

North Yorkshire County Council said in March the move would require 35,000 households to pay an additional council tax charge of between £40 and £60.

But local Liberal Democrats said today a town council would enable locally-elected councillors to take control of assets such as off-street car parks, the Stray, Royal Hall, Sun Pavilion and Valley Gardens.

Harrogate and Scarborough are the only parts of the county not to have a parish or town council.

Eight Liberal Democrats, including former Harrogate borough councillors and current North Yorkshire councillors, signed in support of a town council.

Cllr Pat Marsh, chair of North Yorkshire Council‘s area constituency committee for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said her party supported devolving power. She added:

“Without a new town council, Harrogate would be at a real disadvantage when bidding for services to remain local.

“Harrogate residents need to have a voice when it comes to the future of local assets, just as those in Knaresborough, Ripon, Pateley Bridge, Boroughbridge and many other villages in North Yorkshire have.”

Pat Marsh

Cllr Marsh said “unique decisions relating to Harrogate should be being made in Harrogate by people who have received the endorsement of Harrogate residents” rather than councillors in places such as Catterick, Ryedale and Scarborough.

She added:

“Assets that could be considered for control by the town council include off-street car parks, the Stray, Royal Hall, Sun Pavilion, Valley Gardens and the other green and floral spaces within the town.

“Without local protection, these assets are always in danger of being cut by North Yorkshire councillors not from Harrogate.

“A Harrogate town council would also provide a formal representative voice for local residents on planning applications and other consultations.

“Harrogate is a very special place and decisions about our town need to be made by local people who know, love and understand this town.”

A total of 75% favoured setting up a Harrogate town council in last year’s first consultation but only 1,250 homes — 3.5% of those affected — responded. The low response rate triggered concerns about the validity of the response.

The statement urges residents and businesses to respond to the second consultation before the May 5 deadline.

The Lib Dem councillors who signed today’s statement are:

Pat Marsh — Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone.

Philip Broadbank — Fairfax and Starbeck.

Chris Aldred — High Harrogate and Kingsley

Peter Lacey — Coppice Valley and Duchy

Mike Schofield — Harlow and St Georges

Monika Slater — Bilton Grange and New Park

Honorary alderman Trevor Chapman

Honorary alderman Matthew Webber

Body found at Harewood was 250 metres outside police search area

The body of missing man Jesus Moreno lay undiscovered for more than eight months because it was just outside the 500-metre police search area.

A police search team found Mr Moreno’s body on Friday on land close to the River Wharfe in the Harewood area.

He had been missing since August 1 last year when he got off a 36 bus from Leeds to Harrogate at Swindon Lane near Dunkeswick, just north of Harewood bridge.

The discovery of his body, close to the last sighting, came two weeks after West Yorkshire Police said it had “exhausted every possible line of enquiry”.

Asked why it had taken so long to find the body when it was so close to the last sighting, a police spokesperson said:

“Police can confirm the body of a man found in undergrowth on land close to the River Wharfe in the Harewood area on Friday has been identified as that of missing Jesus Moreno.

“A number of searches by specialist police search teams were undertaken in the Harewood area for Mr Moreno, as part of extensive enquiries conducted into his disappearance.

“The specialist search team initially set a search area of 500 metres radius from Jesus’ last known location. This area was searched with specialist resources.

“Mr Moreno’s body was found just over 250 metres outside that boundary and hidden under thick undergrowth, as part of ongoing work undertaken according to the wider search plan.”

The statement added that enquiries into the death remain ongoing but “there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances”.

Images released by West Yorkshire Police of missing man, Jesus Moreno.

Police images of Jesus Moreno

Piglove Brewing Co, the Leeds brewery Mr Moreno co-founded, said in a statement on social media:

“It is with great sadness that the Piglove family announces that our beloved Jesus’ remains have been found near Harewood bridge, the last place he was seen on the 1st of August 2022.

“Please be thoughtful to our staff and family during this challenging time. It has been a tough eight months for the business but your support through this time has meant the world to us.

Birds’ nest causes freak fire in Green Hammerton

Firefighters were called to Green Hammerton shortly after 8am this morning after a birds’ nest caused a freak fire.

According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log, the nest fell down the chimney of a boiler, which then caught fire when it was lit.

Firefighters used water to extinguish the fire, which was confined to the base of the boiler.

Crews also “gave advice to staff on site”, the incident log added.

It did not say precisely where the incident took place or whether any birds were harmed.

Today also saw firefighters extinguish a small fire in woodland in Ripon at 3.10pm. The fire is believed to have been caused deliberately by youths.

Centenary concert to celebrate composer buried in Hampsthwaite

A centenary concert is being held on Friday to celebrate the life of a remarkable composer buried in Hampsthwaite.

Amy Woodforde-Finden’s music was much sought-after at the turn of the last century but her reputation fell into obscurity following her death in 1919.

Her Kashmiri Love Song inspired films, novels and even perfumes. Rudolph Valentino recorded the song in 1923.

A white marble recumbent memorial to Amy was unveiled in St Thomas a Becket Church on April 15, 1923. On the same day, the vicar’s daughter Geraldine Peck sang White Sentinels.

Amy’s marble memorial in Hampsthwaite

Thomas Flessenkaemper, the former director of music for the benefice of Hampsthwaite, Killinghall and Birstwith, returned to Hampsthwaite on Saturday for a re-enactment of the unveiling exactly 100 years on.

The German composer and pianist, who started the Amy Woodforde-Finden Music Festival last year before suddenly leaving his post, and soprano Tilly Eustace-Forrest performed while a wreath of white irises was placed on the tomb.

Saturday’s memorial event

Mr Flessenkaemper and the mezzo-soprano Patricia Hammond will join local musicians to perform Amy’s songs in a concert at Hampsthwaite’s Memorial Hall on Friday.

The Kashmiri Love Song is among the songs on the programme.

The event will have the informal feel of an Edwardian soirée type event with wine and canapés at candle-lit tables. Tickets cost £8 and can be booked here.

Police seek Suzuki driver after Knaresborough hit and run

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for information after a hit and run in Knaresborough.

In a statement issued today, police said the collision left a parked black VW Transporter van with “significant damage” estimated to cost £5,000.

It happened on Fisher Street on Friday, March 31 at 12.15pm.

Officers said a grey Suzuki SX4 car failed to stop after the incident. The statement added:

“Anyone with information about the Suzuki is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police.

“Officers are also urging any body shops that have recently been approached to repair a Suzuki SX4 with front-end damage to get in touch.”

You can email Ben.Robinson-Brockhill@northyorkshire.police.uk or dial 101 and quote reference 12230057691.

Air ambulance receives £26,000 from Knaresborough tractor run

A life-saving charity has been awarded a cheque for £26,000 from the organisers of the Knaresborough tractor run.

The sum was the total amount raised from this year’s event, which saw 374 tractors parade 25 miles around Harrogate, Knaresborough, Pateley Bridge and numerous points in between last month.

Organisers visited the Yorkshire Air Ambulance station at Nostell in West Yorkshire on Saturday to hand over the donation.

The tractor run fundraises for the charity each year because of its value to rural communities.

Participants pay to take part and spectators are encouraged to make donations.

One of the organisers, Tom Fawcett, said:

“We can’t thank everybody enough for the amount of support and donations that we’ve received.

“The Yorkshire Air Ambulance is an invaluable service, that in this economic climate, needs our support more than ever.”

Knaresborough tractor run Yorkshire air ambulance

Tractor power will fund the air ambulance’s mission. Pic: Rachael Fawcett Photography

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more: