Starbeck’s female plumber who is breaking down barriers

Elisa Foyle is at a customer’s home in Pannal trying to find a leak in the bathroom while we chat on the phone.

She’s doing a day of small plumbing jobs and is so busy she asks if I mind her working while we talk. Since launching her business, PlumbMum, three years ago, she’s hasn’t advertised once and yet the phone never stops ringing. 

Elisa, from Starbeck, is among the tiny proportion of female plumbers in the UK.

Data from the Office of National Statistics shows that in 2022 the number of women working in plumbing was 3,500, just 2.5 per cent of the industry’s workforce. Although up on 2021 figures of 2,700 (1.9 per cent), it’s still shockingly low.

Boob-related comments

It would be easy to think women are facing too many barriers in a traditionally male-orientated industry, but Elisa’s general experience has actually been very positive. She says: 

“I’ve been really well received by both customers and other tradespeople. I did a plumbing course at Leeds College of Building in a class full of 16-year-old lads and it was fine.

“I’ve had a couple of male customers and plumbers who have been very chauvinistic and made the odd inappropriate comment, generally boob-related, and one elderly lady asked me if she should get her male neighbour round to give me hand. But, to be honest, I thought there would be more than there have been.

“Physically, it’s not so much about strength but about the demands on your knees and back, which gets harder for everyone as they get older. And I don’t think I’ve ever felt uneasy or unsafe visiting a customer’s home. If I did, I would make an excuse and leave.”

Mid-life career change

In fact, the biggest barrier for Elisa was nothing to do with being a woman; it was the lack of practical on-the-job experience she was able to access after her college course.

A single mum to three boys, now aged 9, 17 and 18, she was 42 when she decided to switch careers after her work as a frontline healthcare professional began affecting her mental health and time with her family. She took on cleaning and caring work to pay the bills through her college course, but this would have been unsustainable had she moved on to an apprenticeship after her studies. She says: 

“My course taught me the fundamentals of plumbing such as safety and regulations, but the biggest barrier for me as an older person was accessing training and practical experience afterwards. There’s a massive gap in the industry to support people like myself, both women and men, who are changing careers. With a mortgage, kids and other financial commitments, you don’t have the luxury of doing an apprenticeship.” 

Elisa saw no other option than to just start doing the job and learn as she went along. Surprisingly, one of her biggest challenges was knowing the language used for all the tools and parts, especially when visiting trade suppliers.  

“A lot of the time I knew what I needed but I didn’t know what it was called. I found a great plumbing merchant, James Hargreaves in Harrogate, who really listened to me and helped me work out what I was looking for. I don’t think I’d be where I am without their support.” 

After her first customer left a glowing review on the Nextdoor app, her work snowballed. She now offers a variety of services including general plumbing, taps and drainage work, bathroom installation and repair, and emergency call-outs.

She works alongside a professional tiler, joiner and handyman as well as passing on gas-related boiler work to trusted engineers. She recently received a ‘Neighbourhood Fave’ award from Nextdoor for being one of the most popular businesses on the app. 

“The barriers shouldn’t stop you”

Although wary of gender stereotypes, Elisa has found that being a female plumber sometimes works to her advantage:  

“Customers seem to have more natural trust in you when you’re a woman in this job, especially if they’ve had a bad experience with a plumber before. Whether it’s being a woman, having a people-facing role previously, or it’s just in my nature, I also take time to talk to my customers and explain what the issue is and what I need to do to fix it. A lot of plumbers don’t do that and it helps to create trust. And if I can’t do something I won’t attempt it and will try to find someone who can. Customers really appreciate it, particularly those who are elderly or vulnerable. 

“I also think women tend to look at things more holistically. I’ll check other things while I’m there and teach customers how to do simple things for themselves so they don’t have to call someone out or can turn the water off in an emergency. It goes down very well because it empowers people.” 

Elisa is now planning to use her experience to help others. She’s hoping to put aside a day a week to offer practical experience to someone, whatever their gender, in mid-life who is retraining as a plumber. She’d also like to set up a course teaching people basic plumbing skills, after spotting a need particularly among her female customers to feel confident and empowered in fixing small plumbing issues around the home. 

Now 47, Elisa laughs when I suggest she’s an inspiration, and not just for being a woman in a male-dominated industry. That in itself would be challenging enough. But doing it mid-life as a career change and also while a single mum to three boys? It’s not an easy thing to do. She replies:

“I think it’s never too late to change what you are doing and there will be barriers to it but they shouldn’t stop you. As much as you think that the world is against you or not prepared for you, there are always people on your team who will help and support you. You can do anything you want. You’d be surprised what you can do when you challenge yourself.”

Read more:

Survey launched on Knaresborough cliff lift idea

A survey has been launched as part of a project to investigate installing a cliff lift in Knaresborough.

The Stray Ferret reported last year that the government’s shared prosperity fund had awarded £20,000 to conduct a feasibility study into the idea. A lift has long been seen as a way to connect the steep divide between Waterside and the castle and encourage people to stay in town longer.

Knaresborough and District Chamber, Renaissance Knaresborough and the Knaresborough Civic Society are behind the scheme. Professional tourism group Carey Tourism is supporting them.

A press release announcing the survey on behalf of the groups said a cliff lift “is one of our dreams to bring economic prosperity and build for the next generation of Knaresborians, both young and old”.

It included an image, shown here, which Peter Lacey, an executive member of the chamber, said was “an example to get a wow factor and signal our ambition” even though no design — or even a decision on whether to proceed with the idea — has been approved yet.

The release said:

“This is an exciting opportunity for residents young and old, as well as visitors to the town to help shape the future of our town making it fit for the next generation.”

The release urged people to complete the survey here or have their say on the Polis website here, in the hope that this will lead to a consensus about what matters most to people.

Read more:

Harrogate firefighters axed, Ripon military heritage threat and the Champions League comes to Starbeck

Last week was about floods — this week was more about fire. Or fire services, to be more accurate.

Our story last weekend about four Harrogate firefighters losing their jobs in April as part of plans to reduce the number of nighttime fire engines on Skipton Road from two to one caused a lot of concern — not just in Harrogate but also in rural areas like Summerbridge where local fire stations struggle to attract on-call firefighters and rely heavily on full-time crews in Harrogate.

Ripon’s rich military heritage came under threat this week. The soldier-poet Wilfred Owen, whose time in Ripon is commemorated in a plaque on Borage Lane, is part of a story that needs telling more widely, not ripping apart.

It’s been a bad week for shops in the Lower Station Parade area of Harrogate. This week’s stories on Party Fever and Go Herbs followed hot on the heels of the closure of the Fabulous 50s Diner.

On a lighter note, will you be going to Starbeck to see Manchester City’s five trophies? Even for non-City fans, this is surely too good a chance to miss.

This was also the week when Knaresborough got its second Asda Express and fencing went up around one of the last green spaces in the Kingsley area of Harrogate to make way for 162 homes.

If you have a view on any of our articles, or indeed anything else that’s bugging you about life in Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge and Masham, do email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk and we will consider it for publication in our Stray Views letters page.

And if you don’t already, sign up to our daily bulletins for a round-up of the news every evening straight to your inbox. Click on the link below.

Read more:

 

Cycleway set to be built on Harrogate’s Station Parade  

A cycleway looks set to be built on Harrogate’s Station Parade as part of the reduced £11.2 million Station Gateway scheme.

Cllr Keane Duncan, North Yorkshire Council‘s executive member for highways and transport, said today the full business case for the scheme had been submitted to West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

He said it included a southbound cycleway on the same side of the road as the bus station, and maintaining two lanes of traffic.

The details have not been released but the decision to keep two lanes of traffic and build a cycleway raises questions about the future of the taxi rank and loading bay on the other side of Station Parade.

The taxi rank

The loading bay

The council scrapped its previous proposals, which included reducing some of Station Parade to single lane and part-pedestrianising James Street, after admitting its plans were legally flawed.

The original scheme was hailed as a key active travel scheme that would be part of a cycle route to Cardale Park so its abandonment disappointed cyclists.

The revised scheme includes better coordinated traffic signals, footways and crossings, public realm improvements to areas including the One Arch tunnel, a bus lane and a southbound cycleway along Station Parade.

Cllr Duncan, who has been chosen to represent the Conservatives in the York and North Yorkshire mayoral election on May 2, said:

“This represents a significant cross-party effort and many hours of discussions.

“While there has been inevitable compromise, there is encouraging agreement on key elements of the revised scheme which takes us closer to securing £11 million of investment for Harrogate.

“Station Parade will remain two lanes, with no pedestrianisation of James Street.”

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for access at North Yorkshire County Council.

Cllr Keane Duncan

He added the revised plan “delivers key benefits to all road users”, adding:

“We now standby for approval of the business case before construction can begin, hopefully later this year.

“There will be further public engagement and consultation on the detail of the plan in coming months.”

Read more:

Harrogate streets reopen after bomb scare

Several streets in Harrogate town centre closed this morning due to a bomb scare. Harrogate Magistrates Court was evacuated and police blocked Victoria Avenue, where the court is based, along with several other streets. Police, paramedics and firefighters were at the scene until after midday. Here’s what happened.

1.05pm: Police say enquiries are ‘ongoing’

North Yorkshire Police said no arrests have been made following the incident.

Enquiries are ongoing, the force said, but the scene appears to now be cleared.

12.56pm: Evacuated school issues statement about ‘most unusual day’

St Peter’s Church of England Primary School in Harrogate was evacuated as part of today’s bomb scare.

A spokesperson said:

“We quickly responded to advice from the police and evacuated all staff and pupils  to a local church.  All were calm and happy throughout the process and we would like to thank our staff and our pupils’ parents/carers for their support in dealing with what has been a most unusual day.”

12.48pm: Last police car leaves Victoria Avenue

Things appear to have returned to normal in Harrogate town centre after today’s bomb scare. We still await further information about what happened from the police, but for now it seems the bomb scare is over.

12.37pm: Police cordons being removed

Police are removing cordons and police vehicles are leaving the scene. We haven’t had an official update but it appears the incident may be under control.

Victoria Avenue reopens to traffic.

12.32pm: Aerial view of Victoria Avenue

Brian Simpson has posted this view on X, formerly Twitter. He added:

“I live down the street and there don’t seem to be too many concerns. Certainly they’re not doing a huge amount to stop people moving around Victoria Avenue towards the junction with Station Parade and they’ve even directed some cars that way.”

bomb scare 9 Jan 2023

12.24pm: West Park reopens to traffic

West Park has reopened to traffic. It had been closed at the Prince of Wales roundabout but it has now reopened after the cordon went up on Victoria Avenue.

12.15pm: More cordons go up

Police cordons have now gone up on Victoria Avenue, where firefighters and an ambulance incident response unit are on site, and on Princes Square.

12.10pm: Cordon extended to Raglan Street

The whole of Victoria Avenue is cordoned off, but police have now extended the exclusion area to Raglan Street. Traffic is still blocked from West Park, which leads on to Victoria Avenue, which is the focus of police activity.

12.03pm: Police issue update 

North Yorkshire Police has just issued the following statement:

“We are attending reports of a suspicious vehicle on Victoria Avenue, Harrogate. We ask members of the public to avoid the area for the time being, and we’re very grateful for your patience and understanding.:

11.56am: Bomb scare in car?

An officer at the scene has said the incident is a suspected bomb scare in a car on Victoria Avenue.

Court staff have been evacuated.

11.46am: Police cordons up

Dog walkers heading out of town were turned away from a police cordon across the pavement by the Prince of Wales roundabout.

The Stray Ferret has contacted North Yorkshire Police for details about the incident. We will update this article when more information is available.

West Park is closed to traffic.

Read more:

Four Harrogate firefighters to be axed in April

The number of firefighters stationed in Harrogate will be cut by four in April.

The move, which will save £210,000, is part of plans to reduce the number of nighttime fire engines based in the town from two to one.

The Stray Ferret broke the news in 2022 that Zoe Metcalfe, the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner planned to shed frontline firefighting jobs as part of her Risk and Resource Model, which sets out how fire resources will be deployed.

The proposals were later adopted despite widespread safety concerns but they have yet to be implemented.

A report that will be debated by councillors on Thursday  (January 11) about setting the police and fire service precepts for the next financial year gives a brief update.

It says Harrogate will have four fewer firefighters from April this year. Scarborough is due to lose four firefighters next year, saving another £215,000. Another seven firefighters, described as ‘operational staffing reserve’, will also go in April next year, saving £375,000.

The report, which comes after Ms Metcalfe hinted council taxpayers may have to pay more for police and fire services this year,  warns “finances continue to be exceptional tight”.

The Stray Ferret asked Ms Metcalfe’s office how many firefighters will remain at Harrogate after the changes take effect and whether those affected had been offered alternative roles.

A spokesperson said:

“The proposals in the precept report are in line with the consultation and decisions made in relation to the Risk and Resource Model in September 2022.

“The report to which your questions refer will be discussed at the police, fire and crime panel meeting on Thursday, January 11 and it would not be appropriate for us to provide any further information at this time.”

The North Yorkshire Police Fire and Crime Panel, which is a joint committee of North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council, scrutinises the performance of the commissioner.

How will it work?

Harrogate fire station on Skipton Road.

Harrogate Fire Station

Currently, Harrogate Fire Station on Skipton Road has one fire engine which can respond to all callouts and one smaller tactical response vehicle. Both operate around the clock.

The tactical response vehicle will be replaced by a larger fire engine but it will only be crewed during the day.

Ms Metcalfe’s Risk and Resource Model said more fires occur during daytime, and having two fire engines at Harrogate would provide better daytime protection at key times.

But the second Harrogate appliance won’t be staffed between 10pm and 9am, meaning greater dependence on on-call firefighters in Knaresborough when a second fire engine is required at major incidents.

Read more:

Police warn of spate of pushy cold callers in Harrogate

Police in Harrogate have urged people to be wary of cold callers turning up on doorsteps offering garden maintenance work.

In a statement today, North Yorkshire Police said it was aware of individuals and groups targeting elderly residents in the area.

It added some could be “pushy and threatening” or “charge inflated prices or pretend to find more and more jobs that need doing on a property”.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said:

“We’re aware of Harrogate households in different areas of the town being approached for landscaping and gardening work. We’re working proactively to address this.

“As part of this work, we want residents to be aware of the risks and to know what to do if someone turns up at their door offering services like gardening work, building maintenance or selling goods.

“We’d advise people to be wary – legitimate gardening and maintenance businesses usually work through recommendations and don’t need to knock on doors to get business.”

Unsolicited calling, or cold calling, is when people are approached by someone offering a service despite not requesting it.

Although cold calling is not an offence, North Yorkshire Police said it frequently investigated frauds, thefts and burglaries that happened as a result of doorstep calls.

Read more:

The spokesman added:

“Always give yourself plenty of time to make decisions about who you employ and ask friends, family and neighbours for recommendations.

“And don’t feel bad about saying ‘no’. Normal businesses understand that people want to shop around and won’t try to pressure you into a decision on the spot. If they do, that’s a massive red flag.

“Sadly, elderly people are particularly at risk. So if you have older parents, relatives or friends, please share this message with them and check they know how to stay safe if cold callers knock on their door.”

Police urge anyone suspicious about cold callers to dial 101.

Car catches fire in Harrogate multi-storey car park

Harrogate firefighters were called to the fifth floor of the town’s Victoria Car Park yesterday when a car caught fire.

Both Harrogate appliances were summoned to the multi-storey near the train station following reports of smoke billowing from the boot of the vehicle in the multi-storey.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report said:

“Fire crews used a hose reel, breathing apparatus, thermal camera and tools to access and extinguish the fire.”

It added the cause was attributed to an electrical fault to a CD multi-changer in the car boot.

The incident proved to be the start of a busy morning for Harrogate firefighters.

At 10.36am,  they released two people trapped in a lift at an undisclosed location on Crescent Road in Harrogate.

Then at 11.41am, a women’s walking group alerted them to a cow trapped in barbed wire on a fence at the edge of woodland off the A661 Harrogate Road at Spofforth

The incident report added:

“On finding the cow, the fire officer was able to establish which farm the cow belonged to. The farmer then attended with bolt croppers to free the cow.”

Read more:

 

‘Don’t waste our time’ — firefighters issue plea to wild campers

Firefighters have urged wild campers to “think about the consequences of your actions” after a remote call-out took three hours of their time.

On call firefighters from Masham and a crew from Ripon responded to police reports of a fire near Roundhill Reservoir at 8.47pm on Saturday night.

The location, near Leighton Reservoir, is between Masham and Lofthouse.

Masham Fire Station said on social media the call was to a camp fire set up by a group of youngsters wild camping.

It added:

“The crews were unable to reach this destination by road so the crews had to walk over unknown ground from Roundhill Reservoir in the pitch dark using only torches.

“This not only put them in danger walking this area in the dark but was an unnecessary waste of resources which may have been required for another more serious incident elsewhere.

“This incident tied up both crews for up to three hours. Although it was only a campfire it could have been more serious.

“Please think about the consequences of your actions before wild camping in rural areas.”

It urged people to look at the picture of the location “to see what the conditions were like and imagine having to walk that in the pitch dark. Not fun.”

Read more:

 

Knaresborough roadworks to resume for 10 weeks on Monday

Traffic lights will return to a main road in Knaresborough for 10 weeks from tomorrow (January 8).

The lights will enable the next phase of a £200,000 scheme to repair and maintain the wall on Briggate to take place.

A section of the wall collapsed on to the road on September 14. Nobody was hurt but the rubble remained on the carriageway for almost three months.

Traffic lights were put up and North Yorkshire Council, which had been warned about the state of the wall multiple times in the run-up to the incident, finally began repairs on November 27.

Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director for environment, said in November some cellars belonging to residents had been impacted by the collapsed wall and consequently the “works are now more complex than first anticipated”.

Work paused before Christmas when the first phase of repairs finished.

Now the next phase is set to begin. The council posted on social media yesterday:

“We will be carrying out further repairs and maintenance work to the wall on Briggate in Knaresborough from Monday, with work due to be completed by Friday, 14 March.

“This follows the collapse of a section of the wall.

“For the safety of our team and road users, two-way lights will be in place while the work is carried out.”

Read more: