A picket line is in place outside Harrogate Ambulance Station today in the latest round of strikes.
Staff at Yorkshire Ambulance Service have walked out as part of a national dispute over pay and conditions. A second day of strikes is due to take place on December 28.
Vehicles tooted their horns in support of members of the GMB union picketing on Lancaster Park Road, which is on the same street at Harrogate Disrict Hospital.
Nurses and firefighters have also showed their support and a local cafe dropped off hot chocolate to strikers shivering besides a fire.
Union organiser Katherine Mitchell told the Stray Ferret GMB staff were striking today from one minute past midnight until 10pm. Ms Mitchell said members of Unison were due to join the action at noon today.
She said about 60 staff were employed at Harrogate Ambulance Station and they would continue to respond to the most serious category one incidents during the strike. Some strikers had already been called in to deal with such incidents, she added.
Several staff said the dispute was not only about pay but also about conditions and the state of the NHS. One person said they had waited four hours outside Harrogate District Hospital recently with a patient because the hospital did not have enough staff to escort the person away.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said this morning NHS contingency plans would not cover all 999 calls and that “ambulance unions have taken a conscious choice to inflict harm on patients” — which drew an angry response from union leaders.
Rail and postal workers in the Harrogate district have been on strike this winter, but Harrogate District Hospital was not included in the first two days of nurses strikes. Firefighters are expected to be balloted in the new year over strike action.
Read more:
- No walkout at Harrogate hospital as part of nurses strike
- Harrogate district braced for rail and postal strikes
New parking charges at Nidderdale Showground branded ‘unfair’
NIdderdale Agricultural Society has apologised for confusion caused by sudden changes to parking at Nidderdale Showground car park.
Many people were taken by surprise by the recent introduction of automatic number plate recognition cameras to the car park in Bewerley.
Some were also unaware the annual £12 Pateley Bridge parking permit no longer applied to the showground and they were liable for fines if they continued using the site without paying the daily charge, which ranges from 50p an hour to £1.80 a day.
Pateley’s parking permit traditionally runs from April to April and the decision to change the rules before the current permit has expired drew an angry response from Andrew Murday, the Liberal Democrat county councillor for Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale.
He told the Stray Ferret:
“Whoever is responsible has ridden roughshod over the previous arrangement, which should have been honoured until the end of March.
“People in all good faith bought permits that entitled them to park in the showground car park until then.
“It is a disgrace. People have been blindsided and it’s unfair to issue fines.”
Cllr Andrew Murday
Asked if there had been any consultation on the new system, Cllr Murday said there had been “absolutely none”.
Read more:
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- Pateley school rated ‘good’ by Ofsted after major changes
NIdderdale Agricultural Society, which owns the showground and stages the annual Nidderdale Show, previously leased the car park to Harrogate Borough Council.
‘We don’t receive any revenue from this’
The society published a statement today, which said:
“Due to the council’s 21-year lease ending on the car park, the decision was made to hand over the running of the car park to a private company.
“We also took the decision to keep the charges to exactly the same rate as the council charged.
“We understand that unfortunately some people have prepaid car park passes, which are no longer viable for the showground car park, but these could be used in the other car parks in Pateley Bridge.
“The car park now operates on an ANPR camera system which registers number plates on entry. There is a window of 10 minutes to park, pay or leave. Failure to do this unfortunately results in a fine which in no way is charged by the show society, and who do not receive any revenue from this.
“At present to pay an annual parking pass can be downloaded onto your smart phone or there is a number to ring and pay using card details.
“A card pay machine is to be fitted due hopefully by mid January 2023 to make payment simpler.
“The show society apologises for any confusion.”
Pateley’s annual permit still applies to the town’s Southlands car park, which continues to be operated by Harrogate Borough Council.
A Harrogate Borough Council spokesman said:
“Nidderdale Showground is owned and managed by Nidderdale Agricultural Society so you would need to speak to them regarding the parking system in place.
“Previously we have managed car parking at the showground but this is no longer the case.”
Criminals damage third business on Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road
A salon has become the third business in quick succession to fall victim to criminals on Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road.
Sara Pugh Hairdressing put four mini Christmas trees in plant boxes outside the shop and decorated them with lights to spread seasonal goodwill.
But one tree has been stolen, another uprooted and the lights on all four vandalised.
Charlie Woolley, a stylist at the salon, said her friend alerted her to the damage when she noticed it on her way to work early on Sunday morning. Ms Woolley said:
“It’s just really bad and immoral. Sara does so much for charity and put so much effort into the Christmas display so it looks nice for children on their way to school.
“It’s so sad that people enjoy doing this.”
One tree was uprooted and another was stolen.
Fortunately the giant toy bear outside the shop, which is brought inside at night, was not harmed.
Last month Dangerfield & Keane, another salon just yards from Sara Pugh Hairdressing, had its Christmas lights vandalised for the first time in 14 years.
Days later two thieves smashed their way into James Barber Tobacconist on the other side of the road closer to town and stole cigars and whiskey.
Read more:
Ripley school praised for ‘swift and effective action’ to address inadequate rating
Leaders at Ripley Endowed Church of England Primary School have been praised by Ofsted for tackling the school’s inadequate rating.
The school was judged to be inadequate at its most recent full visit by government inspectors in November last year after three consecutive ‘requires improvement’ assessments. The report was highly critical of the quality of education, leadership and early years provision.
The rating meant the school, which has about 50 pupils, was placed in special measures and forced to seek to join an academy.
Ofsted inspector Marcus Newby conducted a subsequent monitoring visit on November 8.
His report to interim co-executive headteacher Victoria Kirkman, published yesterday on Ofsted’s website, was full of praise for recent improvement efforts by the new leadership team.
Victoria Kirkman
Although the previous judgement cannot be changed as part of a monitoring visit, meaning the school is still rated inadequate and in special measures, the report has raised hopes of an upgrade when the next full inspection is conducted.
The report to Ms Kirkman said “leaders have taken swift and effective action since the previous inspection” and said she had “instilled confidence in staff and parents”.
It said there had been “extensive changes to staffing” that have brought about “strength and stability”, adding:
“You have wasted no time in addressing the previous weaknesses of the school’s curriculum.
“The school’s existing approach to phonics and early reading is now taught with precision. Reading books match pupils’ phonic knowledge accurately. The strategies that children develop in their youngest years, such as segmenting and blending, are used with confidence. Pupils enjoy reading.”
Read more:
- Ripley primary school seeks to join academy after ‘inadequate’ rating
- Nidderdale primary school still ‘good’ under new head, says Ofsted
Ms Kirkman said:
“We are delighted with the outcome of the recent Ofsted monitoring visit at Ripley, which recognised the significant and rapid school transformation since the previous inspection.
“This is due to the hard work of all stakeholders in working together to ensure future success of the school and the life chances of children in the federation. We now focus on the next inspection and continue our relentless drive for further school improvement.”
Ms Kirkman is also executive headteacher at Admiral Long and Birstwith CE Schools, which have recently been inspected and judged as ‘good’ by Ofsted.
Cost of delayed Harrogate Hydro refurbishment increases by £1m
Harrogate Borough Council has revealed the cost of Harrogate Hydro‘s delayed refurbishment has increased by about £1 million to about £12.8 million.
The Stray Ferret reported this month the reopening of the leisure facility, originally scheduled for next month, had been pushed back until summer next year.
The council said this was due to discovering “some additional areas of work that could only have come to light when the building was closed and a strip-out of the internal fabric had taken place”.
In a press release today, the council gave a breakdown of the additional costs, which will be met by taxpayers. They are:
- Replacement of the defective external soffit boarding – £306,893
- Renewal of the existing moveable floor in the diving pool – £299,918
- Replacement of corroded steel frame elements – £330,258.66
The refurbished Hydro will include a pool, new diving structure, 400 square metre fitness suite, sauna and steam suite and new reception and café, as well as a reconfigured car park, bicycle storage and electric vehicle charging points.
The existing gas boilers have been replaced with air-source heat pumps and 250 solar panels, along with new metering and energy monitoring and control systems, which are expected to halve the carbon footprint of the leisure centre.
How the Hydro used to look.
Councillor Stanley Lumley, the council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, and chair of the board of directors at the council-controlled Brimhams Active, said:
“At a time when some local authorities across the country are reviewing their investments in leisure facilities, we remain committed to ensuring people across the Harrogate district can keep fit and active for many years to come.
“By carrying out this additional work now, while the facility is closed, we can ensure the building is fit for purpose and can conform to the latest legislation and building regulations.
“And at a time of increasing energy costs, we are helping to offset this by making the leisure centre as energy-efficient as possible. And thanks to a government grant of some £1.8million, it will be able to utilise renewal energy.”
The council added the new leisure and wellness centre In Knaresborough was on target to open at the end next summer.
It will provide a six-lane 25-metre pool, activity pool with flume, sauna and steam room, fitness suite and studio, spin studio, café, electric car charging points and bicycle storage.
Read more:
- Harrogate Hydro reopening delayed until summer
- Harrogate council company to run leisure centres in Selby
- Harrogate leisure chief defends Ripon pool location amid ground stability concern
No normal service on Harrogate and Knaresborough trains until January 9
Rail operator Northern has warned of ongoing disruption until January 9.
The company, which operates the Leeds to York line that passes through Harrogate and Knaresborough, has published a calendar highlighting its travel guidance to customers over Christmas and the New Year.
It shows the next day of normal service is not for another 21 days.
Northern has blamed the situation predominantly on the RMT union, even though it only has strikes planned from January 3 to 7. However, an RMT national overtime ban from December 18 to January 2 has also affected services.
The union has accused the government of interfering in negotiations with Network Rail to reach a settlement on jobs, pay and conditions.
Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said:
“The main cause of the disruption remains industrial action by the RMT union and we can only apologise to our customers for the inconvenience it will cause to their journeys.”
Northern’s new timetable came into effect just before this extended period of disruption, so it is advising customers to use the new Check My Timetable feature on its website to see the changes specific to their local station.
Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with nearly 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.
Read more:
- Long-term roadworks to affect villages near Knaresborough
- Harrogate hospital pledges ‘minimal disruption’ as nurses’ strike looms
Emotional farewell to remarkable Nidderdale lollipop woman Mary Fisher
Pupils past and present turned out in force to bid a fond farewell to North Yorkshire’s longest serving lollipop woman.
Mary Fisher has helped generations of schoolchildren cross the busy Pateley Bridge to Harrogate road outside Summerbridge Community Primary School since 1975. After 47 years and about 18,000 shifts, she retired on Friday.
Mary’s final patrol took longer than usual as dozens of children and adults turned out to cross the road and give her a hug.
At the school, children lined up to say thank you and give three cheers to the woman who has done so much to serve the community.
One of many hugs for Mary on her last day. Pic: Nevin Ward
Nevin Ward, a former chair of governors at Summerbridge school and near-neighbour of Mary, said Mary never forgot a child’s birthday and always gave them a small present. he added:
“She’s one of those lovely, selfless people who believes in being kind.”
An online fundraising campaign, set up to raise £100 to buy Mary a present, generated about £1,600.
A vacancy for a lollipop person now exists.
Friday’s emotional farewell at the school. Pic: Nevin Ward
Mary and her late husband Jim, who was a chimney sweep and volunteer firefighter, came to North Yorkshire in 1954 and moved to Summerbridge two years later.
They had four children, who all went to Summerbridge school and Mary developed an attachment to the school that eventually saw her become a lollipop woman.
Two years ago, when she celebrated her milestone of 45 years, she said:
“I love being outside and active as well. I have to be out and about rather than sat inside. Not a day goes by where I think I don’t want to get up today and do it.”
Read more:
- Mary, 87, retires after 47 years and 18,000 shifts as a lollipop woman in Summerbridge
- Firefighters rescue family trapped on black ice in Nidderdale
- Gallery: Stunning photos of Nidderdale in winter
Ex-Ripon Grammar pupil discovers oldest map of stars
A former pupil of Ripon Grammar School has discovered the oldest known map of the stars hidden in an ancient manuscript.
Dr Peter Williams, who left the school in 1989, is a leading biblical historian at the University of Cambridge.
He made the discovery while researching a Bible manuscript belonging to the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC. Dr Williams said:
The ancient parchment, which came from a monastery in Egypt, is a palimpsest – a manuscript with text which had been rubbed out and new writing placed on top. Dr Williams explained:
“In the early Middle Ages when papyrus had become scarce and the invention of paper in the west was still centuries away, there was a huge shortage of writing material.
“Consequently, if you found an old manuscript in a script or language you didn’t use you would probably rub it out to put new writing on top.
“Now modern imaging techniques are enabling us to read faint text that was rubbed out over a millennium ago, sometimes even if all the ink has been removed.”
The text underneath turned out to come from around the sixth century AD, with the text on top from the ninth.
Read more:
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Dr Williams had set his teams of summer interns at the Tyndale House research institute he leads the task of trying to decipher just what had been rubbed out 10 years ago and one student, Jamie Klair, discovered some of it was about astronomy.
But it was during last year’s covid lockdown, as Dr Williams was studying a page which his teams of scholars hadn’t managed to crack, that he realised he was seeing star co-ordinates, which turned out to be of the constellation Corona Borealis.
He discovered it was a fragment from the 2,100-year-old catalogue of the stars by the Greek astronomer and founder of trigonometry Hipparchus, a much noted chart of celestial bodies which was thought to be lost to the ages.
They are the earliest star coordinates preserved in any manuscript. The resulting paper co-authored by Dr Williams and published in the Journal for the History of Astronomy, said:
“Hipparchus’s lost Star Catalogue is famous in the history of science as the earliest known attempt to record accurate co-ordinates of many celestial objects observable with the naked eye,”
“This new evidence is the most authoritative to date and allows major progress in the reconstruction of Hipparchus’s Star Catalogue.”
The fragment has enlightened our understanding of ancient astronomy, which appears to have been a remarkably accurate discipline, with Hipparchus’s measurements correct to within one degree of the stars’ actual positions. Some 300 years later, the Greek mathematician and astronomer Ptolemy wrote his Almagest, the oldest star catalogue known to historians before this discovery.
Dr Peter Williams during his Ripon Grammar days
Dr Williams studied Greek, Latin and music at A-level at Ripon, where he was deputy head boy.
He went on to read classics and Hebrew at Cambridge, and now combines his love of old languages with research on the Bible.
Having studied for an MPhil and PhD at Cambridge, apart from a brief residency as senior lecturer in theology at the University of Aberdeen, Dr Williams has remained at the University of Cambridge, where he is an affiliated lecturer in the faculty of divinity, since leaving Ripon.
Firefighters rescue family trapped on black ice in NidderdaleVolunteer firefighters from Lofthouse rescued a family whose car was stuck on black ice last night.
The on-call firefighters were called to the notoriously steep Trapping Hill just outside the village at 6.50pm last night, on the final day of the recent freeze.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident log said:the car “had become immobile on black ice” and the family had been informed it would take six hours for a recovery vehicle to attend. It added:
“Firefighters walked two adults and one child into the safety of Lofthouse village.”
The incident log also noted that fire crews do not recover vehicles.
Temperatures have risen sharply today after more than a week of sub-zero conditions.
Read more:
- Gallery: Stunning photos of Nidderdale in winter
- Firefighters from Ripon, Harrogate and Masham called to garage fire
Resident taken to hospital after house fire near Masham
A resident was taken to hospital last night after a house fire between Masham and Ripon.
Fire spread from the fireplace at the home in Mowbray Terace, West Tanfield, prompting firefighters from Ripon and Bedale to rush to the scene at 6.09pm.
It was the fourth incident attended by Ripon fiefighters yesterday. They also dealt with a garage fire, chimney fire and water leak.
North Yorkshire Fore and Rescue Service’s incident log said:
“The fire had spread from the fireplace and was extinguished using one hose reel jet, small tools and a positive pressure fan to ventilate.
“The occupant of the property was also taken to hospital with smoke inhalation.”
Read more:
- Firefighters from Ripon, Harrogate and Masham called to garage fire
- Harrogate leisure chief defends Ripon pool location amid ground stability concern