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More than 200 students have completed outdoor sections of their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award challenges at Harrogate Grammar School this month, in another sign of life getting back to normal.

Eighty year 11 students spent May Day bank holiday weekend completing the practice DofE bronze award expedition, which was called off when lockdown was imposed last year.

They then went straight on to the two-day expedition, which was the final challenge of the award that tests young people’s problem solving, life skills and resilience.

The next weekend an unprecedented 144 year 10 students completed training expedition walks aimed at developing their teamwork, communication and camping abilities ahead of their qualifying DofE bronze award expedition in June.

Neil Renton, headteacher at Harrogate Grammar School, said:

“It’s wonderful to see our students getting back to normal school life, including the Duke of Edinburgh Award challenge.

“Learning is not just about being in the classroom, the skills they develop through our wide range of extra-curricular activities will serve them well for life.”

Teachers Jake Kempton and Laura Chesworth organised the expeditions and said students were delighted to be back outdoors.

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Mr Kempton said:

“Seeing the looks on students’ faces and receiving feedback from parents shows the scheme has had such a positive impact.

“It would have been easy to cancel the expeditions again this year but after the challenging 12 months these young people have had we thought it was massively important to go ahead.

“We were particularly proud to deliver the expeditions this year as it felt like a fitting tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh. As teachers we take great joy in being out there with the students as part of an experience that creates lifelong memories.”

Ms Chesworth said it was crucial the year 11 students completed the outdoor expedition as they had spent the last two years completing the award’s other qualifying sections, which involve physical challenges, learning new skills and volunteering. She said:

“They’ve shown resilience, flexibility and worked hard to adapt their challenges to still meet the criteria during lockdown.

“We wanted to do them justice by seeing them complete the award as a whole.”

To satisfy the demand for DofE expedition places, extra staff volunteered to help supervise, and outdoor adventure organisers the Lupine Adventure Cooperative provided trained and qualified DofE expedition leaders.

Other school trips are now being planned as Harrogate Grammar School eases back towards normal teaching life.

Year 11 and year 13 are both having a day of fun at Flamingo Land next week.

Year 12s studying a BTEC in outdoor education have already resumed their practical studies and are taking part in their own expedition in Swaledale and Wensleydale.

Year 7 are looking forward to the humanities visit to Bolton Abbey and geography fieldwork trips are in the pipeline.

Plans are being made for a year 9 residential trip to the Lake District next spring.

PE fixtures have resumed for the summer term.

North Yorkshire Police has urged dog owners not to take weapons on daily walks amid growing concern about the crime.

The police issued the advice today as part of a move to reassure people that dog theft remains rare.

It said in a statement there have been 11 reported dog thefts so far this year, compared with 10 from July to September last year

The statement added:

“We have heard reports of dog owners taking weapons on daily walks and we strongly advise against doing so.

“Carrying a weapon is illegal and could result in injury to yourself and/or others.

“Dog theft is an issue which can understandably be very worrying for our communities, however these type of incidents are rare.”

The statement added people should be wary of believing social media posts about dog thefts “as some issues may not be as they appear”.

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The Red Lion pub on the A61 in South Stainley is to reopen on Wednesday under new owners and with a new name.

Partners Graham Usher and Matt Rose have bought the pub, which has been renamed The Inn South Stainley, reflecting its village location between Harrogate and Ripon.

For years, the pub was popular with families because of its Wacky Warehouse soft play area.

The previous owners of The Inn South Stainley, which closed in March last year, invested £1.5m on converting the original standalone building into eight bedrooms, refurbishing the interior and creating another four guest rooms on its first floor.

The venue will offer accommodation and serve gastro pub meals, drinks and snacks. It is planned to open the restaurant and function suite in July.

There are also plans for two teepees with fire pits in different parts of the inn’s extensive grounds, to host private functions, including private wedding parties.

On 36 bus route

The Inn South Stainley will be managed by Mr Usher and Mr Rose’s hospitality consultancy, Mattgray Hospitality.

Launched in January 2019, the business already operates Selby pubs The Castle Inn and the Drovers Arms.

To replicate their formula at South Stainley, the two men have brought with them the Drovers’ long-standing head chef, Shane White, and recruited Chris Lawton as general manager.

Mr Usher said the pub was “exactly what we were looking for”, adding:

“It had recently been refurbished to a very high standard and included guest rooms. And with the number 36 Ripon, Harrogate, Leeds bus stopping right outside, it’s ideal for staff and customers who want to leave the car at home.”

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Mr Rose said:

“Many people still call it by its previous name, The Red Lion, and talk about it being the place to go to eat and drink. Our intention is to make this well-known pub a must visit destination again for those who love great food, great drinks and a great atmosphere.”

More information about The Inn South Stainley is available here.

Residents of Shaw’s Trailer Park in Starbeck have signed a petition against a 66 per cent increase in car parking fees.

The site, which has 140 permanent park homes, has also hiked the cost of renting porches by 78 per cent.

The weekly parking increase from £3 to £5 amounts to an extra £104 a year.

The cost of porches has also increased from £1.40 to £2.50, meaning an extra £57.20 a year.

Those who pay for both, including bus driver Chris Taylor and his wife Maxine, will therefore have to pay an extra £161.20 a year.

Mr Taylor, who moved to the park from Bilton four years ago, said about 30 residents had signed the petition opposing the “blatantly unfair” level of increase. He added:

“We can pay it but there’s a lot of people here who are old and not well off who will struggle. It has caused a lot of ill feeling.

“I would accept the increases if they were by an appropriate amount, such as in line with inflation, but a 66 per cent increase in parking is outrageous.”

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The Stray Ferret called the park, on Knaresborough Road, and was told the owners did not wish to discuss the matter.

According to Companies House, the three current directors are John-Barry Noble and Anthony Shaw, both of Harrogate, and Nicholas Shaw, of Scarborough.

The site warden wrote to residents on April 27 notifying them of the increase. The letter, seen by the Stray Ferret, said:

“As you are aware there have been a lot of changes in the running of the park in recent months.

“Having gone back over our previous records we realise there has been no increase in the cost of your car parking and porch fee for many years. However, the running and maintenance costs of the park have continued to rise year on year.

“With this in mind, we feel it is necessary to increase the fees for your car parking and porch from June 1.”

‘They shouldn’t have to pay’

Not all residents pay for car parking and porches so those that do — including Mr and Ms Taylor — feel it is wrong that they are having to pay extra for the running and maintenance costs. Mr Taylor said:

“We absolutely love living here. It’s like being on holiday all year round. It’s a lovely little community that nobody knows much about unless they visit but this is unfair.”

Ken Bell, who has lived on the site for eight years, does not rent either a porch or parking space but he said he supported the move to oppose the price increases.

“It’s absolutely unfair. They should not have to pay it.”

Joanne Sadler, who has lived on the park for nine years and also doesn’t pay the charges, also showed support.

“I just think it’s wrong. They shouldn’t have to pay it.”

Harrogate’s Stonefall Cemetery is holding free tours on Friday next week as part of a bid to encourage more visitors to British war graves.

With covid preventing people travelling to pay their respects to fallen soldiers in France and Belgium, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is highlighting alternatives in this country.

Stonefall is one of the largest war grave sites in northern England and one of only five directly maintained by the commission.

It therefore looks very similar to sites abroad, with rows of immaculately maintained white graves of even size.

Junior soldiers at Harrogate’s Army Foundation College, who usually travel to war graves in Normandy, recently visited Stonefall and the commission hopes the covid travel restrictions will encourage others to do likewise.

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Stonefall will be the focus of the final day of the commission’s first War Graves Week from May 21 to 28.

Tours limited to 10 people will take place throughout the day at the cemetery off Wetherby Road, which is open 24 hours a day to visitors.

Tours are free but places must be booked in advance.

Stonefall Cemetry

Elizabeth Smith, public engagement coordinator for the commission in the north-east, said:

“We are trying to draw people’s attention to the fact that we have a lot of war graves in this country,. People are aware of them abroad but less so here.

“Harrogate is a really special site for us.”

Stonefall’s Canadian connection

Stonefall has more than 1,000 graves, mostly of soldiers from the Second World War.

About two-thirds are Canadian, as its air force was based in North Yorkshire. But there are also also almost 100 Australian graves, five Caribbean graves and also the grave of the only Fijian who flew with the British Royal Air Force.

Stories of those who gave their lives will feature prominently in the tours.

A private closing ceremony for the week will take place at Stonefall on the 28th. It will be broadcast live on a Facebook as part of the commission’s digital festival.

Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, the mayor of Harrogate and the Lord-Lieutenant for North Yorkshire are expected to visit Stonefall that day.

Police are appealing for witnesses after a petrol bomb attack on a car on a driveway in Harrogate on Saturday night.

Firefighters and police, including crime scene investigators, were called to Heather Way, Killinghall at about 10.40pm.

The bomb failed to detonate but smouldered and destroyed the driver’s seat.

Several police community support officers conducted door-to-door inquiries in Heather Way yesterday.

Now North Yorkshire Police has issued an appeal for help.

It said in a statement the blaze in the Audi Q7 caused house alarms to go off and disrupted many neighbours. It added:

“Officers investigating this incident are appealing for anyone who was in the area at the time to get in touch.

“Dial 101, press 1 and pass information on to the Force Control Rom, quoting reference number 12210118757.”

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The owners of Harrogate’s only strip club are in a legal standoff with the council over how dancers should be paid and whether they can drink alcohol.

The Kings Club had its sexual entertainment licence renewed at a private meeting of Harrogate council’s sub-licensing committee in September.

The licence covers topless pole dancing, topless stage striptease and full nudity lap dancing, and is separate to the venue’s alcohol licence.

But conditions that dancers are paid by bank transfer and do not drink alcohol were attached after councillors raised concerns over their safety.

This led to an appeal being lodged by the Oxford Street venue owners, who also applied for a new licence, which is set to be decided at another meeting of Harrogate Borough Council‘s licensing sub-committee on Wednesday.

With an appeal hearing at York Magistrates Court on May 28 looming, a report to Wednesday’s meeting said the venue has proposed new conditions “in an attempt to resolve the current appeal without the time and costs associated with the determination by the magistrates court”.

Councillors have been recommended to approve these conditions, which include a ban on dancers bringing alcohol onto the premises only and a “full audit trail/reconciliation account” for how they are paid.

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In September, councillors heard how officers inspected the venue in 2019 when it was found some panic alarms in dancing booths were not working correctly, although they were repaired the same day.

They also heard how the venue had been in “cahoots” with two former dancers over payments, although this was dismissed by legal representatives for the owners.

This is according to a report, which also said dancers are required to pay a ‘house fee’ of £25 per night and receive 70% of payments from customers.

There is also a reduction in fees for dancers if they are intoxicated whilst with a customer or refuse to pole dance, the report added.

Safety concerns for dancers

After reviewing the venue’s safety procedures, including risk assessments and CCTV, the report said councillors still had “concerns about the overall safety of the dancers” despite reassurances by the owners.

The report added councillors felt it was “necessary” to put extra conditions in place, also including no drugs allowed on the premises, a need for each dancer to be escorted to a safe mode of transport when they leave, a written record of all fines imposed on dancers and a code of conduct.

These conditions have all been carried forward by the venue owners in their new application, however, they have challenged the alcohol ban for dancers and need for payments to be done by bank transfer.

Kings Club was contacted for comment but did not respond at the time of publication.

All strip clubs have been closed since March 2020 and are due to reopen on 21 June when all social distancing measures are scheduled to end under the government’s roadmap out of lockdown.

A petrol bomb was thrown through the window of a car on a drive in Harrogate last night.

Firefighters were called to the scene on Heather Way, Killinghall at about 10.40pm last night. Police, including specially trained crime scene investigators also attended.

Fortunately the bomb failed to detonate and smouldered away but still managed to destroy the driver’s seat.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service gave details of the attack in its overnight summary of activity. It said:

“A crew from Harrogate attended an incident where there was an attempt to set a car on fire on a driveway.

“The drivers window had been smashed and a plastic bottle containing petrol and a wick had been thrown in, this had smouldered away on the drivers seat but failed to set the whole car alight and then burnt itself out.

“The fire caused approximately 90% fire damage to the drivers seat. Crews used thermal imaging camera only. The police along with CSI also attended.

The Stray Ferret has approached North Yorkshire Police for further details of the incident.

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Being general manager of one of the most prestigious stores on the most prestigious shopping street in Harrogate, Nick Hubbert has clear views on how to revive the town centre.

“We need to play to our strengths – beauty, flowers. Not rush down the route to do many things, like pedestrianisation.

“Let’s get through covid first. It’s not just about cycle lanes and the area around the station.”

Mr Hubbert’s views are shaped by a lifetime in retail. Last year he swapped the world of fast fashion for premium products when he left a managerial role at Sir Philip Green’s Top Shop in Sheffield for Hoopers, the family-run designer department store on James Street.

Top Shop is one of many mighty brands to have fallen in Harrogate, along with the likes of Debenhams, Swarovski and Laura Ashley. Mr Hubbert, 50, who lives in Hampsthwaite, is acutely aware of how critical the months ahead are for not only for Hoopers but the whole of Harrogate after lockdowns, Brexit and the rise of internet shopping.

He has joined Harrogate Business Improvement District, which aims to increase footfall in the town centre, as part of his broader mission to save the high street.

He says there have been some good initiatives, such as the BID’s street clean-up, but has concerns about the recent scattergun of proposals from Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, which range from installing fake grass to promoting cycling and walking schemes that restrict vehicles to talk of pedestrianising streets and making traffic one-way. He says:

“The big focus at the moment has to be on the next couple of months. We need to accept the fact we have been through one of the biggest negative things in our lives. We need to think about back to basics.

“There’s been some great work done but there needs to be more synergy between the various groups.

“If we are going to do something, let’s focus on things that will make a big difference. Something that makes a statement.”

Parking on James Street

James Street, with its more upmarket retailers, is particularly sensitive to tinkering. Last year’s decision to install planters for social distancing purposes and prevent parking didn’t go down well with many traders. Mr Hubbert says:

“It was a big deal because it’s evident people used that parking to nip in and out. We put our point across but here we are without it.”

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He hopes policymakers listen to businesses before any new initiatives are introduced.

“I hope they take views on board and don’t just stream-roll things thorough because they have seven or eight million pounds and feel they have to spend it.

“That sum could be better spent on a park and ride scheme. Or we could make James Street electric car-only and have electric charge points. If we do something, let’s do something big.

“If you go down the pedestrianisation route, go for something premium so that people’s dwell time on James Street will increase but we have to have that guarantee it will be something spectacular.

“Don’t do fake grass. Don’t make it like Cambridge Street. That doesn’t look inspiring and attract footfall. There are no features. It’s just nothing.”

Last department store standing

Hoopers has felt its share of pain in the last year. Staff numbers have halved to about 35 and it has reduced trading to 30 hours a week for the time being.

It is the last department store standing in the district after Debenhams in Harrogate and Wrens in Ripon closed last year. You might think Mr Hubbert would be pleased to see rivals fold but he says:

“An empty shop in town isn’t good for anybody. We will pick up some of their sales but I’d rather see Debenhams in a strong position because it’s one of the oldest names on the high street.”

Some feel the department store concept has had its day but Mr Hubbert says the lockdown has rekindled Britain’s love affair with shops, particularly those selling premium brands.

“People have seen the high street deteriorate in the last 18 months and it’s shocked them. As much as they love the internet for convenience shopping they don’t want to see void space.

“Many regulars have come back and said ‘we are so pleased to see you back’. They like the fact that they can get that different fragrance here that is unique.

“They are definitely treating themselves to things such as luxury handbags and outfits for holidays.”

‘Biggest fight of our lives’

Harrogate has one of four Hoopers stores. Debra Angus, the managing director, visited recently. Mr Hubbert says:

“There was no doom or gloom conversation. It was all very positive. It’s given me a lot of confidence.”

But there’s no hiding the fact that these are unprecedented times. He says:

“Every retailer is having the biggest fight of their lives. For me, it’s about making the store become profitable and have longevity so we still have this great store in Harrogate.

“We are fighting to be here long-term. I’ve been in retail all my life and it’s become evident we can’t live without the high street. I’m more passionate than ever about shops staying open.

“That’s why I’m involved with the BID. I want to make a difference to not just Hoopers but also making the shopping experience better for people. I’m on a crusade to save the high street.”