Local bus company sell face masks to travellers

The Harrogate Bus Company is selling colourful face masks in order to raise money for NHS Charities Together.

The bus operator is making it easier for people to get their hands on a face covering. Masks are being sold in the shop at Harrogate Bus Station for £2.50 with all proceedings going to NHS Charities Together.

As of today face coverings are compulsory when entering hospitals and travelling on public transport.  It’s part of the next stage in easing lockdown restrictions set out by the government.

Face coverings designed by The Harrogate Bus Company

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The Harrogate Bus Company’s CEO, Alex Hornby said:

“The latest Government guidance is a simple ‘ask’ of our customers, so everyone can travel with peace of mind. Our buses are clean, safe and ready to go, and we want everyone to travel in comfort and confidence.

The Harrogate Bus Company is also giving away free face coverings to key workers who have been riding buses to get to work during lockdown – to claim, email: keyworker@transdevbus.co.uk with either your bus pass number, or the email address registered to your mobile ticket account.

The Harrogate Bus Company’s Operations Director Vitto Pizzuti (front left) and CEO Alex Hornby (front right.)

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire County Council is reminding people to dispose of their face masks, gloves, wipes and tissues correctly. These items cannot be recycled and should be disposed of in general waste.

Charity shops across the district will not reopen today

Charity shops across the Harrogate district will not be reopening today. This comes as non-essential retail shops prepare to reopen on Monday.

National charities such as Age UK, Barnardos and Oxfam as well as local charities including Martin House and St Michaels, are amongst many who are taking a staggered approach to re-opening.

Yorkshire charity Martin House, who provide care for children and young people with life limiting conditions, is not planning on reopening their Knaresborough and Harrogate shops until July and has suspended all volunteering activities since the beginning of lockdown.

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Stephanie Rimmington, head of retail at Martin House said:

“We are currently working on plans to reopen our shops at the start of July. We are carrying out deep cleaning and installing safety screens and signing to help keep staff and customers safe, and will be limiting the number of people allowed into the shop at a time. Our top priority is the safety of staff, volunteers and customers at all times.”

Many charity shops are unable to open because they’re small which makes social distancing difficult. In addition, all donations made to charity shops have to be quarantined for 72 hours before being put on the shop floor.

Saint Michaels Hospice – Crimple House

Similarly, St Michaels Hospice has confirmed  it plans to reopen its shops from July and is taking precautionary measures around hygiene and social distancing. The charity has encouraged the public to keep clothing donations at home for the time being.

Which shops across the district are opening next week?

As shops prepare to open their doors for the first time in three months, The Stray Ferret has created a list of those ready to welcome customers across the Harrogate district from Monday.

Those with an asterisk have either altered their normal opening hours or are opening later on in the week. Please visit individual shop websites for more details.

Harrogate Borough Council said it is prioritising the opening of public toilets for shoppers in the busiest areas, but a definitive list is not yet available.

Do you know of any more shops reopening? If so, email details to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Harrogate: 

Bek’s Electrical

Bijouled

Boho Chic

Bridal Rogue Gallery

Card Factory

Crown Jewellers*

Elegant era*

Furnish & Fettle

Georgie’s

G23

HMV

Hotel Chocolat

Imagined Things

India Mahon Jewellery

Inger & Rae

iStore

Lynx Menswear*

Morgan Clare

Number One Travel

Pandora*

Paper Chase

Porters Menswear

Primark

Rocca Fashion

Shine

Sophie Likes

Tiger Fifty 7

TK Maxx

Victoria Shopping Centre

27 West Park

Knaresborough: 

Chris Holmes Antiques

Country 2 Western*

Dragonfly Cards and Gifts

Harriets Ladies Clothing

Knaresborough Book Shop

Knitting pretty

Little Darlings Toys

Ruebury Flowers*

Sheer Bliss

Shoes@Knaresborough

Stomp

Wild Orchid

Ye Olde Chymist Shoppe

ZigZag Cards

Boroughbridge:

Issima

K.M & G Farrer

La tienda

K.M & G Farrer

Waltons Mill Shop

Ripon: 

Antiques & Collectables*

Hopscotch

Karma Clothing & Gift Shop

Kirkgate House

Memorable Moments

Oasis Florists

Ripon Bookshop*

Rosie and Clover*

The Original Factory Shop

Upstairs Downstairs

Wrens*

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Council cuts trees down on the Stray

Harrogate Borough Council is in the process of removing young trees from West Park Stray which are of ‘low vitality.’

A total of 12 trees have been identified by the arboricultural team to be removed, these will then be replaced with 26 new trees planted in autumn.

The council has said it is taking action quick to allow for felling to take place before the reseeding work, in order to not disturb the site in the future.

The West Park Stray is currently being re-seeded and repaired after damage caused from the 2019 UCI Road World Championships. Harrogate Borough Council estimated that the work would cost close to £130,000

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The council’s took a controversial decision to award a direct contract to a Lancashire firm for the restoration work, rather than put it out to tender – the contract was labelled as “urgent”.

The decision upset local contractors who were unhappy that they weren’t asked to do the work.

Drive-In Cinema comes to Harrogate and Ripon

What-A-Movie has announced it will be bringing a drive-in cinema to locations across Harrogate and Ripon, where you can watch a movie with friends whilst social distancing.

The screening will take place at the Yorkshire Show Ground in Harrogate on 11 July and 12 July and at Ripon Racecourse on 18 July and 19 July.

What-A-Movie will be showing 3 films a day, including family favourites The Lion King, Grease, Mamma Mia Here We Go Again and The Jungle Book.

Mike Hanson, one of the directors at What-A-Movie said:

“With mental wellbeing becoming an increasing concern within lockdown, this is a great opportunity as the restrictions are eased for families to get out and enjoy a shared, fun experience in lovely surroundings and leave with a smile on their faces.”

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The screenings will take place in accordance with Government guidelines, with contactless ticket scanning on entry and cars parked at least 2 metres away from others. Food and snacks can also be ordered on site and will be delivered to cars.

A donation from ticket proceeds will be made to charities including Care Workers Charity and Racing Welfare.

To book tickets, visit – https://www.what-an-event.co.uk/what-a-movie/

Shortlist revealed for Harrogate’s crime writing festival

Harrogate’s crime writing festival has announced this years shortlist which includes one debut novelist alongside 5 Theakston award alumni.

The Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, part of the Harrogate International Festival, received a record number of submission this year. 6 books have now made the shortlist.

Organisers say the shortlist takes the reader on an international crime journey, visiting places such as New York, London, Lagos and the Australian outback.

Debut booker nomination – My Sister the Serial Killer, Oyinkan Braithwaite

The executive director of T&R Theakston, Simon Theakston said:

“Seeing the huge variety and originality within this shortlist, it comes as no surprise to hear that crime fiction is dominating our lockdown reading habits. Offering both escapism and resolution, these exceptional titles transport readers around the world and I can’t wait to see where we settle on 23 July when one of these extraordinary authors takes home the 2020 Theakston Old Peculier cask.”

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The overall winner will be revealed in a virtual awards ceremony on 23 July with the winner receiving £3,000 and an engraved beer barrel provided by Theakston Old Peculier.

The winner is now down to public vote. If you are a fan of crime fiction you can read them all and cast your vote for your favourite at: www.harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com.

Here is the shortlist:

My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (Atlantic Books)

Worst Case Scenario by Helen Fitzgerald (Orenda Books)

The Lost Man by Jane Harper (Little, Brown Book Group, Little, Brown)

Joe Country by Mick Herron (John Murray Press)

The Chain by Adrian McKinty (Orion Publishing Group, Orion Fiction)

Smoke and Ashes by Abir Mukherjee (VINTAGE, Harvill Secker)

Covid Co-Operation Harrogate raises £11,155 for local charities

Covid-Co-Operation Harrogate has raised £11,155 for local charities as a result of its crowdfunding appeal.

Covid Co-Operation Harrogate was set up as a means of connecting local people who need help, with those able to help. The group rapidly expanded to more than 10,000 members. As a result of the incredible response, the groups admin team set up a fundraising page for local charities who need help during this difficult time.

The charities, who have all received an equal share of the donations, include: Supporting Older People, Harrogate Foodbank, IDAS, SparkSupport, Hear to Help and Canaan Warehouse.

Susie Little, founder of the group and the crowdfund appeal, told The Stray Ferret:

“I chose 6 small charities who I felt were helping sections of society who are particularly vulnerable at this particular time.”

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The Great Stand Up To Covid-19 Bake Off is just one of the many activities run by the group. This event encourages members to bake their best cake and send a photo of their creation to the group.

Cake baked by Mia Wright, Age 14.

In order to take park, each participant donated a £2 entry fee to the crowdfund page and the bake off was judged by Bruce Reid and Harrogate’s White Watch. 10 finalists, 7 adults and 3 under 16 competitors, have been awarded a place in next weekends show stopper.

Cake baked by Dawn Peretti-Speirs.

The Bake-Off competition was one of many activities carried out by members of the group in order to raise money. Other fundraising events included a charity bike ride of 150 miles and auctions of jewellery and garden furniture donated by members of the group.

Harrogate Autumn Flower Show cancelled

The North of England Horticultural Society has cancelled this years Harrogate Autumn Flower Show, set to take place from 18-20 September at Newby Hall.

The decision has been taken due to the ongoing uncertainty as to when the government will allow large public gatherings. It comes after the Harrogate Spring Flower Show at the Yorkshire Show Ground was also cancelled – both events attract up to 100,000 visitors between them.

Nick Smith, the show’s director said:

“Naturally we are very disappointed that 2020 will go down as the year there were no Harrogate Flower Shows to open and close the gardening season, but the safety of our visitors, exhibitors and the wider public must come first.

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This is the first time the autumn flower show has not taken place since during the Second World War.

The organisers have informed those who had tickets for the show that they will receive a full refund by the end of July. For more information visit the Harrogate Flower Show website – https://www.flowershow.org.uk/

Harrogate district girlguides spread a little sunshine during lockdown

Volunteers across the district have been maintaining girlguiding during lockdown with a Sunflower Challenge.

Created as a way to keep in touch with local girlguides, the sunflower challenge involves making a sunflower out of whatever materials you can find,  from house hold objects to paints and crayons. These sunflowers are then shared on facebook and have also been made into a video on YouTube.

Sunflower created by a girlguide from 4th Bilton Brownies

The Sunflower Challenge aims to spread happiness and fun to girlguiding members during lockdown. Over 1,000 girls across the County and the UK have taken part in the challenge with numbers growing daily.

County Commisioner for Girlguiding North Yorkshire West said:

“Our volunteers are so committed to encouraging, inspiring and building confidence in our members right through the Girlguiding sections, from Rainbows at age 5 up to our teenage Rangers, while having fun at the same time!

Their continued dedication to Guiding for all our members during this time is something we’re very proud of.”

 

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As well as creating their own sunflowers, girlguides are also given a sunflower seed in order to grow their own, with the ultimate challenge being to grow the biggest sunflower.

Sunflower drawn by Megan, young leader at the 28

Mia aged 7 who is a rainbow said:

“The Sunflower Challenge has been really fun. I’ve planted my seed and looked after it. I’ve been watching it grow and hope it might be the tallest!”

Members of all ages have taken part in the challenge with volunteers varying widely form students, stay at home mums and adults who work.

 

If you would like to take part in the challenge, more details can be found on the Girlguiding North Yorkshire West website: http://www.girlguidingnyw.org.uk/sunflower-challenge

 

Local artists invite you on an armchair tour of their studios

Each year artists from across the county open their studio doors to the public for two weekends in June. Despite the arrival of coronavirus, North Yorkshire Open Studios have remained optimistic and are instead bringing this exciting event online this weekend.

Artists across Ripon and Harrogate who were set to invite people into their studios have instead created films of their artwork and techniques in order to stream online.

Harriette Rymer painting in her studio in Harrogate.

These films will be made available from this weekend and will continue next weekend with the full schedule available on North Yorkshire Open Studios Website. The films are shared every 20 minutes on their Facebook page.

Debbie Loane, committee member and painter at North Yorkshire Open Studios has noticed the importance of keeping this event running:

“Many artists plan their calendar around this event and for some it represents a substantial proportion of their annual income, so to lose this event overnight would have been a huge blow to many of the participating artists.

For these artists, who derive their living from creative practice, it was important not to postpone until next year…since lockdown the appetite for buying art online has been strong and I am feeling very optimistic.”

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Jo York – Brimham Rocks

Harrogate based artist Anna Whitehouse noticed that the appetite for art has been particularly strong since lockdown, telling The Stray Ferret,

“Lockdown has turned out to be a positive time for artists, people are finding ways to reach out more. Even though it feels quiet there are lots of people in their studios being very productive.

A lot of our artists have never really delved online. It’s making the best of a bad situation.”

From textiles and painting to metalworking and printmaking, this event allows for the appreciation of creative processes as well as the chance to get to know local artists.

This event celebrates work created from all corners of the county, covering coastal spots to scenic national parks as well as picturesque villages and vibrant market towns.

Find all the information you need across North Yorkshire Open Studios website and facebook page.