North Yorkshire Police has issued a plea for information after a bike was stolen outside Caffe Nero on Beulah Street, Harrogate.

The black Carrera road bike was left propped up outside the coffee shop at about 2.30pm on Thursday when it was taken by a man, described by police as a slim white male aged between 35 and 40.

He was wearing dark shorts, a grey t-shirt and a baseball cap.

The bike has red trim and thin tyres.

A police statement said:

“We are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

“In particular, we are appealing for information about and witnesses to the incident or if anyone has seen the bike in question.

Anyone will information can call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option two and ask for Jacob Higgins. The officer can also be contacted via jacob.higgins@northyorkshirepolice.uk.

To remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The crime reference number is 12210165521.

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Tickets for Knaresborough FEVA festival have gone on sale after the committee decided next month’s event will go ahead.

The festival of entertainment and visual arts, which is taking place for the 25th time, will feature the likes of poet Simon Armitage, singer-songwriter Jez Lowe and the musician Snake Davis.

Shops have begun decorating their windows in the pink theme in preparation for 10 days of arts at multiple Knaresborough venues.

Planning was delayed this year due to the uncertainty surrounding the lifting of covid restrictions but Gwen Lloyd, the FEVA chairperson, said the committee was now working hard on making it happen.

The event, from August 13 to 22, will feature indoor and outdoor events, including numerous workshops for all ages and hobbies, as well as the much-loved Picnic in the Park.

Picnic in the Park, which is being held on August 21, normally attracts about 450 people to the grounds of Knaresborough House for a free afternoon of music. DJ Trev is among this year’s acts.

To celebrate the 25th festival, a special event will be held in the grounds of Henshaws Arts and Craft Centre at which some 300 people will enjoy music.

Yorkshire Life Aquatic, the dry land synchronised swimmers, will be performing.

The street performers on Market Place will include a Punch and Judy act, jesters and dry land synchronised swimmers will be performing.

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Ms Lloyd said:

“It’s been months of planning, of course it’s nerve wracking because normally tickets are nearly sold out at this point but we have had to wait for lockdown announcements. I’m sure it’ll be a huge success.”

The festival programme is available here.

A conversation between Pointless star Richard Osman and author Mark Billingham brought Harrogate’s prestigious crime writing festival to a close last night.

Osman, who wrote the Thursday Murder Club, was one of many leading crime writers to visit Harrogate for the four-day Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival.

Mr Osman also helped his team win a crime writing-themed quiz hosted by renowned authors Val McDermid and Mr Billingham.

The festival, which didn’t take place last year due to covid, was held at Harrogate’s Old Swan Hotel and organised by the arts charity Harrogate International Festivals.

Chris Whitaker’s book We Begin at the End was named crime novel of the year on the opening night.

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A planning application has caused debate in Masham after councillors said they would only support it if the building was used as housing rather than holiday lets.

At a Masham Parish Council meeting this month, councillors decided to neither support or object to a proposal to convert a building on Market Place into two dwellings.

The plans would see the former Forrest House Veterinary Ltd practice turned into two semi-detached houses. One would be one-bedroom and the other two-bedrooms.

The building is thought to have been empty for 12 months after the business moved during lockdown.

Masham councillors said they were passionate about fulfilling the demand for smaller properties from local residents.

Cllr Ian Johnson said:

“We’ve just got too many. It wasn’t a problem five years ago but it is now. It’s upsetting when you see people struggling to get a home in Masham because there aren’t any of the right ones available.”

Councillors believe the current 90 holiday lets in Masham were enough.

The parish council will now advise Harrogate Borough Council of its decision.

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Olympic cyclist Lizzie Deignan, who has made Harrogate her home, will take to the road tomorrow morning to race for Team GB.

The 33-year-old is known for growing up in Otley but since moving to Harrogate after her wedding in 2016, she has fallen back in love with the town she remembers as a child.

Ms Deignan will represent her country in the road race at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics tomorrow.

The 137km race, snaking from Tokyo’s Musashinonomori Park to the Fuji International Speedway but not climbing Mt Fuji itself, will begin at 5am UK time.

At the London 2012 Olympics she won silver in the road race, claiming the first medal for Team GB that year.

She also competed on the district’s roads during the Tour de Yorkshire in 2017 and the UCI Road Cycling World Championships in 2019.

When did you start cycling?

I didn’t really grow up in a cycling family, though we were certainly active and I took part in every sport at school. Cycling found me when I was 15. British Cycling came to my school with some bikes to try to find potential cyclists as part of a talent ID programme ahead of London 2012. I was happy to skip a maths lesson to give it a try and managed to beat the boys and the coaches must have seen something in me and the rest, as they say, is history.

What are your aspirations for the Tokyo Olympics?

I’m really excited to head to Tokyo, though it will obviously be a very different Olympics to previous games in the current situation. The last Olympics, I was kind of going there as one of the favourites; I was thinking about the Olympics probably every 10 minutes of every day in the lead up. But this time, life is a bit fuller with my daughter and other stuff going on. I can go a day or two without it being on my mind. Then I suddenly catch myself and think, “Ah, I’m approaching this differently”. But I don’t think it’s a bad thing, I’m just a bit more relaxed.

Lizzie Deignan posted a photo of her and two Olympic teammates training this week. Photograph: @l-deignan

How long have you been living in Harrogate?

My husband and I made Harrogate our home after we got married a few years ago and we love it. Sadly, we don’t get to spend as much time at home as we would like, as I spend most of my time travelling to race or train overseas and we have a base in Monaco, too.

You’re known as an Otley person, do you have any other connections to Harrogate?

Harrogate is somewhere that we visited as a family so I have happy memories from childhood. As an adult it was a fantastic opportunity to compete on home roads when Harrogate hosted the UCI Road Cycling World Championships in 2019. The support from the crowds was fantastic – despite the weather! It was also very special to win a stage of the Tour of Yorkshire finishing in Harrogate back in 2017.

What is your favourite cycling route around the district?

I’m not sure I have a favourite, but there are plenty of places I like cycling around the area, including to Lofthouse and Leyburn. There is a route out that way that is quite challenging and takes in some of the World Championships route. I love the quiet lanes along the Nidd on the way back from Leyburn and there are lots of nice cafes to choose from in Masham when you are within an hour from home.

How will the course in Tokyo compare with the terrain around Harrogate and Otley?  

Nothing compares to Yorkshire roads! The climbs are very different and the terrain is less rolling than home roads, which are just brutal, but the biggest change will be the conditions as it will be so hot and humid in Tokyo. It has required plenty of heat chamber training to make sure I’m prepared.

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There are a lot of keen cyclists in the area. Do you often get noticed when you pass them on training rides?

When I’m at home I often take the opportunity to ride with friends and family and enjoy seeing people I know on home roads.

Where is your favourite place to visit in and around Harrogate?

I have fond memories of Valley Gardens and nearby I would say Bolton Abbey, where my husband Phil and I had our wedding reception.

Chris Whitaker went home with the prestigious crime novel of the year award last night after being awarded on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate.

The four-day event, organised by the arts charity Harrogate International Festivals, welcomes big names in the crime-writing world.

Mr Whitaker’s books We Begin at the End, follows a 13-year-old girl and the local police chief in a Californian town. The book meets them when a murderer is released from prison and returns to their town.

It is a story of crime, punishment, love and redemption – one that Mr Whitaker has been working on for 20 years.

Mr Whitaker came up with the idea for the book after he was stabbed and mugged in North London when he was 19. He said the book came about during a really dark time so he often forgot about it and focused on other projects.

But four years ago he returned to the file on his computer called Duchess, the protagonist’s name, and got to work.

The book front.

He said he couldn’t put into words how much this award meant to him. For years he has been visiting Harrogate for thhe Crime Writing Festival never believing one day he would be recognised.

He said it was an “honour” to win the award surrounded by so many of his literary idols.

Mr Whitaker said:

“I haven’t stopped smiling. This book has been a long time coming so it’s a lovely way to end the journey.

“I’ve been visiting the Harrogate festival for years, listening to my idols. I’m so proud and grateful to have been recognised like this.”

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This is Mr Whitaker’s third book. He said he is currently working on crime fiction book and will spend much of the next year promoting We Begin at the End across the world.

The book is currently in development to be made into a film.

The festival continues until Sunday. Special guests include Mark Billingham, Ann Cleeves, Elly Griffiths, Mick Herron, Clare Mackintosh, Val Mcdermid and Richard Osman.

Four of the Harrogate district’s own are set to compete in the Tokyo Olympics from tomorrow.

The athletes will compete in football, diving and cycling and represent Team GB and Ireland in the delayed 2020 Games.

Here is the timeline for our local Olympians’ events:

Lizzie Deignan – Team GB

Ms Deignan has a home in Harrogate and already has a silver medal from the London 2021 Olympics.

She will compete in the Women’s road cycle race – 5am (UK time) on Sunday, June 25.

Jack Laugher – Team GB

Mr Laugher, from Ripon, made history at the 2016 Games in Rio by becoming the first ever Olympic diving champion for Great Britain.

He will first compete in the Men’s synchronised 3m springboard – 7am (UK time) on Wednesday, July 28 and again in the Men’s 3m springboard semi-final – 2am (UK time) on Tuesday, August 3.

If Mr Laugher gets through, he will compete in the Men’s 3m springboard final – 7am (UK time) on Tuesday, August 3.

Oliver Dingley (left) and Jack Laugher

Oliver Dingley – Team Ireland

Fellow diver Mr Dingley grew up in Harrogate and studied at St John Fisher High School. He made the finals at the Rio games and finished in eighth place.

Men’s synchronised 3m springboard – 7am (UK time) on Wednesday, 28 July and in the Men’s 3m springboard semi-final – 2am (UK time) on Tuesday, August 3.

If Mr Dingley gets through, he will compete in the Men’s 3m springboard final – 7am (UK time) on Tuesday, August 3.

Rachel Daly – Team GB

Footballer Ms Daly, from Harrogate, will be competing in the Olympics for the first time but after racking up 36 appearances for England ,she has experience on her side.

She will join the team to compete in Women’s football, group E – 11.30am (UK time) on Saturday, July 24 and 12pm (UK time) on Tuesday, July 27.

If Team GB progress past the group stages, Ms Daly’s next appearance will be on Friday July 30 for a quarter-final match.

Pupils and staff at Kell Bank Primary School near Masham will bid farewell to their school for good with a walk, hand in hand, around the playground.

Today is the last day of term and as North Yorkshire County Council has issued a closure notice for August 31, the 200-year-old school will not reopen.

Over the past few months, the school has been celebrating its history and local impact, culminating in a memory exhibition last week and a ceremony to plant a tree and dedicate a bench yesterday.

The ceremony began with a leaver’s service at St Paul’s Church in Healey before the students, staff and parents walked down to Fearby Village Green.

Beatrice and Rev. David Cleese cut the ribbon to dedicate the bench and tree

An oak tree and bench, dedicated to the school, is now in place. Youngest pupil Beatrice cut the ribbon with Rev. David Cleese, a long-standing governor.

The memory exhibition included items spanning the past 100 years as well as photographs and entries from previous headteachers’ diaries.

School governor Laurie Hoyes, who helped organise the three-day event, said they welcomed around 200 people in total.

Mr Hoyes said:

“Children, parents, staff and governors will be saddened when today comes to a close, but we are pleased we had the opportunity to give thanks for the 200 years Kell Bank School has educated the children of our community.”

Past and present pupils trying out the new bench on Fearby Green.

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The six remaining pupils will be moved to different schools; the two Year 6s are going to secondary schools in Ripon and Bedale.

For the younger children’s ease and wellbeing their parents chose similar small, rural schools; two are going to Thornton Watlass Primary School and the other two are moving house so will be attending schools elsewhere in the district.

A teenager has died after getting into difficulty in the River Wharfe at Grassington yesterday.

North Yorkshire Police said the ambulance service called for officer support at 7.45pm as a 19-year-old man was in difficulty in the water.

He was treated by paramedics but later pronounced dead at the scene.

The police said inquiries are ongoing.

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Yesterday, Yorkshire Water used its Twitter account to urge people to avoid open water such as rivers and reservoirs, despite hot weather.

It warned of unexpected dangers such as hidden currents, low temperatures and submerged machinery.

The chief executive of Harrogate International Festivals has vented her frustration after banners promoting a major event were promptly removed by North Yorkshire County Council.

Yesterday was the first day of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, which attracts hundreds of crime writing fans to Harrogate.

The four-day festival, which is attended this year by the likes of Ian Rankin and Richard Osman, is one of the first events since the pandemic that the arts charity has been able to full stage.

So Sharon Canavar was less than impressed by what she regarded as a lack of support from the county council after numerous banners put up across town on Wednesday were removed by midday yesterday,

Ms Canavar tweeted:

“When you put your banners up welcoming guests to Harrogate last night and North Yorkshire County Council are snipping them down before midday this am. How come everyone else gets away with it for weeks?

“Don’t have time to follow him round to get them back for use this weekend. So £s wasted. Great, like this gig isn’t hard enough at the moment.”

The events industry has been hit hard during the pandemic. Large events are only just beginning to go ahead as lockdown restrictions ease.

Ms Canavar said last month it was nerve wracking making decisions on events due to the uncertainty of the roadmap out of lockdown.

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The county council said it supported local events, especially after the pandemic, but road safety was paramount.

Melisa Burnham, highways area manager, said:

“Banners attached to barriers or fencing beside the highway can create a safety hazard. At such locations, banners can distract drivers and other road users or obstruct visibility.

“We assess the risks before taking action to remove such banners, and high-risk areas such as those mentioned are prioritised.

“If event organisers contact the highways office, we will always be happy to advise them.”