Labour names candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough

The Labour Party has selected Conrad Whitcroft as its candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough at the next general election.

Mr Whitcroft, who has never previously stood for parliament, lives in York and works as a project manager for insurance firm Aviva.

He was elected to represent Fishergate on City of York Council this month and supported David Skaith’s successful mayoral campaign for Labour.

Mr Whitcroft attended school in Northampton then graduated from the University of York with a degree in politics.

A profile on the York Labour Party website describes him as an ‘active union rep’ and environmental campaigner. He has also been an intern in the House of Commons.

Mr Skaith’s victory in this month’s York and North Yorkshire mayoral election boosted local Labour supporters.

But the party faces an uphill battle to win in Harrogate and Knaresborough at the next general election. Mark Sewards, its candidate in 2019, polled just 10% of votes to finish third behind Conservative Andrew Jones and Liberal Democrat Judith Rogerson.

Mr Jones will defend the seat for the Tories while Tom Gordon will stand for the Lib Dems.

Conrad Whitcroft with supporters.

In a Labour press release today, Mr Whitcroft said Harrogate and Knaresborough “has been let down by more than a decade of Conservative-led government”.

He added:

“It will be an honour to lead the campaign for Labour in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

“My priorities in our area include tackling anti-social behaviour, building more affordable housing and working closely with David Skaith.

“I know Harrogate and Knaresborough well and enjoy campaigning there with the local Labour Party. I particularly enjoy the Knaresborough-based Turning Point Brewery which I have had a tour of in the past.”

The press release added:

“As a councillor, Conrad has delivered ward funding to fight the cost of living crisis and has recently taken a leading role in a campaign to stop a new takeaway in a residential area.

Harrogate-born Mr Skaith said:

“Conrad worked hard for my election campaign and has proven himself as a councillor. He will make an excellent Labour candidate for my home town.”

Chris Watt, chair of Harrogate and Knaresborough Labour Party, said:

“As Labour’s win in Harrogate and Knaresborough in the recent mayoral election showed, it’s all to play for locally and when Rishi Sunak finally has the courage to call the election the choice will be clear: more chaos under the Tories or real change and a fresh start with Labour.

“Conrad has shown that’s he an effective and energetic campaigner who gets results and we are looking forward to working with him for the people of Harrogate and Knaresborough.”

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Briggate left in ‘totally unacceptable’ state, says ex-Knaresborough mayor

Former Knaresborough mayor Philip Allott has said people have been put at risk by the half finished resurfacing of a busy town road.

Tarmac was removed from the surface of Briggate last night as part of scheduled resurfacing by North Yorkshire Council.

But the new surface has not been added and the uneven state of the highway, along with leftover debris and heavy rain, has made driving and cycling hazardous this morning.

Mr Allott, who is also a former North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, said:

“The contractors have removed all the tarmac down to the low bridge and then left the site. Debris from potholes are putting pedestrians at risk.

“It’s totally unacceptable. Why haven’t they done it in sections as per recent tarmac work in Harrogate?”

The road is unsurfaced from the junction with the A59 to the low bridge, where temporary lights are in place.

This isn’t the first time Briggate has been in the news lately. A section of wall alongside the road fell in September 2022, leading to several months of temporary traffic lights until it was repaired.

The Stray Ferret has approached North Yorkshire Council for comment.

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Councillors pin hopes on Bilton to Hornbeam Park cycle path

Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors are set to spend £40,000 on design work that could eventually lead to a cycle path being created between Bilton and Hornbeam Park.

Each year, the area constituency committee is given a pot of money by North Yorkshire Council to go towards local projects.

Councillors put forward a host of ideas that could receive funding and the list has now been whittled down to the three that are considered to be most viable.

The prospect of a cycle route between Bilton and Hornbeam Park dates back to at least 2019 when North Yorkshire County Council commissioned consultants to draw up a cycle infrastructure plan for Harrogate.

With a distance of around 2.5km between the two areas, it would be one of the most ambitious cycle routes ever created in Harrogate if it came to fruition.

As the proposal is still in its early stages, no details have been given about which roads could be used though it could potentially take advantage of Slingsby Walk, a path adjacent to the Stray that is already accessible for cyclists.

When designs for the scheme are eventually drawn up, it’s hoped the council will have a “bid ready” scheme to apply for funding through the government’s Active Travel Fund.

There is also money available through the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority which is led by newly-elected Labour mayor David Skaith.

A report has been prepared for councillors ahead of a meeting next week where councillors are expected to give the green light for design work to begin.

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The council has modelled how successful a route between Bilton and Hornbeam Park could be and claims an extra 1,612 cycle trips a day is possible.

It said the cycle path could get people out of cars and remove a large amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year.

The council has faced strong criticism for its track record delivering cycle schemes in Harrogate from both Harrogate District Cycle Action and the public.

The one significant cycle route it has built in recent years, the Otley Road cycle path, has been lambasted for its “confusing” design that weaves on-and-off the pavement.

It has resulted in the section between Harlow Moor Road and Arthurs Avenue being largely ignored by cyclists who prefer to use the road with motorists.

Former Harrogate care home to be converted into flats

North Yorkshire Council has approved a plan to convert The Pines care home on Harlow Moor Drive into 12 flats.

The 28-bed care home was forced to close in 2016 following an inadequate rating by the regulator Care Quality Commission.

It sits in a prominent location opposite Valley Gardens and the Pinewoods in the town.

Plans by Ilkley-based developer Flatcap Properties LLP follow two refused bids to turn the building into flats.

However, in both cases, the council said the property had not been sufficiently marketed as a care home before the application was submitted. This is a requirement when changing the use of a care home to prove that it is no longer viable.

This time, the building was put up for sale as a care home for 12 months without any takers.

A report said due to its configuration, the property would be refused a new CQC registration due to small room sizes.

In the approved plans, the apartments will be formed through a subdivision of the building. However, some external changes are proposed primarily to create individual entrances to a number of apartments.

Residents will be able to use free on-street parking on Harlow Moor Drive.

A planning statement attached to the application said:

“To conclude, we believe the proposals provide a high-quality and attractive scheme and
represent a significant opportunity to secure the positive development of this redundant building, which will, in our view, enhance this site and the surrounding area as a whole.

“Overall, careful thought has been given to the design and layout of the proposed development and as such it is considered that the design of the proposal is appropriate, and it is our view that the new development will have a positive impact on this area of Harrogate.”

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What is bathing water status — and will it lead to a cleaner River Nidd?

A few years ago, fly-fishers in Nidderdale began to notice a deterioration in the river’s water clarity and feared it could lead to catastrophe for the trout and grayling that swim in it.

Then in 2022, a group of children fell ill after swimming in a section of the Nidd at Knaresborough and it became obvious that serious action was needed to clean up the Nidd from pollution.

It’s one of the rare issues that has united politicians of all stripes and campaigners at the Nidd Action Group were hopeful that a section of the river by the Lido in Knaresborough would be one of a handful across the country to be designated bathing water status.

This morning, they got their wish and Conservative MP Andrew Jones, who has led the campaign, hailed the moment as a turning point in the fortunes of the river which receives pollution from Yorkshire Water and through peat bog erosion and metal mining.

But what does bathing water status really mean  — and will it lead to a cleaner Nidd for people and wildlife?

What is bathing water status?

The government has the power to designate rivers and waterways bathing water status.

Once designated, each year during the peak bathing season between May and September, the Environment Agency will test for pollutants.

They will be looking for bacteria such as E-coli which can be a signifier of human waste.

The idea behind the status is that more monitoring should help Yorkshire Water and other polluters better understand the problem so they can work to reduce the amount of waste that goes into the river.

Publicly available results should also help the public hold their efforts to account.

Samples from the Nidd will be processed within 24 hours and sent to a lab near Exeter where a team of scientists will analyse them.

The results are then published on the Environment Agency’s Swimfo website, and the site will be given a rating.

The government will then launch a consultation later this year on proposals to reform bathing water regulations in England that could see monitoring take place all year round.

It could also expand its definition of bathers to include a wider range of groups beyond just swimmers, such as rowers, kayakers and paddle boarders.

When will the Nidd be safe to swim in?

Just because the Nidd is now designated bathing water status does not mean it’s safe to swim in yet.

Defra said that last year 96% of bathing waters in England met minimum annual standards and 90% were rated as “good” or “excellent”.

However, most of the waterways that have the status are on beaches.

The overall picture is not good for the two rivers that have been designated bathing water status.

In 2020, wild swimmers in Ilkley ran a successful campaign to see a section of the Wharfe designated.

It captured the imagination of the public and inspired similar efforts in Knaresborough but despite Yorkshire Water pledging millions in extra funding to improve the health of the Wharfe, it was still rated ‘poor’ by the Environment Agency.

They found a host of bacteria impacting water quality, including human and animal DNA.

So while bathing water status represents a positive move forward, the real work to clean up the Nidd for future generations starts now.

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The Harrogate charity pioneering on mental health

In 1986, Baldersby farmer Chris Brown came up with the idea of opening a workshop to help people with mental health issues.

Mr Brown had noticed a relative with schizophrenia was fine doing tasks on his farm but problems began when he was idle.

He and three other families set up Claro Enterprises to test the theory that providing a safe working environment could improve mental health.

Just three people turned up for the first gathering, but 38 years later Claro Enterprises is one of Harrogate’s leading charities. It helps dozens of people each week and has spawned a men’s shed and a ladies shed, which operate from the same site.

The woodwork workshop

Mental health awareness has grown hugely in that time and this organisation has been at the forefront.

Initially based in Bilton, it moved in the early 1990s to the former printers site it now occupies on Spa Road in Starbeck. It works in partnership with some of Harrogate’s best-known firms, including Bettys, EnviroVent, Farrah’s and Fodder. Last year Princess Anne visited.

Here, dozens of people with mental health issues busy themselves by making craft and fulfilling orders. Most are employed in a well-equipped woodwork workshop creating items from MDF or oak supplied by furniture maker Ian Cartwright, the great grandson of Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson who founded Robert Thompson’s Craftsmen in Kilburn, near York.

The products include doorstops, chopping boards and cheeseboards, which are sold to companies and individuals as well as on e-commerce site Etsy.

Others work in an adjoining business services workshop fulfilling orders by undertaking basic tasks such as stitching and wrapping.

Fulfilling orders

‘You need to be doing something’

At an open day during mental health awareness week, which ends tomorrow (May 19), we spoke to Ricky, who has long-term mental health issues.

Ricky, who drives in twice a week from his home in Jennyfields, has been coming for three years. Other clients, he says, have been visiting much longer:

“People with mental health problems need structure and routine. Sitting and watching TV is not good. You need to be doing something.

“I’ve been to other places but this is the best. The people are unbelievably friendly and the staff are amazing. They will help you with anything and if you are not feeling well you can talk to them or go home.”

Items made are sold to fund the charity’s work.

People can contact Claro Enterprises directly to get involved on their own but most are referred.

Claro Enterprises is part of the Route One to Wellness partnership that also includes Orb Community Arts in Knaresborough, Mind in Harrogate and Wellspring Therapy and Training, which is also based on Starbeck. The partnership works with GPs and mental health teams to recommend the most appropriate charity for people with mental health issues.

Claro Enterprises pays clients up to £20 a week — the maximum permitted without affecting benefits. Clients receive other perks including free lunches and vouchers. But it’s clear from visiting that the biggest reward is the impact it has on wellbeing. People do what they can, when they can, in a supportive environment.

(from left) Founder Chris Brown, client Ricky, volunteer Catherine Archer and general manager Owen Jones

‘This place ticks every box’

General manager Owen Jones, who leads six full-time and two part-time staff, said:

“People work at their own speed. One woman who came to us had been isolated for a long time and she currently sits in a room with a member of staff because being with others would be too much for her.”

The charity generated £189,000 in the financial year ending March 31, 2023, according to financial data on the Charity Commission website.

Income comes from council funding for clients, private businesses, individuals and grants as well as from the sale of products. It’s a social business that works.

Mr Brown, who is now a trustee of the charity, reflected on how far Claro Enterprises has come since his idea nearly 40 years ago at this week’s open day:

“It’s like living the dream every time I come down. I had an idea of what was needed and this place ticks every box.”

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The joy of getting fit with your older kids

Does the thought of getting fit with your teenagers or 20-something children sound fun or fill you with dread? 

While some parents may see it as a chance to spend quality time with their older children, others couldn’t think of anything worse. And for the kids, working out with mum or dad may not be especially appealing. 

There’s definitely the potential for disaster. For anyone reaching middle age and turning perhaps to gentler ways of keeping their bodies fit and healthy, trying to keep up with a particularly energetic teen or toned 20-something gym fanatic may only remind you of what your body can’t do any more. And, if your child has inherited your competitive streak, things can get more than a little hostile.

On the other hand, exercising alongside your teenager may spur you on to push your limits or attempt exercise you wouldn’t otherwise have tried. And it works the other way too: Youngsters may be encouraged to try new forms of exercise that they find they actually enjoy. 

Photo of Trish Connor, owner of Gymophobics in Harrogate and Wetherby.

Trish Connor of Gymophobics

Trish Connor is the owner of Gymophobics in Harrogate, which runs a special Mum & Teen membership package at a discounted price to encourage joint exercise. She said: 

“Getting fit together can have lots of benefits. You can encourage each other to try new things and stretch your limits. And you get to spend valuable time together, away from the stresses of home. Added to that, of course, are all the benefits of doing more exercise generally, such as better mental wellbeing and improved brain, heart and lung health.

“At Gymophobics, we have two of each machine so mums and daughters can work out alongside each other. Quite often the mum is only coming because she wants the teen to do some exercise!”

“It’s nice they want to spend time with you” 

mums and daughters exercising together

Tamsin Moore with her daughters Montana and Atlanta Wilkinson-Moore.

Every Tuesday, Tamsin Moore, 56, and her daughters Montana, 25, and Atlanta Wilkinson-Moore, 23, meet at St John Fisher Catholic High School for a Dance Yourself Fit exercise class. It’s part of a weekly routine combining exercise and a catch-up that also includes gym sessions and a walk to Harlow Carr Gardens.

With both girls living in their own homes in Harrogate, Tamsin values the time they spend together. She said:

“It’s about doing fitness together and then we all go home and I cook for them. Atlanta has a sedentary job and goes to the gym, Montana runs and she’s got a fairly active job on her feet. When your kids leave home and are working, it’s actually nice that they want to spend time with you.” 

For Atlanta, the encouragement she gets from her mum helps her stay focused on keeping fit. She said: 

“I haven’t lived at home for three-and-a-half years so it’s really nice to spend that time together. Also, I’ve struggled with my motivation to do exercise in the past. My mum boosts my confidence and it means I don’t have to do it on my own.”

“It feels quite natural” 

Georgina Buck and her daughter Katherine play netball together in the Harrogate District Netball League. 

Georgina, 49, has been playing for the Vipers team for 20 years, while Katherine joined five years ago. At the time, Katherine was a student at St Aidan’s and played for school as well as in a junior league, but found the matches too competitive. She wanted to play at a good level, but just for fun – and Vipers was the perfect fit. Georgina said:  

“Our team are not hugely competitive. It’s nice to win matches but for us it’s about everybody playing together and enjoying it. Katherine was already familiar with us because I used to take her with me to matches when she was little.” 

mums and daughters exercising together

Katherine and Georgina Buck.

Georgina and Katherine both play the same positions, GK and GD, and therefore work together in the defensive circle. Katherine said: 

“I enjoy playing netball with my mum. We play in a similar style and l feel very comfortable on court with her. I also feel comfortable telling her when I think she’s doing something wrong, which I’m sure she appreciates. It’s also nice to share a common interest and spend time together doing something we both love.” 

With Katherine now at university and playing for Vipers during the holidays, mum and daughter value even more their time together playing netball. Georgina said: 

“It feels quite natural playing alongside Katherine; we instinctively know what the other is doing. I relax more when I’m playing with her, and I can tell her off a bit, which I can’t do with the other players!

“It’s nice to have something to do together that’s fun and completely away from all the family stuff that’s going on. There have been times when we’ve had an argument at home, then we go off to play netball and afterwards things don’t seem so bad.”

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Meet the chef behind Harrogate’s new fine dining restaurant ahead of today’s launch

According to chef Adam Degg, ‘the best parties happen in the kitchen’.

Perhaps that feels like a relatively light-hearted concept to use as a foundation for a restaurant in one of Yorkshire’s most prestigious hotels – but tell that to the team behind Rudding Park’s Fifty Two.

The brand-new restaurant will open today, Thursday, May 16, and ahead of the first service, the Stray Ferret spoke to head chef Adam Degg, to find out more about the immersive dining experience.

From happy accident to successful career

Telford-born Adam’s first experience in a commercial kitchen was less of a planned occasion and more of a chance encounter; a missed bus meant that at age 16 he found himself washing dishes in a friend’s family restaurant until they could give him a lift home.

He said:

“I guess you could say it all started there. I got to witness first-hand the way a kitchen operates behind the scenes, and I loved the whole experience and the buzz.”

The hustle and bustle of restaurant life stayed with Adam, and he went onto pursue a career in food, first studying at University College Birmingham before taking up a job at a hotel. He then made the move to London where he worked at Anthony Demetre’s Wild Honey.

After a stint at Chiltern Firehouse, he joined Tom Kerridge’s kitchen at The Hand and Flowers, the only pub in the UK with two Michelin stars. He was then part of the hospitality team that was awarded a Michelin star at The Coach in Marlow.

(Image: Rudding Park)

When he moved to Yorkshire with his then-fiancé, now wife, and young son, he joined Rudding Park, as head chef of its restaurant Horto, which with Adam at the helm, was recognised with 3 AA Rosette awards and a Michelin Green star for sustainability.

This year saw him reunited with his former boss, albeit in a different setting – Adam was a contestant on the BBC One show Great British Menu, on which Tom Kerridge is part of the judging panel.

Speaking about his time on the show, Adam said:

“Great British Menu is the chef’s programme – I know a lot of us watch to see what’s new, what innovations the chefs can bring, and how they can push concepts to make them different.

“I might not have done as well as I’d have liked but it was amazing and intense. Without doubt, it’s the single most exciting and terrifying experience of my career to date.”

A new concept

Rudding Park boasts an impressive kitchen garden from which Horto already takes inspiration, but Adam wanted to take this one step further and incorporate the garden as an interactive part of the whole dining experience.

So named after the 52 raised oak beds growing herbs, vegetables and other produce in Rudding Park’s grounds, the name is a good indication of the restaurant’s commitment to the ‘farm to fork’ concept that has become increasingly popular in the culinary world.

Adam explained:

“From concept to launch, it’s been about a year-and-a-half in the making and has been a massive team effort. There’s been lots of discussions about how to bring the vision to life.

“Guests will enter the kitchen garden first, get to mingle with drinks and food and be amongst the produce that could have inspired their meal, before heading through to the restaurant.”

The theme of an interconnecting inside-outside space is carried through the venue which comprises of five shipping containers, with a large, open-plan dining area and a seven-foot kitchen island that diners can be seated at.

(Image: Rudding Park)

The 10-course menu will change depending on the ingredients available, with an emphasis on locally sourced produce and unique dishes, led by seasonal trends. Aside from dietary requirement requests, guests won’t know what they’re being served ahead of time.

Adam explained:

“For example, I’ve got a contact for fresh fish who will tell me every morning what’s been caught, and we’ll create a dish from that. It’s exciting and keeps our offering dynamic and interesting.”

Adam and the team are keen for Fifty Two to retain the same sense of flexibility and imagination in their service and ambience of the restaurant. Instead of a place of ‘reverence for the food’, they’re instead striving for a buzzing atmosphere, akin to ‘a dinner party with friends’.

He explained:

“We always say, the best parties happen in the kitchen. We don’t want it to be a temple of gastronomy that’s silent – it should be a celebration of food. We want a raucous, lively atmosphere.”

‘Putting their trust in us to deliver a dining experience’

Given Adam’s track record, it’s natural to assume that he’ll be aiming high with Fifty Two and pushing for the prestigious awards that he’s achieved in the past. And while he doesn’t deny that professional recognition wouldn’t go amiss, he’s determined that he and team don’t become too single-minded about garnering only industry accolades.

“Any chef who says they don’t even think about the possibility of awards are lying to themselves. And of course, it’s amazing to achieve industry recognition – but we’re still doing it for the customers.

“They’re putting their trust in us to deliver a dining experience, and that’s exactly what we want to do.”

Head chef Adam Degg and sous chef Adam Jones

More immediately however, Adam is focused on the imminent opening night of Fifty Two.

He added:

“We’ve got a fantastic and talented team here. My sous chef Adam Jones is great and I’m grateful to have him – I always joke that good sous chefs are hard to keep because they’re so good that they move on to become head chef somewhere else – as they should. So, you’re lucky to have them for as long as you can.

“We’re all excited to get started and to see where we can go with Fifty Two.”

Fifty Two at Rudding Park Hotel will open on Thursday, May 16.

Our food columnist Yemi will be reviewing Fifty Two soon. Keep an eye out for her feature, which is published every Saturday.

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Banking giant bids for almost 800 solar panels at Harrogate offices

Mastercard has applied to North Yorkshire Council to erect 779 solar panels at offices in Cardale Park in Harrogate.

The company owns payment systems provider Vocalink which has a base at the business park off Otley Road.

The building houses Mastercard’s Harrogate data centre, which the company said in planning documents processes data for companies in the financial services sector.

The nature of its operations means that it is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

In the planning application, the firm said solar-powered green energy could generate around 25% of all the electricity used on the site if approved.

The solar panels would be placed adjacent to the offices and the council had asked that a ‘glint and glare’ assessment be provided to assess the potential impact on the surroundings.

This report concluded that throughout the year, car drivers at Cardale Park and nearby residents would be subjected to “minor to moderate” distressful conditions from the solar panels.

It said the glare can be avoided with the help of mitigation measures including planting hedgerows.

A design and access statement attached to the application said:

“The PV (photovoltaics) panels will be used to generate green energy to power the data centre housed within 4 Cardale Park. Mastercard are intending to reduce the emissions generated through their operations onsite and in conjunction with the existing PV panels on the roof of the site, a significant amount of green energy can be produced.

“The fence proposed will secure the field where the PV panels will be sited and be 2.4m in height and green coloured. The colour of the fence will blend in with the planning proposed but will largely be screened from view as a result of the proposed planting.”

North Yorkshire Council will decide on the plans at a later date.

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Halogen heater causes house fire near Boroughbridge

A halogen heater left too close to curtains caused a house fire near Boroughbridge last night.

A person at the house required oxygen and was taken to hospital.

Firefighters from Knaresborough and Harrogate were called to the property in Aldborough at 10.40pm last night.

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

“The fire was caused by a halogen heater that had accidentally been turned on whilst being too close to the curtains.

“On the arrival of fire crews, the occupant had extinguished the fire using a fire extinguisher and water from a kettle.”

The report said firefighters removed the curtains, dampened down and cleared the smoke.

It added:

“Crews administered oxygen therapy to one occupant suffering from smoke inhalation. The occupant was transported to hospital via road ambulance for a precautionary check up.”

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