A man has admitted assaulting two women and possessing a knuckleduster in Harrogate.
Adam Smith, 40, pleaded guilty to the charges at Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday.
Smith, of Bunting Drive, Tockwith assaulted a named woman and a female police officer on The Ginnel on April 15 this year.
He also admitted having a knuckleduster in Manahatta, which is also on The Ginnel.
Magistrates gave Smith a community order, which required him to abstain from alcohol for 120 days and carry out 80 hours of unpaid work.
He was also fined £349.
Court documents said the defendant’s guilty plea was taken into account when imposing sentence.
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CrossFit gym to open in Ripon
A CrossFit gym is set to open in Ripon.
Mick and Sarah Meegan, who currently run a smaller personal training and fitness studio in the city, will open the facility at Ripon Business Park, which is close to the canal.
The date is yet to be confirmed but the couple expect it to be early next month.
CrossFit Ripon will provide a functional training facility for Ripon, which the couple said the city currently lacked in comparison to nearby Harrogate, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, York and Thirsk.
Mr Meegan, who is in the last year of 21 years of military service, said the gym would tackle obesity, mental health and wellbeing as well as get people into shape.
CrossFit, which involves constantly varied fitness routines, has grown hugely in popularity over the last 20 years.
The facilities tend to cost more than chain gyms but provide more classes and a more personalised approach, with community at the heart of activities.
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Mr Meegan said:
“Ripon craves a fitness, mental health and wellbeing facility that caters inclusively for all the individual needs of our city, especially those suffering from social isolation and low self-esteem.
“The wide range of variety in terms of classes, one-to-one PT, apprenticeships for future PTs and fitness for kids classes is something Ripon needs as part of Ripon’s Neighbourhood Plan 2030 in-terms of health and well-being.
“Research shows there is somewhat a lower life expectancy in Minster and Moorside Wards than for the district. Child health concern regarding increase in obesity over early school years is considerably higher than in the district whereas for adults this is slightly higher than the district.
“Our new affiliated CrossFit gym will cater for all of the above, our community is absolutely paramount in terms of health and well-being. We are passionate to give Ripon what it’s craved for years and promote fitness is for life.”
Mr Meegan said the couple had battled for nine months to secure planning and many people have told them it won’t work. He said:
“Even when everything seemed against us we persevered and got planning approval. If you believe in something you take risks.”
Crowdfunder launched to keep Knaresborough partying
A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to enable Knaresborough to stage free annual parties in the grounds of the town’s castle.
Party in the Castle will feature a live big screen broadcast of the Glastonbury festival on June 24. People are invited to turn up with a picnic and enjoy the sounds of the likes of Guns N’ Roses, Lizzo and Lewis Capaldi.
Organisers Knaresborough and District Chamber hopes the event will have a similar vibe — and good weather — to the free coronation party at the castle last month.
Chamber member Kelly Young said it will hopefully become an annual event. But she added although entry is free, funds need to be raised for the big screen and to cover other costs such as first aid and insurance.
The crowdfunder therefore aims to raise £2,000 and has already achieved about £1,400. Any surplus will be used on future events.
Cllr Hannah Gostlow, who represents Knaresborough East on North Yorkshire Council, has also applied to the council to allocate £2,500 of her Locality budget on the event. Each councillor receives an annual Locality budget of £10,000 to spend locally.
Party in the Castle will take place from 5pm to 11pm. Anyone wishing to support the crowdfunder can do so here.
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Brew Bar owner opens new Harrogate coffee shop
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.