Hydro project planned for River Nidd at Knaresborough

A scheme to build a water-powered turbine on the banks of the River Nidd in Knaresborough has received a £10,000 boost.

Knaresborough Community Energy, a not-for-profit community benefit society founded in February this year, wants to build the turbine at the town’s Lido to produce low carbon electricity.

A £10,000 grant from electricity distributor Northern Powergrid will enable the society to conduct structural surveys of the Lido weir to ascertain its condition.

If the weir is found to be in good condition the scheme will proceed to the next stage, which would involve civil engineering design, environmental permits and a planning application.

Building a water turbine is estimated to cost a minimum of £300,000, which would be raised via a community share offer.

Investors would be paid back from revenue generated from the electricity sold. Any surplus would be reinvested in more renewable energy projects.

Gilly Lacey, director and secretary of KCE said:

”Our purpose is to generate low carbon electricity for the community as a means to tackle climate change in a positive way.

“Our current project is a proposed hydroelectric turbine on the River Nidd at the Lido. It will be similar in design to the one on the Nidd at Goldsborough”.

Fellow director Adam Harper said it hoped to know by next summer whether the Lido project is feasible.

He added the group also had plans to help install rooftop solar panels on local buildings.

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Bilton’s iron bridge mural suffers worst graffiti attack yet

The mural on the iron bridge in Bilton has been covered with offensive graffiti.

Beverley artist Emma Garness was commissioned by Network Rail, which owns the bridge, to paint the mural in 2021.

Its uplifting nature-themed design, which incorporates local elements including cherry tree blossom from the Stray in Harrogate, has been well received.

Artist Emma Garniss finishing her design in 2021.

But the bridge, which links Claro Road and Woodfield Road, has been subject to several outbreaks of graffiti.

Ms Garness used special paint which enables it to be cleaned,

Bilton man Chris Knight has twice volunteered to help after a swastika and anti-Pakistani messages appeared.

The latest outbreak is perhaps the most extensive yet. It includes three slogans, two of which make offensive personal comments about national and local politicians.

The iron bridge

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Starbeck counselling charity Wellspring celebrates 20th birthday

Wellspring Therapy and Training, the Harrogate-based counselling and training centre, is about to celebrate its 20th birthday.

The charity provides affordable short and long-term counselling for people in the Harrogate district.

Founded in 2003, it now faces unprecedented demand for its help tackling issues such as mental health and depression.

The Rt Rev Nick Baines, Bishop of Leeds and a patron of Wellspring, is leasing a service at St Andrew’s Church in Starbeck on Sunday, October 15.

Wellspring is also holding a fundraising dinner at the Crown Hotel in Harrogate on Friday November 17.

Emily Fullarton, executive director of Wellspring, said:

“This is a very special year for us. These two exciting events are celebrating how a small local charity has survived and thrived during the past 20 years and how we have tackled the problem of increasing poor mental health, anxiety and depression, which has threatened to overwhelm the NHS.

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Founding director Elaine Wainaina set up Wellspring as a Christian-based organisation to help those struggling with anxiety and depression but it soon extended its services to everyone who needed them.

Wellspring moved from a terraced house in Prospect Road, Starbeck into nearby St Andrew’s Vicarage after it was bought for the charity by the Bramall Foundation.

This has enabled the organisation to expand its services in the Harrogate area since 2018 and to relieve the burden on the NHS.

Wellspring hopes to counsel 170 this year and 220 by the end of 2025. It helps children as young as eight.

Ms Fullarton said:

“In the UK, one in four people will experience a mental health issue at least once in their lifetime. According to local research, many people in Harrogate assume because it is a ‘nice town’ people don’t struggle with these issues. That simply isn’t true. There is a huge demand in Harrogate for our services and it’s increasing.

“What makes Wellspring’s work unique in is that we offer affordable long-term, open-ended counselling where needed. Unfortunately, this type of therapy is not currently widely available from the NHS. Most private counselling typically costs between £50 or more for each session, but many of our clients are unable to afford this.”

 

Harrogate doctor aims to ‘debunk the myth’ of penicillin allergy

A doctor at Harrogate District Hospital has set up a service to “debunk the myth” of penicillin allergy.

One in 10 people are currently diagnosed with a penicillin allergy but Dr Mike Wakefield, a respiratory consultant, said the true figure was thought to be closer to one in 100.

This meant people often received less effective antibiotics with greater side effects, he said.

Dr Wakefield said people diagnosed as penicillin allergic were more likely to die in the next year, require repeat prescriptions for antibiotics and contract superbugs. He said:

“Penicillin drugs which are used to kill bacteria are a vital part of the antimicrobial armoury.

“I’ve set up a service in the district to start challenging this by finding out more about why people have gained a label of penicillin allergic and when suitable given them a dose of penicillin under close observation.”

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Dr Wakefield said many people were told they were allergic to penicillin in childhood and never challenged this. Sometimes this was because they experienced side effects when taking penicillin but side effects are common with all drugs and don’t necessarily indicate allergic reactions.

He added GPs sometimes found it safer to prescribe alternatives. Also, many people grow out of childhood allergies.

Dr Wakefield said his service aimed to debunk the myth that penicillin allergies were widespread.

Since starting in Harrogate a year ago he has completed a pilot study of de-labelling patients branded penicillin allergic.

He has given supervised amoxicillin or flucloxacillin penicillin tablets to patients with frequent chest infections whose medical history indicated they might not have a real penicillin allergy.

If patients didn’t have a reaction, he said they could take penicillin-based antibiotics for future infections.

Dr Wakefield said a combination of supervised tests and clinical tests meant the likeliness of a true allergy could be understood.

Besides his ad hoc trials at the hospital, Dr Wakefield provides a penicillin service at the Duchy Hospital in Harrogate. People can either be referred by their GP or book appointments.

 

Harrogate’s famous diving club makes fresh start

Harrogate District Diving Club returned to Harrogate this week after more than three years of disruption caused by covid and the refurbishment of the Hydro.

The club has an enviable record of producing talent, including Olympic champion Jack Laugher. It also caters for people who want to dive for fun and runs DiveAbility sessions for children with additional needs.

But it has been a frustrating few years: the delayed re-opening of the Hydro meant club members had to travel to Shipley to practice, not knowing when they would be able to return to their home pool.

Numbers dwindled but the new look club returned to the newly named Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre last week.

A host of new appointments have been made, including Albany Thompson, from Leeds Diving Club, as head coach.

Albany Thompson

New chair Mandy Ward said:

“It’s a brand new start to build the club back up. It’s been a difficult period but the investment in the leisure centre means diving in Harrogate has been secured for at least another 20 years.

“Now we need to get more people aware of it and help the club grow.”

Chloe Blackburn prepares to dive.

The pool, which is run by Brimhams Active, a leisure company controlled by North Yorkshire Council, has a one-metre board, a five-metre board and two three-metre boards.

Many local divers have achieved national coaching positions around the world but Ms Ward said anyone aged six or above who can swim and isn’t afraid of deep water was welcome to join.

For more details email diveharrogate@gmail.com

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Ripon leisure centre work halted after ground movement detected

A £3.5 million scheme to stabilise the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre in Ripon has been halted because of new suspected land movement.

Groundwork began in June following the discovery of a “void” beneath the former leisure centre building in the sinkhole-prone area.

Members have had to use a temporary gym in the car park and attend group classes at Hugh Ripley Hall in the city centre while remediation work takes place at the old building.

The new building, which includes a swimming pool, sauna and steam room has remained open.

Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre.

The new building on the site remains open.

Work was due to finish in spring next year but the latest discovery may jeopardise that — and spark fresh questions about the wisdom of choosing the site and continuing to spend money stabilising the land despite sinkhole fears.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council if work had been halted after noticing a lack of activity in recent weeks.

Jo Ireland, the council’s assistant director for culture and leisure, said:

“Our contractors have temporarily paused groundworks at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre as a precautionary measure while they investigate and assess signs of movement that have appeared in the internal blockwork of the existing building.

“A specialist engineer has advised the movement is predominantly aesthetic with no grounds for concern over the safety of the building.

“We will be installing a monitoring system on site in the next few days to detect any further movement that may occur. This system will give us the data we need to allow us to restart work later this month.

“We would only need to pause work again should the monitoring system detect additional significant movement, at which point further assessment of the situation would take place.”

‘Throwing good money after bad’

In October last year Ripon City Council leader Andrew Williams, who also represents Ripon Minster and Moorside on North Yorkshire Council, said it was time to stop “throwing good money after bad” and and “look for a suitable location for a new leisure centre to be built on sound land”.

He accused the now-defunct Harrogate Borough Council, which took the decision to build on the site, of “blindly and belligerently pouring money into propping up a centre that is nearly 30 years old and there is no guarantee that more funding won’t be needed after remediation works begin”.

Cllr Williams added:

“These works would take the total spending on this project to £18 million – some £8 million above the original budget – and they can’t continue ploughing money into this site, with its known history of ground stability issues, including a sinkhole that opened up on the leisure centre car park in 2018.”

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Police locate wanted Ripon man

North Yorkshire Police has found a wanted Ripon man who went missing.

The 23-year-old was released on licence on May 19 this year but the Probation Service has since reported “poor behaviour”.

North Yorkshire Police released a wanted appeal on Friday, but have since located the suspect.

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Harrogate Music Weekender: line-up revealed

The line-up has been revealed for the first Harrogate Music Weekender, which begins in seven days.

Thirty events will take place from Friday, October 13 to Sunday, October 15 and feature everything from rock and acoustic to Ibiza anthems and throwback hits.

Fifteen venues including Manahatta, Husk Beer Emporium, Artizan Café, Piccolino, The Den and Foundry Project will take part in the music extravaganza.

Harrogate Business Improvement District, which is funded by local businesses to increase the number of town centre visitors, has organised the event.

It hopes the event, along with next week’s Visit Harrogate Restaurant Week and the ongoing Harrogate Comedy Festival will provide a town centre boost in the pre-Christmas lull.

DJ Mark Green will kick off the weekend at the Yorkshire Hotel at 6pm on the Friday night with an Ibiza-themed closing party.

As well as the events across the weekend, Harrogate BID will have a walking DJ booth and street performers in the town.

Matthew Chapman, Harrogate BID manager said:

“We are looking forward to making this a successful annual offer in the Harrogate events calendar and hopefully bring people from far and wide into the town to experience the vibrant live music offer that we have.”

Here is the line-up.

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Friday, October 13

Opening event – 6 – 8PM – The Yorkshire Hotel Sky Bar – DJ Mark Green

5:30pm – 7:30pm – Foundry Project – Robbie Miller

7pm – 9pm – Doubletree by Hilton Majestic Hotel & Spa – DJ in Fredericks Lounge

7pm – 11pm – West Park Hotel – DJ & Sax

7:30pm – 9:30pm – Artizan Café – Musical Empowerment, a local inclusive band

8pm – 10pm – Piccolino – DJ

8pm – 10pm – Manahatta – North Road live band

8pm – 10pm – Husk – Biz & Jason band

8pm – 10pm – The Yorkshire Hotel – DJ Dean Snowdon

8pm – midnight – Doubletree by Hilton Majestic Hotel & Spa – Abba Tribute Night (ticketed)

8pm – late – Foundry Project – DJ Patrick Wood

10pm – midnight – The Den – The Robbie Miller Band

Saturday, October 14

2pm – 4pm – HMV, Victoria Shopping Centre – Ade Payne

2pm – 6pm – Harrogate Theatre – Ember and Matt Edgington

3pm – 5pm – The Den – Biz Denton

3pm – late – West Park Hotel

Opening event – 6pm – 8pm – The Crown Hotel – Singo Bingo

7:45pm – 9:15pm – The Den – The Henri Gaston Experience Nigel Clark

8pm – late – Revolucion De Cuba – Mariachi Band and DJ

7pm – late – Manahatta – DJ Max Czernik

8pm – late – Foundry Project – DJ

8pm – late – Piccolino – DJ Josh Farcas

9:45pm – 10:45pm – The Den – Jonny Skinner

11pm – 12:30am – The Den – Nigel Clark (90’s front man from Dodgy)

Sunday, October 15

12pm – 4pm – Husk – Husk’s Sunday Wax – Bring Your Own Vinyl and we’ll play at least 1 side!

1pm – 5pm – Cedar Court Hotel Tipi on The Stray – Nathan – So ‘n’ So Music

4pm – 7pm – Banyan – North Road lead singer and drummer double act

4pm – 11pm – Husk – Harrogate’s Indie’s Block Party DJ Takeover featuring Pizza Social, Husk, Lillypad & Mabgate Bleach on the decks

7pm – 8:45pm – The Den – Jake Pattinson

9pm – 11pm – The Den – Hobo Chic

 

23 Harrogate district community groups awarded £55,000

Twenty three community organisations have shared £55,000 in the latest round of grants awarded by The Local Fund for the Harrogate District.

The successful applicants are small organisations that can use the funding to make a big difference on a range of initiatives, including helping older people participate in activities and addressing loneliness.

They include fortnightly lunch club Lifeline Harrogate,  Knaresborough Museum Association, Jennyruth Workshops in Ripon and Boroughbridge and District Community Care.

The Local Fund was created in 2017 to fund local voluntary organisations.

It is supported by North Yorkshire Council, Harrogate and District Community Action and Two Ridings Community Foundation. It also receives at least 10p from every ticket sold by the Local Lotto.

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Celia McKeon, chief executive of Two Ridings Community Foundation, said the grants would “make a huge impact on the wellbeing of local people all over the district”. She added:

“This round of funding has been really interesting and far reaching, distributing grants to address rural isolation alongside activities and support in the local towns.”

Ms McKeon urged local people and businesses who wanted their charitable giving to benefit the communities they live in to invest in the fund.

Here are details of the successful applicants.

 

Harrogate parents join special needs education protest

Parents from Harrogate took part in a demonstration yesterday calling for better school provision for children with special educational needs.

SEND Reform England is staging peaceful protests outside town halls across the country this autumn. Parents from Sen Hub Harrogate joined the latest one in Leeds yesterday.

They are campaigning about issues including lack of spaces at special educational schools and unlawful rejections for Education, Health and Care Plans, which set out what additional support is required by young people with additional needs.

Emily Mitchell and Ashlie Charleton, who co-founded Sen Hub Harrogare to help parents of children with special educational needs, were among the Harrogate contingency in Leeds yesterday.

Emily, whose daughter Elsie is autistic and non-verbal, told the Stray Ferret parents should not have to fight for an education for their children. She added:

“I joined the protest due to my own fight with getting my child into education.

“I am currently going through a tribunal process to fight the local authority who aren’t taking my child’s needs into any consideration.”

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