An event to encourage more women to take up cycling is being held in Harrogate this weekend.

Businesses in the town have teamed up to host three days of ‘personalised cycling support, skills and inspiration’.

Hosted by activewear store Sweaty Betty, health food café Hustle & Co and cycling firm The Personal Cyclist, women of all ages and abilities are invited to take part from Friday to Sunday.

Research by Sport England’s Active Lives Survey (May 2020 – May 2021), revealed that 8.3 million adults cycle regularly in England, with only 13 per cent of these being women.

The weekend is being supported by the Electric Bike Shop, on Leeds Road, which will provide a fleet of test bikes and pre-bookable safety checks for all appointments during the weekend.

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Whilst the physical and mental benefits of exercising outdoors are undisputed, British Cycling coach Kate Auld, founder of the Personal Cyclist, said:

“Some of cycling’s special magic lies in its sociability, sustainability and the almost childlike joy it brings out in people. Not forgetting fabulous coffee and cake stops. But it can sometimes feel intimidating to get going.

“Together with Hustle & Co and Sweaty Betty, we want to empower everyone with the confidence and skills to cycle safely.

“Whether it’s for fitness, commuting or errands around town, we’re building healthy habits around busy lives, without judgement or jargon.”

Nici Routledge, co-owner of Hustle & Co, said she loved the idea of cycling around Harrogate, but admitted she was “a bit scared”.

She said:

“What should I wear? What about punctures? Where are the best routes? I needed some hand-holding to help me out, starting with the right bike for my budget.”

Pre-bookable appointments, costing £20 per person, are available Friday 6 to Sunday, May 8 and last around 40 minutes. A bike is not essential.

Email thepersonalcyclist@gmail.com to book.

A quirky café where you can grab a slice of cake and cuddle a chihuahua is set to open in Harrogate this month.

Billed as ‘England’s first interactive chihuahua experience’, The Chihuahua Lounge is aimed at boosting mental health with pet assisted therapy.

The venue, on Knaresborough Road, is expected to open on weekends from Saturday, May 14.

Customers will be able to book a 50-minute session at the café, on Knaresborough Road, and chill out with a coffee in the company of six cute long-haired chihuahuas.

Picnic and her puppies Badger, Lambie, Potter, Peony and Lucy, all bred and raised by café founder Caroline Leather, will roam free within the building.

Ms Leather said she wanted to share the benefits that she gains from her own affectionate pack of chihuahuas.

She explained that this is how the concept of a ‘home-from-home interactive chihuahua experience’ with lounge seating, coffee, cakes and cuddles was born.

Ms Leather said:

“The Chihuahua Lounge is a friendly, safe haven, away from the hustle and bustle of modern life.

“We are passionate about animal assisted therapy, which has shown that spending time with dogs not only reduces your heart rate and blood pressure, but is good for mental health.

“We offer an extensive menu of hot and cold drinks, freshly baked cakes and have cosy sofas, arm chairs and foot stools, so you can kick off your shoes and curl up for a cuddle.”

The experience costs £10 per person. This contributes towards the cost of the specific qualifications needed to exhibit the animals, as well as the strict animal welfare and licensing laws.

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For the safety of the dogs, only children over the age of six are permitted.

Ms Leather said:

“Our dogs love human attention and we have made sure that the café is a home-from-home for them.

“They also have their own private room where they are free to wander in and out as they please.

“We do not force our dogs to be in the lounge area with our guests. When the dogs are in the lounge space, they are there out of choice, and we intend to always keep it that way.

Ms Leather explained that the dogs also have weekly health checks and  behavioural studies are conducted on each animal regularly to ensure their behaviour in the café demonstrates that of a happy and relaxed dog.

She added:

“If it does not, we take them out of the café environment.

“We have a set of house rules to protect the dogs welfare that have to be adhered to by all customers.

“We also limit the capacity of our café to ensure the dogs are not overcrowded.”

He has hung out with Hockney, was behind Mia Farrow’s famous pixie haircut and organised the first gigs for the Sex Pistols and The Jam.

Eric Broadbelt has certainly lived a life.

But it is a lifelong obsession with collecting film posters that has led to a conversation with me on a cloudy April day in Pateley Bridge.

Eric, who is also known as Owen, is one of those people who just gives you joy. Within minutes of meeting him, he had me in stitches and I wanted to be his bestie.

It comes as no surprise that he has rubbed shoulders with some of the world’s biggest stars, working as a celebrity hairdresser, photographer and gig promoter in London.

Private collection

Being so well-connected has helped him build up one of the country’s biggest private collections of film posters, which is believed to add up to around 7,000.

He is now displaying and selling his prized posters, which span a century of film, at The Tordoff Gallery, on Pateley Bridge High Street. He runs the impressive venue, which is somewhat of a hidden gem, with his business partner and fellow film enthusiast, Gloria Tordoff.

He said:

“I started collecting about 50 years ago. I’ve loved film posters since I was a child. I just love the artwork.

“When I was a paper boy in Harrogate and I used to go around on my bike, I used to see the posters, especially the Hammers, and they were in these little boxes, just pasted over. I used to think what a waste. I appreciated even at that age that it was art.

“And it is art. Some of those Hammer posters were done by the top poster artists of the day. But they weren’t available to buy.

“Film posters have always been big in America, never really here up until recently.

“So then I started going to auctions and buying posters just to put on my walls because I loved them. I never thought of them as an investment and I wanted to get my hands on as many as I could get.”

Some of Eric’s film posters, including War of the Worlds and Nosferatu.

A growing collection

Eric slowly started building up his collection and every time he bought one it would become his favourite.

He said:

“I would sit and look at it all day and study it and then do the research, which was difficult to do as it was pre-internet. But it was so interesting.

“I’d find out how many were printed, who the artist was, about the movie and slowly the collection got bigger and bigger.

“A poster would just be laid down flat with tissue paper on it and then another one would go on top of it. Then I couldn’t even look at them, as every time I tried to take one out it would tear.

“So this is fabulous for me. Every day we get stuff out that I can’t even remember buying or ever seeing before!”

The posters, which are in immaculate condition, have been displayed or stored away at Eric’s London home for decades.

So when Keith and Gloria Tordoff, former owners of The Oldest Sweetshop in Pateley Bridge, offered him the opportunity to display his collection in an old bank, he jumped at the chance.

He said:

“There is a giant poster of Il Gigante on display here from Sotheby’s that has been rolled up for 30 years. It literally is the only one available in the world. There are probably other ones smaller, but that is in six pieces and is backed on to linen.

“It is the best depiction of James Dean’s face ever. It hasn’t even got a price yet. At the time when I bought it everybody in the room wanted it. But I got it.”

Talking to Eric, you can see how much he adores his collection. His eyes light up and he becomes increasingly animated when he talks about each poster.

He stressed it wasn’t about the money, but rather them going to a good home. Buyers have to be vetted before the posters go.

Star Wars posters, including a rare £20,000 British premier concept version (top left).

‘I just love looking at them’

He said:

“Parting with them is just so hard. I have to go and sit in the car.

“It’s about them going to good homes and I just love looking at them. It’s nice to see people enjoying them. We had a media studies teacher who came in and started crying. He said he had never seen any of these, apart from in books.”

Everywhere you turn in the gallery, it is pure nostalgia. It is a movie treasure trove and there is something from every era, including the modern day.

Eric, who said he would sometimes buy up to 200 posters a day, said:

“I’m getting into the modern stuff as you can put them in the light boxes. The posters are double-sided. They just look fabulous.

“We are waiting for a poster that I’m very excited about. Deadpool. It’s him doing the Flashdance water scene.

“I am still collecting and I get so excited when I know one is coming. I don’t sleep and I can’t get in here early enough.”

Unique posters

Rare posters include a one-of-a-kind Disney’s Snow White poster, There’s No Business Like Showbusiness, of which there are only six in existence, and the Andy Warhol movie Querelle, of which there are believed to be only two in the world.

The rare 1942 Snow White poster.

Eric, who is a self-confessed Disney fanatic, said:

“We’ve got loads of really rare stuff.

“An ordinary Snow White from the first release is about £30,000 and this one is rarer.

“It was the first re-release of 1942, so it was in the war and it had a very small run in just a few cinemas.

“Whereas there were a lot done for the first release, there was probably only a few hundred done for that. It is in immaculate condition.

“The large Flame of New Orleans poster was £8,000 when I bought it and that was 30 years ago and we can’t find another one. So we have a lot of posters that we don’t know the exact value of. If someone was seriously going to buy it, we would obviously find out.”

Spiderman

Eric also showed me a rare 2002 Spiderman poster, which was withdrawn following 9/11 as the Twin Towers can be seen reflected in the superhero’s eye.

The rare 2002 Spiderman poster, with the reflection of the Twin Towers in the superhero’s eye.

There is also a Pulp Fiction poster that features Uma Thurman smoking Lucky Strike cigarettes, which was withdrawn after the film company was sued by Lucky Strike.

Eric said:

“It’s details like this that can make posters more valuable.”

Star Wars

When it comes to posters with the most value, there is a £20,000 Star Wars poster on display that was only ever used for the British premier.

Eric said:

“It was literally only used for that day. It was a  concept poster so the images don’t even look like the actors. That’s why it is £20,000 because it is so rare.”

“We’ve got things like the James Bond movie Thunderball, again that’s £20,000.

“Earlier last year a Dr No poster sold for £60,000 in Sotheby’s and we thought that was a fluke, but then six weeks later another one sold for £90,000.

“You just have to get the right poster. We’ve got Harrison Ford’s Blade Runner. We had that on for £2,000 two weeks ago. Then there was a sale at Christie’s and it doubled in price. They will never go down in value.”

A collection of James Bond posters, including a rare £20,000 Thunderball poster.

‘The best poster ever made’

Eric then showed me Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, which he said was considered the “best poster ever made”.

He said:

“It’s by an artist called Saul Bass and he revolutionised poster art. We’ve got a lot of his work. It’s so fascinating when you get into it.

“You never know what people are going to buy. Someone had Shrek 3 on their list the other day. Someone came in asking if we have Burt Reynolds posters.

“We had three people all battling for a signed Back to the Future poster.

“I always say if you can hang it over your bed it’s a good test.”

Hairdresser to the stars

When you delve into Eric’s amazing history, you learn that he actually knew many of the stars named in the poster billings.

He worked at the iconic Vidal Sassoon hairdressers on Bond Street, London, from 1966.

He said:

“A lot of the stars, I’ve done their hair. I’ve worked on a million movies, including Rosemary’s Baby. We did Mia Farrow’s iconic pixie cut.

“I worked on Clockwork Orange. I’ve done Faye Dunaway, Diana Ross, Shirley MacLaine, Charlotte Rampling and Carrie Fisher. I worked with Dave Prowse, who was Darth Vader. They were all lovely. I did most of the stars from the 60s, but I never did Elizabeth Taylor or Raquel Welch.

“I did Tim Curry, from the Rocky Horror Picture Show, Peter O’Toole, Richard Burton and Adam Faith. We weren’t meant to do men’s haircuts but the wives used to send them to us.”

Rock gigs

It was at this point that Eric casually threw in that he used to run rock gigs at London’s iconic venues, the Red Cow and the Nashville.

He said:

“When the Bond Street salon closed, I thought I better do something else.”

When his parents became ill 20 years ago, he returned to North Yorkshire, where he now resides in a house in Thornthwaite.

Eric, who still has a house in London, said:

“I’m originally from Harrogate and my first job was at Peter Gotthard’s. Peter had the contacts at Vidal Sassoon.”

It was thanks to his work at Vidal Sassoon that he managed to get hold of some of his posters – many of which he got signed by the stars.

Signed posters

Eric said:

“I got Madonna’s, as I did her PA’s hair, Julie Andrews, Christopher Lee, the Reservoir Dogs cast. We’ve got a lot of signed posters.”

However, he has yet to have any celebrity clients visit the gallery, which he puts down to not advertising the venue. Eric said he wanted people to organically find it. He didn’t even want an online presence, but eventually caved due to frequent requests from customers.

Eric said:

“There’s no gallery outside of London like this. The aim is to bring people to Pateley Bridge.

“It’s working because people are talking. We’ve had people coming from as far as Jersey and Scotland.”

Andy Warhol

When asked to pick a favourite, he pointed out an Italian version of Andy Warhol’s Heat.

He said:

“It’s pure Andy Warhol and I bought that from Christie’s probably 40 years ago. It’s been over my bed for 30 years.”

The Italian version of Andy Warhol’s Heat.

David Hockney

He also showed me a rare 50-year-old film poster of A Bigger Splash, featuring one of David Hockney’s famous LA pool paintings, before casually dropping in that he used to hang around with the artist.

He laughed:

“I used to meet him in the clubs in Paris. I always thought he wasn’t quite on my level!”

Back in the 1970s, It’s A Knockout was one of the most popular family game shows on TV – it was essentially a sports day for adults.

Now, Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity (HHCC) is inviting friends, families and work colleagues to take part in its version in June.

Teams of 10 entrants will battle it out on an It’s a Knockout inflatable assault course at Harrogate Railway Athletic Football Club on Sunday, June 5.

An ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ challenge of wacky games will see contestants face water and foam in their quest to be crowned champion.

Community spirit

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

“HHCC are so excited to be able to host the Summer Extravaganza and bring people together once again.

“We want to bolster community spirit by creating the opportunity for families, friends and colleagues to meet for a day of summer fun while supporting their local NHS at the same time.”

Members of the community have the chance to rise to the challenge or come and support their team.

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The event forms part of this year’s Summer Extravaganza, which will raise funds for NHS services at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

It will include a range of shopping stalls, summer game stands, a bar and barbecue.

Entry to It’s A Knockout Game is £30 per person. Participants must be over 16 and each registration includes entry to the Summer Extravaganza.

Challengers can sign up as an individual or as part of a team. Teams will be entered into one of three groups, with limited availability.

Tickets

Tickets for entry to the Summer Extravaganza are available for a donation of £2 for adults and children over the age of five. Children under the age of five go free.

Register for It’s A Knockout or buy tickets by emailing hdft.hhcc@nhs.net or visit the HHCC website.

Nidderdale’s countryside conjures up images of farmhouses and stone cottages peppered across the sweeping rural landscape.

So Fringill Dike House in Darley certainly catches your eye.

However, the £2.25 million property isn’t invasive, as it has been intentionally designed to “blend in” to its natural surroundings.

The five-bedroom eco-house has been designed by Skipton-based Rural Solutions and took more than two-and-a-half years to build.

Underground

The property, which spans more than 6,000 ft, has been constructed using a mix of traditional dry stone walls and sedum living roofs. It is fitted with ground source heating, as well as an underwater storage tank, which collects rainwater.

A third of the house is also built underground.

Owner Paul Chapman lives on a nearby farm. He explained that the home had originally been built for him and his wife, Caron, on land owned by the couple.

Mr Chapman, who has eight children, said:

“We built four houses for our sons in one field and built this house in another. The intention was my wife and I were going to move into it.

“However, we decided we didn’t want to swap 13 acres for one. So we made the decision to sell it rather than move in.”

The property is back on the market with joint agents Knight Frank and Carter Jonas after an original sale fell through.

An aerial view of the house.

Despite it’s £2.25 million price tag, Mr Chapman said there had been a lot of interest in the property, which he put down to it being located in an affluent area.

However, he admitted he had spent too much on the build, which was hit by delays due to the pandemic.

He said:

“The difference between the build cost and the sale price is the price of the land, that’s all. It might not even be that much.”

But there is no denying the house is impressive, with no expense spared.

Private driveway

The property is approached via a lengthy private driveway over a bridge, which gently winds past a grassed field.

Upon entering the house, oak steps lead down from the hallway into a huge kitchen space. A wall of floor-to-ceiling glazing frames uninterrupted views of Nidderdale.

The huge kitchen that boasts incredible views across Nidderdale.

The lower ground floor features two large spaces, which have yet to be transformed.

Cinema room

Mr Chapman said:

“We were going to put a bar in one of the rooms, but when we decided we weren’t going to move in, we left them empty. So whoever moves in can build a bar, cinema room or a gym.”

Despite being underground, the lower floor features high ceilings with glazed panels in the terracing above, flooding the space with natural light. In addition to the two rooms, there is a shower room with a sauna, separate cloakroom and plant room.

One of the underground rooms.

Upstairs, a landing provides access to five bedrooms, all with their own ensuite facilities.

One of the bathrooms.

The gardens and grounds surrounding the property extend to just under 1.5 acres. A large paved sun terrace spans the entire width of the rear of the property.

Locally-sourced

Mr Chapman said:

“We had discussions with the architect and when the plans were designed, we were able to do a virtual tour of the house.

“We made sure everything was where we wanted it to be. We put in the best appliances and units and everything was sourced locally. For example Woodhouse, in Harrogate, designed and fitted the kitchen.

“It is named after the beck – or dike – that runs through the property.”

Mr Chapman, who has owned race horses for 15 years, has also named one of his horses Fringill Dike, a champion at that.

He said:

“He’s running again at Hexham this weekend and we are hoping he will win again.”

The sauna in the underground space.

Asked if he would build any more houses in the future, Mr Chapman, who moved to Darley from Howarth 12 years ago, didn’t seem overly keen.

He said:

“It went on too long. We did it for ourselves, but I wouldn’t want to build any to sell. If you employ a middle man, it’s hard to make a profit. Especially if you have to buy the land.”

‘Anchored in nature’

A statement on the Rural Solutions website, which features some impressive architectural drawings of the property, said:

“Working with the client, we produced a design for a new house on an open, sloping site in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

“Incorporating a dynamic, landscape-based concept we used indigenous dry-stone walls as a device to structure a single ‘ribbon’ design. In this way the project was designed deliberately to blend into the landscape, using local, natural materials; a beautiful home anchored in nature.”

You can watch a video of the property here.

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It is the youth of today who often get stereotyped as caring more about scrolling social media than taking action to save the planet.

Just last year there was huge anger towards youngsters who partied on the Stray in Harrogate, leaving council workers and volunteers to clean up.

However, it appears that this view couldn’t be further from the truth.

‘Littering most harmful for the environment’

A survey commissioned by Harrogate Spring Water as part of a successful environmental campaign launched by the company last month revealed that children and young people see littering as the individual act which most harms the environment.

The poll of more than 1,000 children, aged between nine and 16, found that 92 per cent of youngsters rated the environment as important to them – well ahead of the 47 per cent who rated their social media profiles as important.

And over three quarters of children admitted that they were worried about the environment, with littering seen as the worst environmental offence and children saying that adults should lead by example in teaching them how to protect the planet.

Valley Gardens

So as part of Harrogate Spring Water’s ‘Lunchtime Litter Pick’ campaign, I took my two boys, Noah and Luca, to the Valley Gardens to pick up some rubbish and ask them about their views on the issue.

It certainly might not be the first activity you think of when it comes to family time, but the kids, who are aged three and eight, were genuinely quite excited when I told them what we were up to.

We had some spare time after school, and thanks to the lighter evenings, we headed out with our high vis vests, gloves – make sure your children wear thick ones – and bin bags and got to work.

Within an hour we had filled one bin bag, which was surprising, as you certainly don’t realise just how much there is strewn about.

The boys had a whale of a time running around in the fresh air, excitedly shouting when they spotted a piece of litter.

And admittedly it felt really good to be doing our bit, even in a small way. Small steps can make big changes as we all know.

Litter picking adventure

When we got home, we had a chat about our litter picking adventure.

Noah said:

“There were lots of cans in the park and when we were coming back home I saw lots of plastic bags that had blown into trees.

“It’s bad that people drop litter because animals might get stuck and they might suffocate. It’s not good for the planet. They should put it in the bin.

“I really enjoyed litter picking because I like to help save the world. More people should pick it up because then there would be less rubbish. I’m going to keep doing it.”

Luca said everyone should help pick up rubbish, and when asked what he would do if he saw someone dropping it, he said:

“I will tell the police officers and the bin lorry men, because then they will come and pick it up in their truck.”

Campaign

The campaign, which was launched in support of environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean 2022, has seen dozens of families and companies in the area join in and help Keep Yorkshire Tidy this Spring – for the environment and their wellbeing.

Harrogate Spring Water led the charge to clear the region’s streets, paths and public spaces of litter through their campaign, offering local businesses free litter picking kits to encourage staff to take a break in the fresh air, while doing something positive within their community.

The company enlisted the help of actress Natalie Anderson, Harrogate Town FC and its own workforce in its bid to encourage families, community groups and residents to play their part.

Natalie Anderson, known for her starring roles in Emmerdale and Hollyoaks, also took part in a litter pick in Harrogate as part of the campaign.

She said:

“Litter picking is one of the easiest ways we can all take care of our community and the beautiful Yorkshire countryside.

“I know from conversations with my son how important the environment is to the younger generation, and getting involved in this campaign is a great way for parents to lead by example in protecting the planet.”

Positive action

The company is also encouraging people to join Harrogate Borough Council’s series of organised anti-litter drives as they look to make the area an even better place to live by clearing up litter and encouraging people to recycle more.

The campaign was launched in the wake of the research commissioned by Harrogate Spring Water and carried out by iconic children’s comic The Beano.

The company hopes that by joining in the litter picking drive, families can take positive action on the environment and the next generation can learn more about how they can play their part in keeping waste out of nature and in the recycling stream.

‘Proud to call Harrogate home’

James Cain OBE, managing director at Harrogate Spring Water, said:

“We are proud to call Harrogate home. By coming together as a community to keep our historic town looking beautiful, we have taken positive action for the present as well as honouring Harrogate’s commitment for future generations.

“We’re passionate about preventing littering, but also about ensuring as much can be recycled as possible.

“Whether it’s recycling and reusing wherever possible or taking a break in the fresh air to tidy up our streets and green spaces, we’re continuing to work together to keep Harrogate beautiful and litter-free.”

To find out more about the campaign and to play your part, head to http://www.harrogatespring.com/lunchtimelitterpick

A Harrogate personal trainer and nutrition coach says there isn’t a right or wrong answer when it comes to calories being listed on menus.

Lyndsay Wells said one of the benefits of the new regulations was that people might actually change their order to something they would enjoy more.

However, she said it would be more beneficial for people to understand their own needs and the nutritional content of what they ordered, rather than a simple calorie count.

She said:

“There are occasions where someone might assume a dish is low calorie because it’s a salad or fish dish for example. However, by the time you’ve added in oil, butter, cheese or dressings, you might find that a burger is around the same energy value.

“This is where it might help people move away from demonising certain foods and choosing something that they would enjoy more.

“This is again dependent on whether the focus of an individual is to create a calorie deficit or just be more mindful of consumption.

“The other thing to note is that lower calorie doesn’t equal more healthy.

“There are plenty of low calorie, but highly processed, carbohydrate snack foods with little benefit to our body, where avocado or nuts, for example, would be much more nutritious but also much higher in calories.”

Lyndsay’s comments follow a Stray Ferret report yesterday on a top Harrogate hotelier’s views on new rules that mean the calorie count of dishes must be published on some restaurant menus.

Under new regulations, restaurants, cafes and takeaways with more than 250 staff must print how many calories are in meals on their menus, websites, and on delivery platforms.

The new rule, which was brought in at the start of the month, is part of Government plans to tackle obesity by helping people to make healthier choices.

The mental health benefits of gardening are being celebrated at the Harrogate Spring Flower Show which starts tomorrow.

Designers from across the country will be creating a flash of floral inspiration aimed at showcasing the country’s growing connection with plants and flowers.

The four-day event at the Great Yorkshire Showground will feature ‘Grow Your Home’, a colourful installation created by floral stylists from Leeds-based Leafy Couture.

The display, featuring hundreds of blooms around a central courtyard setting, offers visitors a glimpse of the joys which flowers can bring, which was particularly highlighted during the pandemic.

Show director Nick Smith said:

“After a difficult time for many of us, this year’s Spring show concentrates entirely on the positives which plants and landscapes can bring to us all.

“Gardening is the great leveller – from sweeping lawns to a simple window box, we can all benefit from the life-affirming pleasure which plants and flowers can make to our own personal space.”

Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID) has chosen the flower show to launch its latest campaign – ‘A Floral Summer of Celebration’.

Between July 15 and August 12, the town centre will be home to a floral trail featuring 10 unique displays, floral-themed shop windows and events starring key speakers from the world of gardening.

Pictured at their art deco-themed flower show stand: From left, Harrogate BID Chair Sara Ferguson, BID manager Matthew Chapman, Blameys florist Fran Addis, BID business and marketing executive Bethany Allen, Blameys owner Ruth Fisher and BID business liaison officer Jo Caswell.

This will be in addition to dozens of hanging baskets outside town centre businesses, the numerous flower beds maintained by Harrogate Borough Council, more than 200 barrier baskets funded by Harrogate BID and some specially commissioned floral street art.

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Matthew Chapman, Harrogate BID manager, said:

“Harrogate is renowned for its floral displays; it’s the home to RHS Garden Harlow Carr, the stunning Valley Gardens, and of course the Spring Flower Show, which is one of the biggest and best in the North of England, if not the whole country.

“This summer, Harrogate Floral Summer of Celebration will see us celebrating our floral excellence and the return of Yorkshire in Bloom after a two-year absence.”

Featuring show garden features, plant nursery displays and floral art, the show will include plenty of colour, style and inspiration.

Local charities will also be showcasing their work, including Jennyruth Workshops in Ripon and Horticap in Harrogate.

This year the programme of live entertainment includes talks and demos across four stages.

A new show, ‘Human Gardener’ will offer a series of fun and engaging sofa conversations with the people behind the plants – from bee inspectors to fungi fanatics.

Over on the Gardener’s Kitchen stage, TV cook and chef consultant Stephanie Moon will create dishes from veg patch produce, with the help of grow-your-own guru Martin Walker. 

Meanwhile, the GROW! Live team will provide answers to  gardening questions, whilst the CREATE! Floral stage will host celebrity floral designer Jonathan Moseley.

Thousands of garden products, handmade crafts, gifts and specialist foods will also be on offer.

Tickets

Pre-booked tickets with a £3 saving on gate prices are available online until midnight tonight.

Thursday to Saturday tickets are £20.50 online, £23.50 on the gate.

Sunday tickets are £18 online, £21 on the gate.

Children under 16 are free when accompanied by an adult. General car parking is free.

A leading Harrogate hotelier says new rules which see calories listed on menus are “bizarre”.

Restaurants, cafes and takeaways with more than 250 staff must print how many calories are in meals on their menus, websites, and on delivery platforms.

Peter Banks, managing director of Rudding Park, said:

“From an industry perspective, it is bizarre.

“Why is the number 250? It’s an entirely arbitrary figure. Surely it’s nothing to do with the number of people you employ, it’s to do with the number of calories.

“It means a business that might employ 200 people for example doesn’t have to put calories on the menu, which makes no sense.”

Peter Banks, managing director of Rudding Park in Harrogate.

Mr Banks said other problems included it being a huge task to get the calorie information for dishes, making it more difficult to change or update the menu.

He added that guests were also being put off from ordering food.

He said:

“The big one last week was a lady ordered cauliflower cheese and broccoli for her main course. When it was pointed out that these were side dishes, she said she only had a 2,000 calorie daily allowance so couldn’t have anymore.

“This means it is limiting spend in restaurants. We have certainly noticed a decrease in the number of puddings being ordered.”

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He stressed that he understood what the Government was trying to achieve and agreed that action needed to be taken to tackle the obesity crisis.

However, he added:

“I’m not sure it’s a very well through piece of legislation. Diners should be given a choice. If they want to see a menu with calories listed then they should have that option. This way it’s forcing it down their throats. It’s really strange.

“It’s another layer of admin, it’s another layer of costs.

Also, how are the Government going to monitor if the number of calories is correct? Is there going to be someone coming around to weigh how many potatoes are in a dish? How are they going to enforce it?”

Members of the F45 Harrogate gym, on Albert Street, have mixed opinions on the new legislation.

Georgina Lambley said:

“Personally I don’t mind it and I find it useful for tracking calories. However, I think it’s detrimental to the mental health of many people such as those battling eating disorders.”

Megan Rose said she had mixed feelings.

She said:

“I understand that on one hand there is an obesity epidemic in the UK and this is another way of tackling that.

“On the other hand, I used to have an eating disorder and would have found it crippling when I was at my lowest. I have heard however that restaurants are still able to offer calorie free menus for those that are prone to disordered eating.”

However, Sarah Hart said it was a positive change.

She said:

“I think it’s a great idea and helps guide choices – thumbs up from me!”

Richard Hall added:

The vast majority of parents have got their child in to their first choice primary school in the Harrogate district, new figures reveal.

Primary school admissions statistics for entry in September show that 96.6 per cent of children have been given their first preference.

The figures published by North Yorkshire County Council also show that 99.5 per cent of pupils got one of their five preferences.

However, some parents have been left disappointed.

Nicola Njie’s daughter missed out on a place at her first choice school of Killinghall and her second of Hampsthwaite. She was offered her third choice of Bilton Grange, which she says is closer to where she lives, but she works full-time at a nursery in Killinghall.

She plans to appeal against the decision, but said she had to explain to her daughter that she “probably wouldn’t be going to school with most of her friends”.

She said:

“I will appeal and see what happens.”

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Stuart Carlton, the county council’s corporate director of children and young people’s services, said every effort was made to accommodate the families’ preference of school for their child.

He said:

“The handful of children not offered one of their families’ school preferences were offered a place at their local school.

“Families can preference any school, and are encouraged to preference up to five schools.

“Where a school is oversubscribed, the admissions criteria for the school determines the priority for places. In most cases, the deciding factor is the distance from home to school.

“We closely monitor developing areas to ensure that there is sufficient capacity to accommodate the children living in the local area.”

Mr Carlton said parents could appeal here.

Across North Yorkshire, there has been a slight increase of more than one per cent from last year to 96 per cent on the number securing their first choice.

Mr Carlton added:

“We wish all children who start primary school in September all the best and hope they enjoy a happy and exciting start in their new schools.”