A former Ashville College pupil will attempt to swim across the English Channel later this month to raise money for Parkinson’s UK and the Alzheimer’s Society.  

The tough physical challenge will involve Richard Boyle swimming 35km in approximately 12 hours on 23rd September. 

The former rugby player will cross from Samphire Hoe, in Dover, to Cap Gris–Nez, near Calais. 

Richard has a fundraising target of £12,000. He has currently raised 89% of this amount.  

Due to the closure of swimming baths during lockdown, Richard has been training in suitable outdoor stretches of water. Recently his hard work paid off when he completed an 18km swim in 6 hours.  

Richard practicing for his big swim

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A few years ago, Richard had to give up rugby following a back injury. Focusing on a new sport has helped him to process this change. 

The former Ashville pupil said: 

“Taking up swimming has helped plug that gap, so I have signed up to swim the English Channel in September, which is one of the toughest open water swims going.”

This was as an opportunity for Richard to raise money for causes close to his heart. With his grandfather suffering from Alzheimer’s, and his godfather from Parkinson’s, he decided to fundraise to support them.

He told the Stray Ferret: 

“Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s are two diseases which have touched my family. Both conditions are cruel and unrelenting. They strip those closest to you of characteristics which make them the person you know. I feel passionate about raising money to support them, and in doing so we will raise money to find a cure, help the people living with the illnesses, and also support their family and friends.” 

Parkinson’s UK drives for better care, treatments and quality of life for those living with the disease. Alzheimer’s Society is the UK’s leading dementia charity. They both campaign for change, fund research and support people living with dementia today. 

Richard’s fundraising page can be found at: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RBchannelswim 

An NHS nurse from Knaresborough who cancelled flights to Spain to avoid 2 weeks quarantine on return says she’s lost more than a thousand pounds which she can’t get back.

Julie Weston paid £1032 for the Ryanair flights for her family to celebrate her sister-in-law’s wedding in Spain last month. Two days before flying, on Saturday July 25, the UK Foreign Office announced anyone travelling back from Spain had to quarantine for two weeks, so Julie cancelled the flight.

Because the flight still went ahead it meant she was not entitled to get a refund or voucher from Ryanair.

Julie argues that as an NHS worker she had little choice but to cancel the trip as quarantine was not an option. She said:

“When they brought in quarantine that’s what caused the stress. We had packed and were due to fly on the Monday. Ryanair wouldn’t cancel the flight and said it would go ahead regardless of the Foreign Office. I’m a nurse for the NHS so I couldn’t quarantine and my partner is the owner at a garage in Starbeck so he couldn’t quarantine either. I drove to Leeds Bradford Airport with my partner and they unchecked us in and tried to change flights for early next year, the price was nearly £800 more so I said we’re not flying, it’s not worth it. They gave us nothing even as the flight took off!”

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After an incredibly stressful year at work with coronavirus her holiday had given her something to look forward to.

“My mum fell ill last year which has led to other complications so we’re still getting over that, along with covid. I lost my Mum in February. I had a short time off work after that and then went straight back onto a covid ward. It’s really upsetting and I still haven’t come to terms with it yet. I just think Ryanair should treat people better. Loads of people feel the same. We are prepared to pay a decent company now that answers our calls.”

The family’s flights were booked on Julie’s credit card for protection last September, but because they were not cancelled by Ryanair she was not covered by the Consumer Credit Act.

Julie is due to meet with her bank, Halifax, in Ripon today, where she is hoping to get some money back.

She said:

“It will probably be 2022 before we rebook. It’ll give us time to save up again.”

A pop-up shop inside Harrogate District Hospital has launched a craft and sewing competition to boost donations.

Volunteers run the Harrogate Hospital Pop-Up Shop five days a week to give donated groceries to hospital staff. It first opened in March to support those working at the hospital during coronavirus who were unable to get to supermarkets or found the shelves bare after long shifts.

Volunteer Fiona Ryan said:

“Since children broke up from schools we have had a drop in support. We reckon that at least 80 hospital staff come to us daily for groceries and we send parcels out to staff at home with covid symptoms. We also send boxes up to the covid wards.”

The Harrogate Pop Up Sewing Bee is asking for photographs of sewn or crafted clothing which represent this year’s pandemic.

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The competition is split into age categories and entries are to be submitted with a £2 donation. When the competition closes on August 30, all photographs will be arranged into a collage for Harrogate District Hospital.

Entries will be judged by Steve Russell, chief executive of Harrogate and District Foundation Trust, Captain Rummage (Chris Powell) from Bettys & Taylors recycling project The Cone Exchange, and Fran Taylor who set up the Harrogate Scrubbers group to address a national scrubs shortage through coronavirus.

All submissions have the chance to win one of multiple prizes donated by Harrogate businesses. These include a meal at The Fat Badger, a Neom Organics candle and other goodies from The Harrogate Cookie Company and Little Breads.

Ms Ryan said:

“People are starting to believe that covid has gone away, which isn’t the case. The hospital is busier than ever. This competition will really support us.”

To enter, donate £2 to the pop-up shop’s PayPal and send your photo to their Facebook group, or for non-Facebook users, email Fiona Ryan at fionaryan2812@icloud.com.

A local business agrees. Tanya Umpleby, owner of Cooking Fantastic and The Cud Life Campsite and Holiday Cottages said:

“We have a lot of families who stay and want to go out cycling, but won’t because of how busy the A61 road is and there’s only one tiny footpath.”

A Harrogate bed and breakfast has altered the way they work to maintain high booking numbers through coronavirus.

As of today, Acorn Lodge owners Ali and Phil Standen will be starting a new initiative. Future guests will now be able to book out the whole property for a family stay rather than just bed and breakfast. The couple are calling it “Acorn Lodge – Your Way”.

Ali, deputy chair of the Harrogate District Hotel & Guest House Association, said:

“All members are struggling. This week we should have been at 90% capacity and welcoming guests with the International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival, but we’re only at 40% and we’ve lost £1000 from September cancellations. We’ve never seen anything like this.”

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The change in their business has already brought bookings in for the 16-year-old guesthouse. But Ali is worried tourists know very little about what the Harrogate district has to offer.

Ali said:

“If you look at places like Keswick, it’s bustling. We’re on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, we should still be welcoming heaps of tourists. Harrogate needs to get on the map!”

Ali said:

“We thought bed and breakfasts would be okay because we’re smaller, so people would feel safer, but some hotels in Harrogate are continuing to do so well and the smaller guesthouses are struggling.”

Hundreds of meteors will fall over Harrogate skies tonight.

Around 60 to 100 meteors will fall from the sky every hour, but stargazers may struggle with finding somewhere clear to view them because of predicted thunderstorms.

The event is called the Perseid meteor shower and happens every year.

It is expected to be most visible in the early hours of tomorrow morning between midnight and 5am.

Tristan Campbell, an astrophotographer from Harrogate said:

“The weather doesn’t currently look as though it’s going to be clear until at least 1am and unfortunately the moon rises around then which makes the meteors harder to see.”

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Meteors, more commonly known as shooting stars, are formed as debris falls from the tail of a comet. Since July 14, earth has been ploughing through particles left behind from the Swift-Tuttle comet, which turn into bright falling specks.

As Perseid meteors are so bright, Tristan said if the skies remain clear they will be visible from most gardens, although a better location would be somewhere dark with little light pollution. Tristan’s personal favourite spot to shoot is in Crimple Valley.

He said:

“If I’m feeling more adventurous I’ll head out to Nidderdale for much darker skies.”

The shower can be seen across the whole of the UK and is expected to continue until August 24. More information can be found on the Royal Museums Greenwich website.

Yorkshire Water has announced a starter scheme to get young farm workers renting land.

The project is titled Beyond Nature. Plots will be rented out to young farmers and anyone under 40 with an interest in farm ownership.

In the European Union, only 11% of farms are run by those under 40. The largest barriers for young farmers who want to run their own farm is expense and how often land becomes available.

The first farm announced in the scheme is Scow Hall Farm, located behind Swinsty reservoir in Washburn Valley.

Lisa Harrowsmith, lead surveyor at Yorkshire Water, said:

“After the first five-year lease, we will let the farm to another young farmer, therefore creating a cycle of opportunity for the next generation of farmers. Once the tenancy is up, we will assist that farmer with finding new opportunities on a permanent holding or elsewhere within the agricultural industry.”

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Yorkshire Water’s intention is to give young farmers the tools to create sustainable farms on their 70,000 acres of land. Mentorship, training and business advice will be provided.

Ellie Britton, 22, who was brought up on her parents farm in Ripon, said:

“My dad has a farm with his brother and they both have sons. Their options are to either continue working together or split up into pairs to buy a farm. Farmers often keep farms and hand them down for generations. If they do come up they are unattainably expensive or need a lot of renovation work. I think the Yorkshire Water scheme is a good idea to get people going with experience.”

Applications for Scow Hall Farm will open in late August. More information can be found on the Yorkshire Water website or via their social media pages.

A Harrogate charity chief executive has seen an influx of working requests despite coronavirus.

Disability Action Yorkshire has filled more frontline staff positions in the past two months than in the previous two years.

Jackie Snape, chief executive at Disability Action Yorkshire said:

“One thing coronavirus did was to shine a light on the care sector, and in particular the staff working within it. They have become the nation’s superheroes.

“As a result, the amount of people now wanting to work in the industry is quite extraordinary, it has helped give a shot in the arm to Harrogate’s voluntary sector too.”

The charity and social enterprise has seen a surge in volunteer requests, with an extraordinary number applying to work at its Claro Road care home and Hornbeam Park furniture showroom and training centre.

It is a demand that Ms Snape hopes will continue post-covid.

“Coronavirus has taught how vital the care industry is, and how millions of people rely on the support – and friendship – of its paid employees, and those who give up a few hours a week in a voluntary capacity.”

A woman from Harrogate has organised a golf event at Rudding Park to raise money for Saint Michaels Hospice.

Patricia Blenkinsop decided to start raising money for Saint Michael’s Hospice two years ago after her father was cared for by the team.

The golf competition is just one of a number of events she has organised in the hope of raising money for the charity.

The event, which was supposed to have taken place in April, has been rescheduled for October. Participants will be in teams of four and will complete a round of golf at Rudding Park followed by lunch, a raffle and a silent auction.

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Patricia was also supposed to be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro last month, but due to covid had to rearrange her trek for next June. She told the Stray Ferret:

“The change of date for both events has definitely allowed me more time to fundraise. I was just starting to gear up to really get into training to climb Kilimanjaro and then lockdown came.

“When you’re training to climb the world’s tallest free standing mountain, it is difficult because nowhere in England is that high! All you can do is be as fit as you can.”

Saint Michael’s Hospice offers specialist care and support to people with terminal illnesses.

In 2016, Patricia trekked the Grand Canyon to raise money for the hospice and this year wanted to take on a new challenge. Having got the idea to climb Kilimanjaro a number of years ago when she saw it from the window of a plane, she decided to make it her next target.

The golf event at Rudding Park will take place on October 8. To reserve your team or for more information, email Patricia or visit her JustGiving page.

A contemporary art gallery has relocated from Kirbymoorside to Harrogate.

Bils & Rye on John Street specialise in 3D works such as sculptures and ceramics, as well as abstract paintings. The owner said there’s room in the market and he hopes the move will add to Harrogate’s rich culture scene.

The owner, Nick Bentley, decided to move his gallery to Harrogate as a result of taking part in an arts festival in 2015. He told the Stray Ferret that Harrogate has great competition for art galleries and he would much rather position himself among his idols in the business.

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He said:

“Harrogate has always been a top destination and the strength of the competition here is brilliant. I think there’s room in the market. We have a very different offering to other galleries, yet I think we can work quite well together and put Harrogate on the map as an art destination.

The gallery will be selling sculptures by Simon Gudgen, as well as internationally acclaimed contemporary British painter Dion Salvador Lloyd.

Despite opening up during a pandemic, Nick told the Stray Ferret that covid has given him more opportunities. He said:

“For me, corona was like a gift of time – it really gave me time to think and realise that this is what I want to do. Because I am relocating the business it gave me chance to say ‘lets do it, but let’s do it right’.”

The gallery will open its doors for the first time in Harrogate this weekend and visitors are advised to pre book an appointment.