Starbeck Baths should be ‘kept open at all costs’, say residents

Starbeck Residents Association has expressed concern that Harrogate Borough Council is “using covid as an excuse” not to re-open Starbeck Baths.

The baths, along with two other council-run pools, failed to reopen last week when lockdown restrictions eased.

With no date given for reopening, questions are being asked about the future of the 150-year-old building, which is used by local schools and residents.

Stuart Rhodes, a member of the association’s committee, said:

“We should keep it open at all costs. As a piece of architecture, history and a way of keeping Harrogate fit, it is vital.

“There is a worry covid is being used as an excuse to keep it closed.”

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The future of the baths has been a contentious issue in recent weeks. The local councillor is asking for a better explanation for its continued closure.

Mr Rhodes said the pool’s future had been debated on previous occasions but each time a “community backlash” led to it staying open.

The association has considered applying for the building to get listed status to help preserve its future.

A council spokeswoman said the layout of the baths meant it cannot adhere to current government guidelines.

She added:

“Starbeck Baths remains an important facility amongst the leisure services we provide.

“Due to the unique layout of the building, and the government’s existing social distancing measures, we are currently unable to open the baths.

“We are waiting for the government to publish future social distancing rules which will dictate how quickly we can reopen.”

Harrogate International Festivals appoints successor to Dame Fanny

Harrogate International Festivals has named Peter Blackburn, the former chairman and chief executive of Nestle UK, as its new honorary president.

Mr Blackburn joined the charity as a trustee in 2003 and went on to serve as chairman for a decade.

He will take on the title of honorary president following the death of Dame Fanny Waterman in December.

Dame Fanny

Dame Fanny, who died at the age of 100.

The charity is known for hosting big names and events but in the past year many of these have had to be moved online.

The charity is celebrating its 55th birthday this year and hopes soon to be holding big live events again, such as the Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival.

Mr Blackburn said:

“It an absolute pleasure and honour to accept the role of Harrogate International Festivals president. My association with this wonderful arts charity goes back many years and even now the team never fails to surprise me with their inventiveness.

“The last 12 months has been particularly hard on the charity sector and those organisations in the events sector. However, the HIF team’s ingenuity, vision and creativity has meant that on more occasions than not, the ‘show has gone on’, digitally rather than in person.”

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Born and raised in Yorkshire, Mr Blackburn has held a number of high ranking posts in various food companies.

After qualifying as a chartered accountant in Bradford, his career was in the food industry, starting at Mackintosh’s, which merged with Rowntrees in 1969, becoming a director in 1982.

After the acquisition of Rowntree by Nestlé in June 1988, he became chairman and chief executive of Nestlé UK and for a period president-directeur général of Nestlé France.

He retired in 2001 and has since been president of both the Food and Drink Federation and the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers.

Harrogate International Festivals chair, Fiona Movley, said:

“We are absolutely delighted that Peter has become our honorary president, joining a long and distinguished list of predecessors holding this office.

“Peter has been a fantastic supporter of Harrogate International Festivals, serving as a generous and driven trustee. Even after retiring as our chairman, Peter continued to play a pivotal role as a vice-president.”

Firefighters called after Harrogate BBQ sets alight petrol can

Firefighters were called to an address in Harrogate last night after a barbecue caused a petrol can to ignite.

Crews from Harrogate and Knaresborough were summoned to a home on Rosewood Crescent.

According to the incident summary, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service was alerted at 9.14pm and used one hose reel to extinguish the fire, which spread to the back door of the property

The blaze caused 5% heat damage to the door. Firefighters gave the homeowners advice.

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Later that night, a Harrogate crew attended another fire when an armchair was set alight in a home on Cold Bath Road.

The incident, at 1223am, was caused by a dropped cigarette. The resident had already extinguished the fire before the crew arrived.

The officers ventilated the property and gave advice.

Two hours later, two Ripon crews responded a to a fire that spread to nearby trees and bushes after a car was set alight.

The car, on St Wilfrids Crescent, is believed to have been deliberately torched.

The crews used a 45m jet, two dry powder extinguisher and a thermal imaging camera.

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning. It’s Suzannah with you today giving you updates every 15 minutes on the roads and rail links near to you.

The live blogs, brought to you by The HACS Groups, aim to keep the Harrogate district moving.

If there is anything going on on your doorstep please give us a call on 01423 276197. Or you can continue to let us know on social media and via contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

9am – Full Update

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Hollywood director stars in Harrogate Film Festival this week

The Harrogate Film Festival returns this week and will start with an exclusive interview with Hollywood director Oliver Stone.

Oliver Stone directed the film JFK about the assassination of American president John F. Kennedy, which was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including best director.

The festival is returning for its fifth year this Friday, April 23, with numerous events. The festival is being held differently this year with a series of mini festivals between April and September.

This year is also the 30th anniversary of JFK. Prior to the virtual screening on Friday, there will be a 30-minute question and answer with Mr Stone.

Talking about the film, Mr Stone said:

“In the United States we did $70 million alone, for a three-hour eight-minute film. It’s extraordinary as in that era we didn’t have three-hour movies because we had lost that with the roadshows back in the 50s. So, to make a film of this length and be successful it was an amazing, amazing breakthrough.

In many ways, it was the climax to a strange film career that I’ve had.”

The JFK event is part of the festival’s Independent Filmmakers Competition which offers a platform for up and coming filmmakers.

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Festival director, Adam Chandler, said:

“As ever, Oliver is open and candid with his answers. He doesn’t shy away from giving difficult answers to the questions put to him in the interview and he covers so much ground in the 30 minutes.”

Mr Chandler said all of this year’s events will run in-line with covid restrictions. If these are eased the events will still stream online as well as in person.

When restrictions ease in May, the JFK event and Independent Filmmakers will be re-run in cinemas.

Questions over Starbeck Baths as council fails to give opening date

Questions are being asked over the continued closure of Starbeck Baths. The 150 year old pool has yet to open after restrictions were eased a week ago.

Harrogate Borough Council said it is waiting for further government guidance regarding social distancing. It said the layout and age of the building makes it more difficult to reopen than larger venues.

With Knaresborough pool in need of repairs and the opening of the new facility in Ripon delayed, much of the district has no swimming facilities after lockdown eased.

This August all of the district’s baths will move under the control of the council’s arms-length company, Brimham’s Active.

As part of the reorganisation, a council report released last summer said “the future of Starbeck Baths would need to be considered” which led to suspicion it would be closed permanently.

The Liberal Democrat Starbeck ward councillor, Philip Broadbank said he wants a better explanation as to why it’s still closed.

He said:

“Without a pool in Knaresborough we need to have something on this side. I can’t see why its not open. Of course you do become concerned that it’s been so long and it’s an old pool and this would be the way to close it but I have been assured it will be reopened as soon as practically possible. It’s needed now more than ever.”

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The four-lane pool is the second oldest council-run pool in the UK and pre-covid was very popular with local residents.

Some have taken to social media to question its continued closure including Chris Watt who said on Twitter “I hope Harrogate Borough Council reopen Starbeck pool soon. Our little boy has been missing is swimming lessons over the last year and it’s a great community asset.”

When the Stray Ferret asked the council about Starbeck Baths it said:

“We are waiting for the government to publish guidance on future social distancing rules which will dictate how quickly we can reopen Starbeck Baths.

“There are no plans to close Starbeck Baths.”

Previously, the council leader Richard Cooper has said whilst in leadership the Baths would not be closed.

A Freedom of Information request by The Stray Ferret, last year, showed the bill for running the baths increased from £234,193 in 2018/19 to an estimated £239,370 last year.

Four new covid cases in Harrogate district today

Today in the Harrogate district a further four cases of coronavirus have been reported.

The figures, released by Public Health England, take the total since the start of the pandemic to 7,630.

The district’s seven-day case rate has risen slightly and now stands at 24.2 per 100,000. Despite the increase it remains below North Yorkshire’s average of 25.2.

North Yorkshire’s average is now slightly above England’s which is 25.1.

Today marks one week since Harrogate District Hospital reported its last covid death on April 11. The total number of covid patients that have died since the start of the pandemic remains at 179.

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Charity Corner: Masham charity on its ‘vocation’ to save dogs

Saving Yorkshire’s Dogs is a district charity determined to give dogs that would otherwise be put down a loving home.

If you love dogs even half as much as these volunteers then you’ll understand why they’re so passionate. The team, headed up by Julie Hart, run a kennels near Masham.

The teams works with locals vets, North Yorkshire Police and the social services to look after dogs that otherwise might find themselves being put down.

The charity says it often “fills the gap” of other rescue charities that may not have the space.

Saving Yorkshire's Dogs

Jade (left) and Heidi (right) are the two currently up for adoption.

Set up in May 2014 the charity has rescued around 230 dogs from Yorkshire and rehomed them all over Britain.

Julie Hart, chairlady of Saving Yorkshire’s Dogs said:

“We just can’t stop helping them, it’s all about the dogs. You have dogs lives in your hands and we all work hard to save them. It’s our vocation.”

Julie and her team help to rehabilitate dogs by training them and paying for any necessary vet treatment to get them ready for their new loving home.

Saving Yorkshire's Dogs

Mike (left) is still under the care of SYD and Pete (right) has been rehomed now.

The charity has previously featured its dogs in our Stray Pets Rescue Club feature. But over the pandemic the charity’s income has been heavily impacted.

Depending on the number of dogs it takes in, the charity needs to raise around £50,000 each year to keep going. But during the pandemic Julie estimated the charity had lost over £30,000.

The charity continues to fundraise via its facebook page and online, here.

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Julie said that during the pandemic the number of dogs it was taking in had dropped but that was changing now:

“Now we are getting busy again as people go back to work and they don’t have the time for their dogs again. We’re seeing more pandemic puppies come in. People have got them through training but haven’t done the basics with them.

“And of course owners can’t socialise them fully in lockdown so they are coming into us.”

Kim’s Canines: Has the last year made our dogs more reactive?

Kim Metcalfe Pooches GaloreThis column is written for the Stray Ferret by Kimberley Metcalfe. Kimberley has an MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare. Her company Pooches Galore is based in Harrogate and specialises in dog training and resolving canine behavioural problems.

 

 

I’m not sure if it is a consequence of the severe restrictions we have been living under with our dogs, the increase in the number of dogs on walks, lack of socialisation or something else altogether: but I am seeing more and more reactive dogs.

Reactivity is a bit of a catch all term we use for dogs who bark, lunge, and even bite at other dogs or people. I normally see it come from a place of fear or uncertainty. And one thing we know is that the last year has been uncertain for us – and I’m sure it has also been uncertain for our dogs.

We have spent a year keeping our distance from others and we might even have tightened up on the lead to move them out of the way, which has meant that our dogs have also kept their distance from others. Many dogs will be fine with this and will bounce back with no problems at all. However, many dogs will have picked up on this and will have developed some anxiety in certain situations.

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Reactivity normally comes from a place of fear, with the dog’s behaviour escalating gradually resulting in barking and lunging at dogs or people. Normally the dog’s behaviour begins with very subtle signs, often so subtle you have to be really looking for them to notice. These behaviours include lip licking, yawning, scratching at the collar – see how subtle they are?

Because they are so subtle, they are often missed. When they are missed or ignored, the dog then has to increase their behaviour to make the signs more obvious. Eventually the dog has to continually increase the intensity of their body language until they reach barking, growling, lunging – and even biting. These much more obvious signs almost always work to remove the threat.

When we work with dogs who are stressed in different situations, we need to look closely at behaviours they offer us from a distance to help them feel more secure and that the other dogs or people are not a threat to them. Ultimately, we need to change their underlying emotions when they see their trigger, from a place of fear, anxiety or uncertainly, instead teaching the dog that good things happen. The trigger predicts something good!

There is a very subtle art to this science, and timing and distance is everything. If your dog is struggling, please reach out: we can help you to have a happier life with your dog.

Five more covid cases in Harrogate district

Five coronavirus cases have been reported in the Harrogate district today.

According to Public Health England statistics, today’s cases take the total since the beginning of the pandemic to 7,626.

No further covid deaths have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England figures.

The last death recorded at the hospital was April 11.

The seven-day covid rate in the district stands at 23 per 100,000 people. It remains below the North Yorkshire average which is 24.6.

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Yesterday, figures from NHS England revealed the number of people who have received a first dose of a covid vaccine in the Harrogate district has reached nearly 95,000.