A big screen on the Stray, picnics and live music will be at the centre of Harrogate’s four-day programme of events celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Destination Harrogate and Harrogate Business Improvement District today revealed plans to commemorate the Queen’s 70-year reign over the bank holiday weekend from June 2 to 5.

Part of the Stray will be transformed into Jubilee Square. It will include a large stage and video screens to broadcast the Queen’s birthday parade.

Films will be shown and there will also be a dog show and a Harrogate mastermind quiz.

The town centre will be adorned with 4km of bunting and there will be six sets of street entertainers performing across the four days.

Valley Gardens will also host a free family festival, which will feature jugglers, magicians, choirs and fairground rides. An artisan market will also be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Valley Gardens’ Sun Colonnades.

Gemma Rio, head of Destination Harrogate, said:

“By providing a large stage and video screens for The Stray and a family festival in Valley Gardens, we’re also showcasing why Harrogate is a great events destination.

“We hope that our residents and visitors will take the opportunity to enjoy the events happening in these glorious outdoor spaces, and experience the town centre buzzing with activity and entertainment for such a jubilant occasion.”

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Matthew Chapman, Harrogate BID manager, said:

“Our Jubilee Square will be a place for families and friends to bring a picnic, watch events happening live in London via our big screen, enjoy – and participate in – a variety of fun events and activities, or to simply chill out and relax.”

A shed on Harrogate’s Kingsley Road that burnt to the ground last night is believed to have been set alight deliberately.

Harrogate and Knaresborough fire crews responded to a call just before 6.45pm last night. The crews used three tanks of water to extinguish the fire.

The derelict shed was completely destroyed.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log it said the cause was “believed deliberate by youths in the area”.

The crews used three tanks of water to extinguish the fire

Harrogate Fire Station posted this statement on its Facebook page last night:

“This evening both Harrogate and Knaresborough fire crews were called out to a derelict shed on fire on Kingsley Road, Harrogate.

“Fire was put out using one hose reel jets and a ceiling hook.”

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How Stean Gorge has revealed plans to expand under new management.

The 10,000-year-old gorge in Nidderdale currently provides abseiling, gorge scrambling, caving, canoeing and a high ropes course.

Tony Liddy, 33, and Rebecca Verity, 29 who have taken over control of the site after working there for more than a decade, have revealed a five-year plan to install 11 chalets, including hot tubs and wood burning stoves.

The attraction currently has a 20-pitch campsite. The new chalets will sleep up to 11 people each.

Mr Liddy said there was “huge demand for adventure tourism”, adding:

“We’re transforming the site with these ambitious expansion plans with an eco-friendly build in fitting with the spectacular setting.”

Pre-covid the centre, previously run by Stan and Ann Beer, attracted about 10,000 people each year for outdoor activities.

The new owners said bookings for hen and stag weekends had doubled since the lifting of restrictions.

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There are also plans to revamp the visitor centre, with new interpretation boards containing historical surveys and maps of its cave network.

How Stean Gorge employs 18 full and part-time members of staff with an additional 10 casual instructors. Mr Liddy said:

“We’re very proud to be continuing the values of Stan and Ann, they helped raise How Stean Gorge into a leading visitor attraction, as well as a vital lifeline for local employment and our rural economy. It’s a fantastic legacy, and we are incredibly excited to take that on and build on that hard work.”

Northern Gas Networks is carrying out roadworks on a section of road north of Birstwith from today for the next month.

The works to repair and replace pipes begin today and are expected to finish on May 20.

A section of Darley Road, heading north out of Birstwith, is closed with drivers having to take a diversion along Back Road behind Menwith Hill.

Photograph: North Yorkshire County Council roadworks map

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The Harrogate beer festival that attempts to break down barriers between women and beer is back next month.

The beer and arts festival called WOTFEST SIX, organised by Women on Tap CIC, will return to Harrogate between May 4 and 8 and offer a place for women interested in beer or those wanting to learn more to come together and try it out.

The festival works with bars, breweries and industry experts to provide a space for thought-provoking communications and for women to explore more beers.

Festival highlights include an evening of conversation with women in beer from Track Brewing Co and Brew York and Mindful Drinking workshops hosted by Club Soda which aim to emphasise positive drinking habits over abstinence.

There will also be quizzes, treasure hunts and other events held at some of Harrogate’s best known bars including Major Tom’s Social, The Disappearing Chin, The Harrogate Tap and Rooster’s Taproom.

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As in previous years, a special festival beer has been brewed at Brew York. The pineapple sour will be available at venues throughout the festival.

Women on Tap founder, Rachel Auty said:

“It feels good to properly root the festival back in Harrogate where it all began while also retaining an element of online events and activity.

“We are a tiny team with an enormous goal and thanks to the incredible support we get from the UK wide beer industry, our network across Harrogate and Knaresborough, and our local friends who never fail to cheer us on from the sidelines, we continue to stride out every year – passionate, determined, and smiling!”

Women on Tap CIC was formed in 2017 in Harrogate to help influence and shape a beer industry where women have equal opportunities, feel welcome, and are safe.

The Stray Gardener is written by Rudding Park’s Kitchen Gardener, Fiona Slight. Fiona has worked in horticulture for more than 30 years in the UK and abroad, and specialises in growing fruit and vegetables for fine dining. This month, Fiona takes you step-by-step through air layering.

If you’d like to try a different type of propagation this spring, it might be worth having a go at air layering.  Especially effective for plants that don’t root well from other forms of propagation, or don’t have low growing shoots that can be used for conventional layering on the ground, it is quite a slow process and patience is required, but it is well worth it.

Quite a few different plants can be used for air layering, including Acer, Camellia, Chaenomeles, Daphne, Ficus, Hamamelis, Jasmine, Rhododendrons, Lilac and Viburnums.  The best time of year to carry out air layering, especially with evergreen plants, is the spring, but it can also be done in autumn too, where deciduous plants can do equally as well.

A Rhododendron

It is a very simple process.  Choose a one to two year old stem that is straight and healthy and at least pencil thick in diameter.  It is important to get a young stem, as it will be more vigorous and healthy to produce new roots more easily.  Trim off any side shoots and leaves from a 30cm section and make sure not to leave any snags (these can be a source of disease or decay).

Wounding the stem

The stem then needs to be wounded, with a cut at least 2.5cm long and cut through a leaf bud that is angled towards the shoot tip. The best concentrations of natural rooting hormone can be found nearest to buds.  A small matchstick can be used to open up the cut to help add rooting hormone powder to the surface of the wound and a small amount of damp moss (which can be purchased from florists or some garden centres) can be put in to the wound and then wrapped around loosely with black plastic. Black plastic is preferable to use rather than clear or white, as green algae can form and can be another source of disease.

Damp moss is then placed into the wound

The black plastic can then be sealed at one end either with string or with weather proof adhesive tape. Once that is done it is a simple method just to pack in more moss around the wound to ensure it is protected and has enough moisture around it, a thickness of around 7.5 to 10cm should be adequate. The other end can then be sealed up.

After that, it’s just a waiting game, the wrapping needs to stay in place for at least a year, but can be opened and checked occasionally for signs of rooting, making sure it is sealed well again to avoid it drying out.  Once strong new roots appear through the moss, the plastic sleeve can be removed and the stem can be cut through just below the rooted section.

The finished product

The rooted stem can then be potted up in compost suitable for the plant that has rooted.  Don’t try to take the moss off the roots as it could damage them, just add it into the pot too.  Then, water, label and grow on until large enough to plant out in your chosen position.

Air layering does take a little more time and effort, but if you have a plant in your garden you value, and have had trouble propagating from in the past (or a replacement would be very expensive), then this could be a good thing to try.

Happy propagating!

Fiona’s Five Top Tips for May:

1. Bedding plants can start going out at the end of the month, but keep an eye out for late frosts and cover with fleece if any are forecast
2. Try to water either first thing in the morning or in the evening, for the plants to make the most of the water which could evaporate in the middle of the day
3. Divide Primulas once they have finished flowering
4. Put in place supports for herbaceous plants before they start getting leggy
5. This is a good time to coppice Eucalyptus for fresh young foliage and to keep them in good condition

A national charity has called for more funds to help make a wish come true for eight-year-old Harrogate boy George Hinkins, who was born with half a working heart.

George lives with a rare congenital heart defect called Ebstein’s Anomaly and had his first open-heart surgery at just 36 hours old. The defect means he can’t pump blood to his lungs as well as other people and struggles with oxygen levels.

In his eight years, George has had three major open-heart surgeries “to correct as much as they can”, said dad Matthew Hinkins.

With more surgeries inevitable, George has asked Make-A-Wish UK to help him become a ‘Ghostbuster for the day’.

However, due to the pandemic, the charity has had a 40% drop in funding. It said it needs £155,000 to grant the wishes of the 62 children living with a critical condition in the North East.

George Hinkins dressed as a ghostbuster.

George’s love for the Ghostbusters franchise started when he was six years old. He took his Ghostbuster figurines into his third surgery in March 2020.

George’s mum, Jane Hinkins, said:

“We can’t go out with George very much, especially in winter as his heart makes it difficult for him to regulate his temperature. So we’ve had to find alternative ways to keep him entertained.

“Ghostbusters really captured his imagination – he talks about the characters being brave, facing the unknown, going into scary situations. It’s been an amazing tool for us to talk about how he’s feeling.”

George said:

“When I’m in hospital, it’s a bit scary. But just like the Ghostbusters, I try to face my fears. I try to be brave.”

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His family said more surgeries are inevitable and a transplant may be considered when George is older.

The charity has said it hopes to raise the money by World Wish Day on April 29. In total, there are 503 critically ill children waiting for a wish to be granted in the UK, which would cost £1.25 million.

To find out more or donate to Make-A-Wish UK, click here.

The long Easter weekend saw the blooming of Harrogate’s Cherry Blossoms, with the most noticeable lining the footpaths of the Stray.

The 200-acre landscape is now multiple shades of pink after the weekend’s warm weather brought out the cherry blossom trees.

The blooming trees have come just in time for the start of the Harrogate Spring Flower Show which opens at the Showground tomorrow, April 21.

This beautiful picture was sent in by Lizzie Gentry

Photograph: David Simister

This shot was sent in by Margaret Smith from the Tewit Well area of the Stray

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Another blossom picture sent by Wil Lo

Banking facilities are set to open in Knaresborough Library this summer that will give people access to numerous banks.

The arrival of a multi-bank transaction terminal will mean personal and business customers of all the major banks can withdraw cash, deposit coins and notes, move funds and pay bills.

Previously announced in March, the branch will be run by Newcastle Building Society, alongside the library and North Yorkshire County Council, in the building on Market Place.

After the loss of Knaresborough’s last bank, Halifax, last year, residents and business owners have had to travel to banks miles away or join the queue of people at the town’s Post Office.

The new terminal, run by OneBanks Hub, will work alongside branch workers who can offer face-to-face advice and private transactions.

The addition of the terminal is a pilot scheme with only one other machine being installed in Newcastle.

Duncan Cockburn, chief executive of OneBanks Hub, said:

“We developed OneBanks Hub to support communities without access to everyday banking. This initiative will help individuals and small businesses continue to do their critical financial transactions without having to travel miles to their nearest bank branch. It is a model that can be replicated in many more locations.”

The county council has said it is unable to give a specific opening date but said it would be this summer.

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There is also a new shared banking hub set to open in Knaresborough by the Access to Cash Action Group.

Under the scheme, a building in Knaresborough will provide help with general banking queries and more specific issues, such as power of attorney and opening accounts.

Representatives from various banks will work in the hub on a rotational basis. The hub itself will be fitted out by the Post Office.

More than 200 amblers took part in the Boroughbridge Walking Festival over the Easter weekend.

The event saw people from as far away as Leeds and Wetherby visit the town and discover local walks.

Organised by Boroughbridge Walkers are Welcome group, the event aims to encourage people to the town and surrounding areas. There were a collection of walks featured in the festival to accommodate everyone with each walk sponsored by a local business.

The walkers were also told about the history of the town, attend a guided walk of Staveley nature reserve and learned of the connection between Ouseburn and the Bronte sisters.

“It was lovely to see so many people visiting the town, which is one of the aims of the group. We were lucky to have such good weather. Hopefully next year’s festival will see the return of the popular ghost walk and the afternoon tea walk at Myton-on-Swale.”