Newsroom, Author at The Stray Ferret

Image Gallery: Brackenfield School pupils create art with 100 leaves

A collaboration with a local artist has seen Harrogate pupils challenged to create works of art from 100 leaves.

The autumnal project asked Brackenfield School students and their families to use fallen leaves to produce an artistic piece, pattern or design.

Open to all year groups, the competition saw year 6 pupil Harry crowned the winner by artist James Brunt.

A lion’s mane of leaves

An autumnal hedgehog

The winning entry, by Harry

A cheery sunflower

A seasonal heart

Harrogate district restaurants extend discount meals into November

The government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme may have ended but some restaurants in the Harrogate district have announced they will still be offering their own versions of the initiative in November.

The Eat Out scheme offered discounted dining on Mondays to Wednesdays during August.

It proved so popular that months later, some restaurants are continuing to provide cut price deals.

La Feria, on Cold Bath Road, is offering a 50% discount on food up to £10 from Monday to Wednesday until the end of November.

With 25 staff, Jez Verity, the director, was keen to support his staff when the furlough scheme ended this month.

Thanks to the ongoing discount, the restaurant has had more than 100 people in every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Mr Verity said:

“It was a big, big success in August, I think all businesses in Harrogate had significantly benefited on those three days.

“We decided to carry it on in September and see what happened. The customers really embraced it, they knew what it was and it was easy to understand.

“It’s also a way for us to say a thank you to customers for supporting us, and really give something back to them.”

Other restaurants offering similar deals are All Bar One, which is offering £10 off food with the download of their app until 12th November, and the Queens Head Inn at Kettlesing, which is extending their discount of 50% off food from Monday to Wednesday until the end of next month.

West Park and Al Bivio are also looking to encourage business on quieter days of the weeks, offering half price vouchers through The Stray Ferret.

Let us know if your restaurant is running a similar promotion in November and we will add your details to this article.

Bilton and Boroughbridge libraries highly commended

Two libraries in the Harrogate district have been highly commended for their improved performance.

Boroughbridge community library and Bilton and Woodfield community library were among those recognised by the North Yorkshire County Council Library of the Year awards.

Norton Hive library, near Malton, was crowned the overall winner.

Bilton and Woodfield library has had a lot to overcome in recent years. After funding cuts in 2011 it almost closed permanently, and is now run entirely by volunteers.

Shortly afterwards it had to find a new home and in 2017 a faulty boiler caused a major flood.

So Greta Knight, chair of the library, was pleased to accept the commendation:

“This award was a recognition of all the hard work done by everyone connected with the library and I was extremely proud to accept it on their behalf.”

Bilton library: Chairman Greta Knight and North Yorkshire County Council chairman, councillor Jim Clark, hold the award. Local member Councillor Geoff Webber (left) and libraries general manager Chrys Mellor (centre) surrounded by volunteers and supporters.

Boroughbridge library secretary Diana Holmes said:

“It is great to have the hard work of our team of lovely volunteers recognised by this award. The library is at the heart of the local community and we know from customer comments that it is greatly valued.

“The award gives us a very satisfying pat on the back from our colleagues at the county council and is especially appreciated in these current challenging times.”

Boroughbridge library: Chairman Ian Hick and North Yorkshire County Council chairman, councillor Jim Clark, hold the award. From left, area librarian Catherine Barlow, facilities manager Mike Collins, activities manager Barbara Horner, library manager Lee Taylor, treasurer Nic Holmes and secretary Diana Holmes.

Ordinarily, Boroughbridge library runs weekly activities such as story time, scrabble and one-to-one help with IT issues. These activities have been limited by the pandemic.

Greg White, the council’s executive member for libraries, said:

“The success of these community-run libraries is a testament to the local communities who will go to great lengths to keep the service running.

“Despite lockdown resulting in the closure of our buildings we have increased our digital offer and seen 3,000 new customers join and a huge increase in digital borrowing.”

Harrogate named UK’s best place to work from home

Harrogate has been named as the UK’s best place to work from home in a survey published today.

The Uswitch Remote Working Index 2020 ranked 106 of the UK’s biggest towns and cities by seven factors.

Harrogate’s superfast broadband, green space, and low crime rates earned it top spot ahead of Bath.

Large cities fared poorly. York was eighth, London 88th and Manchester 100th.

The seven factors ranked were: average property prices, green spaces, crime rates, broadband speed, air quality, number of GPs and average Ofsted ratings.

Covid has forced many people to work from home and a fifth of people said they wanted to do it more often when the pandemic is over.

Adelana Carty, broadband expert at Uswitch.com, said:

“The pandemic has turned our working routines upside down and given many of us a taste for what our lives could be like if we worked from home on a more permanent basis.

“Unsurprisingly, this has resulted in millions of people dreaming of ditching the rat race and moving away from the big city.”

Pollsters Opinium surveyed 2,003 UK adults for the survey.

It found the increase in home working has shifted attitudes away from living in large cities.

One in four people currently live in a city with a population in excess of 500,000 people but only one in nine wish to do so in future.

Art event will raise money for Harrogate hospital charity

Local artist Jos Haigh will sell her work at a preview event to raise money for Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity.

The event, at the Cedar Court Hotel in Harrogate on November 27, will showcase Ms Haigh’s vibrant wildlife art while also generating funds for the charity.

One hundred percent of the sale prices will go to the charity, which funds specialist equipment, training and services at Harrogate District Hospital outside what the NHS provides.

The charity recently funded colouring and art materials for patients at the hospital during the pandemic.

People who attend the preview event will have the opportunity to meet Ms Haigh, who lives in Harrogate and exhibits all over the country, as well as enjoy mince pies and mulled wine.

Christmas gifts and the charity’s newly launched 2021 calendar will also be on sale.

Ms Haigh told the Stray Ferret her works of art had been in a gallery in York for three weeks but lockdown had restricted viewings so she decided to donate them to the charity. She added:

“I chose to donate these paintings after the extremely tough year HDFT has had dealing with a global pandemic as well as the usual challenges that healthcare brings.

“I wanted to say a rainbow thank you to my local NHS trust for all it has done and continues to do.”

Sammy Lambert, business development, charity and volunteer manager at HHCC, said:

“We are so grateful for this incredible donation of paintings from Jos. They are beautiful and will brighten up people’s homes, even more so in the knowledge that they are supporting their local NHS.”

The preview evening is free to attend but tickets must but pre-booked. To get one, email hdft.hhcc@nhs.net.

If you can’t make the evening, Ms Haigh’s paintings are available to view and purchase here.

Blow for Tockwith as firework display cancelled

Firework displays will be in short supply this year after social distancing regulations prevented many of them from going ahead.

This comes as a double blow for Tockwith and District Agricultural Society, which organises the event.

The annual agricultural show was cancelled in August, and this is the second year in a row the fireworks display has not gone ahead, thanks to poor weather conditions in 2019.

Norman Waller, who represents Marston Moor on Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“Unfortunately because of safety issues and our inability to organise refreshments or catering, there will be no bonfire and firework display. Obviously we are devastated, as in normal times it is a key fundraiser to help with cash flow for the staging of the show.

This combined with the cancellation of other fundraising events this year [means] we forecast that potentially we have lost income in the region of £8,000.”

Meanwhile, the annual Harrogate Charity Stray Bonfire has already postponed its 50th anniversary bonfire until 2021. Now many other organisers in the district are following suit.

The Stray Ferret spoke to groups that have previously organised an annual fireworks display, and nine organisers have confirmed that due to coronavirus they have cancelled this year’s display. We could not find any which were still expecting to go ahead.

Among the firework displays to be cancelled are those at Bilton Cricket Club, Lightwater Valley, Scotton Cricket Club and Stockeld Park.

Harewood House awarded funding boost

Harewood House Trust has been awarded £695,556 by the Cultural Recovery Fund.

It is the latest grant in the fight to support the stately home through the coronavirus pandemic.

Last week, Harewood was given £296,128 by Historic England and DCMS to fund the restoration of its Terrace balustrade. It was also awarded an emergency National Heritage Lottery Fund grant to support re-opening earlier in the year.

The charity has now received more than £1 million to help survive and recover from its coronavirus-enforced closure.

Lockdown forced Harewood to close its doors for 14 weeks this year – more than a third of its open season. This resulted in losses of £1.2 million, as an estimated 80,000 people were unable to visit.

Trust director Jane Marriott said:

“Like many of our colleagues, Harewood’s total closure earlier in the year placed us in such a difficult financial situation, facing over £1 million in losses. However, the combination of our visitors’ support and a significant grant from the Culture Recovery Fund has secured Harewood’s future recovery, so that we can continue to do ambitious programming, and to make certain that this wonderful place can continue to be enjoyed by as many as possible.

“The national funding bodies’ confidence in Harewood’s work is very much needed and appreciated. We are now in a position to improve the site, develop our learning programme, continue to work with artists and maintain our ambitious visitor experience, looking once again to our future.”

The grant from the Cultural Recovery Fund will support a series of family friendly activities, invest in Harewood’s technology infrastructure, and provide canopies for outdoor spaces. This will provide cover for weddings and private hire events, in turn generating vital income for the charity.

Harrogate Hospital releases charity calendar

To recognise the hard work of NHS staff during the coronavirus pandemic a Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity calendar is being released.

Now on sale, the calendar is raising money for the Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT).

The calendar showcases the winning entries of a photo competition run by the charity. The selection includes uplifting images of staff at work, as well as photos of the Harrogate district.

The HHCC team with some of the new calendars.

Ben Windass, materials management procurement officer at HDFT, took the winning image on the front of the calendar. He said:

“I named this piece of work ‘Rainbow’ because of the general theme around national support for the NHS and I feel this picture really encapsulates this. Incidentally, these crocheted rainbows were kindly donated to the Trust, which also reinforces the theme of support and positivity towards HDFT, and the NHS as a whole.

“Any money raised by the sale of these calendars would be greatly appreciated. On a personal level, it feels warming that I have been able to contribute towards this project and hope that it will in turn contribute to supporting our fabulous Trust and all the communities we serve.”

Sammy Lambert, business development, charity and volunteer manager, said:

“We are so proud to be launching the 2020/21 calendar. The images used to develop it are absolutely amazing and really capture the spirit of the NHS in the north and what it means to be a part of team HDFT.

“It’s been a tough year for both colleagues and service users at the Trust, and we are really keen to raise as much as we can following the success of last year’s calendar in order to continue improving what the Trust can do for its local communities.”

The calendars are available for a suggested £10 donation, with all proceeds going to HDFT. This is thanks to sponsorship from Living and Home, a homeware store based in Manchester, whose director has strong ties to the trust after his daughter was born at Harrogate District Hospital.

The Trust will use the funds to provide electronic tablets for patients to video call relatives while in hospital. It will also use them to improve its services, training and facilities.

Firms get moving to raise money for local hospices

Two businesses in the Harrogate district are challenging themselves to get moving in order to raise money for charity.

Harrogate firm, High Street TV, is aiming to cover 500km in two hours today. Fifty members of staff will take part- walking and running however far they can to make the total distance.

Their ‘Keep on Moving’ challenge has raised £2,450 so far for Saint Michael’s Hospice, 163% of their original target.

Speaking about why the company chose to do this challenge, fundraising coordinator Lisa Dallas said:

“We haven’t been able to fundraise recently because of the current covid situation, so we needed to do something a little bit different. We had to think outside the box, because we had to do something where we wouldn’t be in a group.”

Over the years, High Street TV have raised £41,710 for Saint Michael’s Hospice and are a member of their Guild of Patrons.

Staff from Yorkshire letting agent Linley & Simpson have already begun their attempt to get “Around the World in 80 Days”, which is raising money for Martin House Hospice.

To reach their target of covering 40,075km, staff from the Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough branches are running, walking or cycling. A combined daily distance of 505km will have to be recorded via a smartphone tracking app in order for them to make their goal.

Martin House, based in Boston Spa, supports families North, West and East Yorkshire. They provide palliative care to children and young people with life limiting conditions.

Will Linley, left and Nick Simpson.

Will Linley, Linley & Simpson chief executive and co-founder, said:

“Because Covid has denied us the opportunity of taking part in a series of planned fundraising activities for Martin House, we have now devised this challenge as our grand sponsored finale of 2020.

“Martin house is an incredible charity, and one that we are delighted to be supporting for at least another 12 months. Over the last five years we have raised more than £100,000, and to mark our 24th year in business we have now set ourselves a £24,000 target over the next 12 months.”

To donate to the High Street TV “Keep on Moving” challenge, click here.

Fireworks season could be worst for animals in decades

Fireworks displays in the Harrogate district may have been cancelled this year but a local vet and the RSPCA have warned it could still be the worst period for pets in decades.

The absence of large organised events is expected to lead to an increase in backyard firework displays, bringing noise much closer to pets at home.

Katy Bell, a vet at the Rae, Bean & Partners practice in Boroughbridge told the Stray Ferret:

“A big display will be organised on a certain date, at a certain time, so pet owners can be prepared for that event.

“However, if home-organised events can be a lot more spread out over an evening, and have a bigger negative impact on the animal.”

Ms Bell encourages worried pet owners to start preparing now: she advised playing firework training CDs to pets in the run-up to November 5, starting at a low volume and increasing as necessary.

On Bonfire Night itself, Ms Bell recommends not leaving your pet alone, and ensuring it has somewhere safe and dark to hide.

A RSPCA spokesperson said this fireworks season could be the worst for animals in decades.

The charity advised pet owners to close windows and curtains to muffle noise, and bring smaller pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs inside.

Around 62% of dogs and 54% of cats in the UK show signs of anxiety when they hear fireworks, according to the RSPCA.

Fire services’ advice

Station manager Tony Peel, from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said bonfire night was usually a quiet one for fire services in the county “and we’d love it to be the same this year”. He added:

“Please follow our safety tips if you are planning a display at home and help reduce the pressure not only on the fire service, but also on our colleagues in the ambulance service and police.

“Some people and animals are scared by firework noise so if you’re planning to let off fireworks please tell your neighbours and avoid buying really noisy ones.”

Mr Peel said anyone planning a home display should ensure it finishes before 11pm, always light the firework at arms length and only buy fireworks that carry the CE mark.

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Fire services’ advice