Pannal car boot sale returns today for the first time in eight months.

Since opening in 1996, the car boot sale has been held early on Sunday mornings but this year it takes place at 11am on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Held at the junction of the A658 and A61, the event runs until 3pm and stalls cost £6 for the day.

Speaking about the return, organiser Dylan Leech said:

“It’s great to be back. We changed the time this year mainly because there are so many others held early on a Saturday and Sunday so starting at 11am means people can come to more than one.

“We’ve had to rethink it with so many people selling online during lockdown but I’m sure we’ll hit the ground running.”

Mr Leech said the car boot attracted more than 100 stalls each time previously and he was hoping this year will be no different.

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Knaresborough car finance company shortlisted for four awards

Oracle Car Finance, based in Knaresborough, has been shortlisted at the Car Finance Awards.

The prestige, sports and classic car company has been shortlisted in the following categories:

• Best Car Finance Company to Work For
• Customer Service Excellence
• Rising Star
• Best Specialist Car Finance Provider

Peter Brook, managing director, says:

“Having been voted best specialist car finance provider in 2020 and 2021 we are absolutely thrilled to be shortlisted for a third year running.”

Fran Irvine celebrates 25 years at Harrogate Ladies College 

Fran Irvine started at Harrogate Ladies’ College in 1997 as a PE teacher.

Since then she has been promoted to assistant head and has now celebrated 25 years at the independent school.

Talking about her time at the school, Ms Irvine said:

“I’ve stayed at Harrogate Ladies’ College for such a long time because the teaching is so rewarding, and there’s such variety in the job — both coaching many different sports and abilities, and taking care of the Middle School pupils in her care, academically and pastorally.

“I love seeing the pupils progress from Year 7 all the way through to upper sixth when they are ready to leave and embark on the next part of their journey.”

Fran Irvine

The YMCA charity shop on Cambridge Road in Harrogate will close in the next two weeks after just two years in the town centre.

Manager Sam Perry said the unit has to be vacated by May 12 and expects all stock to be sold before then.

The store opened just before the first lockdown, across from McDonald’s, and Ms Perry said it was often overwhelmed by donations from local people.

She said the closure was due to the renovation of the upper floors into flats.

A planning application to convert the first and second floor of the building into eight flats was approved in September 2021. Developers Lake House Investments, which is based near Brighouse, submitted the plan.

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The shop is already looking bare, with just half of the floor space being used to display the last few donations at discounted prices.

Ms Perry said it was a “real shame” the shop was closing but added the charity was keen to find another suitable unit in the town centre.

Before moving to Harrogate in February 2020, there was a YMCA store in Starbeck but it also had to vacate due to development. Ms Perry said it could take up to 18 months to find new premises in Harrogate so she would have to find another job.

A YouTuber with nearly 500,000 subscribers returned to Harrogate yesterday to give his verdict on another of the town’s takeaways.

Danny Malin, the man behind Rate My Takeaway, caused a stir when he visited Thug Sandwich Co last month and rated it his “number one takeaway”.

Mr Malin dropped in on Starling Independent Bar Cafe and Kitchen yesterday and, and in his usual style, set up his camping chair and folding table outside on the street to give his review.

The restaurant and bar on Oxford Street serves craft beer, hot drinks and pizza, as well as a brunch menu.

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Staff at Starling said Mr Malin rang in the morning to say he’d be coming and when he arrived ordered a meat sweats pizza and Philly fries. His video verdict is expected to be uploaded on Saturday.

Mr Malin’s reviews can have a significant impact on trade. Thug Sandwich’s glowing rating led to a surge in business and staff at Starling said they were preparing for an influx of customers over the weekend and next week.

James Smith, who works at the Oxfam Bookshop over the road from Starling, took the photo of Mr Malin digging into his food outside the JoJo Maman Bébé shop.

The Rate My Takeaway channel has 498,000 Youtube subscribers and each video attracts from 100,000 to 350,000 views.

Oatlands Funclub in Harrogate has been praised by Ofsted following a recent inspection.

Government inspectors visited the club, which is based at Oatlands Infant School, in March.

Their report, published this week, said “children are extremely happy and settled” and “managers have rigorous recruitment and induction processes in place”.

It added:

Hustle & Co in Harrogate is up for sale — but the owners have reassured customers and said there are “exciting times ahead”.

The Harrogate cafe and restaurant has been put on the market for £175,000 by Ernest Wilson Business Agents.

The cafe, which is owned by business partners Jo Bradshaw and Nici Routledge, opened in December 2020 on Prince Albert Row.

Nici Routledge and Jo Bradshaw

Hustle & Co is a sustainable and ethical café serving hot and cold drinks, breakfasts, lunches and sweet treats.

According to the advertisement, the business has a turnover of £702,000 and is being sold due to “personal circumstances”.

Ms Bradshaw told the Stray Ferret:

“There are exciting times ahead, this decision is part of a bigger picture.”

She added she couldn’t give any more information at this stage.

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The cafe currently employs more than 20 members of staff and its outdoor courtyard and inside seating has space for 90 covers. The brochure also said:

“This is truly one of the best businesses seen for quite some time — fabulously fitted out, coupled with enviable weekly turnover of £13,000 to £14,000 in modest daytime hours.

“Truly fabulous, yet offering scope to extend the hours, introduce supper club and evenings openings.”

Woods of Harrogate, one of the town’s oldest businesses, had a celebration today to mark its 127th anniversary.

Since the company was set up in 1895, it has expanded into Woods Fine Linens and William Woods Interior Design.

The family business began with William Ernest Woods, who opened the first linen shop after watching his father, George Woods, weave linen at the local flax mill in Knaresborough.

Since then it has been managed by multiple members of the Woods family. William Woods, grandson of the founder, currently runs the venture alongside his daughter and son-in-law.

The shop has been on Prince Albert Row since 1927

The shop, which describes itself as one of the finest linen shops in Europe, has supplied the royal family since 1923.

William Woods said:

“The quality that we have and the range makes us the finest. You can have over 100 different bed linen colours made to order in  in three weeks and not many shops can do that.”

Inside is a vast array of goods from around the world including a selection of showrooms arranged by interior design director Sarah Woods.

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Some of the old traditions remain intact. For example, the building on Prince Albert Row has workshops where all furnishings and designs are produced in-house and purchases are still wrapped in brown paper and string.

The building itself hosts the oldest lift and exterior clock in Harrogate. The clock was installed on the building when Woods moved from Princes Square in 1927.

These days Woods has an online presence, allowing customers worldwide to purchase traditional and modern styles.

The company employs 16 staff and plans to keep the family’s history and reputation at its centre.

Long-term work to upgrade junction 47 on the A1(M) at Flaxby has now been completed.

The project, to improve infrastructure before more houses are built in Knaresborough and Green Hammerton, is at least £2.3 million over budget and took seven months longer to complete than planned.

The original budget was £7 million. This had increased to £10 million by September and the final cost has yet to be revealed.

The A59 corridor has been identified in the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place, as an area of rapid increase in residential and business growth.

Work on the junction began in September 2020 and this week became fully operational. The traffic lights have been switched on for the first time and all lanes are now open.

Three of the four slip roads, on and off the roundabout, have been widened to increase capacity.

Traffic signals are now in place on the roundabout to manage traffic flow and a T-junction has been added between the A168 and A59 to help drivers on the York side turning onto the A59.

A lane has been added to the west of junction 47 between the A1 and Flaxby roundabout so there will be two lanes in each direction between those two roundabouts.

Rapid growth

Barrie Mason, North Yorkshire County Council’s assistant director for highways and transportation, said the rapid growth in the area meant the works were essential.

He said:

“This important scheme has the aim of supporting the future growth and prosperity of Harrogate and Knaresborough. We anticipate significant residential and commercial development along the A59 corridor, resulting in many more people using this key link road.”

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The council attributed the delays to the discovery of great crested newts, which must be legally relocated, covid and poor ground conditions.

Mr Mason added the traffic lights will need to be monitored to ensure the timings are right and reduce queueing. He has asked motorists to be patients whilst the final adjustments are made.

The project has been supported by £2.47m from the government’s Local Growth Fund, secured by York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership, along with contributions from the county council, National Highways and developer Forward Investment LLP.

David Dickson, chair of the York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership infrastructure and joint assets board, said:

“This project is a real boost for the York and North Yorkshire economy. By improving east-west connectivity, the much improved junction unlocks the opportunity for further economic growth across the region.”

Roadworks to the new Leon Harrogate site are causing delays after a section of Wetherby Road had to be closed.

Due to works on the pavement and tree removal, a section of the lane Macham Close and Hookstone Drive has been closed.

The works are set to continue until June 19.

The new Leon Harrogate, just before the Woodlands traffic lights, was formally a dental surgery and although previously earmarked to be a Starbuck drive-thru is will a Leon, described as a healthy fast food chain.

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Free business group memberships available to Harrogate district SMEs

The Institute of Directors is offering free memberships to all small and medium sized businesses in the Harrogate district.

The IoD provides advice, discounted professional development and events to businesses and also lobbies government.

The free memberships are being offered with the support of Harrogate Borough Council, using government covid recovery funds.

The IoD, which was founded in 1903, has 20,000 members.

Caroline Pullich, chair of IoD North Yorkshire, said:

“The IoD exists to supports members to become better directors and develop their businesses.

“We look forward to hearing from directors in the Harrogate district and welcoming them to our community.”

To be eligible, directors must work for an SME business based in the Harrogate district and not have held an IoD membership within the previous two years from the date of enquiry. A maximum of two memberships are available per eligible business.

To apply email senior branch manager Helena.drake@iod.com.

Harrogate funeral directors partner on annual conference 

Full Circle Funerals, which is based in Harrogate, is the lead partner for this year’s annual conference of Leeds Bereavement Forum.

Next month’s conference will focus on the Lancet Commission’s recent report The Value of Death: bringing death back to life.

Held on May 19 at the Thackray Medical Museum in Leeds, the event includes talks with experts including palliative physician Dr Ros Taylor MBE.

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