This week’s photograph was taken by Julie Valentine, capturing heron making the most of the flooded ponds in Hookstone Woods, Harrogate.

Photo of the Week takes centre stage in our new-look nightly email newsletter. The newsletter drops into your inbox every evening at 6pm with all the day’s stories and more. To subscribe click here.

Julie Valentine

Photo of the Week celebrates the Harrogate district. It could be anything from family life to capturing the district’s beauty. We are interested in amateur and professional photographs, in a landscape format.

Send your photographs to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk for a chance to be featured next week, we reserve the right to adjust and crop images to fit into our format.

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The Stray Ferret Business Awards 2024 are for businesses across all sectors in the Harrogate district.

We are revealing what our judging panel is looking for when it comes to each of the categories. Next up is the Best Independent Retailer Award.

This award recognises the work of independent retailers across the Harrogate district who are tackling the challenges faced by high street retailers in the growing online world.

These businesses are truly beating the odds to support customers and make the high street work for them.

Companies looking to enter for the Best Independent Retailer Award need to evidence how they have changed and adapted to continue flourish in a different high street landscape. You may have opened a new business or changed the way you operate to survive.

Does your business deserve to win the Best Independent Retailer Award at the Stray Ferret Business Awards? Entries close on January 19. It’s simple and quick, so enter today!

Click here or the banner below to enter for the Stray Ferret Business Awards, sponsored by Prosperis.

To celebrate New Year’s Eve this week, we have a selection of photographs showcasing rainbows across the Harrogate district.

Photo of the Week will take centre stage from January 2 in our new-look nightly email newsletter. The newsletter drops into your inbox every evening at 6pm with all the day’s stories and more. 
To subscribe click here.

Andrew Graham

George Jesper

Parent of Western Primary

Photo of the Week celebrates the Harrogate district. It could be anything from family life to capturing the district’s beauty. We are interested in amateur and professional photographs, in a landscape format.

Send your photographs to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk for a chance to be featured next week, we reserve the right to adjust and crop images to fit into our format.

This article is sponsored by Ashville College Sixth Form.

We understand that choosing a Sixth Form can bring excitement and nerves in equal measure. To any young person, Sixth Form is a time of enrichment, commitment and increasing independence as they move closer to adulthood. They may even have heard from people close to them that Sixth Form was the best time of their school lives. It is not a decision to take lightly.

Ashville College’s Sixth Form Taster Day on Thursday, January 18 is designed to give Year 11s a taste of Sixth Form academic and social life, and to hopefully help them decide if we will be a good fit, both for them as individuals and in paving the way for their future plans.

Here are six things your child will discover on our Taster Day. If they don’t, we are not doing it right!

High-quality teaching

By attending pre-selected sessions, your child will gain first-hand experience of our range of more than 25 A Levels plus BTEC and Cambridge Technical qualifications and start to get acquainted with our teachers, who are specialists in their chosen disciplines.

What it feels like to be a Sixth Former

The feeling may be a little artificial as they haven’t officially started yet, but a Taster Day is as close to the real thing as possible. They can wear suits, experience the school environment, have exclusive use of the dedicated Sixth Form Centre, and taste the food!

A sense of confidence that we will help them get into their preferred university

In 2023, 94 per cent of the summer 2023 cohort of Upper Sixth pupils were awarded places at their preferred universities in the UK and around the world, based on their A Level results. Teachers work tirelessly to deliver the best possible academic outcomes for each pupil.

They will be known as individuals

We work with every young person to get to know them and help them realise their potential, whether that is in their chosen fields of study or their co-curricular pursuits.

There’s more to gain than exam results

Sixth Form can be synonymous with A Levels, but they’re only part of the story. At Ashville, ‘Future Ready’ provides experiences and skills that aim to assist our young people well into the future, and our strong Co-curricular Programme enables them to continue to pursue existing interests and discover new ones, aiding personal growth as well as mental and physical wellbeing.

It’s not just about work!

By spending time with the Ashville community, attendees will learn that we as a College believe that the Sixth Form days are about more than studying and exams, and that pupils learn best when they are happy.

So much awaits beyond the Ashville classroom, from the friendships they will make to the incredible trips and end-of-year parties. Sadly, our Taster Day can’t convey all the special moments ahead of them; they will have to join us to discover those!

Sign your child up now for an enjoyable, valuable and eye-opening day.

We look forward to meeting them. Click or Tap here to register now. 

This week, we have a selection of photographs showcasing some Christmas scenes across the Harrogate district taken in the December snow.

Photo of the Week will take centre stage from January 2 in our new-look nightly email newsletter. The newsletter drops into your inbox every evening at 6pm with all the day’s stories and more. 
To subscribe click here.

Erica Johnson

Heather Middleton

Jeannette Wilson

Photo of the Week celebrates the Harrogate district. It could be anything from family life to capturing the district’s beauty. We are interested in amateur and professional photographs, in a landscape format.

Send your photographs to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk for a chance to be featured next week, we reserve the right to adjust and crop images to fit into our format.

The Stray Ferret Business Awards 2024 are for businesses across all sectors in the Harrogate district.

Over the next few weeks we will reveal what our judging panel is looking for when it comes to each of the 10 categories.

Next up is the Best Use of Digital Award, which is sponsored by ASE Computer Services.

This award is designed to showcase businesses which have embraced the digital world to drive success.

Those looking to enter or nominate need to provide details of the digital initiative/s and the business objectives behind them. As well as statistical information on why the initiative was a success.

Does your business deserve to win the Best Use of Digital Award at the Stray Ferret Business Awards? Entries close on January 19. It’s simple and quick, so enter today!

Click here or the banner below to enter for the Stray Ferret Business Awards, sponsored by Prosperis.

The Stray Ferret Business Awards 2024 are for businesses across all sectors in the Harrogate district.

Over the next few weeks we will reveal what our judging panel is looking for when it comes to each of the 10 categories.

Next up is the Best Employer Award, which is sponsored by Jones Myers.

Best Employers embrace a culture of high performance, stress company values and have systems in place to inspire their workforce to do their best.

This award is designed to showcase your business values and culture which have lead to creating an environment where employees feel respected, safe and supported as well as highlighting the employee successes as a result of company ethos.

Those looking to enter or nominate need to provide details of company values and cuture, including how these have supported employee success.

Does your business deserve to win the Best Employer Award at the Stray Ferret Business Awards? Entries close on January 19. It’s simple and quick, so enter today!

Click here or the banner below to enter for the Stray Ferret Business Awards, sponsored by Prosperis.

This week’s photograph was taken by Kevin Griffiths, capturing an early morning sunrise across the stray in Harrogate.

The Stray Ferret Business Awards 2024 are for businesses across all sectors in the Harrogate district.

Over the next few weeks we will reveal what our judging panel is looking for when it comes to each of the 10 categories.

Next up is the Employee Appreciation Award, which is sponsored by Envirovent.

This award is designed to shine a light on those people who are truly the glue of the team.

These people are not only integral to the day to day, but they also bring a personal touch that makes the business that bit brighter.

Those looking to nominate for the Employee Appreciation Award need to provide details of the contribution and the impact this person has made as well as details of the person’s background and current position.

Do you know a person that deserves to win the Employee Appreciation Award at the Stray Ferret Business Awards? Entries close on January 19. It’s simple and quick, so enter today!

Click here or the banner below to enter for the Stray Ferret Business Awards, sponsored by Prosperis.

This week’s photograph was taken by Vicky Galbraith, capturing the view from Knaresborough Castle in the frost one morning this week.

Vicky Galbraith

Photo of the Week celebrates the Harrogate district. It could be anything from family life to capturing the district’s beauty. We are interested in amateur and professional photographs, in a landscape format.

Send your photographs to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk for a chance to be featured next week, we reserve the right to adjust and crop images to fit into our format.