An artist with terminal cancer is staging an exhibition to raise funds for a local charity that has been treating her illness.

Sharon Tinayre Carrick, a much-loved art teacher from Harrogate, wanted to raise money for the Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre at Harrogate District Hospital.

Ms Carrick was determined to support the staff that have helped her during several months of treatment.

Her exhibition at Art in the Mill in Knaresborough was initially planned for March but had to be postponed due to coronavirus.

Both Sharon and the gallery owner, Andy Grinter, were determined to continue with their plans at a later date.

Over 80% of the items in her solo exhibition have already sold, despite only opening on Thursday. The total raised currently stands at £4350.

Ms Carrick, who uses her middle name to sign her art, said:

“It’s wonderful that all this art is raising so much money. I think it will make a big difference to the centre, they tried really hard with me and it’s really important they’re supported.

These charities are really important. It’s the most positive thing in my life right now and to know so many people are supporting it is just wonderful.”

The ‘Was I Really There’ exhibition is a collection of pieces using different mediums, including some following a birthday trip to Venice with family.

Mr Grinter, owner of Art in the Mill, said:

“We have put an awful lot of work into this alongside Sharon, and she decided very early on it would be a fundraiser to thank people for their help. It’s gone far above and beyond what we were expecting. People have seized the opportunity to remember and to support Sharon. It was all her idea, energy and commitment and of course we have done all we can to support it.

“After lockdown it was all hands on deck to bring it together. It’s been a great success, it is a standing testament to the amount of goodwill and sentiment in the community.”

As an art teacher, Ms Carrick worked with students at Rossett Adult Learning and The Orb in Knaresborough.

Schools across the district are preparing to reopen next week, with new measures including face masks and separating year groups in place as covid restrictions continue.

Among those to have announced the adaptations it will make is Harrogate Grammar School, which will reopen on Monday, September 7 with a number of “significant changes” in place to ensure safety and limit coronavirus outbreaks.

The school has re-organised classrooms and the cafeteria, staggered lunch and finish times and put in place a contingency plan for those needing to self-isolate. Additional cleaning staff have also been hired.

The grammar school will open to staff on September 7 and spread the full reopening for students over the next three days. All year groups will return by September 10.

Neil Renton, headteacher of Harrogate Grammar School, said:

“Work has taken place over the summer period to ensure that school is ready to safely welcome our students back in September. One of the most significant changes that students will experience when they return are the year group groupings. In addition, we have developed a contingency plan for remote education where a class, group or small number of pupils need to self-isolate. This plan draws on all our learning and development during lockdown.

“We very much recognise that children will experience a variety of emotions in response to the coronavirus outbreak such as anxiety, stress or low mood. We will continue to support students through a variety of well-being initiatives, pastoral support and our emphasis on positive relationships.”

Students will be spaced out to allow for appropriate distancing between staff and pupils.

Read more:

• Parents say they are “delighted” children can return to school, after worrying about the impact of further delays on learning.
• Harrogate students said they are “panicking about the future” despite A-level grades U-turn. 

Parents in the district had previously called for further information regarding safety measures within schools ready for the new term to begin.

New government advice says children within “hot spot” areas are to wear face masks in congested areas such as corridors. The current number of cases in Harrogate means this is not expected be put into action in local schools next week.

As the Eat Out To Help Out scheme comes to an end today, its success has led some local restaurants to extend it at their own expense.

The scheme has allowed restaurants and cafes to boost their profits after being forced to close during lockdown.

Restaurants in the district extending the scheme include:

• Bambudda Oriental Cuisine, Kirkgate, Ripon – £5 off ‘All you can eat’ buffet Monday and Wednesday.
• Blue Bell Inn at Kirby Hill, Boroughbridge – Two-course meal £10 and three-course meal for £15 on Wednesday and Thursday.
• The Pine Marten, Otley Road, Harrogate – 50% off mains, Monday-Wednesday until mid-September, when subscribed to mailing list
• Graveley’s of Harrogate – 50% off up to £10 on mains and soft drinks until Wednesday, September 2
• Gino d’Acampo My Restaurant, Harrogate – 50% off up to £10 on mains and soft drinks until Wednesday, September 2
• La Feria, Cold Bath Road, Harrogate – 50% off up to £10 on mains and soft drinks until Wednesday, September 2
• Lucia Wine Bar and Grill, Ripon Road, Harrogate – 50% off up to £10 on mains and soft drinks, Monday-Wednesday, until the end of September
• Starbeck Tandoori, Starbeck – 50% off food up to £10 Monday – Thursday, until the end of September.
• The Empress on the Stray, Church Square, Harrogate –  25% off food Monday – Wednesday until the end of September.
• The Grantham Arms, Boroughbridge – 50% off up to £5 per person, Monday – Wednesday, until the end of September.
• West Park Hotel, Harrogate – 50% off food up to £10 until Wednesday, September 2.

Customers should contact the restaurant regarding the offer prior to booking.

Simon Wade, owner of The Grantham Arms in Boroughbridge, said:

“It’s been phenomenal – it’s been like having a six-day weekend. We’ve had to bring in new suppliers as many just didn’t realise it would be this busy.

“In terms of money, we lost £250,000 of turnover during lockdown. The scheme has drastically increased our turnover but we have had to employ more staff.

“We are introducing our own scheme – I just think we can’t not piggy back on the back of something so successful. We know everyone loves a bargain and I am pleased to offer it.”

Both restaurants are extending the scheme in order to capitalise the surge in bookings it has encouraged.

The owner of The Empress on the Stray, Sharon Colgan, said:

“Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday throughout August have been a real success changing people’s perspective on early-week dining. We are hopeful it will continue through September and we will look at possibly extending until the end of the year if it continues to be a success.”

Read more:

• WATCH as restaurants in the district are busy following government discount scheme. 
• Harrogate’s restaurants say they are fully booked for the final week of Eat Out To Help Out.

The West Park Hotel is extending the scheme in celebration of its owner Provenance’s 10th anniversary.

Anthony Blundell, assistant general manager, said:

“It has gone incredibly well – it’s been like having Saturdays at the beginning of the week. Lunch and dinners have been much busier, we’ve had to take on more staff to cover demand.

“We’ve had a lot of people who may not have come before the scheme. We saw a high increase in sales, 120 at night and 60 to 80 diners for lunch, whereas before it was around 20. We lost three months of sales and had renovations so it’s good to start paying that back.

“Extending the discount is a great thing and it gives people who missed out the chance to give it a go.”

Harrogate Brigantes Rotary club is climbing to the peak of Everest, virtually, to raise money for its Covid Relief Fund.

To succeed members have to walk over 1,500 miles and climb 1,000,000 feet.

Over the past few weeks, members have been banking their miles by trekking across Yorkshire Dales, climbing up the steps to Knaresborough Castle or even in a high-rise apartment.

Twenty members have accumulated enough miles to reach Everest base camp. Now, all are working hard towards the President’s final assault to the peak.

The target is £5000 and most of the money raised will go to support two organisations. Carers’ Resource and Wellspring offer a variety of services to help people and communities suffering from the fall-out from Covid.

President of the club, David Hayes, said:

“The Covid pandemic has greatly increased the needs of many in our community. At the start of lockdown Harrogate Brigantes established a Covid Relief Fund to direct money to the most needy people and causes. To raise money for this we have had to think of innovative initiatives. The biggest so far is our virtual expedition to conquer Everest and get me to the top.

This is a great challenge as we’re all past our prime and are having to do a great deal of hill walking and stair climbing to get near the miles along and feet up we need. But I’m looking forward to the final assault.”

The rotary President stands on the peak of “Everest” – ahead of the final assault.

The President is expected to reach the peak over the next couple of weeks.

The Covid Relief Fund has been used to support a wide variety of local charities, projects and causes. Including supply of PPE to local health workers and care homes, afternoon teas for isolated older people, baking packs for young carers.

As lockdown has eased, the focus has changed to helping local charities dealing with the longer term issues such as mental health.

Read more:

• Knaresborough’s rotary club gets a new President – she’s a skydiving enthusiast. 
• A local emotional wellbeing charity has received further funding to continue to run workshops for children during the school holidays. 

The club has already raised £2500 in sponsorships. To donate to the cause, you can click here.

A Yorkshire glamping pod manufacturer has expanded into Knaresborough with a new warehouse space of 4,000 square foot.

Anthropods & Co Ltd’s new premises – its largest yet – is on Hambleton Grove industrial estate in Knaresborough. The company’s previous warehouse was in Killinghall, but it needed more space to keep up with its orders.

Over lockdown, the company had to suspend production for four months. Its return to production comes as people are favouring staycations and working from home and the company hopes its range of products will suit the surge in demand.

Read more:

• Plans to convert the former Natwest bank in Knaresborough into a residential property has been submitted. 
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Doug Adamson, executive chairman of Anthropods & Co Ltd, said:

“We are manufacturing from the plot now – we moved in a couple of weeks ago and we are now set up. We have expanded the workforce too. The reason to move was because we required more space to up production capacity and grow our workforce. We managed to just get the site – we wanted to stay in the Harrogate district.

“We had to shutdown for four months but luckily we didn’t lose any orders. Now the staycation market is growing so rapidly, it may be beneficial for us, but there is normally quite a long period of time between enquiries and final production as people are making a big investment with us.”

The company hopes to increase production within the new estate, where it took the last remaining unit of a total of seven units.

Models like these pods are installed in Europe.

The police made 20 arrests over a single weekend on roads around Harrogate, Knaresborough and Skipton as part of a campaign to tackle drink driving.

The highest reading of the weekend was 144ug/100ml – over four times the legal limit – by a women from the Knaresborough area driving in York.

Operation Attention follows a summertime peak in drink driving. The efforts by the police are to put on a “show of force” to deter drink or drug drivers and catch offenders.

A total of 23 arrests were made between August 14 to 17. Out of those arrests, 10 were found to be over the legal alcohol limit – 35ug per 100ml of breath.

Other offences included speeding, with one driver caught driving at 80mph within a 30mph zone.

Traffic Sergeant Andy Morton from the Road Policing Group said:

“The results send a clear message that if people choose to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs and break the law, there are consequences to your actions and officers will catch you. We are here to protect the public’s safety on the roads of North Yorkshire and by catching these people. The local community can be confident that these drivers will pay the price by being given lengthy bans, significant fines and even prison sentences.”

Read more:

• One man has died and another is injured after a serious incident in Harrogate town centre on Sunday night. 
• A man from Boroughbridge has been jailed after taking indecent images of a three year-old girl. 

Last weekend’s operation involved specialist road policing officers, special constables and local policing teams and more than 50 drivers were stopped.

The operation has ran from July 13 to August 16, a total of 171 people have been arrested for drink and drug drive offences across North Yorkshire.

As schools across the district prepare to return next week after more than five months away, some parents have said they’re “delighted” to know their children can return to classroom learning.

Coronavirus forced schools to close in March leaving most children to continue learning from home. Parents in the district have also spoken out about their worries over the educational impact further delays could have.

Schools will look different next month, with ‘bubbles’ in place and regular hand sanitising to prevent transmission.

Laura Berryman, from Bilton is sending her twins into year three next month. She said:

“I am 100% ready for them to go back. They are both excited to see their friends, we are feeling prepared, we’ve been told what to expect by the school hopefully it’ll all be fine. The small risk of getting it is outweighed by the impact of what they could miss out on. I don’t want them to go backwards, the thought of them at home any longer scares me.”

James from Harrogate is sending his son into year 10. He said:

“I’m delighted he’s returning to school, it couldn’t come soon enough. I’ve been disappointed with how the school has handled it. He had little work until three weeks before summer. The school had no idea how to use the technology and that made it more difficult, I don’t know why it was made out to be so difficult. I just hope the schools are using common sense to manage covid, the kids wellbeing is paramount. He’s excited to get back and speak to his friends it’s massively beneficial to have that social interaction.”

Kids walking to school will be a common sight once again as schools gear up to put measures in place.

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Some schools are yet to announce how school buses are to go ahead raising further questions for parents.

Nicola Crebbin has twin boys going into year nine. She said:

“I am ready for them to go back. I have no worries about health risks but it would be good to know more regarding procedures and transport. I am slightly concerned that the children’s education may be held back waiting for others who didn’t (or couldn’t) engage in education during lockdown to catch up, time will tell. Both prefer remote school to being in school, less distracted by other children and lack of peer pressure enabled them to be more creative. Although they did find the work set a little dull.”

Boroughbridge Community Care has been providing essential support during the pandemic and is now in need of further funding and volunteers to cover demand.

The charity has adapted its needs to those in the community, offering food parcels, gardening services and advice for those experiencing financial struggles as a result of covid.

It has missed out on vital fundraising opportunities and, as volunteers return to work, the need for more is growing.

Manager of the charity, Karen Parker, said:

“We would be really keen to have new volunteers come forward to help in any way they want. It’s difficult to get hold of funds currently, of course we can’t fundraise during these times. But any ideas are welcome! Organisations that have stepped up and come forward the help the community accounts for additional funds but there is only limited funding coming in whilst our expenses are increasing.”

The charity has always provided transport to appointments and social sessions such as coffee mornings and lunch clubs. Recently, it has seen the needs change within the community to cover younger families as well as the elderly and vulnerable.

Karen added:

“There’s nothing that beats that face to face chatting, that contact is invaluable. It’s just about finding alternative ways to continue support whilst keeping everyone safe. I think there is still the need but a different need, we’ve always supported older and more vulnerable people but since covid we now cover younger families too.

“I think there’s a gap in some people’s finances after being furloughed or out of work for months, so it’s about fulfilling the need to offer those essential services and making sure they know we’re here to help if they need it. Particularly those people that find themselves in a new situation, we can help.”

The charity, found above the library in Boroughbridge, is hopeful to resume its usual social events and fundraising once government restrictions ease.

It is determined to offer support to those in need with the help of additional volunteers.

As the eat out to help out scheme enters its fourth week, restaurants in Harrogate have said its been “massively helpful”.

The scheme has ran throughout August offering diners an incentive to support local restaurants Monday to Wednesday.

Several of the local restaurants have reported huge increases in bookings, many getting booked up quickly. The scheme is also said to have  this has encouraged new visitors who may otherwise have never come out.

Lydia Hewitt-Craft, supervisor at So! Bar and eats Harrogate, said:

“We’ve been really busy, before the eat out to help out it wasn’t too busy during the week but now we are fully booked Monday to Wednesday. It’s the new weekend. The restaurants in Knaresborough and Ripon are just as busy and fully booked too. It’s been massively helpful and it’s a relief because it was hard at the start when everyone was worried about coming out but this has been great for us.”

Nertil Xhallo, manager at Sarando on Station Bridge, said:

“It has been really busy, we’ve had a lot of bookings. Most people have returned which is good. The offer has been helpful for the business. We’ve had a really busy week, we are always busy at the weekend but now it is at the beginning of the week too. We’re very grateful.”

Restaurants and cafes throughout the district have taken part in the initiative to boost trade after lockdown.

The scheme will continue this week and into next week’s bank holiday morning.

The hope is that customers will continue to support these restaurants after the offer is removed.

Read more:

• Over 100 cafes and restaurants across the district are taking part in the scheme. 
• WATCH as a Harrogate chef describes the increase in demand for at-home cookery lessons after lockdown. 

Sara Ferguson, acting chair of Harrogate BID and owner of two Harrogate restaurants, said:

“I think it’s been a massive help, everyone I have spoken to says it’s been worth doing. I think with the uncertainty going forward its given all those places a boost, it also gives diners the chance to try new restaurants. Everyone wants to participate which is great and knowing we won’t be out of pocket has been great for us.

“It means for retail as well more people have come into the town centre and during the day who may not have done otherwise. They may have saved money on lunch so go and spend it elsewhere in the town.”

A Harrogate artist is hoping for further recognition for his work as galleries begin to reopen following lockdown.

Andrew Moodie was a lawyer for 30 years before he changed career paths to pursue his love for art.

During lockdown, he has enjoyed the additional free time to explore the local countryside and paint. He now hopes to build on his skills and find a gallery to work alongside.

Mr Moodie said:

“I was a lawyer for 30 years but never felt like the right thing to be doing. It paid the bills but it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I can now just head out into the sun instead of staring at it out of a window. I go out quite a lot to find somewhere to paint but it’s not as easy it sounds. You need local knowledge to find the best places.”

Andrew is often taking his easel around the district to paint.

Read more:

• A new art gallery has opened in Harrogate, aiming to put the town “on the map” for art. 
• A Harrogate art teacher is using her talents to raise money for the medical staff who tried to save her life following her terminal cancer diagnosis. 

Over lockdown, Andrew has been able to take part in online classes to improve his skills within different art forms. Now, he is hoping to take the next step in his new career. He said:

“I hope to get more recognition and improve my skills. You need that recognition to get a spot in a gallery but hopefully that will come with time. Being a lawyer, I had to be direct and precise but now I can just splash the paint on the canvas which is always fun.”

He also featured on the previous series of Sky Arts “Landscape Artist of the Year”. His work is currently sold through online platforms Artfinder, in the UK, and Singulart, based in Paris.