Live: Harrogate traffic and travel

Good morning, it’s set to be another sunny day today so if you’re out and about make sure to keep an eye on our live blog for regular updates on the district’s roads.

There are a number of continuing temporary traffic lights this morning worth keeping an eye on.

These blogs, brought to you by The HACS Group, are to keep you updated as the district’s roads get busier.

If you see anything please get in touch, if it is safe to do so, on 01423 276197 or via social media.

9am – Full Update 

That’s it from me for today, I’ll be back again tomorrow morning.

Roads

Traffic is beginning to build in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

8.45am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is beginning to build in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

8.30am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is beginning to build in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

8.15am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is beginning to build in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

8am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is beginning to build in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

7.45am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is beginning to build in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

7.30am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is beginning to build in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

7.15am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are continue to look clear so far this morning, no traffic hotspots to report yet.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

7am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are continue to look clear so far this morning, no traffic hotspots to report yet.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

6.45am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, no traffic hotspots to report yet.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, no traffic hotspots to report yet.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

Harrogate Theatre £1m roof replacement well underway

The £1million replacement of Harrogate Theatre’s ageing roof is well underway in preparation for the hopeful return of live shows this year.

The huge scaffolding structure erected around the 120-year-old venue will remain in place until the roof replacement is complete.

The aim is for the roof to be fully stripped back next month in what will mark a crucial stage of the project. The true extent of the works is expected to be revealed beneath.

David Bown, chief executive of the theatre trust, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the venue was planning for the worst but hoping for the best with its sights set on the return of shows in November.

“This is a huge and complex project in terms of the geography of the building, which is such a difficult site to work on.

“We also have the uncertainty of what we are going to find underneath once the roof is taken off. We just don’t know what will be there – it could be rotten beams.”

If the roof replacement stays on schedule, shows will return in November. This will mark 20 months since the theatre was last filled with spectators in March 2020.

The theatre’s survival has only been possible thanks to around £650,000 in emergency government grants and a fundraising appeal which raised more than £100,000.

There was also a need for the theatre to make 60% of its staff redundant in the wake of £4million losses from cancelled shows.

Read more:

Mr Bown said:

“The roof replacement project was due to start last year but when the pandemic hit we just couldn’t get the people power to make it happen. And even though we are in a period of uncertainty, it was still agreed that now was the best time to get it done.

“I can’t quite envisage what it will be like having audiences back – it has been an empty building for so long. But what I am looking forward to though is the return of our pantomime, that is the jewel in the crown of our shows.”

Harrogate Borough Council owns the Grade II-listed theatre and is funding and overseeing the roof replacement works.

The council’s deputy leader councillor, Graham Swift, said once completed the project will provide a theatre fit for the future.

“Like any heritage building of this age and complexity, there will always be a certain amount of conservation and investment required to ensure the building is fit for another 120 years.

“This significant investment will allow the fantastic performances to continue, promote cultural activity in the town, attract visitors and support the local economy at a time when it is needed the most.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance issues hoax call warning

Yorkshire Air Ambulance has revealed it was the victim of 14 hoax calls in the last financial year — and the number looks set to rise this year.

The charity, which provides rapid emergency treatment to people in Yorkshire, responds to more than 1,300 incidents a year, an average of four a day.

But in the financial year to March 31 2021, it responded to 14 hoax calls. In the current calendar year, it had received 10 hoax calls by May 10.

Matt Syrat, clinical operations manager at Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said such calls can stop crews attending incidents with people in genuine danger leading to potentially “devastating consequences”.

He added:

“There is no way of knowing if a 999 call is a hoax when it comes in. We have to treat every call as if it is an emergency situation and respond rapidly.

“There is nothing more frustrating for our crews than landing at a scene and establishing that the call was in fact a hoax. Not only has it wasted our time and put ours and the public’s life at risk, but there will always be other emergency services involved too.

“Committing all these emergency services to one hoax call could risk us not reaching a real emergency fast enough and puts other lives at risk.”

Read more:

Of the 14 hoax calls in the last financial year, four were responded to by Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s rapid response vehicles whilst the other 10 involved air ambulances being dispatched.

Ten of the bogus call outs were from West Yorkshire. The other four were from South Yorkshire.

Outdoor Shakespeare theatre returns to Harrogate’s Harlow Carr next month

Live theatre will make its comeback in Harrogate next month when Shakespeare is performed in the grounds of RHS Harlow Carr.

The family-friendly adaptation of The Comedy of Errors will be performed as part of Harrogate International Festivals.

Oddsocks Productions, which is known for its high-energy performances of Shakespeare classics, will tell the story of a servant and master from Syracuse in search of their long-lost twin brothers.

As the name suggests there are plenty of twists and turns leading to a happy ending which defies all probability.

The production company is staging the play in the grounds of the gardens on July 6 and 7, and promises lots of audience participation.

Sharon Canavar, Harrogate International Festivals chief executive, said:

“As an organisation that is best known for delivering a wide range of cultural events and festivals, the last 15 months have been particularly challenging for us.

“Oddsocks Productions have been a firm favourite of ours for decades and I couldn’t think of a more fitting play than The Comedy of Errors to help bring some much-needed laughter to the town.

“So pack your picnic and join the crazy theatre troupe for a festival of music, magic and mayhem.”

Read more:

The audience is advised to prepare for all types of weather during the outdoor event, with rugs and deckchairs highly recommended.

Tickets can be bought here. Adult tickets cost £22.

Harrogate Toy Library receives funding for more baby classes

Harrogate and Knaresborough Toy Library says classes for new parents has become more important following lockdown and with new funding it can offer more.

The charity received £1,307 from The National Lottery Community Fund and has had their venue hire prices covered by Chain Lane Community Hub until December.

The funding has helped the charity hold a second new parent class.

Play session worker, Rachael Bolton, says lockdown has isolated some new parents leaving them with out the usual opportunities to socialise and demand for spaces has increased.   The library’s capacity is currently limited due to restrictions.

Play session worker, Rachael Bolton said:

“New parents can often feel alone at the beginning because it is all new and meeting new parents normalises it all because you have common experiences. But many have missed out on this over lockdown.

“This can be extremely isolating and we are really happy to be able to give this opportunity to the local community.”

Read more:

The baby and new parent classes on a Monday and Wednesday are held at Chain Lane Community Hub in Knaresborough.

An outdoor play session is also held for toddlers and older children at Knaresborough House on Tuesdays.

The charity also offers a toy library where parents can pick toys via the online library to take home for two weeks before returning them.

The shelves are stacked high with doll houses, dinosaurs and board games

Three friends to run three marathons in three days in memory of James Hindmarsh

Three men from Harrogate are running three marathons in three days this weekend to raise money in memory of their friend James Hindmarsh.

James died aged 24 in April after being diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer called Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma.

Henry Bartle, Ollie Ward and Jeremy Butterfield will run 26.2 miles on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to raise funds for Sarcoma UK, which helps people with all forms of sarcoma cancers.

The three friends pledged to complete fundraising events for James’ medical treatment when he was alive and now that he has died they have vowed to continue.

James Hindmarsh

James Hindmarsh

On Friday and Saturday, the trio will run along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal from Bradley in Craven to the centre of Leeds. On Sunday, they will complete four laps of Harrogate, finishing on West Park.

Henry said:

“We’re nervous and apprehensive but excited to get going now. It’s all for James, it’s all in his memory. He would have wanted us to go ahead with it. Sarcoma UK is such an underfunded charity and the condition is so rare, there’s been little development in treatment since the 1980s.

“All the money is going towards research and development or new drugs. We want to raise awareness.”

Read more:

James’ cancer was so rare his family and friends had to look abroad for treatment. They now want to ensure Sarcoma UK has funds to continue researching treatment to help other families.

So far £30,000 has been pledged via the JustGiving page.

Three other friends have taken on other fundraising challenges in memory of James. Joe Braham skied through the night from Verbier in Switzerland to the summit of Mont Fort.

Luca Peterson and Harry Halsall completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks and the Lake District Three Peaks in two consecutive days.

Pop-up cake shop to open on Harrogate’s James Street

Bakers Warburtons is to open a pop-up cake shop in Harrogate next week.

The former Swarovski store at 36 James Street, which once sold diamonds, will now sell cakes throughout the summer.

The shop will sell the newly-launched Ellie Warburtons cakes, which come in eight flavours, including cookie dough and raspberry with passion fruit compote. It will not sell bread.

The cakes are being launched on a trial basis in temporary stores in Harrogate and Skipton, which will be open all summer.

People will be able to buy the cakes online after their national launch on June 21.

Read more:

Jonathan Warburton, chairman of Warburtons, said:

“This is an exciting new venture for our family business and we are taking very much an entrepreneurial approach to how we build the brand while bringing with us the core of Warburtons ethos – quality and taste.”

The Skipton pop-up shop at 18 Otley Street will open on May 28.

Knaresborough Lions and restaurant offer free half-term meals to kids

Knaresborough organisations have joined forces to help vulnerable families and children locally this half-term.

Knaresborough Lions and the restaurant Zolsha have teamed up with young people’s organisation Inspire Youth to provide food for children involved in one of Inspire Youth’s workshops on June 1.

Each child will receive a free curry before the outdoor activities begin.

This workshop is being used as a trial event in the hope of getting more businesses and groups involved in helping the local community.

Zolsha reached out to Knaresborough Lions in the first lockdown wanting to do its bit to help those struggling.

Jav Mian, owner of Zolsha, said:

“As Muslims, we have an obligation to support our community. We have raised money and also sent clothing to Bangladesh, but this is the first time we have been able to help in Knaresborough.

“It feels more real when you meet the people you are helping. A few have been very emotional when collecting their food. We are very happy to be able to help.”

The operation has since grown to include Knaresborough Connectors, Resurrected Bites and King James’s School.

Kevin Lloyd, from Knaresborough Lions, and Mr Mian work with the other organisations to offer five families a week a free dinner.

Mr Lloyd said the families had been given the vouchers by Resurrected Bites, which distributes food going to landfill, and the school after being identified as needing extra support.

He added not everyone was struggling financially; some families may have experienced a sudden loss and needed a boost.

After rebooting the scheme in January, they have given away over 200 free meals and still want to do more.

Read more:

Kevin Lloyd, a member of the Lions welfare team, said:

“We knew that many people have lost their jobs or were struggling with furlough wages, but we quickly understood there was more to it than that.

“Resurrected Bites helped us reach the financially challenged, but the school identified families facing other issues too. Many people have told me their story when ordering their meals, they have said it makes a real difference to know someone cares and wants to help.”

The Lions are asking anyone interested in getting involved in future projects to get in touch via their website or on Facebook.

Pateley Bridge leaking drain causing safety risk, says resident

A Pateley Bridge resident has raised safety concerns about pedestrians being forced to cross the road to avoid excess water.

A drain on Ripon Road, near the town’s Methodist church, has been leaking water through a stone wall for a “long, long time”, according to resident Mike Clark.

The water flows through the wall and on to the pavement, forcing pedestrians to cross the road onto a narrow pavement opposite to avoid being splashed by cars or walking through the water.

The problem is worse at times of heavy rainfall.

Mr Clark has notified his local councillor but has been told it will take time to resolve due to the number of organisations concerned.

He said:

“The issue got worse over the winter, its become really quite severe. It’s still pouring now even when it’s not raining. I was speaking to someone yesterday who’s mother daren’t come out when it’s wet because she doesn’t want to have to cross the road. It really needs sorting.”

Pateley Bridge drain

Mr Clark says the water travels 150 metres down the road.

Mr Clark walks past the wall daily and says it isn’t getting any better. He says the water pours on to the path and flows 150 metres to a drain outside a butcher’s shop on the High Street.

Read more:

A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council said:

“We are looking in to the water leak in Pateley Bridge to determine who is responsible for the land.”

It added it would continue investigating further but couldn’t give a timeframe for when the issue will be resolved.

Just three coronavirus cases in Harrogate district today

A further three cases of coronavirus have been reported in the Harrogate district today, according to Public Health England figures.

The daily number of cases reported is based on PCR and lateral flow tests returning positive results.

However, if someone with a positive lateral flow test later has a negative result with a PCR test, the earlier result is removed.

Public Health England data also show the total number of covid vaccinations given in the district has risen to 173,162 today.

It comes on the day the government advised people not to travel in or out of several areas of England, including nearby Kirklees, unless it is essential because of rising cases of the Indian covid variant.

The other local authority areas people are urged to avoid are: Bedford Borough Council, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council, Burnley Borough Council, Leicester City Council, the London Borough of Hounslow and North Tyneside Council.

Read more:

The Harrogate district’s seven-day case rate has fallen to 10 infections per 100,000 today. In North Yorkshire the average is 12 and England’s figure is 23.

Yesterday marked six weeks since Harrogate District Hospital reported a covid death. The hospital also announced it had zero covid patients for the first time since August.