A musician from Harrogate will be playing a three-day London festival later this month.

Joe Flanagan will be one of the first acts to perform at the Islington Radio Festival on September 10.

Joe was born and raised in Harrogate and is a former Harrogate Grammar School pupil, now residing in Bournemouth.

The guitarist, who has been influenced by the Gallagher brothers, began penning his own songs aged thirteen. He will be performing entirely original pieces during his set.

The Islington Radio Festival is a new event for this year founded by presenters at the station of the same name.

The gig will be one of many during the month as he is also set to play London venues such The Amersham Arms and Bethnal Green.

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Joe spoke of his music;

“I started writing as a naughty kid aged 13 as an outlet for my emotions.
“My songs are based on personal experiences but written in a way that everyone can relate to.”

He isn’t currently signed to a record label, however he hinted of an upcoming EP in the works which he hopes will boost his career.

Almsford Community Fun Day will take place next month after being cancelled last year due to covid.

The event is open to all on Sunday September 12 at Almsford Playing Fields near Hornbeam Park.

From 1pm until 6pm attendees can enjoy live music, sports events and family entertainment.

Acts in the main marquee include the All Together Now Choir and the Harrogate Band. In the children’s marquee, kids can enjoy magicians and stage shows.

Other family entertainment includes a bouncy castle, assault course and a human football table. Homemade food will be available from a range of local vendors.

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The event was organised by local football team Pannal Ash Junior FC. Chairman Chris McVey said;

“We’re so looking forward to celebrate all that’s positive in our community after having to cancel our 2020 event due to the pandemic.”

“The Fun Day is about bringing people of all ages together in a Covid-safe way to enjoy fantastic entertainment after months of being apart.”

Any money raised from the event will go towards maintenance work on the playing field.

A Harrogate teenager has completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge and raised more than three times her original target.

Leah Gresty climbed the mammoth Three Peaks with her partner in under 11 hours earlier this month, leaving more than an hour to spare.

She was raising money for the UK Sepsis Trust in memory of her grandmother who died of sepsis last September.

Her grandmother Elizabeth Simmonite was a former butcher and baker on Knaresborough Road in Harrogate.

Leah raised £1,115, more than double her original £300 goal. She hopes that her challenge will also hope to spread awareness of the disease.

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The Three Peaks challenge involves climbing Pen-Y-Ghent, Whemside and Ingleborough peaks in under 12 hours.

Leah said:

“It was even harder than I anticipated. It was my first big hike and I hadn’t trained at all so it was very challenging.”

“The third peak was definitely the hardest as we were already exhausted.”

Sepsis is a blood infection which is responsible for 48,000 deaths every year in the UK.

Leah is still accepting donations on her JustGiving page.

A pupil from Ashville College has competed in a juniors tournament at the famous Wimbledon ground.

12-year-old Emi Linley made her way to the doubles quarter final in a six day juniors tournament.

The Road to Wimbledon under-14s tournament saw pupils across the country compete on Wimbledon’s grass courts.

Emi was one of two players in Yorkshire to be selected as part of an initiative by All England Lawn Tennis Club.

9,000 pupils across the country competed, making it the largest junior girls competition in the country. Only 120 made it to the quarter-finals in which Emi competed.

Emi has been tennis training since she was four years old and now trains a minimum of 12 hours a week. She said;

“This was my first time playing at Wimbledon, and it was a great experience. It felt very special being there and I’m determined to win a place again next year.”

Duncan Archer, Ashville’s head of sports development, said:

“This is a fantastic achievement for Emi, and she should be incredibly proud of reaching the finals of this national tennis tournament.

“Almost 9,000 young players took part in this competition and Emi was one of just 120 who made it through to the finals. She is a fantastic tennis player and regularly beats competitors older than her.

“While this may have been Emi’s Wimbledon debut, I can assure you it won’t be her last.”

She is currently hoping for a victory in the ongoing 2021 Yorkshire Tennis Championships.

A security firm has teamed up with a Harrogate environmental business to reduce its carbon footprint by planting 131 trees.

Dardan Security joined forces with Make it Wild to plant the trees to offset its annual carbon emissions.

The company said the trees planted will offset 480 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent each year.

Make it Wild planted the trees at Dowgill Grange in Summerbridge on the company’s behalf. Co-founder Christopher Neave said;

“Where there are unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions, caused by their business activities, our trees will be removing an equivalent quantity and more from the atmosphere as they grow.”

“We will never cut them down and they are destined to become the trees of the future.”

Make it Wild was founded by Harrogate couple Christopher and Helen Neave eleven years ago. They aim to plant over 100,000 trees in the district by 2030.

Their site in Kirk Hammerton is now open to the public as Sylvan Nature Reserve.

Dardan Security has also pledged that any new additions to their transport fleet will be electric or hybrid. Transport fuel emissions currently equate to nearly 90% of the firm’s total carbon output.

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The annual Christmas concert at Harrogate’s Royal Hall featuring Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band will return in December following last year’s cancellation.

The Christmas Fantasy concert will once again see the famous brass band perform with chorus accompaniment from Harrogate Gilbert and Sullivan Society.

It is due to take place on December 18 with both a matinee and an evening show.

The show will consist of original songs from the band, Gilbert and Sullivan classics and some Christmas favourites.

Last year the show was cancelled for the first time since it was first performed over 30 years ago due to covid restrictions.

Carrie Brown, chair of the Harrogate G&S Society, said;

“We want it to be a very special relaunch given that it was cancelled last year. We’re lucky to have some very loyal people who have come to see us year on year and use it as a way to start off their Christmas.”

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The Harrogate G&S society was formed in 1972 by enthusiasts for the Victorian theatrical duo.

Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band dates back to 1881 and has performed across the globe.

Tickets are due to go on sale in September with under-16s allowed entry for free.

Royal biographer Elisabeth Basford will be at Goldsborough Hall on Sunday when the stately hall opens its gardens to the public.

The hall, near Knaresborough, was once home to Princess Mary, the Queen’s aunt, in the 1920s. It will be open from 11am to 5pm on Sunday as part of the National Garden Scheme.

Ms Basford has just published the biography Princess Mary, The First Modern Princess. She will bring various objects connected with the princess to talk about as well as signing copies of her book.

She said she was delighted to be returning to the hall, adding:

“Goldsborough Hall is now as spectacular as it was in the time of Princess Mary.”

Clare Oglesby, the owner of Goldsborough Hall, said:

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for our garden visitors to learn more about the princess – and especially in the very place where she lived!”

Tickets will be £5 for adults and free for children. Refreshments and plants are also available for sale with all proceeds going to the charities that NGS support.

To ensure the event is covid safe, all activities will take place outside and a timed ticket system has been adopted to prevent too many people arriving at the same time.

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The open gardens at Goldsborough Hall

The gardens, which will be open to explore, have a tribute to Princess Mary in the form of a wall of Yorkshire Princess roses that were named after her.

Tickets cost £5 for adults. Entry is free for children.

Further information is available here. 

As the Euros finish, all eyes now turn to the Olympics in Tokyo later this month and Harrogate’s diving talent.

Jack Laugher and Oliver Dingley will be representing Team GB and Team Ireland respectively in the men’s 3m springboard and synchronised diving events.

There are also three coaches from Harrogate who will be working in Japan training other nation’s diving squads. Ady Hinchcliffe and Andy Banks coach Team Australia’s diving team.

Ady has coached eight Olympians through the events over the years. Andy is the coach who trained Tom Daley in the 2012 London Olympic when he won a bronze medal for the men’s platform event.

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Damian Ball, Jack Laugher and Oliver Dingley at the Fina Diving World Cup in May.

Damian Ball will be representing Team Ireland as he coaches Oliver Dingley during the upcoming Olympics.

In 1999 Harrogate Borough Council named Damian Ball diving development officer and head coach at The Hydro in Harrogate.

Both Jack Laugher and Oliver Dingley were coached by Damian Ball back in 2010.

Leanne Jalland, chair of the Harrogate District Diving Club, said this about the Olympian’s time training in Harrogate:

“What made Harrogate special in terms of diving talent and coaching back in the days when Damian was Head Coach and Jack and Oliver were diving at the club was a combination of hardworking talented coaches and athletes with the resources to allow them to fulfill their potential.”

The 2020 Tokyo Olympic games will start on July 23.

An outdoor cinema company that is due to show films in the district says it isn’t worried about losing its audience once restrictions are lifted.

Blue Sky began screening movies throughout lockdown to give people an opportunity to leave their homes without fear of catching covid.

The company is due to hold eight movie screenings in Harrogate rugby club at the end of the month.

But with government restrictions set to be lifted on July 19, outdoor cinemas could start to see their audiences leaving for mask-free indoor options.

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However, Ian Taylor, managing director of Blue Sky, says he and his team remain positive:

“People have gotten into the habit of entertaining themselves, which has become a problem with a lot of sectors. But opening up allows for people to invite their friends and show them the stuff they’ve been doing during the lockdown.”

Mr Taylor also predicted people will enjoy drive-in cinemas more than indoor ones during the winter:

“Drive-in cinemas are a good option in the winter months when we get closer to October time. You can stay warm but also talk to your family or friends without disturbing anyone, you can bring your own food and drink.”

A milk delivery firm has given its drivers the night off on July 11 so they can watch the Euro 2020 final – and hopefully enjoy the celebrations.

National firm McQueens Dairies delivers milk, eggs and other essential produce to homes in the Harrogate district every week.

An email was sent to customers saying there will be no deliveries on the morning of July 12 due to “our confidence that we will make the final for the first time in 55 years”.

The rescheduling “will allow our staff… to enjoy the celebrations”, the firm explained.

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“It is fantastic that England are through to the finals and we wanted to treat our delivery drivers the night off to enjoy it.

“Our milkmen and women worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to ensure people could stay at home and we hope that they will be able to celebrate a win on Sunday with a pint or two – of McQueens milk, of course.”