A Ripon man with an incurable cancer is walking the length of the Pennine Way to raise money for Harrogate cancer care centre, Active Against Cancer.
Anthony Henson, 53, aims to raise £10,000 for the charity, which helps cancer patients maintain a level of fitness as well as supporting their mental wellbeing.
Mr Henson, an architect from the outskirts of Ripon, was rushed to intensive care at St James’s Hospital in Leeds in 2022 after collapsing suddenly. He was later diagnosed with incurable pancreatic and liver cancer.
At the end of 2022, he was given a pioneering operation and treatment which has extended his life. The operation was successful, but he the had to go through eight months of radiation therapy.
The treatment began last July and involves being injected with radiation, spending 24 hours in a lead-lined room and being checked with a Geiger counter to see if he can go home. The medication is flown in from Italy with Mr Henson saying, “it’s all a bit James Bond”.
He then has to isolate at home for two weeks until the radiation has diminished enough for him not to be harmful. This is repeated every two months meaning he is in isolation for eight weeks. He had his last treatment in January and has his final blood test next week.
During this isolation he began to walk the Pennine Way, which is 431 kilometres (268 miles) virtually in his garden, as well as taking walks along the way with friends and family when not isolating. His wife Fiona Henson, a teacher at Ripon Grammar School and their two children will support him on his virtual journey.
Mr Henson said:
“At first I was drained and just was trying to do up to two miles a day, your body takes such a pummelling but I have been fortunate in that I have had no pain, I just had sickness from the treatment. I started because I couldn’t go out and it kept me fit and I wanted to give something back to the phenomenal service.
“We have had amazing support. An incurable diagnosis is horrific for any family but the staff at Action Against Cancer, Macmillan’s and St James’s have done an amazing job keeping me alive I can never thank them enough. Active Against Cancer have kept up my physical and mental well-being for the past eight months and helped me live as normal a life as possible.
“Without them I would not have been able to deal with the treatments I have received and would not be able to continue to move forward, they have been a key part in keeping me alive and positive. I am therefore aiming to raise £10,000 to help support them so that they can help provide this vital service to those with cancer.”
Mr Henson is nearing the end of his challenge and has already raised over £8,000 of his £10,000 target.
To follow his journey or donate click here.
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New auction house planned for Harrogate
A new auction house is planned for a Harrogate business park.
Plans to create the facility at Springfield Farm Business Park, near Kettlesing, have been submitted to North Yorkshire Council.
Springfield Farm is situated just off the A59 Skipton Road, seven miles east of Harrogate.
The plans propose converting an existing building on the business park to an auction house.
The site has been vacant since January 2023 and has been advertised for sale on Hayfield Robinson property consultants since last year.
The planning documents do not reveal which firm plans to move in, but correspondence between the council and the senior planner revealed the company set to occupy the unit “have auction houses elsewhere” and 10 jobs would be created.
If approved, the auction house will be less than five miles away from Thompson’s Auctioneers at Killinghall but Thompson’s director Kate Higgings said the proposed new venture was not part of its business.
Planning documents submitted to North Yorkshire Council say:
“The main proposed use of the application site is that of an auction sales rooms, with associated offices and storage space on the first floor.
“The proposed layout allows for one large auction room to be created and it is envisaged that only one auction sale would be conducted at any particular time. There would be one auction sale per week on a Saturday. The car park layout allows for a service yard for the delivery and collection of lots.
“Potential bidders will be able to attend the auction rooms in person, leave commission bids, bid via telephone or via one or more online platforms. There will be approximately 20 bidders likely to attend auctions in person and the existing car parking spaces will be sufficient for their business needs.
“It is anticipated that the auction rooms will employ around 10 full time equivalent staff including auctioneers, valuers, accountants, and administrative staff and porters.”
The council will decide whether to accept the plans.
Springfield Farm Business Park plans for a new auction house
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Dog attacks child outside Knaresborough school
North Yorkshire Police has appealed for witnesses after a dog attacked a child outside a school in Knaresborough.
In a statement this afternoon, the force said the dog was tied to a fence outside the front gate of St Mary’s Catholic Primary School on Tentergate Road when it bit the child.
The incident happened on Wednesday, March 13 at school pick-up time.
The child required hospital treatment for what police described as “minor injuries”.
The statement said:
“Dog owners are urged take responsibility for their pets. Please do not leave dogs tied up and unattended around school premises near where young children may be playing.”
Anyone who saw the incident or knows the dog owner is urged to contact North Yorkshire Police by calling 101, or emailing jack.bocking@northyorkshire.police.uk, quoting reference 12240045161.
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Car park charges to rise by up to 25% in Harrogate district
North Yorkshire Council is set to increase car park charges across the Harrogate district by up to 25%.
Notices have been put up announcing new prices for off-street parking from April 19.
People parking at Conyngham Hall in Knaresborough for short periods look set to be hardest hit, with the cost of one hour and two hour parking going up by 25%. Most other price hikes are around 20%.
It is not known whether on-street parking charges will also increase. The council is expected to issue a media statement this week.
According to the notices, the affected car parks in Harrogate are Dragon Road, Montpellier Shoppers on The Ginnel, Odeon and Park View, West Park and Station Parade. The multi-storey car parks are not mentioned.
The Montpellier Shoppers car park on The Ginnel.
The cost of an annual permit to park at the Odeon and The Ginnel will shoot up from £756 to £907.20 and £1,425.60 to £1,710.72 respectively.
The affected car parks in Knaresborough are Castle Yard, Chapel Street and Fisher Street, Conyngham Hall, Waterside and York Place.
An annual permit at York Place will rise from £270 to £324.
Notices displayed in car parks state the changes come under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, which ‘provides that a local authority may vary the charges to be paid in connection with the use of its off‐street parking places by notice’.
It comes despite the council increasing council tax bills by 4.99% in 2024/25.
It means the amount paid by an average Band D property for council services will increase by £87.80 to £1,847.62.
The council faces a shortfall of more than £30 million for the next financial year.
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Demolished Harrogate charity flats set to be complete by December
New supported living flats on Ripon Road in Harrogate look set to be completed by the end of 2024.
Harrogate Skills 4 Living is behind the scheme and now expects the project to be on track and finished by December.
The flats were partially built on the site, near New Park roundabout and opposite the former gasworks due to become a Tesco supermarket. One storey of the three-storey project had been built but was demolished earlier this month.
Hadyn Moorby-Davies, chief executive of Harrogate Skills 4 Living, said:
“It was necessary to demolish the existing structure so that the new contractor Studfold Ltd. could recommence the build.
“Hopefully, there won’t be any further delays and the project will be ready for occupation mid-December.”
The partially built flats at 212 Ripon Road
At the site, 212 Ripon Road, the charity aims to create assisted living accommodation for adults with learning disabilities and autism.
Plans submitted to North Yorkshire council show that the building is set to include six flats for people who need constant carer support, plus sleeping accommodation for staff. Harrogate Skills 4 Living was granted planning permission last year.
The plans approved by North Yorkshire Council said:
“The apartments are for accommodating adults with learning disabilities/ autism in order that they can achieve a better lifestyle in a supported living environment while benefiting from the independence that this environment provides.”
Computer generated images of the proposed HS4L site
Earlier this month, Mr Moorby-Davies said:
“The site has been demolished to allow new contractors to re-start the development.
“My understanding is that the building wasn’t being constructed as it should have been and so the decision was taken, to achieve the standard that Harrogate Skills 4 Living and its partners were entitled to expect, it would be best to start again hence the demolition of what had been built thus far.
“Whilst this may appear a backwards step, it had to be done for the project to move forwards.”
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Firefighters tackle car fire on Harrogate’s Otley Road
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus extinguished a car fire on Otley Road in Harrogate this afternoon.
The blaze, which occurred at 3.27pm today, March 20, is believed to have occurred to an electric car outside Horticap garden centre.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report said a crew from Harrogate used one hose reel jet to bring the fire under control.
An eyewitness told the Stray Ferret that emergency service workers closed Otley Road for a while and a diversion was put in place via Harrogate Police Station.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said in a statement:
“Crews from Harrogate attended an incident involving a small vehicle fire. Crews extinguished the fire and the scene was made safe.”
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A Harrogate restaurant is set to reopen after being closed for several months.
Saranda Bar and Grill has been on Station Bridge since 2018 and offers Greek, Albanian and Mediterranean meat, seafood and à la carte dishes.
The restaurant was forced to shut in October 2023 due to rising costs and issues with staffing.
Now, the bar and grill is set to reopen tomorrow (March 21) much to the excitement of its owner.
Leonardo Mersinllari, who owns Saranda Bar and Grill as well as Espresso House on Beulah Street, said:
“I am really excited to reopen tomorrow and welcome back our lovely customers after a long time away. We’ve not even opened yet but we already have a lot of reservations for the next couple of weeks, so it is great to be back.”
The restaurant won Restaurant Guru awards in 2021 and 2022 for ‘Best Atmosphere in Harrogate.’
Saranda’s website said:
“Saranada Bar and Grill is the perfect place for those seeking a casual, warm, relaxed atmosphere.
“We look forward to welcoming friends, new and old when we reopen on Thursday, March 21.”
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Police CCTV appeal after Harrogate Waitrose theft
North Yorkshire Police has issued CCTV images of two people they wish to speak to following a Harrogate shop theft.
The theft took place at Waitrose on Station Parade at approximately 1.15pm on Sunday, February 4.
Officers said spirits and champagne to the value of £887 were taken from the store.
A spokesperson said:
“Please contact us if you recognise the people pictured on CCTV, as we believe they may have information that will assist our investigation.”
Anyone with information is advised to speak to Fiona.Wilding@northyorkshire.police.uk or call 101 quoting reference 12240022503.
Contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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Harrogate primary school launches campaign to fill new library
St Peter’s CE Primary School in Harrogate has unveiled its new library.
The library aims to give children a place to build and nurture their love of reading. It was funded by the Friends of St Peter’s and a grant from local charity the Johnson and Mukherjee Trust. St Peter’s worked with York outdoor play company Playscheme to develop the design.
To celebrate the opening, the school and the Friends of St Peter’s have launched a wish list campaign in partnership with independent Harrogate bookshop Imagined Things, which aims to restock the school library with additional books.
Debbie Phillips, the manager and school’s co-ordinator from Imagined Things, said:
“We love partnering with local schools and encouraging that love for reading within their communities. We’re so excited by St Peter’s new library and can’t wait to help fill it with new books.”
Head teacher Paul Griffiths
Paul Griffiths, headteacher at St Peter’s, said:
“Reading from physical books in an inspiring environment is incredibly important to us all St Peter’s. It is at the heart of our focus on enabling children to become fluent, confident, lifelong readers, giving them access to all the wonderful opportunities available to them now and in the future.
“That’s why we are we are truly delighted to have been able to provide such a wonderful child-friendly and exciting space within our school.”
St Peter’s is a member of Yorkshire Causeway Schools Trust and is housed in a Victorian building formally home to Harrogate Hospital. The primary school is now looking at plans to further develop its nurture space The Nest.
Anyone can support St Peter’s library by visiting Imagined Things Bookshop on Montpellier Parade to buy a book of their choice that will be placed in the new library, including a personalised note if they wish.
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Harrogate entrepreneur bags Dragon’s Den deal
A Harrogate woman has received an offer on Dragon’s Den for her hospitality platform, Dinerly.
Marina Prokoiosifi, 23, launched the platform, which allows restaurants to build their own website to use for orders and table bookings. They then pay a subscription fee, ranging from £25 to £65 a month.
She moved to Harrogate from Greece aged 16 and began working as a waitress to pay the bills and eventually dropped out of education at Harrogate College to focus on working in hospitality.
A few years later when the pandemic hit 20-year-old Ms Prokoiosifi was working as a manager at Taverna, a Greek restaurant on Cheltenham Crescent. She thought the restaurant’s website could be improved and the company was paying commission on its orders so she asked her boss if she could improve it and set about the task, launching Dinerly.
She said:
“I wasn’t thinking about starting a business I was just trying to help the restaurant out. I also knew if we didn’t make any money I wouldn’t have a job. It went from there really, the boss called his friend who called someone else and we soon got 30 restaurants.”
Ms Prokoiosifi met her business partner while working at The Whole Caboodle, a marketing company in Harrogate. As the brains behind the idea the business is split 60:40 to Ms Prokoiosifi, with her business partner designing the software for Dinerly.
She decided to take her idea to Dragon’s Den due to wanting a business mentor. She opted for the Greek version of the TV show to launch her business internationally.
Ms Prokoiosifi said:
“The English Dragon’s Den has such a long waiting list because it is so well established. I also think it would be a lot scarier.”
She entered the pitch asking for £30,000 for 4% of her business. Her offer was accepted within five minutes when ‘dragon’ Tassos Economou offered the asking price, making it she says the fastest deal ever in any Dragon’s Den series.
She said:
“At first I was really scared like a deer in the headlights, I was so stressed all day I couldn’t eat or do anything. Then I went in and it was over so quickly I was starstruck and completely taken aback, then I thought ‘what a waste of a day, I was stressed over nothing, just to walk out with the fastest ever deal’.”
She said Dinerly now has 40 restaurants signed up and more than 100 on the waiting list until the business expands. Restaurants in in the UK, Greece, Germany and the USA are currently signed up. Taverna in Harrogate still uses the site.
Ms Prokoiosifi added:
“It has been such a good experience. It has been really eye opening and Dinerly has already grown so much.”
See Marina’s pitch below:
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