A Harrogate pub is hosting free Pancake Day fun tomorrow that gives people the chance to earn the title of ‘fastest flipper in town’.

The Fat Badger will provide pans and pancake mixes and anyone who turns up between 9.30am and 4pm is welcome to make their own treats and then see how quickly they can complete the course.

The event is being held in the pub’s beer garden on Cold Bath Road, adjacent to the footpath so people walking past can see it.

There is no charge to enter and the winner will receive Sunday lunch for two people, including a bottle of wine, at the Fat Badger.

Simon Cotton, managing director of the HRH Group, which owns the Fat Badger, said:

“The rules are simple; it’ll be against the clock and each person will need to make a regular size pancake and successfully flip it twice to be entered.

“One go per person but everyone can enter for free as it’s just for fun and community engagement.”

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A housing developer has apologised after debris from its site near Harrogate entered a nearby waterway.

Polystyrene and plastic from the 72-home Yorkshire Housing site at Spofforth was floating in the River Crimple in the village over the weekend.

Yorkshire Housing was granted permission to build the homes at Massey Fold in October 2021 after a long-running campaign by some villagers against the development.

Litter strewn across the river and the nearby area. Pic: @spofforthmark

The organisation, which owns and manages about 20,000 homes, said in a statement:

“On Friday, some insulation blew open in the high winds and broke up. The contractor notified the Environment Agency straight away to let them know what had happened.

“Because of the stormy weather over the weekend it wasn’t safe to retrieve and clear-up the debris until this morning. We’re working quickly to do this.

“Windy weather isn’t an excuse and this shouldn’t have happened. We’ve discussed this with the contractor who will ensure any loose materials are secure to prevent this happening again.”

Signs on site say the development, known as Bridgewell, will consist of two, three and four-bedroom homes built in partnership with construction company the Jack Lunn Group and the non-departmental housing agency Homes England.

Villager Mark Lee raised concerns about the incident on social media.

Devastating pollution in Spofforth today, waste and debris from the new development by @JackLunnGroup @HomesEngland @yhousing @EdwardArch the river Crimple is actually blocked by your mismanagement and carelessness! @ClimateDesk @thestrayferret @Harrogate_News @UnderwaterMedia pic.twitter.com/IiszgX96hV

— mark lee (@spofforthmark) February 19, 2023

Conservationist Keith Wilkinson, who is chairman of Nidd Gorge Advisory Partnership and honorary secretary of Bilton Conservation Group, said the incident reinforced the need to look holistically at problems associated with Harrogate’s three rivers — the Nidd, Crimple and Oak Beck.

Mr Wilkinson said contamination from the Nidd tributaries inevitably impacted on the Nidd itself and therefore it would be better to adopt a more strategic view to managing water quality.

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Ambulance workers in the Harrogate district are staging another one-day strike today.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service staff who are members of the GMB union have set-up another picket line outside the ambulance station on Lancaster Park Road in Harrogate, close to the hospital.

Paramedics, emergency care assistants, call handlers and other staff are among those taking part in the industrial action, although ambulance workers will continue to respond to the most serious incidents.

Further ambulance strikes are planned on March 6 and 20 and Harrogate District Hospital will be hit by a two-day nurses’ strike beginning on March 1.

GMB national secretary Rachel Harrison urged the government to “talk pay now” and claimed ministers were unwilling to solve the dispute.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said the strikes “only cause further disruption for patients” and he remained “keen to keep talking to unions about what is fair and affordable”.

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The St George Hotel in Harrogate is recruiting staff — just three weeks after it closed with the loss of 76 jobs.

The hotel is due to re-open in about 13 weeks as a pub with rooms rather than a traditional hotel. That is the preferred model of The Inn Collection Group, a Newcastle-based company that bought the historic venue in February last year.

The company is now advertising for a general manager on a salary from £45,000 and a head chef on a salary from £42,000.

A spokesman said the venue was still due to re-open in mid-summer. Scaffolding has gone up outside the building.

Asked about the decision to recruit so soon after making redundancies, the spokesman said:

“There were unfortunately delays to our refurbishment programmes as a result of problems within the construction industry and associated supply chain having a knock-on effect.

“This unfortunately meant in some cases we have had to make some redundancies in order to secure the long-term future for the sites.”

The Inn Collection Group also owns the Ripon Spa Hotel, Dower House in Knaresborough and Dean Court in York, among others.

The St George Hotel, which is opposite the Royal Hall on Ripon Road, grew out of the Chequers Inn and was renamed after George III’s gift of the Stray to the people of Harrogate in 1778. 

It was enlarged several times during the 19th century and renamed the St George shortly before the First World War. 

It was badly damaged by fire in 1927 and requisitioned by the Post Office and Air Ministry during the Second World War before re-opening as a hotel in 1952. It acquired a spa facility in 1985. 

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It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club!

The second in our series of networking events in association with The Coach and Horses in Harrogate is an After Work Drinks event on February 23 from 5.30pm. Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district, get your tickets now by clicking or tapping here.

Six Harrogate businesses, all based in Windsor House, have reported growth following the covid pandemic.

Angela Swift Developments, Bluewave Select, Wild & Co Chartered Accountants, The Notary Solution and Evolve Psychology Services, have survived the challenges of the last three years and grown.

Angela Swift from Angela Swift developments said:

“We found more opportunities because of covid. The pandemic demonstrated the level of need that exists for our builds and what we do in the care sector”.

And Vincent Dunlop, co-founder and director of the IT business Bluewave Select, reports:

“Turnover has increased from £500k in year one to £18million today”.

Liz Wild, founder of Wild & Co Chartered Accounts, said her business doubled its turnover since the start of lockdown.

Katharine Beckett, from The Notary Solution, had to work especially hard during the pandemic. She said:

“Company directors could not travel so they had to sign documents in the UK and have them notarised and attested.

 “To find a notary you usually have to look locally. However, we have always innovated and used technology to allow us to operate our services in multiple locations”.

Evolve Psychology Services, were busy during the lockdowns. Consultant Clinical Psychologist Dr Laura Powling said:

“Over the pandemic we have also seen an increase in referrals for mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions”.

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Harrogate cleaning business on track to be carbon neutral 

 Harrogate company, ‘It’s Clean’, says it is on track to achieving carbon neutral status.

The commercial cleaning brand operates, which operates in Harrogate, York and Leeds, believes it is one of only a few similar businesses in Yorkshire to have scope one and two carbon neutral accreditation.

There are three “scopes” in achieving full carbon neutral status. It’s Clean aims to be completely carbon neutral by 2025.

In a message to clients, Managing Director David Whan, said:

“We are committed to changing the perception of the cleaning industry so that it’s universally valued as integral and business critical to everyone we work for and our employees know their work is highly valued”.

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after an incident in Harrogate early this morning.

Police were called to a home on Claro Road at 12.15am after a man in his teens received what officers have described as “significant injuries”.

A North Yorkshire Police statement this evening added the man was taken to hospital by paramedics and continues to receive treatment.

The statement added his family are being supported by specially trained officers and urged people to respect their privacy.

The boy was arrested  at 12.25pm and remains in police custody.

There was a heightened police presence in the area around Claro Road today.

Detective Inspector Nichola Holden said:

“We know local residents are likely to be concerned by this incident and I hope the quick arrest of a suspect will go some way to reassure them.

“We believe this to be an isolated event with both teenagers known to each other and we are carrying out a full investigation to establish the full circumstances surrounding it.”

“Several witnesses have been spoken to or interviewed by officers investigating this incident and we are confident we have spoken to everyone we need to. However, if you have any other information which you feel may be relevant, please contact police as soon as possible.”

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The police statement added:

“We know many people may wish to comment on this incident, especially on social media, we do ask speculation is avoided as not only can this be detrimental to the investigation but can also cause upset to the family and friends of the victim at this deeply upsetting time.”

Police urged anyone with information to call 101 or, if they wish to remain anonymous, contact the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote reference 1223001009.

Ripon Spa Gardens and Park Road, which runs alongside it, were closed this afternoon due to a police incident.

Numerous police, fire and ambulance vehicles were in attendance at the scene.

Police on site would only say “an incident” had taken place.

The Stray Ferret contacted North Yorkshire Police’s press office for further information but has not had a response.

Emergency services arrived on the scene at Park Street at about 3pm this afternoon. Most were based outside Ripon Spa Hotel, which is closed for refurbishment.

Police cordons were erected at the junction with Old Park Mews, which closed the road to through traffic and forced vehicles to find other routes.

Park Road is closed to through traffic

Cordons were also put up outside Ripon Spa Gardens.

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The Harrogate Rugby Club has set up a foundation to help make the game more accessible to people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.

The Harrogate Rugby Club Foundation will promote physical activity and teamwork amongst all age-groups and aims to benefit a thousand people by 2024.

It will host free tag rugby sessions for schools, as well as community fitness classes, walking rugby programs and mixed-ability rugby sessions.

The rugby club has acted as a social hub since its foundation in 1871.

The project’s mission-statement outlines its aims:

“From primary schools to retirement home, we are here to keep people physically and mentally fit throughout their life. Using rugby as a means to access areas of inequality, deprivation and hardship, we will ensure that everyone in the Harrogate community has the opportunity to benefit from the amazing game that is Rugby Union.”

The foundation will launch officially on Saturday 18th February, at a match between the Men’s 1st XV and Sheffield Tigers.

Local schoolchildren who have already got involved in the rugby club’s free tag rugby sessions will be pitch side at the weekend, taking up the role of ball boys/girls for the match.

Entrance to all matches this weekend will be free.

The rugby club has created a crowdfunding page for the foundation to raise money for free coaching in schools, as well as equipment.

To support the fundraising campaign, visit the crowdfunder page.

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Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has described criticism of his record on sewage as “ridiculous”.

Mr Jones was one of 265 Conservative MPs who voted to stop Amendment 45 to the Environment Bill in October 2021, which would have forced water companies to reduce the amount of sewage they discharged and pay for its environmental damage.

He subsequently supported a government amendment to make water companies provide “costed plans” on how to reduce the amount of sewage.

This has led to claims, especially from the Liberal Democrats, that he and his party are allowing too much sewage to pollute rivers.

Mr Jones said on his Community News website that “the recent spate of US attack-style campaigning over sewage in water… stands the truth on its head” and needed challenging.

He said untreated sewage had been discharged into waterways when sewers were overloaded since Victorian times.

He added overflows were happening more frequently due to severe weather and more items like wet wipes being flushed down drains and the focus should be on changing this. He said:

“If we shut the overflows today sewage would have nowhere to go when sewers are overloaded and would back up into our homes. To suggest that we should do so and I should have voted for that is ridiculous.

“Do you want your sewage and that of your neighbours backing up the pipes into your home? Of course not.”

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Mr Jones said removing the overflows would cost up to £593 billion — the equivalent of closing the NHS for over three years. He added:

“These are the reasons why reducing the use of storm overflows must be part of a costed plan. The proposition that storm overflows can be closed today is just false.

“Portraying my support for this costed plan as voting to continue dumping sewage in our rivers is nonsense. It is the stuff of political game-playing and that isn’t something that interests me.”

Mr Jones with the owner of Knaresborough Lido on the River Nidd.

Mr Jones also highlighted his campaign to have the River Nidd in Knaresborough designated as bathing water as evidence of his willingness to tackle water quality.

The Stray Ferret asked the Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats if it wished to comment but has not had a response.

The Lightwater Valley 10K race is set to raise vital funds again for North Stainley Primary School.

The event, on March 5, was first held in 2010 and is organised by the Friends of North Stainley School.

All money raised through entry-fees or donations will be put towards learning equipment and improvement of facilities to support the school and its pupils.

The run typically brings in around three and a half thousand pounds – almost half of the funds raised for the school each year.

The organisers say that the event is suitable for all abilities. It is set on well-marshalled roads with picturesque scenery.

The entry limit is 500 runners, with 348 places remaining.

Runners will have access to on-course refreshments as well as free food and drink at the end of the race. There will be food for visitors to buy at race HQ.

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For the race-marshals and other administrative roles, the Friends of North Stainley School rely on volunteers, whilst food and drink is provided by local supporting companies.

This does not mean the race is not a serious competition. It is registered with UK Athletics and the course is officially measured by the association of UK course measurers.

Describing the route, Mike Greathead, treasurer of the Friends of North Stainley School, said:

“The run starts in the grounds of Lightwater Valley Family Adventure Park and heads out along quiet country roads. The bulk of the route consists of 3 peaks – this has been nick-named “The W” by some of our regular participants and provides a great challenge for seasoned runners whilst still being achievable for the less experienced.

“We also have a 3k fun run which we encourage local children to take part in from 7-16 years, it is a great opportunity to encourage younger runners and we award various medals and prizes on the day.”

For further information on the race – including how to enter – see the racebest website or the dedicated Facebook page.