John Plummer, Author at The Stray Ferret

Killinghall peacocks could be neutered

Parish councillors are investigating the possibility of neutering peacocks that roam around a village.

Killinghall has been home to an ostentation of peacocks for many years.

Although most people welcome them, some are concerned about the increasing number and their impact.

There are now believed to be least 10, and possibly as many as 16.

At its latest meeting, Killinghall Parish Council resolved to look at ways of stemming the population growth, possibly by neutering.

When contacted by the Stray Ferret, Sue Reid, the clerk of the council, emphasised the organisation had no intention of getting rid of the birds.

But she said the council was obliged to respond to concerns raised by some residents. She said:

“We have never said we want to get rid of the peacocks. All we are doing is respecting the fact that not everybody likes them.

“Killinghall can’t sustain them growing in such numbers.”

Ms Reid said the peacocks had damaged cars and had even got into the home of one older woman and “wreaked havoc”.

The council has put up posters urging people not to feed the birds, which are feral and can take care of themselves.

But Ms Reid is now investigating the practicalities of neutering the males, of which there are believed to be three.

“I am preparing a report for the next parish council meeting.”

Jimmy Carr first confirmed show at Royal Hall

Comedian Jimmy Carr is the first confirmed booking at Harrogate’s Royal Hall post-lockdown.

Carr is due to appear at the venue on September 23 and it is possible other events earlier in the year will be confirmed before then.

Harrogate International Nursery Fair, which takes place from June 27 to 29, will be the first event at the adjoining Harrogate Convention Centre.

Harrogate’s hospitality businesses will be hoping the trade event, which attracts manufactures and suppliers of baby goods, will re-ignite the district’s economy, which will have faced 15 months of disruption by then.

All social distancing measures are due to be lifted on June 21.

Paula Lorimer, director of the centre, which has operated as a Nightingale hospital for the past year, said yesterday it was in talks with NHS England about returning the building.

She added: “We have more than 30 confirmed events planned between June and next March, and a further 56 provisional events in the diary that we hope to confirm in due course.

“We also have more than 115 events confirmed and provisionally booked in the Royal Hall over the same period.”

Harrogate father and son guilty of beating dog

A blood-covered metal vegetable steamer and an axe were found at a home in Harrogate where a dog was beaten and left with wounds, a dislocated hip and multiple bruises.

A father and son from Harrogate received suspended jail sentences and were disqualified from keeping animals for 10 years after being prosecuted by the RSPCA charity for animal cruelty.

Russell Marriner, 56, and William Thomas Marriner, 20, both of St Patrick’s Way, Harrogate, were jailed for 18 weeks, suspended for 18 months. They appeared at Harrogate Magistrates Court on Friday for sentencing.

They had been bailed to attend after they were found guilty in their absence when they failed to turn up at a previous hearing.

The two men faced two animal welfare offences, including inflicting injuries on their dog Ted, a terrier cross type, and failing to ensure he received appropriate veterinary care for his injuries contrary to section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

The RSPCA received a call about a dog being beaten. RSPCA Inspector Nikki Cheetham, who led the investigation for the animal welfare charity, attended with police.

The court heard how they knocked loudly on the door of the house but apart from a single bark there was no response.

They could see a small white terrier type dog huddled behind the door and red patches on the laminate flooring, which looked like blood.

Insp Cheetham said:

“Police finally managed to rouse a man who eventually opened the door and it became immediately apparent that the small dog, called Ted, was severely injured. He was covered in dried blood and he had a significant wound to the top of his head.

“Both the men claimed Ted had attacked them but neither of them were able to show any injuries.”

The officers found further blood stains throughout the living room including on a blood-covered metal vegetable steamer, on an axe and blood smeared on a cardboard box.

Cowering in his kennel

These items were seized as evidence and Ted was signed over into the RSPCA’s care.

Insp Cheetham said:

“Ted was not able to weight bear on his right hind leg so I picked him up and carried him to my van. When we arrived at the vets I found Ted cowering at the back of the kennel. It took me several minutes to gain his trust.”

During the examination Ted was nervous but not aggressive, despite being in pain and he laid down with his head on the examination table.

Vets found Ted had bruising to his upper lip, a fractured tooth and a wound affecting his gums as well as bruising to his tongue, left eye and pinnae of both ears.

After clipping his fur the vet found small, circular wounds consistent with the pattern of holes on the metal vegetable steamer. Radiographs also revealed Ted had a dislocated hip.

The veterinary report said:

“The injuries sustained are, in my opinion, consistent with assault and severe blunt force trauma.

“It takes a very significant amount of force to dislocate the hip and this is an extremely painful injury that can in some cases require hip surgery and can cause long term complications.

“In addition to physical pain, Ted was suffering from fear. He was nervous around humans and it took my colleagues and I time and care to build trust with him. The injuries sustained were severe, painful and caused a great deal of suffering.”

Re-homed in York

Over the following days Ted was rested to maximise the chance of his hip staying in place and prevent the need for hip surgery. He needed a high level of pain relief before being discharged into the RSPCA’s care to continue his recovery.

Mitigation was given in court that due to their health issues and the fact that neither defendant had any previous convictions a custodial sentence would not be appropriate.

In addition to the decade-long disqualification and suspended prison sentences they were both ordered to attend a six-month alcohol treatment programme.

Russell Marriner was further sentenced to carry out a 40-day rehabilitation activity requirement and William Marriner a 25-day rehabilitation activity requirement. Both men were ordered to pay £700 costs and a victim surcharge of £122.

Ted has since been found a new home through the RSPCA’s York Animal Centre.

‘A costly PR stunt’: calls for an inquiry into Harrogate Nightingale

A senior politician from Ripon has described the Harrogate Nightingale as a “costly PR stunt”, amid calls for an inquiry.

Lord Newby’s criticism comes after NHS England said this week the hospital, which cost £27 million to set up, would be decommissioned at the end of the month.

It has not treated a single covid patient, prompting calls for an inquiry.

Lord Newby, the Liberal Democrat leader in the House of Lords, who lives in Ripon, said:

“The Nightingales were a costly PR stunt.

“They could never be used as planned because there was never the staffing for them. They were introduced because the government was desperate to be seen to be responding effectively to the pandemic, which at the time looked to be potentially out of control.

“The Harrogate Nightingale should have been closed months ago, in order to avoid the high cost of maintenance and so that Harrogate could begin to plan for its reopening.”

Jim Clark, a Conservative who represents Harrogate Harlow on Harrogate Borough Council, repeated his

call for an inquiry on BBC Look North yesterday.

He told the programme:

“It wasn’t an insurance policy in Harrogate because we didn’t have the staff to man it and I think it’s then been discovered that as soon as it was built it wasn’t essentially fit for purpose.”

The Stray Ferret asked Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones and Richard Cooper, leader of the Conservative-controlled Harrogate Borough Council whether they supported calls for an inquiry. Neither replied.

Asked the same question on Look North, Cllr Cooper said the location of the Nightingale Hospitals was likely to be considered as part of a wider covid inquiry. He added:

“But we’ve been pleased to host the Nightingale and to host the thousands of diagnostic tests that have been carried out there.”

Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Borough Council, supported calls for an inquiry, adding:

“Over a decade of Conservative cuts has led to an NHS operating on a shoestring. Whether there was ever the staff to run such a Nightingale hospital, should it have been toward full capacity, needs to be made clear.”

Margaret Smith, chair of Harrogate and Knaresborough Labour Party, said the Nightingales were “a legitimate insurance policy” in the early days of covid when it seemed hospitals could be overwhelmed. She added:

“There seems little point in wasting any more public money on an inquiry at this stage.”

Two covid deaths at Harrogate hospital takes toll to 169

Two more people who tested positive for covid have died at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England figures.

Both deaths were recorded yesterday and bring the total number of covid-related deaths at the hospital to 169.

Today’s daily Public Health England statistics revealed another 15 people have tested positive for covid in the Harrogate district.

It is the highest daily total since February 26.

The seven-day average rate of infection for the district is now 45 cases per 100,000 people.

The North Yorkshire average is 40 and the England average is 59.

Police appeal for help after row on Skipton Road

Police are appealing for witnesses to a heated argument on Skipton Road in Harrogate.

It happened near the junction of Woodfield Road between 2am and 3am on Saturday.

The altercation was between a man and a woman in the same car.

North Yorkshire Police is seeking help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

Officers are particularly keen to hear from any witnesses to the incident or anyone who may have CCTV.

Anyone with information can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for Matthew Reeve.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12210072735.

Harrogate Convention Centre to reopen on June 26

Harrogate Convention Centre is set to re-open on 21 June when government guidelines permit.

Paula Lorimer, director of the centre, which has operated as a Nightingale hospital for the past year, said she was confident the venue would be ready to re-open by that date.

All restrictions on social distancing are due to be lifted on June 21.

Ms Lorimer said:

“Discussions with colleagues from the NHS about their plans for returning the Harrogate Convention Centre to us are on-going.

“However, we are confident that the venue will reopen from 21 June in-line with government restrictions ending.

“We have more than 30 confirmed events planned between June and next March, and a further 56 provisional events in the diary that we hope to confirm in due course.

“We also have more than 115 events confirmed and provisionally booked in the Royal Hall over the same period.”

The convention centre website currently lists events from May 6 in the ‘What’s On’ but says the dates are to be confirmed.

The first events listed after June 21 are Harrogate Proms on June 26 and Harrogate International Nursery Fair on June 27 to 29.

Ms Lorimer added that conferences, exhibitions and events had been “one of the most severely hit during the pandemic” but the industry would be back soon.

The loss-making convention centre is due to undergo a £47 million redevelopment amid concerns it will not survive without it.

Harrogate Borough Council has awarded Dutch firm Arcadis a £1.1 million contract to design plans for the first phase of the redevelopment.

Dutch firm awarded £1.1m design contract for Harrogate Convention Centre

Harrogate Borough Council has awarded a £1.1m contract to Dutch firm Arcadis to design the first phase of the £47 million redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre.

The firm was appointed following a procurement process using YORconsult2, which helps local authorities find consultants.

Arcadis employs 28,000 people in 70 countries, including the UK.

The council has been criticised previously for not working with local firms, including when it appointed Ipswich firm Jacob Bailey last year to redevelop its tourism website Visit Harrogate without a competitive tender process.

A council spokesman said:

“Arcadis will also work with a number of highly skilled, local and regional architects, engineers and specialists.”

The convention centre, which is due to return to council control next month after operating as a Nightingale hospital for a year, usually attracts 157,000 visitors a year. The council estimates its annual economic impact to be £35m.

But although the venue brings significant income to the district, the building itself makes a loss and requires a subsidy.

According to council documents, the building is now in ‘critical need of investment’.

The council has estimated that doing nothing would cost at least £19m in long-term maintenance.

It has therefore agreed to a £46.8m redevelopment delivered in two phases.

Arcadis will provide the design development and detailed feasibility of phase one, including an options appraisal into the district heating system. The council will then decide whether to proceed to phase two.

The council has also agreed to appoint a project manager for three years at a cost of £155,000, funded by borrowing.

Jewellery thieves strike in Jennyfields

Police have released a rather grainy image of two suspects they’d like to speak to after jewellery thieves broke into a Harrogate home.

The incident happened in the Norwich Drive area on Jennyfields between 5.30pm and 9.30pm on Wednesday.

The suspects broke the lock on the front door before stealing sentimental and valuable items, including wedding rings, necklaces, Gucci watches, a Givenchy bag and Dior Air Trainers.

North Yorkshire Police said today they would like to speak to the two people in the image, who were in the area at the time, and appealed for any information that could help to identify them.

Anyone with information can contact the force on 101. Select option two and ask for Elizabeth Estensen. You can also email elizabeth.estensen@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12210070785.

Harrogate helicopter company expands

A Harrogate helicopter company has acquired another firm in a deal that will give it access to markets in London and the south-east.

The Helicopter Company, which was established in 2008, provides private helicopter charter services.

Its acquisition of Hampshire-based Atlas Helicopters includes a medical evacuation contract for the Isle of Man TT and other motorcycle races on the island.

The Helicopter Company already has bases in Scotland and the East Midlands as well as North Yorkshire.

Jason Schofield bought the interests of the other shareholders in 2016.

McCormicks Solicitors, of Harrogate, advised on the acquisition. Sagars advised on corporate finance.

Mr Schofield said:

“We are very pleased to have acquired Atlas, which enables us to grow our business in the south of England.”

James Towler, head of corporate and commercial at McCormicks, said:

“We were delighted to work with the Schofield family, with whom we have a long relationship, and it is great to have secured this acquisition which will allow them to grow their business and target the market in and around London from Atlas’s base in the south of England.

The Helicopter Company offers private charter for business and leisure, as well as aircraft management and a helicopter purchase service.

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Cowering in his kennel

Re-homed in York

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