How Harrogate singer Sarah Collins calmed nerves on stage with LeAnn Rimes

‘Sing, Sarah, sing!’ could be said to sum up Sarah Collins’ approach to life — and it’s what she told herself to calm her emotions when sharing the stage with a global music star. 

It’s nearly two weeks since Sarah found herself performing the hit LeAnn Rimes song How Do I Live alongside the megastar herself.

The surreal moment was the culmination of an extraordinary day during which Sarah was quite literally thrust into the national limelight in the unexpected star segment of the primetime BBC One programme Michael McIntyre’s Big Show. 

Sarah had been with her husband Tom in what she believed was a country music bar in London when the wall fell away and she was stunned to find herself on stage. She was at the famous Theatre Royal in Drury Lane in front of 2,000 people, among them her son Freddie and daughter Lily.

But singing has been Sarah’s passion and comfort throughout her life – and it was there for her once again, helping her compose herself and focus after the shock of seeing LeAnn Rimes join her on stage.

She said: 

“Before I went on, the producer said to me, ‘Just enjoy the moment’, and that’s all I was thinking. Then LeAnn came on and I could quite easily have sobbed through it all. But I just said to myself, ‘Sing, Sarah, sing!’ I knew I might not get an opportunity like this again.

“I’ll never forget singing with LeAnn. She’s a Grammy Award winner! She is such an amazing lady. She’s so beautiful, absolutely stunning. It was just a lovely vibe on the stage with her, really welcoming and calm. She made it easy for me to sing with her. She was so kind and allowed me to shine in the song.” 

“I’m enjoying every moment”

Sarah performs on Michael McIntyre’s Big Show.

A professional singer, Sarah has performed in theatres, festivals and other venues across the UK and abroad since the age of nine. While recovering from a brain tumour in 2012, she used music as a form of therapy and in 2014 set up a YouTube channel, which now has 45,000 subscribers, singing Motown and Northern Soul classics from her bedroom. She said: 

“I just love entertaining and singing, I love moving people. I can sing to two people or thousands, it doesn’t matter to me. It’s the music; it’s like a healing thing. My illness was an awful thing to go through and has changed my life forever. But it has given me a different outlook on life.

“I’m enjoying every moment; I’m not taking anything for granted. That approach has really resonated with people, a lot of people have said I’ve really helped them. In the times that we are living in now, music unites us; it brings us together.”  

The show was watched by around seven million people when it aired on January 27, among them Sarah herself. Until then, she’d only had her memories of the day and had no idea how it looked to the audience. She watched it in her living room with Tom, Freddie and Lily, and admits to ‘being nervous and ready to hide behind the sofa’.  

She needn’t have worried. Sarah’s duet with LeAnn Rimes was a triumph. She received a deluge of comments from viewers across the country, among them celebrities such as Zoe Ball, who mentioned the performance on her Breakfast Show and privately messaged Sarah to say she had been ‘phenomenal’. And LeAnn Rimes herself has been in touch several times with messages of encouragement and saying how lovely it had been for her, too.

Sarah said: 

“I never expected it to be received so well and for so many people to be reduced to tears. It’s been a real outpouring of emotion. I really appreciate all the feedback, it’s been fantastic. There’s been no negativity on social media or anywhere. I can’t believe it. It really does restore your faith in humanity. 

“I’m still getting comments from people when I’m out and about. The first day I went out in Harrogate after the show aired, I met some friends in a coffee shop and a couple came over and said they thought I was fabulous. In town, I was stopped by two people who were visiting Harrogate for the day and recognised me, while another lady came up and shook my hand. It’s crazy; it’s just little me.” 

A dream come true

Sarah said it’s been a special moment for her mum, too. Sarah said her mum is like her best friend and was the person that got her into performing at the age of nine when she took her to an audition for Joseph at the Bradford Alhambra. About four years ago, Sarah stopped performing with her band after her mum had a stroke and she felt unable to ‘smile on stage and be happy’. Her mum has never fully recovered and recently moved into a nursing home. Sarah said: 

“She’s seen the show and said, ‘I’m proud of you’. I went to see her in the nursing home yesterday and she was showing a clip of the show on her phone to one of the nurses.” 

She’s had lots of messages on YouTube and her other social media accounts, and has seen a spike in new followers. She’s also set up a TikTok account. But she’ll be continuing to record her YouTube videos and thanked her long-term followers for their support. She said: 

“YouTube has opened up a lot of opportunities for me but I’m not doing it to show off. I enjoy it, it’s so intimate and easy to do. There’s no point being false. I‘m not chasing anything, I haven’t got anything to prove.” 

Sarah (left), backstage with LeAnn Rimes.

Sarah still can’t quite believe her moment on television with one of the world’s biggest stars was real, and says she hasn’t stopped ‘flying’. She said: 

“It’s still amazing. It was a dream come true, completely out of this world. I could do it every week! Everyone involved in the show was so lovely and made me feel so special. It’s something that I’ll never forget; it’s a memory to cherish.”

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Editor’s Pick of the Week: A new Harrogate restaurant and ongoing battles to save trees

Harrogate’s new fine-dining restaurant Rhubarb created quite a stir this week, especially as its town centre location has proved a graveyard for several recent ventures.

Today our food writer, Masterchef semi-finalist and Harrogate resident Yemi Adelekan, reviews it.

On the topic of good food, we also revealed the local entries in the latest Michelin Guide.

Besides food, trees have dominated the local news landscape. Some have been felled at the former gasworks where Tesco is starting sitework on its new Harrogate supermarket.

Campaigners are doing their utmost to resist 450 being felled in Rotary Wood, where Harrogate Spring Water’s expansion plans took a step forward.

In Ripon, the cathedral announced it was still open to ways of saving a veteran beech tree due to be felled as part of a new development on Minster Gardens — but none has been identified yet.

Some weird and wonderful things have been happening in Knaresborough. Tonight the town hosts a show featuring local burlesque performer Foxie Gingerella, better known locally as businesswoman Sarah Lowe, from beauty salon Orchis Escape. And did you see our article about another person having to be rescued from public toilets on Waterside?

It’s difficult to follow that — enjoy the weekend content.

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Ripon Cathedral announces next steps for controversial annexe plan

Ripon Cathedral will host drop-in consultation events in February and March where cathedral members will answer questions regarding its controversial plans to build a new annexe.

The cathedral “paused” its planning application to North Yorkshire Council last month following opposition from campaigners and local businesses.

According to a document published today, senior figures at the cathedral still appear committed to the extension — which it now says would cost £8 million. The figure was previously believed to be about £6 million.

However, a spokesperson said it hopes that through the consultation events it can identify areas of “creative thinking” with possible amendments made to the plans.

They said at present, the cathedral has not yet found an alternative to chopping down 11 trees. But it added the future of a veteran beech tree “remains open”.

A Q&A on its website answers some of the key questions posed by critics of the scheme. These include its potential impact on businesses and whether the annexe could be built elsewhere within the footprint of the cathedral.

It maintains the annexe is crucial to offer 21st century facilities whilst safeguarding the future of its choir.

The proposed new song school and cafe would be built next to the cathedral on Minster Gardens.

Local businesses have said it will take trade away from them and there have been protests against the felling of the trees.

Trees in Minster Gardens

A spokesperson said:

“It is hoped that a pause in the planning application to allow for additional consultation will prompt a genuine exchange of views, the sharing of informed ideas and the constructive discussion of concerns raised.”

You can read the Q&A in full here.

Drop-in events will be held at the cathedral on the dates and at the times shown below.

One event on Thursday March 7, from 9am-12pm, will take place at Ripon Town Hall,

February

March

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Tree campaigner criticises ‘insulting’ Harrogate Spring Water claims

The woman leading the campaign to save Rotary Wood has criticised comments by Harrogate Spring Water about its “new community woodland”.

The company, which is part of French multinational Danone, revealed yesterday it has submitted plans to expand its bottling plant off Harlow Moor Road in Harrogate.

Harrogate Spring Water has agreed to create a publicly accessible 1,200-tree woodland as compensation for felling about 450 trees in Rotary Wood.

Richard Hall, managing director at Harrogate Spring Water, said yesterday he hoped it “will become a valued resource for the local community for many years to come”.

Rotary Wood

His comment angered Sarah Gibbs, who has campaigned for hours while dressed in a tree costume as part of the long-running Save Rotary Wood campaign, said:

“This statement is an insult. We already have a “valued resource’. We have our four-acre asset of community value woodland that we planted 20 years ago thinking we’d enjoy the benefits for years to come.

“Danone intend to take this from us, offering a small strip of land filled with saplings as compensation. Rotary Wood is at the heart of our community and we have been fighting to keep it safe for over four years now.

“How long until they intend to expand again? The community will have no voice whatsoever with land owned by Danone. It’s difficult enough with council land… the people’s land!”

Plans not amended

The Stray Ferret has covered Harrogate Spring Water’s plans extensively. You can read a summary of the issue here.

The company held a public consultation event on its plans in November. However, the plans it has now submitted have not changed.

A company spokesperson said:

“The plans we have submitted are the same as those we presented at the public consultation in November.

“This is because, whilst we have received a range of views through our engagement with the local community, we have not received specific feedback on design elements to change. There were questions on our proposed new community woodland, such as types of planting, and our submission now shows some of these details.

“Full details of the plans will soon be live on the North Yorkshire Council planning portal, and residents will be able to submit their views on them. We will continue to engage with stakeholders throughout this process.”

Harrogate Spring Water received outline planning permission for expansion in 2017 from Harrogate Borough Council, which means the principle of development has been established.

The reserved matters application being put forward now to North Yorkshire Council contains details on the size and design of the expanded production facility as well as information on matters including landscaping.

Councillors on the Liberal Democrat-controlled 13-person Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee will decide whether to approve the application.

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Harrogate manager Simon Weaver named Manager of the Month

Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver has been named SkyBet League Two Manager of the Month for January.

Weaver guided his side into the promotion race with 10 points from four unbeaten matches.

He said:

“I think this award should go to the whole management team. Everyone does contribute so much to the cause, the staff, the players, we are all here together.”

Weaver has guided his side up the table.

Danny Wilson who chairs the Sky Bet Championship Manager of the Month judging panel, said:

“Four unbeaten games in January and 10 points returned is a fantastic run considering the injury list Simon has had to deal with.

“With the momentum gaining pace, Harrogate find themselves on the brink of the play off places with some very exciting fixtures coming up.”

Celebrating with Town colleagues.

Sky Sports’ EFL pundit Don Goodman described Town as “the form team in League One and Simon Weaver deserves a lot of credit”.

He added:

“They are now in the chase for a play-off position and have hit their stride at the perfect time.”

The Sulphurites started the season 100/30 favourites for relegation but are now 33/1 to be promoted and 7/1 to make the play offs.

They entertain Colchester United this weekend at the EnviroVent Stadium on Wetherby Road.

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Gritting boss heralds Lofthouse heroes after becoming stricken on ungritted road

The Conservative politician responsible for North Yorkshire’s highways who is also challenging to become the area’s first elected mayor has hailed residents’ “heroic efforts” to rescue him after his election battlebus got stuck on an apparently ungritted snow-covered road.

Cllr Keane Duncan had been driving in wintry conditions in one of the most remote areas of the county, on the notorious road between Lofthouse, near Pateley Bridge, and Masham.

It was part of his ongoing 1,000-stop tour of the county ahead of the May election, when the van he calls Peggy left the road this morning (February 8).

As the North Yorkshire Council executive member for highways, Cllr Duncan oversees the county’s gritting crews and a £7 million budget to deliver what he describes as “one of the UK’s most comprehensive winter programmes”.

The authority’s fleet includes about 80 vehicles and is supported by about 100 farming contractors, who are deployed to keep the roads clear during more challenging conditions.

However, it is understood the site where Cllr Duncan’s vehicle left the road is known locally for not being gritted as it is where two of the council’s highways branches, Hambleton and Harrogate, meet and their gritting lorries turn around.

Speaking after being “pulled to safety” by Lofthouse residents Stephen Ramsden and Ashley Gatecliffe, Cllr Duncan said the road did not look like it had been gritted before his van got stuck in mud.

Cllr Duncan and his two rescuers.

After seeing his plight, villagers asked Cllr Duncan to take up their case to ensure gritting is more comprehensive in the area.

Cllr Duncan said:

“Peggy became briefly stuck in the mud between Lofthouse and Fearby during today’s snowy weather.

“Suffering nothing but a bruise, Peggy is back on the road and my tour of the county continues as scheduled.

“Despite Peggy’s unplanned rest, my visit to Lofthouse and the wider Nidderdale area was immensely useful. I was able to speak to residents personally and directly about their concerns.”

Mr Gatecliffe said he appreciated Cllr Duncan taking the time to venture up here to understand the issues being faced by residents first hand.

He added:

“This is a treacherous road and we appeciate Keane’s help to get it gritted. This is the proactive and visible representation we want to see from our new mayor.”

However, opposition councillors pointed towards financial cuts by the government to North Yorkshire over the last 13 years, leaving resources limited and the gritting service “prioritised”.

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Liberal Democrat group leader Councillor Bryn Griffiths said:

“Keane will be very aware of the priority schedule.

“If he can’t follow his own highways advice and drive responsibly, what does that say about his competence to be an effective mayor?”

Cllr Steve Mason, a Liberal Democrat who represents Amotherby and Ampleforth, said added there was “a certain irony” that the executive lead councillor for gritting had come off an ungritted North Yorkshire road.

He said:

“Perhaps more focus on his paid role to ensure our roads run smoothly at this time would have been prudent.”

Council’s approach to Maltkiln has left locals feeling ‘bullied and threatened’

North Yorkshire Council has been strongly criticised for its approach to the 4,000-home Maltkiln scheme with a Cattal resident claiming it has left locals feeling “bullied, threatened and let down”.

The council’s Conservative-run executive met on Tuesday in Northallerton to discuss Maltkiln’s development plan document which is set to be submitted to the secretary of state for housing later this month.

The meeting was attended by several parish councillors living in villages affected by the development including Green Hammerton, Cattal, Whixley and Kirk Hammerton.

They took turns to tell the executive how they felt the council has handled consultation around the development plan document.

As the site is the largest allocation for housing in the Harrogate district local plan, the council has a major say on how the scheme is developed. Wetherby-based developer Caddick Group has been chosen to build and sell the homes.

Martin Simpson, chair of Green Hammerton Parish Council, said aspirations to include 40% affordable housing as part of the development were “pie in the sky” and claimed council officers had been led by the commercial interests of developer Caddick. He said:

“This has been pushed by profit margins rather than where houses are needed.”

Harrogate Borough Council worked on the development plan document for several years before handing it over to the unitary authority due to local government reorganisation.

Whixley parish councillor Cokie Van Der Velde said the council had ignored a transport assessment that suggested the busy A59 between Maltkiln and the A1 (M) will need to become a dual carriageway to cope with an increase in traffic.

She said:

“We cannot be left with a constant traffic jam on the most important road serving our communities.”

Kevin Bramley from Hunsingore, Walshford with Great Ribston and Cattal Parish Council, said the council had “disadvantaged” local communities through a perceived lack of public engagement regarding the development plan document.

He said:

“Locals feel let down, threatened and bullied by lack of consultation and now the threat of the compulsory purchase order. Consultation should help minimise costs to the public and private purse, serving purpose rather than process.”

Cllr Derek Bastiman, the council’s executive member for business, was put forward to respond to the complaints and he issued a strong rebuttal to the claim that Maltkiln was a developer-led scheme, adding this was “entirely without foundation”.

He said:

“The consultation has been carried out in line with requirements. It’s unclear how this can be perceived as a threat or bullying and it’s disappointing such emotive language has been used in this context.

“It’s not normal practice to undertake further consultation unless significant changes are required and we don’t believe this to be the case with Maltkiln development plan document.”

Regarding the potential dualling of the A59, Cllr Bastiman said:

”Strategic traffic modelling did not indicate an immediate need to dual the A59.  It does not require this as part of highway mitigation but land should be safeguarded as neccessary.”

Cllr Bastiman also rejected a request from Cllr Arnold Warneken (Green Party, Ouseburn) to delay the submission of the development plan document by two months to allow for further consultation with communities. He added:

“Extensive consultation has taken place throughout the development of the development plan document.”

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Grassroots funding awarded to Harrogate football clubs

Four football clubs in the Harrogate district have been awarded grants from the government as part of the Multi-Sport Grassroots Fund.

The fund will award £93 million in 2023-24 to more than 1,100 projects around the country.

In total the Harrogate district was awarded £5,077 between the four clubs, with all of them applying for goalpost funding. 

Applicants could apply for a range of facilities including football turf, floodlights, pavilions, goalposts, changing rooms and improving sports access.

The Harrogate district clubs which were successful in securing grassroots funding were: 

The aim of the funding was to increase participation in sport amongst underrepresented groups and target communities most in need. 

Currently, the focus within underrepresented groups is to increase the involvement of women and girls, disabled players and those in deprived areas. 

The government funding is partnered with investments from the English FA and the Premier League. 

Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon, Julian Smith, said:

“This is great news for these local clubs. 

“The government is making a real investment in grassroots sports as we make significant progress towards meeting our ambitious target of 3.5 million more people active by 2030.”

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Harrogate’s Ashville College to end boarding next year

Harrogate‘s Ashville College is to phase out boarding by next year as part of a major new masterplan.

The fee-paying school said the masterplan would see “the biggest investment in its academic and sporting facilities in its history”.

But it will also result in the end of boarding after almost 150 years as Ashville begins a new era exclusively for day pupils, who currently account for more than 90 per cent of its intake.

Chair of governors Jamie Search described the decision as “sensible — and inevitable”.

He added:

“Decisions we have taken about boarding will allow us to fulfil our aim of becoming the school of first choice for those parents in the Harrogate, and the wider Harrogate area, who want independent education for their children aged 2-18.

“In the UK independent sector, boarding education as a concept has been under considerable pressure for some time, exacerbated by the covid pandemic.”

Ashville’s campus

Mr Search added:

“Ashville is a day school with some boarding and is, therefore, very different to a full boarding school.

“Like many similar schools, where boarding is a small and decreasing part of its operation, Ashville has not been immune to these trends. We now have about a third of the number of boarders we had 10 years ago and we occupy only two of our four boarding houses.”

Current Year 10 and lower sixth boarders will be able to complete their current stage of education, whether at GCSE or ‘A’ Level.

Ashville said in a statement it was “working to support families of pupils who currently board by offering one-to-one specialist advice and guidance, including signposting them to alternative boarding schools, before boarding at Ashville ceases in July 2025″.

It added the school was already working with architects and designers on its new vision and would share more details and images next term.

Rhiannon Wilkinson, Ashville head

Rhiannon Wilkinson

Head Rhiannon Wilkinson said in a letter to parents:

“The decision to wind down boarding is made from a position of confidence and it brings us many opportunities as an all-through, co-educational day school.

“We will be able to develop our teaching spaces to accommodate the new styles of teaching and learning and curriculum design which a changing world of work necessitates.”

She added:

“We have plans to develop social and study spaces for our pupils and we are keen to invest further in our sporting facilities.

“We also want to redesign and upgrade a number of other areas across the campus as we further develop a modern learning environment for all our pupils.”

 Founded in 1877, Ashville College caters for boys and girls aged 2-18 years. It consists of Acorns Early Years, and Ashville’s prep school, senior school and sixth form.

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Average council tax bills set to soar by more than £100 in North Yorkshire

Average council tax bills across North Yorkshire look set to increase by more than £100, despite the organisations levying the lion’s share of the rise being in relatively strong financial positions.

Two meetings at County Hall in Northallerton this week heard that North Yorkshire Police was “very healthy” and envied by neighbouring forces and North Yorkshire Council was in a far better financial position than most local authorities due to savings from becoming a unitary authority.

A meeting of the county’s police, fire and crime panel saw commissioner Zoe Metcalfe’s proposal to charge band D taxpayers £11.77 extra for the police service and £2.41 more for the fire brigade approved.

The council’s executive then recommended to a meeting of the full council later this month for a £87.80 increase, meaning average council tax bills will rise by £101.98, before any potential town or parish council precept increase is added.

The scale of the increase in council tax follows comes as the council’s leader and chairman of the police, fire and crime panel, Councillor Carl Les, called on the government to undertake a long-awaited review of funding levels for providing services across England’s largest county.

He said:

“It would be good if there was a level playing field across the country, but over time the equation of the principal sources of revenue in different parts of the country has become skewed.”

Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe said in charging the average resident £306.86 for the police service she had not taken full advantage of the maximum increase the government had permitted this year.

She emphasised she only wanted to charge residents what was absolutely necessary during a cost of living crisis.

Mrs Metcalfe said in a survey of almost 3,000 residents some 61 per cent had supported an increase of £10 or more.

The police, fire and crime panel meeting heard the 3.99 per cent police precept increase would put the force in a “very healthy” financial position for the next four years, and when any efficiency savings were made, those funds could be re-invested in the service.

Members heard the force had almost 1,700 police officers at the end of December and was on target to meet all of the Police Officer Uplift targets announced in 2019 as part of a drive to reverse a decade of austerity cuts.

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