Residents in Green Hammerton are being encouraged to join a village history and archaeological project after a section of a Roman road was discovered.

Tony Hunt, chair of the Yorkshire region of the Council for British Archaeology, recently spotted what appears to be the missing section of Dere Street, the Roman road that went from York to Aldborough and then on to Hadrian’s wall.

He did so while researching methods of identifying crop marks using multispectral cameras at Hull University.

Mr Hunt presented his findings at a meeting in Green Hammerton this month, which was attended by about 50 residents, along with members of the CBA committee, including Dave Went from Historic England and community archeologist Jon Kenney.

The meeting was shown images of the road and, as a surprise extra, it was also revealed that a previously unrecorded Iron Age settlement associated with the road had also been identified.

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Those interested will now begin preparations for possible field walking, geophysical investigation and, if possible, excavation.

Mr Hunt (pictured above) said:

“The project is open to all and those who have never been involved in archaeology before are especially encouraged.

“By the end, we will have a clearer idea of what people were doing in Green Hammerton in the first century AD and probably the first century BC and the community will have something it can be proud of.

“This road is the Roman version of the M1 — the main arterial route from north to south.

“Every emperor that came to Britain, including Hadrian, would have gone along it.”

To be involved, email chair@cba-yorkshire.org.uk.

Liam Cope has been appointed manager of Harrogate Town’s women’s team, the club announced today.

Cope has previously managed Ossett Town Ladies and been assistant manager at Leeds United Women.

He brings with him a backroom team including a nutritionist and goalkeeping coach, details of which will be confirmed later.

Cope has set his sights on taking Harrogate to the next stage up the football pyramid by reaching the Women’s National League. He said:

“The Women’s National League is somewhere I’d like to be again, I see no reason why Town can’t be playing in that league in the next year or two.

“The team has gone from strength to strength in the past few years and we’re going to give getting to the next level a real good go.”

Cope, who begins his role next week, has already set the ball rolling recruiting players for another season in the North East Regional Women’s Football League, which also includes the likes of Sheffield Wednesday Ladies and York City Ladies.

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He said:

“I’m looking to build a squad of players that are comfortable on the ball, with a good range of passing, technical and tactical ability, but most importantly have the right mentality.

“I want players to be brave on the ball, if a player makes a mistake we move on, but the one thing I will not accept is lack of intensity or lack of effort.

“We are welcoming new players who want to play good football in a positive environment with a coaching team that will support you 100% no matter what.

“If you want to join an ambitious club then this is the place to be.”

Player development

Cope will also play a role in the club’s player development centre, helping nurture young footballers throughout the development stages. He said:

“I know we have a real good programme coming through the girls’ player development centre and that’s something I want to promote and grow.

“The impact of the Euros is going to be huge, to beat Sweden in the manner we did shows the standard of women’s football in this country, if that encourages local talent to get involved at any age then that is a massive positive.”

Cope can be contacted on 07798 841696, or via girls development officer Becky Wilson at Beckywilson@harrogatetownafc.com.

Former Harrogate guest house owner Yoko Banks was told today she would not be allowed to change solicitors again after the latest attempt to recover any gains from her crime was adjourned.

Banks, 74, of Scargill Road, was jailed for three-and-a-half years in August 2021 for renting out her properties to an Albanian drug gang for “industrial” cannabis production “in the expectation of significant profit”.

She appeared at Leeds Crown Court today via a link from New Hall Prison in West Yorkshire for a confiscation hearing.

It was the latest in a series of attempts to recover any financial gain under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

A previous hearing in May was postponed when the court heard Banks intended to appeal her conviction and wanted to leave her legal team in favour of another firm of solicitors.

At the hearing before that in January, the Crown said it was not yet in a position to make a financial confiscation ruling because Banks’ defence team needed more time to delve into her “complicated” accounts and extensive “property empire”.

The court heard today she intended to change solicitors again but Judge Christopher Batty told her there was “absolutely no way” he would permit this.

He told her she either had to stick with current solicitor Sian Barber or “deal with it by yourself”.

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Ms Barber said she had spoken with Banks, who has been granted legal aid, for the first time this morning and had 600 pages of notes to go through.

She added she was due to meet Banks again next month and therefore requested an adjournment.

In adjourning the case until November 4, Judge Batty said it had been a “wretched hearing”.

Michael Bosomworth, prosecuting, said:

“Her case has been dreadfully complicated. Frankly, she has messed everyone around for months.”

London gang

Banks was sentenced in August 2021, after the court heard that a London gang had invested tens of thousands of pounds into three cannabis factories at Banks’ properties on Alexandra Road, Woodlands Road and Somerset Road near Harrogate town centre.

The criminals had even dug a trench outside the three-storey Edwardian villa on Alexandra Road through which they fed electricity cables to the house to power the “highly sophisticated” cultivation system and bypass the electricity grid.

Their plot unravelled when police were called to the five-bedroom villa on September 26, 2020, after reports of a “disturbance” in the street involving what appeared to be two rival gangs vying for the cannabis farm.

North Yorkshire Police has urged people in the Harrogate area to be vigilant after an increase in house and car thefts.

The constabulary issued the alert this morning, saying the number of incidents had risen “over the last few weeks”.

No further details were released.

In a post on social media, the police added:

“Please ensure you keep your homes and vehicles secure.”

Over the last few weeks there has been an increase of theft from insecure vehicles and homes across the Harrogate area. Please ensure you keep your homes and vehicles secure. If you have any information on these crimes call NYP on 101 or crime stoppers anonymously on 0800555111

— North Yorkshire Police – Harrogate (@NYP_Harrogate) July 29, 2022

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A developer looks set to be given extra time to complete a report into ground stability for a 30-house scheme in Ripon.

Wetherby firm Newett Homes received planning permission in February to build 30 homes at Springfield Close. Its previous bid to build 38 homes was refused.

But Harrogate Borough Council‘s decision was conditional on the company producing a satisfactory ground stability report within four months. Ripon is a notorious area for sink holes.

The report has yet to be produced but next week’s council planning committee looks set to grant Newett Homes a four-month extension.

A council officer’s report to the planning committee recommends it awards extra time but adds that if the report is not produced in another four months “the application be refused” due to concerns over unstable and contaminated land.

The report says:

“The applicant been progressing site investigations to determine the ground stability of the site but has been unable to complete the ground stability report within the specified four-month period, due to extensive lead-in times for the various elements of the necessary work.

“They are therefore seeking an extension of time for a further period to allow the works to be completed.”

It adds that given the amount of work that has already been carried out “it would be counterproductive to refuse the application at this stage, as it would result in additional unnecessary work for both the local authority and the applicant and could delay the site coming forward”.

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The report concludes:

“It is therefore proposed to permit an extension of time to allow for the continuation of on-site works required to prepare the full ground investigation report.

“The recommendation is to extend the period to 30th October 2022.”

Councillors will decide on Tuesday next week whether to accept the officer’s recommendation.

Diver Jack Laugher may be the biggest name in the Harrogate district at the Commonwealth Games but the area will also be strongly represented at another sport.

Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre at Hookstone Wood Road has played a major role in developing international talent at squash.

James Willstrop, who lives in Harrogate, will be defending the gold medal he won at the last Commonwealth Games in Australia in 2018.

Harrogate’s David Pearson is coaching Scotland and Aidan Harrison, who turned professional at the age of 16 while based in Harrogate, is coaching Barbados.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret shortly before today’s opening ceremony in Birmingham, Mr Harrison said the Harrogate club had a worldwide reputation for producing talent thanks largely to Mr Pearson:

“A lot of people here in Birmingham have Harrogate connections.

“Harrogate has had a great reputation as a club since the 1980s and 1990s with many people going there to be around David Pearson and to seek his advice.”

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Mr Harrison, who attended St John Fisher Catholic High School in Harrogate, captained England to the world junior championships in 1990 and broke into the world top 50 as a senior before retiring at the age of 23.

He moved to Dallas in America in 1991 to pursue a career in coaching, which has included a stint as head coach of the American women’s junior team. He was named USA Olympic Squash Coach of the Year in 2002.

Aidan Harrison coaching the Barbados players.

Three months ago he was appointed to help the five-member Barbados team in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games, which is the sport’s premier event.

Mr Harrison said New Zealand, England, Australia, India, Wales, Scotland and Malaysia were the top squash countries at the games but Barbados had the chance of a medal in mixed doubles. He said:

“These players that we are coming up against are top 10 in the world and I would love for our players to make a statement and show that they have what it takes to medal at such a major event.”

Mr Harrison’s parents and sister still live in the Harrogate and Knaresborough area.

He last visited in Harrogate in 2019 but has no plans to return full-time. At the end of August he will be moving to New York to start a new coaching role at Westchester Country Club.

Parents have expressed concerns about the safety of swimming in the River Nidd after a spate of children falling ill.

There have been widespread reports on social media of young people suffering sickness and diarrhoea since they went in the river to cool down during last week’s heatwave.

Most of those affected had been in the water at Knaresborough.

Environment Agency figures revealed raw sewage was pumped into the Nidd for 16,713 hours last year. Parents say there should be more signs alerting people to danger.

Jennyfields mum Lisa Poole, whose three sons are still unwell 10 days on, said there is a public health risk that needs highlighting. She said:

“My boys went swimming at Conyngham Hall on the Sunday (July 17) and are still not right. They’ve had vomiting and explosive diarrhoea.

“At least 50 people have said on social media that the same thing happened to their families.

“My family won’t ever swim in the river again so what happens now makes no difference to us but we think something should be done to warn other people of the danger.”

The River Nidd at Knaresborough

Harrogate mum Julie Mills, who was among the first to highlight the issue on social media, agreed.

Her teenage daughter and three friends swam near Conyngham Hall last week. She said:

“My daughter is a real water baby who is used to the river but she and her friends were all ill.

“Nearly everybody we have spoken to who went into the river was ill afterwards. Something’s not right.”

‘Legitimate questions’

David Clayden, honorary secretary of Harrogate Fly Fishers’ Club, said there were legitimate questions about water quality considering the amount of raw sewage being pumped into the Nidd.

He said the problem was exacerbated at times when the water level is low, such as now, when the river needed a good flush.

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The Stray Ferret asked Yorkshire Water, which treats water on the Nidd, if it was aware of an outbreak of sickness among river swimmers during the heatwave.

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said:

“The river is a natural environment and contains bacteria from a variety of sources that may cause illness if swallowed.

“We have checked the performance of our equipment in the area and have found no evidence of any discharges from storm overflows or combined sewer overflows in the days before Friday 15th, or since.

“Our wastewater treatment works have continued to treat wastewater and return it to the environment as normal.”

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire County Council, which is responsible for public health, said it wasn’t aware of any issues.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said it wasn’t aware of any recent pollution incidents on the Nidd but advised people against swimming in rivers unless they were designated bathing areas.

A Harrogate man has been banned from keeping animals for five years after being found guilty of cruelty.

Robbie Nelson, 24, neglected a Mastiff called Rocco and a Lurcher called Smudge at a house on High Street, Harrogate, in March last year.

The case was brought by animal charity the RSPCA.

Nelson failed to turn up in court to respond to the charges on December 17 last year and was found guilty in his absence.

Police issued a warrant for his arrest on the same day and eventually arrested him in June.

He was then remanded on bail for pre-sentence reports to be prepared.

Nelson, of Woodfield View, Harrogate, appeared before North Yorkshire Magistrates Court in York on Tuesday for sentencing.

Magistrates disqualified him from owning or being left in charge of any animal for five years.

He was also ordered to pay £200 costs and a £95 surcharge to fund victim services, and was given a community order to undertake rehabilitation activity.

The RSPCA will decide what to do with Rocco and Smudge.

Harrogate College has been awarded £16m of government funding to replace its main building on Hornbeam Park.

The college, which serves the Harrogate district, is one of five education institutions in Yorkshire to receive funding from the Department for Education’s Further Education Capital Transformation Fund.

The £1.5 billion fund was set up last year to upgrade further education colleges over the next five years.

It means the Harrogate district will get a new a purpose-built space for technical and vocational education.

The new energy-efficient building will include a workshop providing facilities aligned to industry needs. It will complement the college’s existing tech centre, which is home to its motor vehicle, electrical, joinery and welding workshops.

An existing £4m budget will be used to pay for the demolition of the old college building.

A statement by the college today said the move will support priority growth sectors for Harrogate and North Yorkshire such as advanced manufacturing, low carbon construction, retrofit, sustainable energy and bioeconomy, health science and hospitality.

Danny Wild

Danny Wild, principal at Harrogate College, welcomed the funding and said it will go a long way in improving the college’s facilities.

“Being able to work towards having a net zero carbon building, alongside a learning environment that will help our students progress on to university or the workplace is central to our strategic priorities, and this funding will be central in supporting us to achieve this.

“The development will also help us deliver a wide range of T Level qualifications, which will not only close the skills gaps, but will reinforce the government’s nationwide plan to strengthen technical education and give it the credibility it deserves.

“This upgrade will strengthen the work we are doing with businesses in the district to deliver an employer-led curriculum, alongside supporting the council’s aims to prioritise and support ‘good growth’ in the district, and achieve a sustainable economy.”

As part of the project, there are also plans to install green electric based heating systems, as well as a soft landscaped social hub, which will improve biodiversity on site.

The government says the investment will ensure that colleges are “great places to learn and students have access to modern, fit-for-purpose facilities”.

Contactless donation points which raise money for projects to tackle homelessness could come to Knaresborough and Ripon under an expansion of the Harrogate Street Aid scheme.

Street Aid was the first project of its kind in Yorkshire when it launched in 2019 and it has since raised over £20,000.

Three tap terminals have opened in Harrogate town centre and now more could be introduced in Knaresborough and Ripon.

It is a joint project from North Yorkshire Police, Harrogate Homeless Project and Harrogate Borough Council, which is looking into possible new donation points.

Helen Richardson, community safety officer at the council, said the money raised so far was having a positive impact on tackling begging and rough sleeping, and that there was now an opportunity to expand.

She wrote in a report:

“The number of reported incidents of street sleepers and begging has reduced in the time Harrogate Street Aid has been in existence.

“Street Aid continues to give a focus for agencies to work together to support those street sleeping and begging, and a reduction has been visible – particularly with regard to anti-social behaviour in Harrogate town centre.

“There has been much positive feedback and we can continue to work together to support those on the street or with a history of street sleeping.”

Why it started

Street Aid was introduced after the number of people begging in Harrogate town centre increased and residents became concerned.

It was based on schemes in Cambridge and Norwich which saw similar problems on the streets.

Donations made through the tap terminals are not given directly to homeless people, but instead made available for things like training courses, gym memberships and work equipment.

To highlight the project’s success, the council previously shared stories of how the money has helped individuals.

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One homeless man who was mugged and had his driving licence stolen was awarded a £350 grant to get his replacement licence and take a refresher forklift truck course to start his journey back into work.

Another individual who had a history of breaking into shops and substance misuse told probation officers that being able to access the local leisure centre would help him get in a better routine.

He was granted £500 for a leisure centre membership, training sessions and a voucher for equipment and clothing.

Three other homeless people were given £300 each for computer tablets to apply for jobs, maintain their benefits and stay in touch with family.

Councillor Mike Chambers, cabinet member for housing and safer communities at the council, previously said:

“Harrogate District Street Aid is about making a real change to people who find themselves on the street.

“Some people assume that giving a few pounds to a beggar is helping them.

“Sadly, in some instances it may actually keep them on the street.

“Through Harrogate District Street Aid, we can work with our partner organisations to make best use of the money that has been kindly donated, work with homeless people and make a real difference to their lives.”