Some frontline staff at Harrogate District Hospital have requested £150 refunds for being asked to pay for car parking during the pandemic.
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust suspended parking charges for staff and visitors during the first lockdown but reinstated them in September.
The trust then wrote to staff last month saying it had decided to donate staff parking fees to Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity, where they would be put towards a staff health and wellbeing fund.
The monthly parking charge is £50.50, which means staff paid £151.50 to park on site during the last quarter of 2020.
Employees have now been given the choice to opt out of this arrangement or continue contributing to the health and wellbeing fund.
Most have chosen the latter, but a number have opted out and some are seeking refunds for parking charges incurred in the final quarter of 2020.
One frontline worker, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Stray Ferret they felt it was unfair to be charged for parking after such a demanding year, particularly with the risk of covid, or to be pressured into paying into the hospital charity, however worthy the cause. They added:
“It feels like a kick in the teeth after all we’ve been through in 2020. We were busy before Christmas but right now it’s manic and we feel we deserve this money back.”
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The person added £50.50 was a considerable monthly sum for low wage staff, including cleaners and porters, who paid for onsite parking to know their cars were secure when they worked overnight shifts rather than leave them on nearby streets, which can also annoy residents.
In a letter to staff last month, Jonathan Coulter, finance director of the trust, encouraged staff to continue contributing fees to the health and wellbeing fund but added:
“By necessity this needs to be optional for colleagues, and therefore you could simply opt out and park for free, but we would hope the vast majority of colleagues would like to continue this, given the positive impact that the money raised will have for all staff, and the fact that this will be at no cost over and above what you currently pay.”
Mr Coulter told staff last week that at the start of the year 13 of 300 staff the trust had written to had asked to opt out but he was aware more had done so since.
He added the issue would be kept under review.
A Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust spokesman told the Stray Ferret the car parking fees would be “specifically used to benefit colleague health and wellbeing all across the trust” and a staff group would decide where it is paid.
The spokesman declined to say whether staff would be offered refunds or why the trust had changed its parking policy again to offer the opt-out option.
Sixteen sheep died when they fell through broken ice on a pond in Burton Leonard yesterday.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to the village at 5.30pm, when much of the Harrogate district was covered by ice and snow.
The service’s incident report said:
“A number of crews attended a large quantity of sheep that had wandered on to a frozen pond, causing the ice to break.
“Crews worked to rescue the sheep using two inflatable walkways, raft, lines, lighting, thermal imaging camera and crew power.
“Unfortunately of the 19 sheep rescued, 16 were dead.”
Rising temperatures have seen much of the snow and ice thaw today but many minor roads and pavements remain treacherous.
Three Harrogate Town players test positive for covid
Three Harrogate Town players have tested positive for covid, the club announced before this afternoon’s fixture with Cambridge United.
The trio consists of winger Brendan Kiernan, striker Aaron Martin and defender Ryan Fallowfield.
All three have been regular first team players recently but despite their absence today’s match goes ahead.
Aaron Martin. Pic credit: Harrogate Town
Ryan Fallowfield. Pic credit: Harrogate Town
The club tweeted that the players tested positive in the most recent round of testing and are now isolating. It added:
“All other tests at the club returned negative results and we wish all three a speedy recovery.”
Many of today’s fixtures have been postponed due to the weather but Harrogate’s trip was to high-flying Cambridge is still on.
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Travel problems remain in Harrogate district after freezing night
Freezing temperatures after yesterday’s snow are continuing to cause problems in the Harrogate district.
Overnight temperatures plunged as low as minus 12 degrees centigrade in some parts of North Yorkshire and a Met Office yellow warning for ice remains in place until 11am.
This has caused problems for motorists, travel companies and some venues that have remained open during the lockdown.
The Harrogate Bus Company said this morning it was unable to operate the 2A/2B – Bilton; 3 – Jennyfield; 6 – Pannal Ash; 8 – Knaresborough to Wetherby and the 24 – Pateley Bridge.
It added the 1 would operate between Harrogate, Starbeck and Knaresborough bus station only, saying it was still unable to reach the Knaresborough estates.
And the 21 will be a non-stop service between Boroughbridge and Knaresborough on the motorway.
However, the 36 is running its full route from Ripon to Leeds.
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Gritters have teated main roads but North Yorkshire County Council has warned the reduced lockdown traffic could make it less effective and many minor roads are treacherous.
The council also tweeted its household recycling centres in Harrogate and Ripon will open late today due to the weather.
RHS Harlow Carr remains closed today, as does Fountains Abbey, near Ripon. Both are offering refunds.
No further significant snowfall is expected and temperatures are forecast to rise slightly over the weekend.
A Harrogate snow scene sent by reader Yvonne Davies
Alice Brooke Thwaites captured this image of the impact of the snow at Starbeck train station.
Police arrest suspected cocaine dealers after chase in Harrogate
Police have arrested two suspected cocaine dealers after a chase in Harrogate.
North Yorkshire Police said officers on patrol followed a car on Leeds Road travelling towards Harrogate last night.
When the vehicle stopped the passenger ran off, discarding a large amount of suspected cocaine and a mobile phone.
Following a short chase on foot he was found to be in possession of £700.
The pair from Leeds, aged 28 and 44 were both arrested on suspicion of possessing class A drugs with intent to supply.
The driver was also arrested on suspicion of drug driving after a roadside drugs test showed a positive result.
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Both men have since been released while under investigation to allow for further enquiries.
Detective Sergeant Marcus Dawson, of Harrogate police’s Operation Expedite team, which deals with county lines drug dealers, said:
“We are sending a clear message to the drug peddling fraternity that despite lockdown, it’s business as usual when it comes to disrupting drug dealing and the misery it causes.
“We urge members of the public to keep on reporting suspicious activity to us, we are still here and still need you to report information to us.
“If you prefer not to talk to us, remember you can report information to Crimestoppers anonymously.”
The police urged people to report signs of drug dealing, including ‘cuckooing’ – where drug dealers take over a vulnerable person’s house.
The signs to look out for include an increase callers at a property, an increase in cars pulling up for short periods of time, different accents at a property and windows covered or curtains closed for long periods.
Anyone with information can call North Yorkshire Police on 101. If you wish to remain anonymous, you call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Weather warning issued for snow and ice tonightWeather warnings are in place for snow and ice tonight in the Harrogate district as temperatures are set to plunge to minus four degrees centigrade.
The Met Office warning says some disruption to travel is possible due to icy stretches and snow falling.
North Yorkshire County Council gritters have been out but untreated roads could be hazardous.
The council warned in a tweet today the lockdown could make conditions worse;
“Although we’re gritting roads whenever needed they might still be icy. Salt needs traffic to activate it – less traffic during lockdown means gritting isn’t as effective and icy conditions may last longer than you would expect.”
A yellow warnings is in place from 5pm today until midnight tomorrow. Yellow warnings are less severe than amber and red warnings.
Tonight’s forecast. Credit: Met Office
The district has been in the grip of a cold snap since Christmas, which has seen occasional heavy snowfall in places, such as the A59 at Blubberhouses and Kex Gill.
Although it is forecast to stay cold, temperatures are expected to rise slightly over the weekend, bringing some respite from the freezing conditions.
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Library books still available during lockdown
Libraries in Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough will continue to provide books during lockdown through the select and collect service.
The select and collect service, which was introduced last year in response to the pandemic, enables customers to phone or email their library to request books and collect them from the entrance of the building.
North Yorkshire County Council, which manages the libraries, is also continuing to operate its home library service, which sees volunteers deliver books, DVDs and CDs to customers who are unable to visit a library.
The council is also allowing pre-booked library computer sessions for essential use, such as accessing services and benefits. But they must be booked in advance by phone or email.
County councillor Greg White, executive member for libraries, said:
“We know how beneficial a connection to their library can be to people’s wellbeing and how many people rely on free library computers to access services and benefits and to apply for jobs.
“I am pleased that we are able to continue to provide that connection to some degree through our select and collect service and to support the most vulnerable with the home library service and computer access.”
To use the select and collect service or to book a computer session, contact your library or visit here.
The five Harrogate streets that attract the most pothole reportsArthurs Avenue has more potholes reported than any other road in Harrogate, according to statistics from North Yorkshire County Council.
The avenue, which Harrogate Grammar School is situated on, had 17 potholes reported In the year April 1 2019 to March 31 2020.
Roads in the west of Harrogate appear to attract the most complaints.
Arthurs Avenue displays some of the scars from work on its surface.
The second most reported road for potholes was nearby Rossett Drive, with 12.
Another street in the vicinity, Pannal Ash Road, was joint third, along with Oakdale and Wayside Avenue, with 11.
The council, which is the highways authority for the county, supplied the figures after the Stray Ferret submitted a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
Stunning Harrogate district walks included in new guideWalks around Pateley Bridge, Ripon, Boroughbridge and Harrogate are among those included in a new campaign to promote Yorkshire as the walking capital of the world.
The year-long initiative, known as Walkshire, began yesterday. It includes 365 walks in God’s own county — one for every day of the year.
Tourism agency Welcome to Yorkshire, which is behind the campaign, hopes it will encourage more people to discover Yorkshire’s spectacular scenery and history on foot.
Routes in the Harrogate district include:
53 miles of the Nidderdale Way
14 miles Bramhope to Harrogate via Arthington viaduct
9 miles Ripon to Fountains Abbey
8 miles Hackfall woods near Masham
5 miles Thruscross reservoir
6.5 miles Burton Leonard, Copgrove and South Stainley
2 miles Ripon canal
The routes can be viewed here:
Arthington viaduct. Credit: Welcome to Yorkshire
James Mason, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said:
“2020 has been a tricky year for all and certainly a time to reflect on the importance of health and well-being so what better way to start the new year and continue through 2021 than promoting walking in Yorkshire to the world and welcoming visitors to the most diverse of counties.”
The campaign features a daily walk and businesses can sponsor and nominate routes.
There are four big seasonal walks and special plans for Yorkshire Day on August 1, as well as a Tour de Walkshire to replace the postponed Tour de Yorkshire cycle race.
People are invited to participate in Walkshire by sharing their own favourite walks using the hashtag #Walkshire.
Harrogate-based Yorkshire Cancer Research is the official charity partner of Walkshire.
Watch Harrogate man in World’s Strongest Man final on TV tonightHe conquered Europe in 2020 and tonight you can see how Harrogate’s Luke Richardson fared when he lined up against the best strongmen in the world.
Luke, 23, was one of 10 men in the final of the World’s Strongest Man, which is being broadcast on Channel 5 at 7.30pm.
The event took place in Florida in November and the Stray Ferret revealed last month how Luke fared.
If you want to know, you can type his name into the search function on our website but as many people don’t want the outcome spoiled, we won’t mention it here.
Whatever happened, 2020 was a remarkable year for Luke, a former lifeguard at Starbeck Baths who only transitioned from powerlifting to strongman just over a year ago.
He finished fourth at Britain’s Strongest Man and won Europe’s Strongest Man, which was held at Allerton Castle, near Knaresborough.
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All these events have been broadcast on Channel 5, providing huge national exposure for Luke over the festive season. He has 64,000 followers on Instagram.
Luke was one of 40 men who qualified for the World’s Strongest Man.
He finished second in his heat, which was shown on TV on Boxing Day, to American Jerry Pritchett to book his place in tonight’s final.
The final includes events such as the keg toss, Hercules hold, deadlift and the Atlas stones.
Luke has lived in Harrogate all of his life. He attended Starbeck Community Primary School and Harrogate High School and now trains at Absolute Fitness in Boroughbridge and LR Strength Shed in Wetherby, which he and training partner Richard Parish opened.