A further 10 covid cases have been reported in the Harrogate district, according to Public Health England figures.

This takes the total number of cases, since the pandemic began, to 7,891.

Meanwhile, the district’s seven-day covid rate has risen today to 55.3 per 100,000 people. It now stands above North Yorkshire’s average which is 42.1.

The rate for England is 66.8.

The death toll from coronavirus at Harrogate District Hospital, since the start of the pandemic, remains at 179. It has not reported a covid death for two months.

Read more:

• NHS official says covid has “significantly skewed” stoke survival figures in Harrogate 
• North Yorkshire health boss has denied reports that GP surgeries are closed and not offering face-to-face appointments

The A1 southbound between junction 47 and 48, near Boroughbridge, is closed following a serious accident.

North Yorkshire Police has said emergency services are at the scene of the incident that happened at 7.48am this morning.

The driver and passengers are believed to have serious, but not life threatening injuries. The accident involved a single vehicle.

The closure is in place on the southbound carriageway between junction 47, with exits to Knaresborough and the A59 and junction 48, for Boroughbridge.

Delays of over 30 minutes are being reported.

The police is asking for any witness to call 101 and press 1 and pass any information of the force control room.

They have also urged drivers to avoid the area.

Read more:

• Significant changes are set to come affect local train services from May 2022
• “Daily close calls” force Shaw Mills residents to call for further speeding measures

Three Harrogate district residents have been recognised for their work locally in this year’s Birthday Honours.

MBE – Member of the British Empire

Frances Helen Elliott, from Harrogate, has been made an MBE for services to the Harrogate community during the pandemic in her roles as head of practical support services of Harrogate Easier Living Project (HELP), and chief executive of Harrogate and District Community Action (HADCA).

Louise Sarah Hodgson, from Pateley Bridge, has been made an MBE for her services to policing and recruitment during the pandemic in her role as head of workforce development at the College of Policing.

Ms Hodgson has worked for the College of Policing for 20 years after moving into the district. Previously a teacher, she has worked within several recruitment and training departments.

In six weeks, she helped develop and roll out an online assessment centre to ensure constable recruitment continued during the pandemic.

This system is now being used by all 43 forces.

She said:

“It was a massive surprise when I was told about the award, I was taken aback and shocked. Now having had time to let in sink in I’m incredibly proud and honoured to receive it. Of course it’s not just me, it’s my team too, who have worked so hard.”

BEM – British Empire Medal

Lauren Amy Doherty, from Knaresborough, has been awarded a BEM for her services to education as the founder of the charity Road Safety Talks.

Ms Doherty has dedicated her life to speaking to young people and the emergency services about road safety after a road accident left her completely paralysed.

She tells schoolchildren across the country about her accident in 2008, when she was 20 years old, in hopes of encouraging them to be sensible and aware on the roads.

She has worked with North Yorkshire Police and the Fire Service on campaigns against drink driving and driving while using a phone.

She said:

“I was overwhelmed and excited when I found out. It’s such an honour to be recognised by the Queen. Over the years I’ve spoken to 8,000 children in schools and many more over Zoom calls and in the media.

“After seeing the impact it had on my family and others around me I didn’t want anyone else to go through it. If I can prevent it happening to one person that’s all that matters.”

Read more:

• Suzanne Bowyer wins her diamond prize after her work in the Ripon community was recognised
• Double organ transplant patient walks 850 miles for charity

QFSM – Queen’s Fire Service Medal

Rose Elizabeth Fearnley, watch manager at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, has been awarded the Queen’s Fire Service Medal for distinguished service.

Roadworks near the Bond End roundabout in Knaresborough have caused delays all day, with some commuters stuck in traffic for more than 15 minutes.

Temporary lights are in place at the bottom of the high street, near Bond End, due to telecoms works.

These lights have caused slow traffic flow along Ripley Road and Boroughbridge Road throughout the day heading towards the town’s high street.

The congestion even forced some drivers, coming from Ripley, to turn around rather than continue to sit and wait.

This afternoon’s rush hour is set to be no different, with similar levels of traffic and delays expected.

Read more:

• Shake-up to local train services set to come in for May 2022
• Shaw Mills residents call for further speeding measures in their town

Little Bird Artisan Markets is launching its first market in Harrogate next weekend.

The company already has several well-established monthly markets in Yorkshire, including Boroughbridge, Ripon and Pateley Bridge.

Founder Jackie Crozier, who grew up in Ripon, said her aim was to help local businesses to sell their goods and meet customers in person.

Many small firms have flourished during the pandemic by selling products online.

The Harrogate artisan market will open from 10am until 3pm on Saturday June 19 at St Wilfrid’s Church and will return every month.

More than 50 stallholders will be selling items such as homeware, food and plants.

Jackie Crozier said:

“This will be my first artisan market in Harrogate, and I’m really looking forward to welcoming an exciting range of different local stallholders, who will be showcasing the fantastic local produce.

“I hope the community will get behind the event and come along and meet the makers.”

Her first market opened in Ripon in 2018.

Read more:

• Wine shop focusing on Yorkshire suppliers opens in Knaresborough
• Warburtons pop-up cake shop opens in Harrogate

One of the sellers coming to the new event is Ami Hunter, who hand makes lightweight clay jewellery for her business Make_Harrogate. She said:

“I’m so excited to be part of Little Birds’ first market at the beautiful St Wilfrid’s Church, you will find lots of market exclusive designs and offers, hope to see you all there.”

Large bins being abandoned on Harrogate’s Princes Street are causing frustration for local business owners and the BID.

One business owner said the bins are often found huddled in a loading bay on Princes Street, just off James Street.

The bins are used by local businesses who are supposed to put them on the street on pick-up day and then return them behind the shops, but Bob Kennedy from Porters, says they’re always left out.

He says the bins are an “eyesore” and ruin the look of Harrogate’s high streets for shoppers.

He added:

“I just get fed up, the loading bay is full every week. Sometimes they’ll fall over and the rubbish will scatter it’s a right eyesore. It looks a right mess.

Tourists don’t need to see that as they’re walking by, we do a lot to help Harrogate look beautiful and this doesn’t help.”

Mr Kennedy says there can sometimes be as many as 30 various-coloured bins left on Princes Street.

Read more:

• Harrogate’s James Street could be saying goodbye to the planters on June 21
• Ripon votes in favour of creating a BID

Harrogate BID has agreed the bins are “unsightly” and has pledged to work with North Yorkshire County Council which is responsible for commercial waste to find a solution.

Matthew Chapman, Harrogate BID manager, said:

“We are in complete agreement that the almost constant stationing of these bins on Princes Street needs addressing.

“Not only are they unsightly, their presence also leads to the dumping of further litter, and if containing food waste, they could well attract vermin.”

He added a BID survey is set to be launched in the coming days giving businesses the chance to make the BID aware of issues like the bins.

These bins are collected by Yorwaste, a company owned by North Yorkshire County Council and City of York Council, under a contract between the businesses and Yorwaste.

Karl Battersby, the county council’s corporate director for business and environmental services, said:

“We and Yorwaste expect businesses to act responsibly by ensuring that their bins are stored appropriately.

“Following a complaint, Yorwaste has recently contacted a business in this area of Harrogate to ask them to ensure that they take their bins back to their property after the weekly collection. Yorwaste remains in contact with the business in an effort to resolve this issue.”

Frustration is growing amongst residents of Shaw Mills who say the county council has refused to acknowledge how dangerous the village roads are.

The residents have been trying to encourage North Yorkshire County Council to increase speed signage.

Their campaign, headed by Shaw Mills parish councillor Nick Tither, began six months ago after residents got fed up with the number of close calls.

Mr Tither said:

“Anyone who walks through Shaw Mills knows how hazardous the road is. The village is approached by two steep hills, which encourage traffic to come through at speed. There are then tight bends with a narrow bridge and no footway.

“We have had a site visit with the police who agree that the situation is dangerous, not just to motorists but particularly for walkers and cyclists. We have all seen close calls on the bridge and residents trying to get out of their drives get abused because other road users, including cyclists, have been going too fast to avoid them.”

He is calling for ‘no footpath’ signs at the top and bottom of the village, ‘slow’ painted onto the roads and white lines in the middle of the road.

Currently the 30mph signs are in place at the junction between Pye Lane and Law Lane and along Mill Bank near the chapel. But Mr Tither says drivers often don’t acknowledge the speed limit.

Read more:

• Police are taking a zero-tolerance approach to noisy cars in Harrogate this summer
• Harrogate residents call for a 20mph speed limit outside four schools

A county council highways officer drove through the village four times in last lockdown but the residents say this is not an accurate representation.

Melisa Burnham, Highways Area Manager at North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“Work has been ongoing with observations completed by our engineers at different times. The results of these observations showed that at this time the road through Shaw Mills does not meet the requirements for the installation of ‘pedestrians in road’ signs.

“However, we have identified a need to install ‘slow down’ signs at each end of the bridge to encourage drivers to slow down as they cross it. We will continue to work with the parish council regarding their ongoing concerns about pedestrian safety.”

Today and on Sunday the residents are holding their own survey; volunteer residents will stand at each side of the bridge over the two days to count the number of vehicles, their position on the road, and near misses.

Their findings will be sent to North Yorkshire County Council in the hope it will then liaise with the parish council about solutions .

Ripon traders have voted in favour of turning the city centre into a Business Improvement District.

BIDs have been set up across the country, including in Harrogate, as a way of creating safer, cleaner and better promoted city and town centres.

In Ripon, more than 280 businesses within a defined area will contribute to an annual budget of £160,000 for improvement projects.

Of the firms who voted during a ballot held over the last month, 80% were in favour.

The plans for a BID have been in the works since 2019 and will generate £800,000 over five years. This will come through an extra levy on top of business rates.

The BID has already won the support of Harrogate Borough Council which has agreed to lend £20,000 for start-up costs and will contribute around £30,000 over the five year period as a levy payer.

Councillor Graham Swift, deputy leader and cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development of the council, said the BID will allow businesses to “take control of their own destiny”.

“I am very supportive of BIDs – they allow small and medium sized businesses in tightly defined geographical areas to raise funds for specific things that impact them the most.

“Ripon is an area which relies on tourism and hospitality, so getting footfall in the city centre and surrounding areas will be crucial.

“BIDs are only successful when they have a clear plan… and Ripon BID have created a fantastic prospectus which clearly demonstrates what they are trying to achieve.”

Read more:

• Borough council figures show the number of vacant shop units has fallen
• Former Wrens store to reopen as Halls of Ripon

Now firms have voted in favour of the BID, a limited company will be set up with 10 directors drawn from the business community to manage the funds.

A number of local businesses have already expressed strong support for the plans include Abacus Smarter Accountants, G Craggs Ltd and Sterne Properties, as well as other organisations including Ripon Community House, Ripon Museums Trust and Ripon City Council.

A business plan, launched earlier this year, identified the BID’s priorities as street cleaning and maintenance, festivals and events, car parking, toilets, landscaping and tourism.

In a statement included in the plan, Richard Compton, BID chairman and owner of Newby Hall, said the city had the potential to become “one of Yorkshire’s great success stories”.

“I believe Ripon can emerge strongly from the huge challenges presented by the covid pandemic.

“We have so much to offer and as we perhaps see the light at the end of the tunnel, all of the city’s businesses need a plan to boost the place, for the benefit of all those who shop, live, work and visit our stunning city.”

A family of ducks have made themselves at home waddling through the corridors of a Ripley primary school.

The mother duck and her four ducklings were first spotted by staff at Ripley Endowed C of E Primary School earlier this week.

The animal family is thought to have nested in the school garden over half-term.

The staff expected them to have made their way down to the river but instead they have made themselves at home; wandering the corridors and hanging out in the playground.

The children have enjoyed getting to know their new classmates. Photograph: Ripley Endowed Primary School, Facebook

Mrs Walker, key stage one teacher, said:

“They clearly feel very at home here. They are totally un-phased having to share the playground and gardens with the children, they have even been venturing into the classrooms and today shared snack time in the sun with our pre-school children.”

The children have been learning about ducks since they arrived and four has become the youngest class’s number of the week.

The school is not unfamiliar to sharing its space with other birds. A family of Swallows regularly return to nest above a classroom door.

Read more:

• Harrogate Town coach launches football boot drive to give to disadvantaged youngsters
• Harrogate primary school raises 10 times its fundraising target after finishing the Race For Life

The primary school’s classes are already named after bird species such as Swallows and Starlings. But thanks to their newest members the school’s new pre-school class will go by the name ‘Ducklings’.

Back in April, the school opened its pre-school following the closure of the nearby nursery, Smarties.

The founder of a Harrogate dog rescue charity has resigned after a disagreement with the trustees over kennel fees.

Moorview Rescue was set up by Joanne Brydon in 2009 and based at her farm in Bewerley. Over the years it’s housed hundreds of neglected and mis-treated dogs whilst they were found new owners.

The disagreement came because, alongside the charity, Ms Brydon also ran a kennel business where the charity paid for the rescued dogs to stay.

In recent weeks the trustees and Ms Brydon disagreed on the price the charity paid for kennel fees leading to Ms Brydon’s resignation.

She said:

“They have now decided to move to new premises. I’ve had no choice but to resign. I’ve changed the name but I will be keeping all the farm animals. They thought the rescue fees were too much, we had conflicting ideas.”

Ms Brydon has set up another business called the Moorview Sanctuary, caring for her rescued farm animals. She said she will continue to run the kennel business and only care for rescue dogs once she has raised the funds.

Read more:

• Ripon dementia charity wins royal aware for voluntary service
• Charity Corner: the Masham charity’s ‘vocation’ to save dogs

The charity’s trustees now control of the charity and said they’re looking for new premises to house the dogs.

A charity spokesperson said:

“We decided to part ways as the cost was a challenge area and now everyone has gone their separate ways. Our aim is to continue helping animals and to continue doing the great work of this charity.”

The charity was unable to give further details on the new premises but said it would continue to care for neglected and mis-treated dogs.