Knaresborough hotel rebrands under new name

The Newton House Hotel in Knaresborough has rebranded as Orchard Club.

The 12-bedroom hotel, which is situated in a grade II listed building on York Place, was acquired by Lamb and Flag Enterprise Ltd after former owner Denise Carter retired in 2022.

The rebrand is part of a wider plan to create meeting rooms and other facilities for guests and residents, as well as accommodation.

The Newton House Hotel in Knaresborough has rebranded as Orchard Club.

A spokesperson for Orchard Club said:

“The rebrand was prompted by a desire to see the beautiful buildings in York Place improved and utilised further. It’s part of a long-term strategy on the part of Orchard Club to provide enhanced facilities for Knaresborough.

“Over time, the hope is to create additional bedrooms, a café/bistro and spaces available for community hire.”

One of the redecorated rooms in Orchard Club.

They added:

“The car park in the former Newton House Hotel will be turned into a beautiful orchard-themed garden dining area with a dozen fruit-bearing trees, providing a haven for wildlife and customers alike.

“Car parking will still be provided at the rear of number 9 York Place, which will itself be used to extend and enhance the hotel facilities.”

Each room in the hotel, which is based on a ‘tranquil orchard’ theme, has been renamed and redecorated with a particular fruit.

Richard Venable, director of Lamb and Flag Enterprise, said:

“Orchard Club is set to be a landmark destination for holidaymakers and business people, as well as a popular cafe and bistro for hotel guests and Knaresborough residents.”

The 300-year-old building, which is rumoured to have been built with stone from Knaresborough Castle, became a hotel in 1981.

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Work begins on Harrogate’s James Street to find electricity fault

Northern Powergrid has begun work on James Street in Harrogate following last weeks power cuts.

Access to the pavement outside department store Hoopers has been diverted onto the road using barriers while the electricity provider conducts repairs.

Multiple businesses along Harrogate’s premier shopping street were affected by intermittent power cuts for five consecutive days last week.

It left several shops unable to trade for periods, forced a dentist to stop emergency surgery mid-surgery and prevented a café from making treats.

Stores along the street will remain open this week while work is carried out.

A spokesperson for Northern Powergrid said:

“Our engineers are carrying out investigative work to enable us to identify and repair the fault as soon as possible.

“Intermittent faults can be located anywhere along the local underground route. We use special monitoring equipment to locate the fault, so we can complete a permanent repair to the affected network to prevent further disruption.

“The works will be ongoing for the next couple of days, with a view to completing the excavation works on or by Friday 15 March. We apologise to customers for any inconvenience and thank them for their continued patience.”

Work is set to finish on Friday

Northern Powergrid has announced plans to spend £5.5m on improvements in the area.

The company is hosting a drop-in session today (Tuesday, March 12) from 4pm to 7pm at the Crown Hotel to discuss the plans.

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Music line-up for Deer Shed Festival announced

The family-friendly Deer Shed Festival has today announced its full music line-up for 2024.

The event, which takes place at Baldersby Park, Topcliffe from July 26 to 29, features diverse acts ranging from the African rhythms of KOKOKO! to LVR, whose members include Poet Laurette Simon Armitage.

Other headline acts include UK singer-songwriter Katherine Priddy, feminist quintet Nana Benz Du Togo and Leeds-based Deadletter plus Flamingods, The Coral, Bombay Bicycle Club and CMAT.

Deer Shed 2023

Also announced today are Oneda, Jessica Winter, Chalk, Lizzie No, Frankie Archer, The Itch, Dana Gavanski, Ellur, tinyumbrellas, Morgan Harper Jones, Lily Lyons, Aayushi, Our Man in the Field, Kathryn Williams and Withered Hand, Man/Woman/Chainsaw, Katie Gregson-MacLeod, Group Listening & Niki Stevens.

The comedy line-up, shows, films, science, sports, workshops, wellbeing and literary and spoken word are all still to be revealed.

Deer Shed has stages, tents, workshops, sports activities and outdoor fun for children and families to enjoy together. Tickets are on sale now.

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Work begins on Harrogate’s James Street to find electricity fault

Northern Powergrid has begun work on James Street in Harrogate following last weeks power cuts.

Access to the pavement outside department store Hoopers has been diverted onto the road using barriers while the electricity provider conducts repairs.

Multiple businesses along Harrogate’s premier shopping street were affected by intermittent power cuts for five consecutive days last week.

It left several shops unable to trade for periods, forced a dentist to stop emergency surgery mid-surgery and prevented a café from making treats.

Stores along the street will remain open this week while work is carried out.

A spokesperson for Northern Powergrid said:

“Our engineers are carrying out investigative work to enable us to identify and repair the fault as soon as possible.

“Intermittent faults can be located anywhere along the local underground route. We use special monitoring equipment to locate the fault, so we can complete a permanent repair to the affected network to prevent further disruption.

“The works will be ongoing for the next couple of days, with a view to completing the excavation works on or by Friday 15 March. We apologise to customers for any inconvenience and thank them for their continued patience.”

Work is set to finish on Friday

Northern Powergrid has announced plans to spend £5.5m on improvements in the area.

The company is hosting a drop-in session today (Tuesday, March 12) from 4pm to 7pm at the Crown Hotel to discuss the plans.

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Government inspectors hail improvements at North Yorkshire Police

Government inspectors have today hailed significant improvements over the last year at North Yorkshire Police.

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services questioned the force’s ability to keep people safe and reduce crime in a highly critical report a year ago following an inspection in October 2022. It also criticised the speed of handling 101 and 999 calls.

But a new HMICFRS report, published today, found the constabulary was good in five areas of policing and adequate in four. Last year it was told it required improvement in four areas.

Michelle Skeer, HM Inspector of Constabulary, said in the Police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy report:

“I am pleased with the performance of North Yorkshire Police in keeping people safe, reducing crime and giving victims an effective service.

“I have been impressed with the force’s response to the findings of our last inspection in 2022. The force has worked quickly to improve the policing service it provides to the communities of North Yorkshire.

“Because of this, it has made progress in all the areas of improvement identified in our last inspection.”

Key findings

The inspection graded 10 areas of policing either outstanding, good, adequate, requires improvement or inadequate. Unlike last year, North Yorkshire Police was not assessed to be inadequate or requires improvement in any areas.

It received good assessments for preventing crime, recording data about crime, police powers and public treatment, protecting vulnerable people and managing offenders.

It was graded adequate for investigating crime, responding to the public, developing a positive workplace and leadership and force management.

Inspectors also check the effectiveness of services to victims but do not make a graded judgment for this.

They hailed “significant investment in the force’s control room” after last year’s report revealed only 41.9 percent of 999 calls were answered within 10 seconds.

Ms Skeer said:

“The force has also improved how quickly it arrives at emergency and priority incidents. It should continue to focus on making improvements in these areas.”

The force’s investigations were found to be mostly effective but the number of crimes solved is low.

Ms Skeer concluded:

“Chief officers have made well thought out changes and investments to make sure the force has the resources to meet the public’s demands. The force’s leadership and management have significantly improved its services to the public.

“There are still areas in which North Yorkshire Police must do better. However, I am optimistic that the force’s leadership and management will continue to build on the improvements that we have seen during this inspection.”

‘Transformative year’

elliot foskett

Speaking about the latest report acting chief constable Elliot Foskett (pictured above) said it had been a “transformative year for policing in North Yorkshire”.

He said the force had “fully embraced” last year’s feedback, adding:

“We put in place our improvement plan, which was challenging and tough for everyone in the force. We told you that the leadership team had a grip on the issues and that we would manage the plan tightly. We moved at a pace and have delivered on all fronts.

“We have worked hard over the past 12 months to bring the force to a level where the Inspectorate told us that the change has been phenomenal.”

ACC Foskett said a significant investment in the force control room had seen the average answer time for 999 calls fall from 16.2 seconds in January 2023 to 10.2 seconds in January 2024. He added:

“We are one of the safest counties in England and this inspection report shows that we are also now one of the best forces in England.

“The public of North Yorkshire and York deserve a police force they can trust and have confidence in. Policing has moved on and we needed to rebuild our foundations – they are now in place.”

Commissioner hails ‘phenomenal progress’

Zoe Metcalfe

Zoe Metcalfe

Zoe Metcalfe, the North Yorkshire police, fire and crime commissioner, said she was “beyond disappointed” after last year’s report was published and pledged to hold the chief constable “robustly to account”.

Today Ms Metcalfe, whose role will be subsumed by the new mayoral combined office for York and North Yorkshire in May, hailed the “phenomenal progress that the force has made in such a short space of time”.

She added:

“I am pleased to see a much-improved increase in the performance of customer contact and the reduction in waiting times for both 999 and 101. Call answering times has been high on the public’s list of priorities and my own. I have invested £2.4m in the force control room, however, the force still needs to improve on how they record the information and the actions they take following the call.

“The report also recognises that North Yorkshire Police is good at recording crime and highlights areas where improvements need to be made. It is imperative to victims that when they report a crime it is recorded correctly and dealt with appropriately and I will be looking for improvements in this area immediately.

“The progress North Yorkshire Police have made over the past 12 months, and to have their cause of concern lifted is great news.

“This is a good report and lays the foundations for North Yorkshire Police to become an “outstanding” force, which is what I expect them to achieve at the next inspection.

“On the March 25 at 2pm I will be holding an online public meeting with North Yorkshire Police to look at this report in detail and to hear their plan of action to tackle the areas for improvement identified in the report.”

The meeting will be held here.

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Supercars coming to Harrogate this weekend

Some of the world’s most powerful supercars will be in Harrogate this weekend for a new event at Hornbeam Park.

Luxury car financier Apollo Capital is hosting its first client and supercar club open day on Sunday, March 17.

The Supercars and Caffeine event will see multiple high-powered cars parked outside at The Lenz offices on Hornbeam Park.

Supercar owners from across the country have been invited to show their vehicles. Spectators can book tickets here to see the cars.

Founded in 2020 by chief executive Andy King and managing director David Moss, Apollo specialises in funding luxury, classic, super and hypercars.

Proceeds from the event, held in conjunction with partners Petrolheadonism.club, will go to Apollo Capital’s charity fund for 2024 which is supporting the work of Saint Michael’s Hospice.

Mr King said:

“This is the first event of its kind to be held on Hornbeam Park since a classic car rally started here almost 20 years ago and we are excited to host what will be an awesome display of cars.

“The interest we have had from within the supercar community has been superb.”

The event will take place from 10am to 1pm at the Apollo’s headquarters The Lenz on Hornbeam Park.

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Cannabis farm with nearly 500 plants found in Harrogate

North Yorkshire Police has found another cannabis farm in Harrogate.

The force said in a statement this morning (March 11) it had discovered a home being used to cultivate the drugs on Haywra Street last Wednesday, March 6.

A total of of 468 plants, with an estimated street value of over £200,000 were growing at the property close to the town centre.

The statement said officers also found equipment used in the production of cannabis.

A police scene guard was in place at the site until Saturday, March 9, whilst crime scene investigation officers conducted investigations and dismantled and seized the production set up.

This is the second cannabis farm found in Harrogate in recent weeks, with another located on Harlow Terrace at the end of last month.


The statement said:

“A 56-year-old man was arrested in connection with the investigation and has been charged with the production of a controlled Class B drug – namely cannabis.

“He has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at York Magistrates’ Court on 2 April 2024.

“The local community can help us by continuing to report any signs of criminal activity, any bit of information, no matter how small it may seem, could help make a big difference.”

The cannabis farm found last week

Cannabis farms – signs to look out for

If you have any information about suspicious activity in the area, please report it via our website or call 101 and ask for North Yorkshire Police.

Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously via their website or by calling 0800 555 111.

Please quote reference number 12240040594 when providing details.

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Northern Powergrid to spend £5.5m on more reliable electricity in Harrogate

Northern Powergrid is about to embark on a major £5.5m scheme that will make the electricity supply in the Harrogate area more reliable.

The company, which manages the electricity network for 3.9 million people, has invited Harrogate businesses to meet staff and contractors to discuss the initiative between 4pm and 7pm on Tuesday, March 12 at The Thackwray Suite at the Crown Hotel.

No prior booking is necessary for the drop-in session.

A spokesperson for Northern Powergrid said the scheme would “improve the resilience and reliability of the vital local electricity network”.

It added:

“This work will also create capacity for new developments and low carbon technology connections to support the town’s economic growth.

“We look forward to engaging with local customers to keep them updated about investment in their area. We’re finalising the route and specific details of what will be a significant programme of investment works.”


The announcement comes after James Street and Prospect Crescent were affected by several days of intermittent power cuts last week.

Northern Powergrid apologised to businesses after customers in the HG1 area of Harrogate had their power interrupted by a fault on the underground low voltage cable, resulting in a blown fuse that the company said was difficult to locate.

Northern Powergrid said in a statement:

“Intermittent faults are most often caused by a tiny hole in the electricity cable, which can be located anywhere along the local underground route. This minor damage allows moisture to enter the cable over time, building up to a level which causes a short circuit; which in turn causes the local substation fuse to blow, resulting in a power cut.”

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Business Breakfast: Masham brewery set for rebrand

Excellence deserves to be recognised and celebrated. The 2024 Stray Ferret Business Awards is the event to put your business, people or great initiative in the spotlight!

Don’t miss out and click here to book your tickets now for the awards night on March 14 2024. 

Black Sheep Brewery in Masham has announced the biggest rebrand in its 31-year history.

A new design will feature across all Black Sheep beers, including keg, cask, bottles and online merchandise.

Black Sheep was saved from administration last year. Mark Williams, chief executive of new owners Keystone Brewing Group, said:

“With this rebrand, we will ensure to continue Paul Theakston’s legacy, by investing heavily to champion growth and secure our future right here in our ancestral home.”

Black Sheep Brewery has also become the official beer sponsor of Long Course Weekend Yorkshire, which will take place in Masham in September.

Bettys & Taylors go electric with new delivery vans

Bettys & Taylors of Harrogate has taken delivery of its first refrigerated electric vehicles.

The firm behind Yorkshire Tea, Taylors of Harrogate and Bettys Café Tea Rooms, appointed Prohire’s sustainable vehicle hire and alternative fuels division, ProGreen.

The transition from diesel to electric vehicles is part of Bettys & Taylors’  decarbonisation strategy.

Paul Farr, Bettys product director, said:

“Our family business has a long commitment to protecting our planet, and these new vehicles are a positive next step in our approach to reducing our impact on the environment.”

Harrogate business group meets tonight

Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce’s monthly meeting is to be held tonight at the DoubleTree by Hilton Majestic Hotel from 5.30pm to 8pm.

The meeting will focus on Wellbeing in the Workplace, with chamber members and registered guests hearing from expert speakers from Yorkshire businesses. The topic will be examined from the perspectives of law and HR, as well as how it is embedded in a company culture.

Speakers include  Iain Jenkins from McCormicks Solicitors, Sarah Darbyshire of HR Solutions Yorkshire Ltd and Clare Nixon of Bettys and Taylors.

Chamber chief executive Martin Mann said:

“Businesses that can demonstrate that they look after their employees’ mental and physical wellbeing are more likely to attract, recruit and retain employees.”

First-time visitors are welcome to attend and all companies are entitled to bring along more than one member of staff. You can reserve a spot here.

Harrogate estate agent wins award

Verity Frearson has won the Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award.

Feefo, which is the world’s largest provider of verified reviews, established the awards in 2014.

Its awards go to businesses that have achieved gold standard for three consecutive years. To do this, businesses must collect at least 50 reviews with a service rating of between 4.5 and 4.9 in a year.

Matthew Stamford, director at Verity Frearson said:

“Maintaining the highest levels of customer service is our priority. The fact that this award is based on feedback from real customers gives us confidence we are providing an exceptional level of service.”

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Harrogate hospice launches appeal as it struggles with funding

Saint Michael’s Hospice in Harrogate has launched its first mass-public appeal for funding support in more than 10 years as it struggles to keep up with rising costs due to inflation.

The hospice says that despite an increase in government funding of 1.2%, it will still be left with a half a million pound shortfall.

Saint Michael’s offer hospice care, emotional wellbeing and bereavement support to local communities across the Harrogate district both from its Hornbeam Park based hospice and in people’s homes.

However, it is now appealing to people to help it make up spiralling costs from inflation.

A spokesperson from Saint Michael’s said:

“If we cannot raise that extra half a million from inflation which is not being covered by the small increase of 1.2% from the government then our current services at our hospice and in our communities will be under threat and we need to react to that before patients and families are affected.

“We need an immediate boost in funding.”

This is the largest appeal the hospice have done in the last 10 years and their most important yet.

The spokesperson added:

“By ‘mass appeal’ we mean we’re intending to reach even more people than we have ever reached before. This is a multi-faceted campaign utilising all our marketing channels and appealing to not only our existing supporters, but a cold audience in the Harrogate District.

“We have utilised a mail drop with Royal Mail and our appeal leaflet will start to drop on door mats next week, with the intention of spreading the word far and wide about our funding needs.”

The charity’s ethos is that no-one should have to face terminal illness alone. They support local people and their families when they need them the most.

Beth’s Story:

Beth Crewe, 34, from Knaresborough at just 25 years old following her dad’s short battle with bowel cancer that quickly spread to his brain. She went from preparing to go travelling in South America to comforting her 52-year-old dad Bill in Saint Michael’s Hospice when he quickly deteriorated from perfect health to seriously ill.

Bill’s cancer progressed quicker than expected, and after five months, treatment was halted. Just two weeks later, he was rushed to hospital in extreme pain and his family were told to consider what his end-of-life care would look like. It was then Bill moved to Saint Michael’s.

Beth said:

“I don’t know what we would have done without (Saint Michael’s). I know that sounds cliché, but it became a bit of an anchor when we had been really lost, and no one had helped us. Saint Michael’s just gave us that chance for us to be altogether and for my dad to be comfortable and worry free. To me, that was the most important thing.”

“Every day felt to me like we were just celebrating being together and having those moments. Dad loved watching films, so we watched all his favourite films, and it wasn’t like we were burdened by anything else going on. It gave us that space to forget about everything.”

Beth Crewe and Family

End of life care and other vital services provided by the charity will be under threat if they struggle to raise the funds. To find out more about the Saint Michael’s Hospice inflation appeal and to donate click here.

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