Newcastle United are to bring an under-23 team to Harrogate tomorrow rather than a first team squad due to covid.

The Premier League side announced the news this afternoon after goalkeeper Karl Darlow tested positive.

Although every other player and staff member within Newcastle’s first team group has returned negative tests, fellow goalkeepers Mark Gillespie and Freddie Woodman have gone into isolation for 10 days after being identified as close contacts.

Consequently Newcastle will send a first team to York tomorrow and an under-23 team to Harrogate to minimise mixing between the groups.

Magpies manager Steve Bruce said:

“I have spoken to Simon Weaver, who was very understanding, and I would like to apologise to any Harrogate supporters who have bought tickets thinking first team players were coming.

“Ultimately, we have to follow the advice from medical professionals and take proactive steps to protect players and we simply can’t mix up the dressing rooms, which was our initial plan.”

The first ever match between Harrogate and the six-times FA Cup winners was the pick of Town’s pre-season friendlies.

Kick off is at 2pm tomorrow  at the EnviroVent Stadium on Wetherby Road.

Read more:

• Harrogate Town bolsters squad with two more signings
• Rossett students win football scholarships in America

Neil Renton, the headteacher at Harrogate Grammar School, was in Marks & Spencer in Leeds on his wedding anniversary one weekend recently when his phone rang.

He was told a student on a coach trip to Flamingo Land had tested positive for covid and a decision had to be made on which children should isolate the next day.

He called Dr Dora Machaira, a health improvement officer in North Yorkshire County Council‘s public health team, who has been the go-to woman for schools needing advice on covid, and, after numerous calls, made the necessary arrangements.

The episode sums up what life has been like running a school during the last 16 months. Face masks, lateral flow tests, bubbles, test and trace and isolate have become as much a part of the lexicon of education as maths, English and science.

The lowest point came just before Christmas: the second wave was taking off and the school received news of more infections, which meant closing an entire year group. Mr Renton recalls:

“On a Sunday night I was wondering ‘how are we going to tell 290 students that they are not coming in tomorrow?’ There’s nothing more painful than having to go to parents and say, ‘your child will have to isolate’.”

At the same time Kirsty Moat, the associate headteacher who Mr Renton describes as “my co-pilot”, tested positive and about 50 other staff, some of whom were badly affected by the disease, were also absent.

Attendance fell to 47 per cent

Mr Renton thinks about the current academic year in covid phases rather than terms.

During phase one, in September and October, case numbers were low.

“There was a feeling of confidence that we had reopened and things were back to normal.”

November to January was the second and most difficult phase. At one point pupil attendance fell to 47 per cent as more and more children isolated. All of years 11 and 13, which have about 300 students each, were closed at some points.

The January lockdown that followed, which was the third phase, was almost a relief because the school had learned from previous remote learning and felt confident it could cope, especially as every student has an iPad.

The return-to-school fourth phase in March was relatively smooth, with low case numbers. But the fifth phase since half-term has been almost as tough as pre-Christmas. He says:

“We haven’t had any year group closures in the latest phase but today we have 159 students isolating.”

‘Pushed to the limit’

Mr Renton is fulsome in his praise for North Yorkshire County Council’s public health team; but less so for the Department for Education, which he says has “pushed headteachers to the limits” with last minute, complex guidance and U-turns.

“We hear the PM announce something then guidance comes out two days later.”

Read more:

• Record number of Oxbridge offers at Harrogate Grammar School
• Thirty-one Harrogate schools take part in ‘walk to school day’;

Harrogate Grammar, which is one of 13 schools in north and west Yorkshire belonging to Red Kite Learning Trust, is one of the largest schools in the north of England with 2,018 pupils.

Its size means it has been better able to assimilate the financial cost of covid than some smaller schools. It has employed extra cleaners, had to cover for absent teachers and even put up a marquee to improve social distancing.

The remarkable generation

Throughout it all not one child has been seriously ill. Mr Renton mentions several times during the interview how selfless and mature pupils have been in responding to a pandemic that doesn’t predominantly affect their generation.

“We should call them the remarkable generation, not the covid generation.”

He acknowledges, however, there is a “growing sense of frustration” among young people at the sacrifices they’re making, especially when they watch packed crowds at football matches.

Terms ends on Friday and, with covid infections rocketing, he admits the school is “limping” towards the finishing line.

He’s looking forward to a week away during the six-week holiday and, hopefully, a quieter 2021/22 school year when the NHS will assume responsibility from the school for pupil test and trace.

Mr Renton, who hasn’t had covid although his son in year 10 at the school had to isolate for 10 days, started as headteacher in September 2019 in what now seems like a golden bygone pre-covid era.

He chuckles at the memory of an early planning meeting to discuss arrangements for the Tour de Yorkshire.

“Now we look back at that time and laugh because every week we are dealing with much bigger and more complex logistical problems.

“My first two years of being a headteacher has been a crash course in leading through crisis and changing circumstances.”

Police told a court yesterday there had been “extensive difficulties” at two homes in Starbeck due to drugs and anti-social behaviour.

North Yorkshire Police and Harrogate Borough Council jointly applied to Leeds Magistrates Court for closure orders on 19 and 31 Avenue Grove, Starbeck.

The court granted three-month partial closure orders on the properties, let by landlord John Willis, which means only Mr Willis and one person at each property can enter the premises until midnight on October 12.

Mr Willis was in court for the hearing.

Simon Mallett, a barrister acting for North Yorkshire Police, told the court there had been “a considerable amount of disorder in Avenue Grove” and drugs had been found in the two properties.

He added:

“There have been extensive difficulties arising from people in the properties or visiting the properties.

“We have received a very considerable number of complaints from residents about anti-social behaviour and drug use emanating from both properties.”

The court heard that all the tenants had left the properties except the two men allowed to stay.

Read more:

• Police and council bid to close two Starbeck houses over crime
• Mayfield Grove: house at centre of crime concerns allowed to re-open

Julia Stack, community safety and CCTV manager at Harrogate Borough Council, said in a statement afterwards:

“This outcome should act as a reminder that we will not tolerate this type of anti-social behaviour.

“I want to reassure local residents that we will continue to monitor the situation and take further action if necessary.

Inspector Nicola Colbourne of North Yorkshire Police said in a statement afterwards:

“This action once again demonstrates our commitment to ensuring Harrogate remains one of the safest towns to live in.”

North Yorkshire Police and Harrogate Borough Council successfully applied for a three-month closure order on 38 Mayfield Grove, Harrogate, another property let by Mr Willis, in March. This order expired last month.

Harrogate weightlifter Jack Dobson has become British champion and put himself in pole position for a place at next year’s Commonwealth Games.

Jack, 27, who went to Starbeck Primary Academy and Harrogate High School, achieved a 310kg total at the British Weightlifting Championships in Twickenham, London — 15 kg more than the runner-up.

It means he is currently British Weightlifting’s top pick for the England men’s 96 kg class at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham but there are two more qualifying events at which rival lifters will have the opportunity to better his total and win selection.

In his first competition for two years because of covid, Jack hoisted 138 kg in the snatch and 172 kg in the clean and jerk, which are both slightly below his personal bests.

Jack Dobson (centre) winning the British Championships.

He said:

“I wasn’t happy with my performance. Because it was my first competition back, me and my coach decided to be a bit conservative with the totals we aimed for.”

Jack’s ambition is to represent his country internationally. He missed the chance to do so in Georgia in 2018 because of lack of funding. UK Sport does not currently fund weightlifting, which means Jack has to pay for his trips.

To make ends meet, he works as a coach at Black Wolf Fitness in Knaresborough and also works as a personal trainer, sports masseuse and as a staff member of the parks an environmental services department at Harrogate Borough Council. He says:

“It hasn’t been an easy road but you have to take it on the chin and drive on. I just love Olympic weightlifting.”

Read more:

• Injury ends Harrogate man’s Strongest Man dream
• Harrogate teen wins bronze at Para Powerlifting World Cup

Jack sometimes trains with fellow Starbuck man Luke Richardson, who has twice competed at the World’s Strongest Man.

Many people mistake weightlifting for strongman, powerlifting or bodybuilding.

Weightlifting consists of two lifts: snatch and clean and jerk, with the winner achieving the highest overall total. It’s an Olympic sport but only three British athletes — Zoe Smith, Emily Campbell and Sarah Davies — achieved the qualifying standard for this month’s Tokyo Olympics.

Jack invested in some weights at home a few years ago so when gyms closed during covid he was able to improvise at home by adapting some wooden planks into a lifting platform.

Now he hopes the years of hard work will pay off with a place among the sporting elite at Birmingham 2022.

Harrogate East, Killinghall and Hampsthwaite and Starbeck are the Harrogate district’s current covid hotspots after another 76 infections were recorded today.

The three locations have registered 54, 47 and 46 respectively in the last seven days, which have seen rates soar but hospitalisations remain low and more than three months have passed without a covid-related death at Harrogate District Hospital.

The last reported covid death at the hospital was on April 11. It means the death toll remains at 179.

Meanwhile, a total of 218,532 covid vaccines have been given in the Harrogate district, according to latest Public Health England figures.

A total of 120,440 people have had a first dose and 98,092 have received a second vaccine.

Elsewhere, the district’s seven-day covid rate of infection has increased to 410 people per 100,000.

The North Yorkshire average is 355 and the England rate is 345.

Read more:

• Map shows second covid vaccine rate in Harrogate district
• Yorkshire Ambulance Service says some patients waiting ‘longer than we would like’

Barely a day has passed in the Harrogate district this year without some sort of controversy about roads and transport schemes.

Roadworks on Skipton Road, new cycling initiatives, the Harrogate Station Gateway, low traffic neighbourhoods, a park and ride, low-traffic neighbourhoods, speed limits… the list goes on.

Everyone who uses roads seems to have an opinion on them and often they’re not very complimentary towards the highways authority, North Yorkshire County Council.

The chief flak taker is usually Don Mackenzie, the Conservative councillor for Harrogate Saltergate, who as the council’s executive member for access sets the policy. But it’s Melisa Burnham, area manager for the Harrogate district, who is effectively the head civil servant in charge of delivering it.

Ms Burnham, a former Ripon Grammar School pupil, has day-to-day oversight of 1,100 miles of road in the district. The junction improvements at Bond End in Knaresborough in 2018 is among the projects she helped complete. Does she wince when she reads some of the more brutal comments directed at Cllr Mackenzie?

“Very much so. I’ve worked with Don for a number of years and I know he has the best interests at heart.

“A person said to me in Harrogate the other day: ‘You must have thick skin because all you hear are complaints’. They can get quite personal.

“Sometimes we don’t always get it right but we do strive to deliver the best service we can.”

Ms Burnham, who studied geography at Hull University, oversees a capital budget of £7.7 million, of which £2.5 million is being spent on surface dressing 200 sites this year. Leeds Road’s four-week resurfacing cost £800,000 and involved cleaning 105 gullies.

Melisa Burnham (right) and Jayne Charlton, the council’s area manager for Richmondshire and Hambleton.

She’s also in charge of gritting from October to April. There are 13 priority routes in the district, including the A59 and the A61. The A1 is Highways England‘s responsibility.

Most criticism, she says, is due to a lack of knowledge. The guy sat in the van apparently doing nothing at roadworks is probably operating the traffic lights, she says, and just because someone doesn’t see gritters doesn’t mean they aren’t operating. Highways officers hold two briefings a day in winter to decide whether to activate the fleet of 13 gritters. Ms Burnham says:

“Sometimes people just don’t have the knowledge and information. The more you can share information with them and the more you can inform people, maybe they complain less.”

There have been plenty of complaints this year about specific projects, not least the biggest one: the £10.9 million Harrogate Station Gateway. The scheme, which aims to transform town centre travel by encouraging cycling and walking and reducing traffic, has upset some businesses that fear the proposals to reduce Station Parade to one lane and pedestrianise part of James Street could damage trade.

Ms Burnham says she wasn’t surprised by the reaction and adds the council has been “listening to both sides about their concerns” and is confident of a “positive outcome for the town”.

Cycling schemes

She acknowledges the Otley Road cycle route has had a “lot of problems” due to delays caused by the exchange of Stray land, utility works and covid but is confident work will finally begin in October.

The county council secured £715,000 funding for three other cycling improvement schemes on Oatlands Drive in Harrogate, Victoria Avenue in Harrogate and the A59 Knaresborough Road but the consultation generated such fierce opposition to the Oatlands initiative from residents in the nearby Saints area that it didn’t proceed.

But change to Oatlands is still very much on the agenda. Ms Burnham says a feasibility report at the end of August will consider measures to ease congestion. She says:

“We recognised we needed to take a step back.

“The feasibility study will look at the options. Residents parking was a key issue — that has been a historic problem in the area, especially with the hospital and schools.”

The £215,000 allocated for Oatlands has been diverted to the other two schemes although it seems the funky cyclops junction mooted for the junction of Victoria Avenue and Station Parade to totally separate cyclists from traffic won’t happen. Ms Burnham says it was just one option and there “might be something similar” instead.

She seems cool on the Pannal park and ride idea, saying further details should be available in a couple of months. She insists it’s still on the table but adds “it has to work financially for the bus service too”.

Low-traffic neighbourhoods

Low-traffic neighbourhoods, which reduce motor vehicles in residential areas, have been another bugbear.

An experimental order was introduced on Harrogate’s Beech Grove in February, which closed the route to through traffic. The move took many people by surprise and some cars were driven across the Stray by motorists determined to keep using the route as a cut through between West Park and Otley Road.

Read more:

• Ill feeling lingers after decision to scrap Oatlands cycling scheme
• £10.9m Harrogate Station Gateway scheme: what key groups say

Ms Burnham says reaction was “mixed”

“There was some positive and that sometimes gets lost in the media and social media.”

The experimental order was extended from 6 months to 18 months before decision is made on whether to close the road permanently to through traffic — why? Ms Burnham says it was to allow more time to see how the initiative ties in with other schemes, such as the Otley Road and Victoria Avenue cycling projects.

She says it’s exciting to see a network of connecting cycle routes emerge in Harrogate.

But a Bilton low traffic neighbourhood, suggested this year, is off the agenda, at least until autumn next year. Ms Burnham says the council wants to assess Beech Grove before considering any other low-traffic neighbourhoods.

No more roadworks than usual

She insists that, contrary to popular belief, there are currently no more roadworks than usual.

Harrogate, she says, often has more roadworks than other parts of the county because it is an urban area, adding:

“There’s also a lot of development taking place and because of that a lot of road works need to happen.”

Ms Burnham says the council tries to stipulate that work takes place between 9.30am to 3.30pm on key routes and can insist on night works “when it’s reasonable”.

As for permits to carry out roadworks being extended, and traffic lights lasting for months, which happened on Skipton Road in Harrogate, she says:

“It’s difficult when a company comes to you and says ‘we need to do more work’. Sometimes they do find issues on site.”

Female role model

Ms Burnham, a mother of two young girls who enjoys camping and walking, is one of two women out of 11 senior officers in the highways senior management team. She lives in Northallerton.

The county council workforce is 76 per cent female but highways remains male-dominated. She says:

“Some people still have a surprised reaction when I tell them my job title. That said, we are certainly seeing a positive increase in women into the service. I now have four females in my team.”

Ms Burnham worked for Harrogate Borough Council for four years from 2005, during which she helped deliver the Nidderdale Greenway scheme.

She joined North Yorkshire County Council in 2009 and was a senior engineer in the special projects team and a lead officer in the transport and development team before moving to her current position in 2018.

More than anywhere else in North Yorkshire, the Harrogate district presents both rural and urban transport challenges. She says:

“Harrogate is just that little bit more demanding in terms of its urban nature and popularity of events.”

Further control measures have been announced today for next week’s Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate following the increase in Delta variant covid cases.

The Yorkshire Agricultural Society, the farming charity that organises the event, has been working with public health officials at North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council to discuss measures.

It means the 162nd show will be held mainly outdoors and considerably different to previous ones.

Capacity has been limited to a maximum of 26,000 people a day to minimise crowding and to ensure social distancing.

It means about 104,000 people are expected to attend from Tuesday to Friday as opposed to the usual 135,000 that pass through the gates over three days.

Opening hours have been extended from 8.00am to 6.00pm to allow visitors to arrive and leave in a more staggered way to avoid queues.

Ticket sales were temporarily halted while the capacity numbers were finalised, and the final raft of tickets are now on sale via the Great Yorkshire Show website.

Lateral flow tests

Visitors are encouraged to have a lateral flow covid test before they arrive and to download the NHS app before arriving in order to be able to scan QR codes where necessary, such as in hospitality areas.

People working at the show, including catering and trade stands, will be required to have a negative lateral flow test within 24 hours before arriving at the Great Yorkshire Showground.

Read more:

• Great Yorkshire Showground vaccination site to close this weekend
• Great Yorkshire Show to go ahead

Tickets can only be bought in advance only and should be printed out as e-tickets. They will not be on sale on the gates.

This year most of the event will be held outdoors and it has been extended to run over four days for the first time in its history.

Show director Charles Mills said:

“This will be a very special Great Yorkshire Show and one we are all so looking forward to after these difficult times.

“It will be a slightly different show to normal but we have done our best to bring you an event which will fly the flag for farming and celebrate our industry.”

Richard Webb, North Yorkshire County Council’s director of health and adult services, said:

“We, along with partners from Harrogate Borough Council, have been working very closely for some months with the Great Yorkshire Show organisers and Public Health England to make sure the event is as safe and successful as possible, being mindful ofcCovid transmission rates and national restrictions.

“However, we recognise the importance of the show, not only for the people of North Yorkshire and Yorkshire but also for the farming community which has played such a vital role during the pandemic with food supplies and keeping the whole supply chain going.”

Sections that will not feature in this year’s show include the fashion show, the WI stand, the pole climbing competition and the cookery theatre in the food hall although the game cookery theatre will go ahead as usual.

Other safety measures this year

• Track and Trace at hospitality points
• Grandstand capacity reduced to 25% – 30% with tickets purchased in advance
• Extra security to disperse any crowding
• One way system around the Food Hall
• Hall 2 closed to public although the entrance will be a celebrity meet & greet
• Face coverings to be worn in all indoor areas, including toilets and the grandstand, and encouraged when in queues
• Enhanced cleaning
• Table service only at bar areas

Nominations for the upcoming by-election for the Knaresborough Scriven Park seat on Harrogate Borough Council have closed and the names are in.

It has now been confirmed who will be standing during the 29 July election, which is being held following the resignation of Conservative councillor Samantha Mearns who last month announced she had stepped down due to family reasons.

There are four candidates competing to replace her including Conservative nominee Jaqui Renton, a former landlady of The Union pub in Knaresborough.

Hannah Gostlow, a serving Knaresborough Town councillor, will stand for the Liberal Democrats, while the Labour Party has announced Sharon-Theresa Calvert as its candidate after she previously stood for a Knaresborough seat on North Yorkshire County Council in 2017.

The final name on the list is Harvey Alexander, a former UKIP member who is standing as an independent and previously competed for the Bilton and Nidd Gorge seat on North Yorkshire County Council in May.

Read more:

• Knaresborough set for by-election after Conservative councillor resigns
• Knaresborough and Starbeck pools: still no reopening dates

Councillor Mearns had held her Knaresborough seat on the borough council since 2018 and when announcing her resignation in a letter to residents last month she said she was moving to Wales to be closer to her family after her younger brother died and her mother was diagnosed with cancer.

She added it had been a “great honour” to serve the area where she had lived for more than 18 years.

Councillor Mearns said:

“Just before the pandemic struck, my younger brother, my only sibling, died from abdominal sepsis. With my sister in law and mother I watched him pass away. This had a huge impact upon me.

“Shortly after my mother became seriously unwell and was diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully due to our fantastic NHS her current prognosis is good.
“However this and losing my brother in such a short time has made me look at what I needed to do with my life for my family.

“Our moves have now finalised, and with lockdown restrictions lifting, now is the appropriate time for me to stand aside.”

Councillor Mearns was also a member of Knaresborough Town Council and voting to fill this vacant seat will take place on the same day as the borough council by-election.

One of the great views of the Harrogate district is from Knaresborough Castle down to the viaduct over the River Nidd.

Amateur photographer David Thompson sent us this stunning photo of it that he took early one morning recently.

You can see more photography by Mr Thompson, who lives in Starbeck, on Instagram @kampalakid.

We love receiving readers’ photos of the Harrogate district. Send them to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Read more:

• The poppies blow in a field near Knaresborough
• Brimham Rocks photography exhibition inspired by what lies beneath

The £10.9 million Station Gateway scheme is one of the biggest and most controversial transport policies in Harrogate for years.

The scheme aims to transform the way people travel in the town centre by encouraging cycling and walking and reducing traffic.

Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority have received UK government funding for the initiative.

Two proposals have proved particularly divisive so far: reducing traffic on Station Parade to one lane and pedestrianising the northern section of James Street.

Some businesses fear these moves could damage trade but many individuals and environmental groups support them.

Detailed designs are now being drawn up after the publication of a consultation document.

Here are edited extracts of what some stakeholders said in their consultation responses.

Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce

In the case of James Street, whilst we are against full pedestrianisation, we are not adverse to its semi-pedestrianisation, beyond its junction with Princes Square. We would also advocate retaining some of the parking bays.

Harrogate Business Improvement District

The BID supports the two lane proposals but with one dedicated to buses and taxis only. We don’t agree with the proposed two-way cycle lanes as it doesn’t form part of a connected and segregated cycling route and would result in reduced space for pedestrians — we would prefer to see some pavement widening.

We are concerned that the current consultation process hasn’t engaged the wider Harrogate community and urge you to consider sending details of the proposals via email and post to all Harrogate residents a this is such a significant step change in travel.

Harrogate Civic Society

There is a problem with making comments on these specific options (which focus on a relatively small section of Harrogate town centre) when there is no indication of these being part of a longer-term, integrated traffic policy for the wider area. As with previous proposals (some of which have been implemented) there is the very real possibility that, without a clear traffic policy for the whole of the town, these changes will in the future be seen as having been unnecessary or detrimental.

The need for major change to Station Square is questioned. The principal problems with this space relate to inadequate maintenance and poor collection of litter.

Commercial Street Retailers Group

An overwhelming majority of 81.25% of Commercial Street retailers voted for the two-lane option.

We are concerned and disappointed about the length, geographical reach and visibility of the consultation. With something as significant as this, all households in the Harrogate district should be consulted.

Harrogate District Friends of the Earth