White Christmas in Harrogate district – just!

Snow fell on Christmas Day in the Harrogate district yesterday, although it was hardly a deluge.

Most areas experienced a cold, icy day but some parts of the district had a few flakes of snow or even a light dusting.

This image was taken in Blubberhouses on Christmas day afternoon.

Although there was barely enough snow for a snowball fight. it was nevertheless enough to make 2020 a rare white Christmas.

North Yorkshire County Council gritted the main roads in the county yesterday as the cold snap continued.

It is expected to stay cold for the remainder of the year, with sleet forecast in the next few days.

Knaresborough tug-o-war over the river falls victim to covid

A long standing Boxing Day tradition in Knaresborough of staging a tug-o-war contest over the River Nidd has fallen victim to covid.

For more than 50 years, teams from the The Half Moon and The Mother Shipton pubs have done battle on opposing banks of the Nidd with a very long rope.

Whichever team loses, faces the prospect of sliding down the mud and, if they are unable to stop in time, into the Nidd.

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There are separate events for men and women and each contest is decided by the best of three pulls.

The friendly rivalry usually attracts hundreds of people and plenty of ale. But like so many other community events this year, it has fallen victim to covid.

It will be the first time in 51 years the event does not take place.

Doorstep jingle founder Mary leads the ringing in Harrogate

Hundreds of thousands of people from Britain and beyond stood on their doorsteps at 6pm tonight and rang bells as part of an idea that started in Harrogate

Bilton woman Mary Beggs-Reid came up with the idea of a doorstep jingle to “spread festive spirit and help Santa’s sleigh fly”.

More than 500,000 people pledged to take part and this week Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Ms Beggs-Reid pledging his support.

The Stray Ferret went to St John’s Grove, Bilton, where Ms Beggs-Reid lives, to witness the phenomenon.

Mary Beggs-Reid

TV crews from the BBC and Sky were due to be present but the signing of the Brexit trade deal prompted them to change plans.

But the Stray Ferret was there to capture the moment when Mary led the countdown. After two minutes of jingling, carols were sung.

Mary’s inspiration for the event came from the film Elf, where New York folk sing together to power Santa’s sleigh with their Christmas spirit.

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100-year-old Pateley Bridge woman receives vaccine

A 100-year-old woman from Pateley Bridge was among the first to receive the coronavirus vaccination at the Great Yorkshire Showground yesterday.

Amy Derrick, who has lived in the Pateley area all her life and has a large family of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren in and around the Nidderdale town, has had quite a year.

A large celebration for her 100th birthday on March 21 had to be cancelled due to the start of the first lockdown.

Now she has become one of the first people in the Harrogate district — and possibly the oldest so far — to have been inoculated.

Joyce Liggins, one of Amy’s three children, said the entire process, from booking a time online to navigating their way around the set-up at the showground, ran smoothly. She added:

“A very nice lady gave the injection and we then sat in another room for 15 minutes before leaving. It was well organised.”

Amy now has to wait three weeks before receiving her second Pfizer/BioNTech jab.

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Bid to convert Windsor House into 94 flats

Plans have been submitted to change the use of Windsor House in Harrogate from offices to flats.

Under the plans, the seven-storey building would accommodate 94 flats consisting of 14 one-bedroom and 80 two-bedroom properties.

Windsor House, which is located in the Duchy estate area, is one of the most distinctive landmarks in Harrogate.

Built in 1900 overlooking Valley Gardens, it was originally the Grand Hotel until it became offices in the 1980s.

Now agents Savills, acting on behalf of Boultbee Brooks (Harrogate), the limited liability partnership that owns the 3.5 acre site, has applied to Harrogate Borough Council to change its use again.

The site, off Cornwall Road, falls within Harrogate Conservation Area and many of the trees in its boundary are protected by this or by tree preservation orders.

The site contains car park spaces for 288 vehicles.

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Most of nearby Windsor Court has been converted from offices to flats in recent years.

A letter by Savills accompanying the planning application says:

“The location of the site is extremely sustainable, being within walking distance of all public transport options
and all of Harrogate’s main services and amenities.”

Harrogate district’s arts pay tribute to Dame Fanny Waterman

Dame Fanny Waterman, who founded the world famous Leeds International Piano Competition and was a major figure on the Harrogate arts scene, has died at the age of 100.

Dame Fanny was one of the most influential people in the classical world. She remained active until her final year and regularly attended events in the Harrogate district.

She became honorary president of Harrogate International Festivals, the charity that organises numerous festivals each year, at the age of 89.

Sharon Canavar, chief executive of HIF said:

“When I became chief executive in 2009, I visited Dame Fanny at Woodgarth and she told me, without being asked, that she would be delighted to become our honorary president.

“Her support, enthusiasm for life and music, along with an indomitable networking capacity, meant an incredibly steep learning curve!

“It was a fitting association in the last decade of her life, given her passion for the arts in Yorkshire and we were thrilled to have her input as a friend over the years”

The prestige of the Leeds International Piano Competition, and Dame Fanny’s stature, encouraged many finalists to perform at venues in the Harrogate district.

Dame Fanny was an honorary patron of the Northern Aldborough Festival, near Boroughbridge, and her patronage of the event led to many of the world’s premier pianists regularly performing at this rural festival.

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Harrogate people urged to be patient when booking GPs amid delays

The NHS is urging people in the Harrogate district to be patient when booking GP appointments amid concerns some patients’ anger is boiling over at delays.

Health leaders issued the plea today, saying a combination of exceptional demand and staff being affected by normal winter sickness and covid was causing strain.

NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group and NHS Vale of York CCG, which buy health services for the county, acknowledging ‘the wait to speak to a member of a surgery’s reception team in some areas may be a little longer than normal’ and asking people to show ‘patience and kindness’ in the run-up to Christmas.

Dr Charles Parker, NHS North Yorkshire CCG clinical chair, said:

“We recognise how frustrating it can be to be in a call queue but surgery staff are doing their very best in challenging circumstances.

“GP practices have been asked to vaccinate the 50-64 year olds against the flu, to give the covid vaccine, to work in constrained ways to keep patients and staff safe and to do this with higher numbers of staff off work, isolating or ill.

“This is a lot to cope with at the same time. They absolutely do not deserve to be shouted at and abused.”

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Dr Parker added people should not ring GP practices asking about the covid vaccine but instead wait for notification. He added:

“This will help keep the phone lines clear and help practices cope with providing prompt care.”

Local pharmacies can also help with minor ailments, such as coughs, colds, sore throats, tummy trouble and aches and pains.

Patients can also get non-emergency medical advice at all hours by using the NHS 111 service online or over the phone.

Just 11 new covid infections – but R number rises again

Just 11 new covid infections were reported today in the Harrogate district by Public Health England.

The figure is the joint second lowest daily amount since the start of the second wave of the pandemic.

However, yesterday’s figure of 36 was the highest since November 23.

Although the daily statistics have varied considerably recently, the trend in the Harrogate district is definitely upwards.

The R number, which was just 0.4 last weekend, went up again today to 0.7. This means every 10 people infected will pass the virus on to another seven.

The district’s seven-day average rate of infection to December 14 is 93 people per 100,000. This compares with 116 and 235 in North Yorkshire and England.

North Yorkshire remained in tier two today in the government’s first review of the tier system since the second lockdown.

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Ripon critical care worker urges people to take the vaccine

A Ripon woman who works in a critical care unit has become one of the first people in North Yorkshire to receive the covid vaccine — and has urged others to do the same when their time comes.

Physiotherapist Laura Terry’s job at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough brings her into daily contact with covid patients.

Having seen first hand the impact of the virus, she had little hesitation when the chance to be vaccinated emerged at the hospital on Sunday. She said:

“It was a no-brainer. The emotional impact of what I’ve seen at work has really affected me. I don’t usually bring my job home but a lot of things have stayed with me a long time.

“I’ve never seen so many people so sick. People are essentially dying alone because nobody is allowed in. The last time some see their families is on FaceTime.”

Ms Terry, who went to Ripon Grammar School and lives near Fountains Abbey, studied at Teesside University.

Her regular contact with covid patients made her eligible for the vaccine. It was over in minutes and she has had no side effects besides a sore arm the next day.

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“I’m a perfectly healthy person but I have a duty of care to my patients and colleagues, as well as my family and friends.

“Hopefully having the vaccine provides them with some reassurance that they are not going to get covid from me.”

She said it was frustrating to hear people who have never seen for themselves the impact of covid in “denial” about its impact.

“I’ve seen what it does to families. I’ve seen them in distress. If you can take that distress away from a family by having the vaccine then I would do that.”

 

Campaign to restore Harrogate’s ‘forgotten’ First World War memorial

A councillor is campaigning to restore a war memorial that is currently lying in pieces in Grove Road cemetery in Harrogate.

The memorial contains the names of 16 men from the Bilton and High Harrogate areas who lost their lives in the First World War.

When the nearby methodist church in which it stood was converted to flats, the memorial was relocated to the cemetery.

It was left in parts on pallets and has remained there since, almost forgotten in the undergrowth.

That was several years ago and Paul Haslam, who lives in Bilton and is a Conservative councillor for North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council, wants to see the memorial restored to honour the fallen men. He said:

“I’d like to see it re-erected. Memorials like this should never be forgotten — they are not just lumps of stone. These lives should be remembered.”

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Mr Haslam said it would cost about £25,000 to restore the white marble memorial. A top section, made of more valuable material, was stolen years ago and would need to be replaced.

Paul Haslam

Mr Haslam began campaigning on the issue two years ago but covid has dominated this year and made funding for such projects difficult.

He has now approached ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, which awards grants, for helps and hopes 2021 will see the matter resolved.

Mr Haslam said:

“I’m sure the memorial would have been fixed this year if it wasn’t for covid. I hope we can get it back up inside the gates for everyone to see when they enter the cemetery.”