St John Fisher Catholic High School in Harrogate has today become an academy.

The school, which has about 1,420 pupils aged 11 to 18, has joined the Bishop Wheeler Catholic Academy Trust, which is based in Menston, West Yorkshire.

The trust has 11 other schools, including St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School and St Robert’s Catholic Primary School in Harrogate and St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Knaresborough

Academy schools are directly funded by government and have more control than other state schools. They do not have to follow the national curriculum.

The trust issued a statement announcing the news.

Headteacher Steve Mort said in the statement:

“The support we have enjoyed over the last year shows how the trust will enable St John Fisher to continue providing an outstanding Catholic education to our children, and I am very pleased that we have already been able to begin reciprocating through our growing partnerships with the trust’s other schools.”

Jane O’Gara, chair of the governing body at St John Fisher, said in the statement:

“We are delighted to be joining our fellow Catholic schools in the Bishop Wheeler Trust and we are looking forward to working closely together with them to continue providing the education our young people deserve”.

The Stray Ferret contacted the school to ask why it had pursued academy status and what it would mean to pupils but nobody at the school was available to respond.

Read more:

• County council ‘would give Woodfield school more time to improve if it could’
• Police officers visit Ripon school kids to talk dangers of knife crime
• TV acting school for children opens in Harrogate

St John Fisher was graded ‘outstanding’ at its last Ofsted inspection. Many pupils are Catholics but the school educates children of all faiths and none.

It shares an associated sixth form with St Aidan’s Church of England High School, which is itself an academy within the Yorkshire Causeway Schools Trust.

The trust, which is named after Bishop William Gordon Wheeler, Bishop of Leeds from 1966 to 1985, has 10 primary schools and two secondary schools serving 4,800 pupils in North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire. It hopes to increase this number to 18 over the next few years.

Diane Gaskin, chair of the trust board, said in the statement:

“The outstanding education that the school provides makes it a great addition to our trust family.”

Police have appealed for information about the whereabouts of three men with links to Harrogate.

Eighteen-year-old Harrogate man Luke Gibson and 20-year-old Leeds man, Ainsley West, who has strong links with Harrogate, are wanted in connection with a serious assault in Boroughbridge this month.

William Smythe, 19, from Harrogate, is wanted for failing to attend court for drug offences.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement today it believed the three men could be in the Harrogate area, although West could be in Leeds.

It added:

“Significant enquiries have been ongoing to locate the trio and so we are now issuing an appeal to anyone who has seen them or know where they are to come forward with information.”

The police asked people to report sightings or information about their whereabouts by calling 101 and quoting reference number 12210245826 for West and Gibson or 12210248895 for Smythe.

Alternatively, you can pass on information anonymously through the charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or via its website.

Read more:

• Profile: North Yorkshire’s new police commissioner
• Plans submitted to demolish former Harrogate Debenhams

Harrogate shoppers are being urged to donate chocolate in the next fortnight to brighten up Christmas for people struggling to make ends meet.

Commercial Street Retailers Group is working with Harrogate District Foodbank on the initiative.

Sue Kramer, of Crown Jewellers on Commercial Street and head of the retailers group, said:

“The foodbank told us that they are absolutely overwhelmed with families needing help at the moment. They also said that the one thing they are short of is chocolate: boxes of chocolate biscuits, selection boxes etc, which are classed as more “luxury” items. It’s incredibly sad to think of families not having chocolate, which many people would not regard as luxury, at Christmas.

“We have decided to become the ‘sweetest street’ in Harrogate and from December 1 to 15 we will have festive drop-off points on the street so that people can drop off anything chocolatey.”

People can donate chocolate at four shops on Commercial Street: Foxy Antiques and Interiors, the Harrogate Town shop, Lilly’s Bistro and Cafe and White Rose Sewing.

Read more:

• Harrogate’s Commercial Street to host dog-friendly day
• Why Harrogate district’s food banks are getting busier as winter approaches
• Harrogate’s Geek Bar closes

The retailers group has come up with various initiatives recently to promote Commercial Street’s array of independent shops and to support the community.

It worked with the charity Disability Action Yorkshire to make it more accessible to people with disabilities and held a dog friendly day.

Ms Kramer said:

“We are always trying to do new and innovative things on Commercial Street. We are also getting bespoke Christmassy bunting made by a local company, Flying Colours in Knaresborough.

“Our street is going to look fantastic and will have a real Christmas community spirit — after all it is the season of goodwill unto others.”

Storm Arwen’s impact is still being felt with more than 700 homes still without power, some since Friday.

According to a live map organised by Northern Powergrid, the company responsible for the electricity distribution network across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, more than 700 homes are without power.

The areas most affected are the HG3 and HG4 postcode, particularly Birstwith, Hampsthwaite and Spofforth.

We will keeping this live blog full of updates as we get them.

Have you been affected by the storm? Please send updates on the situation where you live to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk with a description of what has happened, where and any pictures.

1.50pm – Phone signal drops in Summerbridge

Reports of a loss of phone signal are still coming from outlying villages such as Summerbridge.

One Stray Ferret reader got in touch to say she lost phone signal around midday today, her colleagues are also without.

Similar reports came in after Friday night’s bad weather, the situation with signal and power to homes looks to be ongoing.

7.15am – Local resident books in to hotel due to lack of power at home

A Stray Ferret reader has got in touch to say after having no heating or hot water and being unable to cook since Friday evening left her choosing to book into a hotel.

She has called on Northern Powergrid to make updates more specific so she can see the progress on works affecting her.

November 29

7.05am – Northern Powergrid said it is still working to restore power to homes 

Northern Powergrid, the company responsible for the electricity distribution network across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, tweeted overnight to say its engineers were working through the night to try and restore power to homes still without.

Our teams are working into the night and engineers from across the UK are ready to support our continued response to #StormArwen

Read more – https://t.co/1rrcpUqWAs

— Northern Powergrid (@Northpowergrid) November 29, 2021

Yesterday, it told customers they may be “off supply for long periods” due to some areas needing intensive work. It has said all planned work has been postponed so teams can focus on getting customers back on supply.

3.17pm – North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum update

North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which coordinates the country’s emergency response to incidents, says “emergency services, councils and utilities services continue to work together across North Yorkshire to deal with the aftermath of Storm Arwen”.

The update adds:

“Whilst the strong winds have dropped, some homes and business are still being affected and there remain issues with snow and ice across much of the county.

“Northern Powergrid continues to work to restore power to homes and businesses in the area.  We know, however, that some homes in parts of North Yorkshire continue to be affected.

“The Northern Powergrid website has details of when affected areas are likely to have power restored – www.northernpowergrid.com – using a live interactive map.”

Speaking on behalf of the forum, Neil Irving said:

“With an issue like this storm and the wintry weather that’s followed, it’s really important that we work together closely to make sure that those who need help are able to get it.

“Our joint response across emergency services, organisations delivering important infrastructure, and local councils providing support to people, mean that we’ve been able to combine and target our help more effectively.”

2.29pm – Weather warning for ice begins at 3pm

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for ice in the Harrogate district.

The warning comes into force at 3pm today and ends at 10am tomorrow.

Temperatures are forecast to fall to about freezing tonight in Harrogate but in remote areas, such as Greenhow Hill, it will feel like minus eight degrees centigrade.

The Met Office says:

• Probably some icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths, making accidents more likely and journey times longer.
• Icy surfaces likely, increasing the risk of slips and falls.

1.51pm – Northern Powergrid update: 40,000 homes still affected

Northern Powergrid, the company responsible for the electricity distribution network across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, has issued another update saying this is the largest storm to affect its network for 15 years.

It says power has been restored to 200,000 of 240,000 homes that suffered loss of supply. It is drafting in engineers from Northern Ireland Electricity and UKPN to resolve outstanding problems.

In a statement, it said:

“All resources available are deployed, including contractors, and the network operator, as part of an industry mutual aid agreement, has also secured additional teams from other UK network operators to bolster its response and assist with the complex permanent repairs needed following the impact of the storm.

“With more than 700 (of 1,100) incidents still to address, there is a huge amount of work to be completed. Many of the faults will require intensive work and are localised with smaller numbers of customers associated, which means some customers will remain off supply for long periods as the network operator works through this programme.

“Northern Powergrid’s teams are identifying those at risk of being off supply for more than another 24 hours so customers can make alternative arrangements.”

Rod Gardner, Northern Powergrid’s major incident manager, said:

“The storm was well forecasted and despite being prepared, Storm Arwen resulted in damage of a scale and intensity not seen for 15 years.

“We’re sorry that some customers are still without power despite the huge effort by our colleagues. We understand the impact this has on peoples’ lives particularly at this time of year.

He said the company was unable to keep pace with requests for info, adding:

“We pride ourselves on being able to keep our customers informed and we are doing everything possible to keep people updated using all available channels including social media. We’re sorry for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to address this.”

1.46pm – Power problems persist in Beckwithshaw

Reader Katharine Thompson informs us power has not returned to some homes in Shawfield Head in HG3

“We are only getting pre-recorded messages from Northern Powergrid when we ring their number despite being told we will get text updates.

“The last message said there were 54 houses in this postcode and 2 Leeds postcodes still without power. They estimate supply will be returned by midnight tonight but we are not holding out much hope.”

A Beckwithshaw family has booked into Rudding Park hotel to escape its freezing home after two days without power.

Sylvia Skipper’s home was among thousands in the district to lose electricity when Storm Arwen struck late on Friday.

Power has returned to most but about 800 properties in the Harrogate district are still affected, according to a live map by Northern Powergrid, the company responsible for the electricity distribution network across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire.

Ms Skipper, who lives on Shaw Lane, said her family had been without power since 9.20pm on Friday. There has been no hot water or heating, despite the freezing conditions, and they have been unable to cook. She said:

“Our house yesterday afternoon was minus one degrees.

“We couldn’t take any more and are now staying at Rudding Park. We have no idea whether power will be restored today.

“This is inhumane. We have lost faith as we have been forgotten about.”

Northern Powergrid’s live map shows 660 homes are without power in the Summerbridge and Bishop Thornton area, along with 60 in Spofforth, 30 in North Stainley, 20 in Pannal, 20 in High Birstwith, 20 in Kirkby Malzeard, fewer than 10 in Knaresborough, fewer than 10 in Greenhow Hill.

Ms Skipper said:

“The communication from Northern Powergrid has been dreadful.

“Until this afternoon we didn’t even have a phone signal on top of this so we had to venture in the car so that we could communicate with Northern Powergrid.

“I have seen their Twitter updates about providing hot drinks and support to numerous areas in the North East yet there has been absolutely nothing for us or our neighbours.”

Read more:

• Storm Arwen: More than 700 Harrogate district homes still without power
• Harrogate mum who struggled to feed kids wants to break stigma

Steve Crisp, whose home between Beckwithshaw and Leathley is also without power, said:

“I keep trying to access Northern Powergrid but the website is unreliable and this morning when I rang and confirmed I would like to wait to speak to someone the system just cut me off.

“Patience and Dunkirk spirit being stretched!”

He and his wife were luckier than some because they had a log burner, which provided heat and a means to cook beans on toast.

‘One of worst storms for 20 years’

Northern Powergrid’s latest update at 11pm last night said it had restored power to around 208,000 of the 240,000 customers. About 100 engineers from other power companies had been drafted in to help. It added:

“The scale of damage in some locations is so extensive that in some cases, large sections of overhead lines will need to be rebuilt in order to restore supplies.

“Where it can, Northern Powergrid is deploying temporary fixes that get customers back on supply whilst its teams coordinate the necessary permanent repairs to get the region’s power network back to full strength.

Rod Gardner, Northern Powergrid’s major incident manager, added:

“The impact from Storm Arwen has been one of the worst we’ve experienced in the last 20 years.”

It’s probably fair to say more parents dream of their children going to Oxford or Cambridge universities than Harrogate College.

But although an Oxford classics degree sounds impressive, a level 2 qualification in hairdressing or carpentry, or a motor vehicle diploma at the more humble Harrogate College could lead to a rewarding and better paid career.

The college, which has over 1,000 students, provides courses for 16 to 18-year-olds and adults in the Harrogate district as well as apprenticeships.

It specialises in vocational and technical training which, like the college itself, is enjoying a bit of a moment.

Many employers regard vocational training as the way to plug skills gaps in careers that are often well paid. As for the college, it has fresh impetus since it was acquired by Luminate Education Group two years ago.

Danny Wild, who became principal on the day Luminate took charge on August 1, 2019, says its £110 million turnover has injected vigour into the college. He adds:

“This was a college that had been unloved for a number of years in terms of its investment in people and resources.

“The most telling thing was the college had lost its connection with the community. There was a lack of understanding about what the college did and its purpose.”

Business links

The facilities on Hornbeam Park today are impressive. They include a professional kitchen, hair salon and beauty room and workshops for brick work, motor vehicles and welding.

The college caters for the Harrogate district and many local employers are desperate for staff in these areas.

Harrogate College

Twenty-six employers attended last month’s inaugural meeting of the college’s new employers’ network, which gives local firms the chance to discuss their training needs. Their feedback will enable the college to adapt its curriculum accordingly.

The district has many small, niche companies and Mr Wild says the college can provide the flexibility to meet their training needs. He talks about putting on courses for 10 to 12 people in areas where skills gaps exist. Companies could just send a single member of staff.

Read more:

• Harrogate College meets local firms to fix skills gap
• Eco-house to be built in two days at Harrogate climate festival
• Parents call for Harrogate army college to be closed after abuse claims

He cites digital health care as an example. He says it is one of the fastest growing employment areas in the district but staff sometimes lack the softer skills to match their IT ability so the college could adapt its digital IT courses to include customer training.

Mr Wild says the two sectors that employ most people in the district are hospitality and the visitor economy and care. North Yorkshire, he says, is second only to Cornwall in visitor numbers and “we are so used to care we underestimate its value”.

This close understanding of the local labour market, and its trends, will enable the college and businesses to work fruitfully together, he adds.

Apprenticeships

The college provides courses for 16 to 18-year-olds and adults as well as apprenticeships.

Mr Wild also describes apprenticeships as a “real growth area in the Harrogate district”. He adds:

“The government has definitely raised the profile of vocational and technical education and is continuing to talk about its importance.

“But if we are going to have a world-leading, highly skilled workforce that requires investment and we continue to lag behind the investment that gets put into school children.”

The college will also start offering new T-levels in health, education and childcare and digital and IT from September next year.

T Levels, which are equivalent to 3 A-levels, are two-year courses introduced last year to meet the needs of industry.

Mr Wild, who lives in Boroughbridge and has a degree in sport and geography, says T-Levels “will become an important part of what the college offers”.

Green ambitions

The college also aspires to become a green centre of excellence. It hosted the opening event of this year’s Harrogate District Climate Action Festival and wants to make its site a green centre of excellence.

The college attended the COP26 UN climate change conference in Glasgow and was highly commended at the national Green Gown Awards for its work on sustainability. It is also delivering its first retro fit courses for homes in January.

The college also expects to hear from the Department for Education in the new year whether its application for funding to demolish its main block, which was built in the 1950s as offices, and build a new one on the site of the car park is successful.

Mr Wild, who previously worked at Leeds City College, another Luminate organisation. says the current building is not fit for purpose and the new one would be far more energy-efficient.

Away from work, he enjoys “all things food” and describes himself as an “outdoorsy person” who is often found walking his dogs on the North Yorkshire moors. His background is as a rugby coach.

But his focus now is on championing the college and the kind of education it provides.

“For people who are clear about what career they want to go into or have a strong interest in a particular sector you can follow that passion and study on a vocational or technical course.

“The most important thing for Harrogate College is that the reputation of the college continues to grow so people recognise it as the provider of vocational and technical education in the Harrogate district.”

A decision is still to be made on whether to stage this year’s Mayor’s Carol Concert at Harrogate’s Royal Hall.

The concert, which is traditionally held on Christmas Eve, is a popular part of the Harrogate district’s festive programme. Tickets are free but usually sell out well in advance.

The hall is open for business but with Christmas just five weeks away, Harrogate Borough Council still hasn’t given the carol concert the green light.

A council spokeswoman said:

“The council is currently working with public health to determine if and how the event can take place safely given the rising covid rates amongst school-age children who form the choir and orchestra for this event.”

The spokeswoman added the council hoped to be in a position to provide further details “in the near future”.

Last year’s concert was held remotely due to covid.

Read more:

• Candlelight concert to be held in Harrogate in aid of charity
• Harrogate Theatre panto tickets selling fast

Residents are being invited to attend a meeting on December 2 to discuss the gas leak that affected 3,500 homes in Harrogate.

Northern Gas Networks has organised the meeting, which will take place at the Styan Community Centre in Jennyfields.

The centre became an emergency hub from October 15 to 17 when NGN sub-contractors damaged an underground pipe on Ripon Road where roadworks were taking place.

Gas supply to homes in the HG1, HG2, HG3 and HG4 areas was cut off and thousands of electric heaters and food vouchers were handed out.

An NGN statement said:

“While incidents such as this are rare, it’s important that we reflect on what went well, and what we could have done better, so that we continually improve the service that we provide to our customers.

“During the session we’ll give a brief overview of how the incident unfolded, what support Northern Gas Networks provided to minimise disruption, and what we are now doing to make sure that an incident like this does not occur again.

“There will be then be an opportunity to discuss a number of key areas, including communication, support services and working with others.”

NGN said the meeting was aimed at residents, business owners, councillors, MPs, emergency workers and community groups.

To attend, you must register here by November 26.

Read more:

• Harrogate gas leak: public meeting to be held
• Parents call for Harrogate army college to be closed after abuse claims
• Harrogate Theatre panto tickets selling fast

Representatives of about 30 voluntary organisations joined councillors and civic dignitaries this week to celebrate the Local Fund for the Harrogate District, which awarded £85,000 to 29 community groups this year.

The fund, which will be issuing more grants in the new year, awards up to £3,000 to small voluntary organisations that have a positive impact on the wellbeing of people in the Harrogate district.

It helped Resurrected Bites launch a community grocery store for low income people and enabled Wellspring Therapy and Training to offer reduced costs on counselling.

Other successful applicants this year included Harrogate Clothes Bank, Artizan International, the Wesley Centre, Masham Town Hall Community Charity, Harrogate Bowling Club, Chain Lane Community Centre and Harrogate & Knaresborough Toy Library, Nidderdale & Pateley Bridge Men’s Shed and Boroughbridge and District Community Care.

The fund is a three-way partnership between Harrogate Borough Council, Harrogate & District Community Action and Two Ridings Community Foundation.

Read more:

• First Harrogate Christmas Fayre set to showcase local charities
• Harrogate district charities receive £45,000 from Local Fund

At least 60% from each ticket sold on the Local Lotto, which has a weekly £25,000 jackpot, goes towards the fund.

Harrogate Borough Council has made a £200,000 endowment donation, which will help the fund provide sustainable long-term funding.

This week’s celebratory event at West Park Hotel.

Jan Garrill , chief executive of Two Ridings Community Foundation, told the gathering at Harrogate’s West Park Hotel that it would match fund any donations to the Local Fund by individuals or businesses.

Karen Weaver, strategic lead at HADCA, which supports charities in the district, said:

“The Local Fund is all about addressing the hidden needs in our district, like loneliness and mental health.

“It’s so important that there is a dependable fund for small groups that make such a massive impact in the district.”

Further details of the fund are available here.

A drama school whose star students regularly appear in TV shows has opened in Harrogate.

Articulate Drama School and Agency supplies child actors for production companies on programmes such as All Creatures Great and Small, Gentleman Jack, Peaky Blinders, Emmerdale, and Last Tango in Halifax.

It is now running weekly classes for young people aged five to 21 at St George’s Community Centre on Mornington Crescent.

Stacey Burrows, director of Articulate, said:

“Harrogate is fortunate enough to offer lots of opportunities for young people to get involved in drama and the arts, but for those wanting to explore the art of TV acting and see how they get on in the industry, Articulate classes and representation can be just what is needed.

“We chose Harrogate because increasingly, our TV and film clients are asking us for children to film in nearby locations such as the Yorkshire Dales, York, Ripon and Harrogate itself.”

Some of Articulate’s talented youngsters include Tilly Kaye, who plays Biff in CBeebies series Biff & Chip and Austin Haynes, who has just finished filming as a leading role in sequel to the The Railway Children, which is set to be released in cinemas in April next year.

Read more:

• Watch ex-Harrogate Town footballer’s reaction after winning £1m on lottery
• Will you be going for a spin on Harrogate’s helter skelter?

Some of its actors have also worked overseas for TV and advertising projects. For example, Ilkley teen Henry Kent flew to Mexico to film a Coca Cola advert.

Ms Burrows said the agency’s set-up was geared purely towards TV and sessions were filmed so children could analyse their skills.

There is no singing or dancing, and she said often children without backgrounds in those areas adapted better because they were more natural. Anyone can take part.

Sessions take place on Wednesday evenings and cost £29.50 a month. A free trial is available.

For further details visit here. Or you can email dramaschool@articulatesdc.com or call 01274 033773.

Photo: (left) Aiden Cook on the set of All Creatures Great and Small and (right) Dexter Hughes with Suranne Jones on the set of Gentleman Jack