Business Breakfast: Harrogate law firm appoints two managers

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Harrogate-based law firm McCormicks Solicitors has appointed a new practice manager and accounts manager to its team.

Sonia Jones has been promoted to practice manager to reflect her work in supporting all activities across the firm, including management, human resources and the running of day-to-day activities.

Senior partner Peter McCormick said:

“Sonia joined us in 2007 and has become more and more involved in the management of the firm so it was a logical step to reward her for all her hard work with this promotion.”

Hayley Firth has been appointed as Accounts Manager at McCormicks.

Hayley Firth has been appointed accounts manager at McCormicks.

Ms Jones also assists with the practice’s charitable work. She became a trustee of the Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation in 2012, having previously supported the charity as secretary to the trustees, and continues to fulfil both duties.

Hayley Firth has been appointed accounts manager. She will work with accounts assistant Hollie Jackson to ensure the smooth running of the accounts department.

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Harrogate funeral directors hold webinar to help bereaved workers

Harrogate funeral directors, Full Circle, is to hold a webinar with Jo Tindall, and an employment partner at Gunnercooke, to support colleagues after a bereavement.

According to research carries out by Funeral Guide 77% of employees in the UK have experienced a bereavement during their working lives. 54% of bereaved employees would have preferred more time off work or a phased return to the workplace after taking time off.

Ms Tindall will explain the obligations on employers in supporting employees suffering a bereavement and will share the benefits of going beyond those obligations and becoming an employer of choice.

The event entitled Supporting employees after bereavement will be held on November 17.  For information on the webinar click here.

 

Knitted poppies start to be put up around Harrogate’s war memorial

In the bright morning sunshine, two Harrogate Borough Council workers and their friend started putting up the annual knitted poppy display outside Bettys, ready for Remembrance Sunday.

Frank McCann and Michael McElhinney both work as as civic attendants — but today have been putting up the poppies display with volunteer, Lindon Wallace.

Mr McCann told the Stray Ferret:

“The poppies have all been hand knitted by thoughtful volunteers in Harrogate and we’ll put them all around the war memorial.

“It reminds people of the sacrifice made and on a beautiful day like this it really adds a splash of colour and interest.”

On the pavement there are bin liners full of the handmade poppies. The men have no idea how many poppies there are — they have 500 ties so Mr McCann said hundreds, maybe thousands, will be put up in the coming days.

Mr McCann added:

“It’s been very noticeable over the last few years that there’s been an increasing interest in this. Ever since the 100th anniversary of the First World War — it brought people’s mind back into focus.

“As another part of my role, I will be up at the war graves at the crematorium. Young people are buried there — a lot from Canada. Something like that hits home. They were really little kids who died all those years ago.”

The Royal British Legion will formally launch its Poppy Appeal on Thursday. To donate click here.

Remembrance Sunday is on November 13.

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Business Breakfast: Raworths renews Harrogate Literature Festival sponsorship

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Law firm Raworths has renewed its sponsorship of the Harrogate Literature Festival for the next five years.

This year marks a decade of Raworths association with the annual event, which is produced by Harrogate International Festivals.

Festivals Managing Partner, Simon Morris said:

“We are very proud to have supported the Harrogate Literature Festival since its inception a decade ago. Over that time it has grown from strength to strength, bringing a diverse array of speakers to Harrogate, enriching the community and promoting the region.

“We are delighted to be committing to the next five years and look forward to working alongside the festival team in continuing to develop this cultural keystone.”

Sharon Canavar, Harrogate International Festivals Chief Executive, said:

“This month sees us celebrating ten years of an amazing partnership with Raworths, and I’m thrilled it’s to continue for another five years.

“We are incredibly proud of our relationship, and delighted that the firm has put its faith in us to continue to produce an exciting programme of events as part of our literature festival.”

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The General Tarleton at Ferrensby has been awarded an AA Rosette for culinary excellence after a recent inspection.

The restaurant was recognised for culinary excellence and also achieved a five-star Inn rating for accommodation.

General Manager, Silviu Hasna, said:

“We are delighted to have been awarded two such important awards.

“It’s been a difficult journey out of the pandemic and to be recognised by the AA is an incredible achievement indeed.

“Whilst the hospitality market is constantly evolving, what remains a constant for me is the need and desire to provide the best possible overall guest experience… Whilst quality is key we also recognise customers demand value at the same time.

“I know it’s cliché but as a team we work really hard to source the very best quality ingredients Yorkshire has to offer. Even the toiletries are from H2K in Harrogate.”

The General Tarleton 

Kirkby Overblow celebrates new playground

A new playground in the village of Kirkby Overblow, south of Harrogate, was officially opened this weekend.

The play area now boasts a giant tractor, climbing frame, nest swing and roundabout – all on astroturf.

Local mum Katie Fox told the Stray Ferret that she started to look into how to renovate the area two years ago:

“It was not very nice. It was run down and the equipment was really old.

“It was lacking colour and modernisation and needed a good update. There were also no disability facilities and it was all muddy.”

Katie said she’d spotted that the play area at Ripley had been funded by a government community grant so she contacted Harrogate Borough Council which supported the application. Soon a village committee was formed to work through the application process – part of which required the villagers to raise 10% of what was required.

So, while the committee worked to complete the form, it started fund raising.

It held quizzes at the Shoulder of Mutton pub and took contributions from village’s summer arts festival. There were also generous donations from locals and the playground’s fence was supplied and built by the Moortown Group.

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Finally they heard that the scheme had been awarded £70,000, the village had raised what it needed to and work could start.

Katie thinks the result has transformed the village:

“Life is so expensive nowadays – it is so nice to walk or bike and go to the local park and sit on the benches and have a picnic.

“We want to include a nature area – it is such a big space so there is loads of potential to add more to it and fund raise more.

“We want to involve the local school more. It’s a nicer, prettier place to be and the different play equipment means it is more suited to wider age groups.”

The ceremony this weekend was attended by villagers, councillors and the mayor of Harrogate, Cllr Victoria Oldham.

New high tech gritters to operate on major routes in Yorkshire

National Highways has said new high-tech gritters will be in operation across major routes in Yorkshire this winter.

Thirty-seven new vehicles have joined National Highways’ winter fleet this year as part of a national £44m investment.

Motorways and trunk roads in the county are gritted by government-owned National Highways, which was formerly Highways England.

North Yorkshire County Council, which has a winter maintenance service budget of £7.5 million, is responsible for gritting other local routes.

Earlier this year NYCC rejected a call to expand the network of Harrogate district routes it grits each winter.

In addition to the new gritters, National Highways has created two new winter maintenance depots, one just off the A64 at Malton in North Yorkshire and another off the A63 near Newport in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

From Newport, the gritters will salt more than 70 miles of the M62 and A63 from Hull docks to Ferrybridge in West Yorkshire.

Malton will treat 61 miles of the A64 from near the coast at Scarborough to York.

The highways agency says the new gritters:

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Senior Network Planner for Resilience Gordon Thackeray, who heads up National Highways’ winter operations in the region, said:

“We are delighted the rollout of our new state-of-the-art gritting vehicles is complete, with every machine in position and ready for the winter season ahead to help keep our road users safer on the roads, whatever weather conditions we face.

“National Highways always strives to explore and embrace innovation to benefit our road users. These vehicles are environmentally friendly, have cutting-edge technological features and can treat the roads at a higher speed than older models. 

“We now have a total of 58 vehicles ready to be deployed across Yorkshire and the North East and all of them will play their part in helping our autumn and winter operations team, including our drivers, to carry out their vital work over the next few months to treat the road surfaces whenever and wherever it is needed.”

True grit – key North Yorkshire facts 

Business Breakfast: Swinton Estate partners with carbon measurement firm

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

The Swinton Estate in Masham is to partner with Climate Solutions Exchange Ltd (CSX), through investment in the company.

The partnership builds on the existing Estate’s involvement in the development of ground studies of CSX’s natural capital measurement and audit systems.

Swinton said CSX’s earth observation technology will help accelerate private sector investment into localised environmental recovery projects and allows land managers to strengthen delivery of nature-based solutions.

The company’s technology is already providing the estate with a good baseline of data in Carbon Observatory woodland sites, and the partnership will be advantageous in the development of Swinton Estate’s ‘Ecosystem Services’ offering.

Mark Cunliffe-Lister, owner of the Swinton Estate, said

“Farmers and landowners are increasingly conscious of the need to deliver environmental benefits alongside primary food production. In addition to public funding, it is imperative that private natural capital markets can expand with confidence to support continued sustainable land management.

“CSX provides a valuable component in that service and we are very excited to be supporting the development of their platform”.

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Mike Sharp joins Begbies Traynor

Mike Sharp

Lawyer and insolvency expert Mike Sharp (pictured) has joined independent business rescue and recovery specialist Begbies Traynor.

Mr Sharp will be working as an insolvency consultant, across its offices in York and Teesside.

With over 35 years’ experience, Mr Sharp’s career in insolvency law began in 1985 and includes senior roles, such as finance partner, at leading law firms in Harrogate as well as, most recently, working for a small, independent insolvency practice.

He has worked in North Yorkshire and lived in Ripon for the last 20 years.

After retiring 15 months ago, he has decided to return to work:

Mr Sharp comments:

“I’ve known the guys at Begbies Traynor for many years – I like them and I trust them so when I was offered the chance to help support the Yorkshire and Teesside operations, it was too good an opportunity to miss.

“I’m pleased to be part of such a reputable team and, with my expertise in the field, I hope to further boost their capacity to support businesses across the region.”

Julian Pitts, managing partner for Begbies Traynor in Yorkshire, said:

“Having known Mike since the 1980s, I am well aware of his knowledge and skills. To have someone with his reputation and experience joining our busy York and Teesside offices is great news.

“Over the last seven years, we have seen a huge growth in demand for our services here and will be continuing to expand the team.”

 

Harrogate students’ big success at Irish dance championships

Harrogate Grammar School students Lily Cowen and Willa Crowton have achieved success at the Open Platform Irish Dance Federation World Championships 2022 in London.

The year 7 students have been Irish dancing for less than two years. Both began when their dance teacher, who was also their teaching assistant at Harrogate’s Western Primary School, introduced them to the sport.

The girls tried an introductory session at school and immediately enjoyed it.

In a short space of time they started to compete.

Now Lily has been crowned world champion for one of her routines, primary – treble reel.

She said:

“I really did not expect that result, I was so shocked and happy.

“It means a lot to me, being crowned world champion will always be an amazing memory that stays with me.”

Willa achieved a 5th place, novice, solo championships – reel and light jig and 6th place, novice – treble reel.

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Their dance teacher, Una O’Connor, from St. Aelred’s Irish Dance School, in Harrogate said;

“It has been an honour to guide them on their journey, playing to individual strengths and leading them to such a high level of success at such a young age.”

Headteacher at Harrogate Grammar School, Neil Renton, said

“We are delighted for Lily and Willa, these are truly remarkable achievements. They have trained hard and it’s fantastic to see their talent recognised.”

 

Local pilot wins national aerobatics competition aged 67

At the tender age of 67, Tom Cassells has become the oldest pilot to win at the top level of UK aerobatics.

Mr Cassells recently won the Neil Williams Aerobatics Championship trophy, the pinnacle of British aerobatics competitions.

Mr Cassells, who previously worked at Reed Boardall in Boroughbridge and is about to move to Upper Dunsforth, has been flying since 1983.

It isn’t the first time he has won the top title — he’s actually won it four times, firstly back in 2002.

The competition consists of two parts, a pre-programme of around 11 figures and then two unknown programmes.

He told the Stray Ferret that the aim is to demonstrate the pilots total control of the plane:

“The G spectrum to +9 to -6, so quite a lot of the flight is inverted.  The moves involve positive spins, inverted spins, snap rolls positive and negative and rolling loops.

“It also involves tail slides where the aircraft is going backwards”.

Mr Cassells, who is an aerobatics instructor and leads an aerobatics display team called the Starlings, flew solo in an Extra NG aircraft for the competition.

To compete and win at this level means looking after yourself:

“I run everyday, I watch what I eat, I’ve not drunk since 2013 and I quit smoking at the same time. You need to be fairly fit to do it.

“I’m 67 – the oldest person to win it. The guy who came second was in his 30s, young enough to be my son! ”

Mr Cassells said aerobatics is unrated for its ability to improve a pilot and make them safer . If you can control a plane in all directions, even upside down, he said, it’s an important way of making flying safer.

Asked if he finds it all an adrenalin rush, he says not:

“It’s not an adrenalin rush.  Because when you are flying in the competition, it’s a series of moves in the right direction.

“When you are doing a vertical roll it has to be perfect. You’ve got to thoroughly know the programme in great detail and you’ve got to deal with wind which is moving the plane sideways. You’ve got to also really master your nerves – there are various tricky moves where incorrect handling will make a 0 [no points].

“You’ve got to visualise where you are and really 85% is mental and 15% is muscle memory from practice.

“When you are training to do this you become in the zone and a good flight is quite surreal.

“It’s a very intense experience. There’s pressure and then the relief of completing and not making an error.. it’s euphoric.”

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Fears for Harrogate hospitality after series of closures

It’s been a difficult October for hospitality in Harrogate town centre with a series of bars and restaurants closing.

This week Catch, home to the former Graveley’s fish and chip restaurant, and cocktail bar 63rd + 1st fell victim to rising prices and poor customer numbers.

Earlier this month the Stray Ferret reported that Samsons (formerly Le Bistrot Pierre) was not going to re-open.

All these venues had been open for a relatively brief period — Samsons opened in March this year, 63rd and 1st opened less than a year ago and Catch re-opened last year.

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David Simister, chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, said:

“It’s very sad to see this number of businesses closing, and in the current economic climate I fear there will be more to follow.

“The rise in raw materials, energy bills and running costs – coupled with customers tightening their belts – means for many it’s simply unaffordable to continue.

“We also have to remember the staff who have lost their jobs as a result, and hope they find alternative employment soon.”

There are those, though, who are evidently optimistic they can survive these difficult trading times.

This week the Stray Ferret reported on a number of smaller independents opening and expanding, such as the Husk Beer Emporium on James Street and the Starling Bar Cafe on Oxford Street.

As the town gears up for Christmas it will be a critical time for all Harrogate’s restaurants and bars to boost their income and create a financial buffer for a tough 2023.

BREAKING: Council officer resigns after Stray Ferret exposes abusive Twitter account

Harrogate Borough Council said today that it’s parking enforcement manager, Steve Rogers, has resigned with “immediate effect”.

It follows a Stray Ferret investigation that exposed Mr Rogers for being behind the abusive and obscene anonymous Twitter account @ChippyGlory.

Many victims of his abuse were Harrogate councillors and well known people in the town.

The Stray Ferret tracked the @ChippyGlory account for two years after being told from a source that it was run by a council manager.

Following our report on Tuesday, the council launched an investigation into Mr Rogers.

At the same time Liberal Democrat councillors called for Mr Rogers instant dismissal and Conservative councillor Nick Brown called for his immediate suspension during the investigation.

We will be publishing reaction to his resignation as we receive it.

The council has said it will not be making any further comment.

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