Prayers will be said at Ripon Cathedral tonight for her Majesty the Queen after her doctors expressed concern for her health.

Early this afternoon doctors issued a statement saying the 96-year-old Queen’s health was a concern and that she was comfortable at Balmoral.  Members of the royal family have travelled to Scotland to be by her side.

This evening at Ripon Cathedral, evensong prayers will be said for her majesty and the royal family.

The Bishop of Ripon, the right reverend Dr Helen-Ann Hartley issued this statement:

With so many others across the world, I send my prayers, thoughts and very best wishes to Her Majesty The Queen and all members of the Royal Family at this time of deep concern about Her Majesty’s health.

Our Cathedrals and churches in the Diocese of Leeds are open for people who want to gather in quiet contemplation, to light a candle if that is your tradition, and simply offer their own words, silent or spoken, and their thoughts.

As Archbishop Justin, the Archbishop of Canterbury has tweeted, ‘May God’s presence strengthen and comfort Her Majesty, her family, and those who are caring for her at Balmoral’.

Harrogate business leaders have warned that Liz Truss’s energy plan is “too little too late” to save struggling firms from closure.

The new prime minister today announced that annual energy bills for households will be frozen at £2,500 until 2024 as part of a huge support package which could cost up to £150 billion.

However, the scheme is less generous for businesses than had been expected as their bills will be capped for six months – a shorter period than many had hoped for.

Sara Ferguson, chair of Harrogate BID, said:

“As the owner of a town centre restaurant, one that uses a lot of gas and electricity, I don’t think the support being offered goes far enough, or long enough.

“It pains me to say this, but even with the energy price cap some business will simply not be able to pay higher bills.

“It is going to be another tough time for the high street.”

Energy prices have soared this year, largely due to the conflict in Ukraine which has reduced supplies of gas.

This has driven up the UK energy price cap which sets the highest amount suppliers are allowed to charge households and had been due to rise from £1,971 to £3,549 in October.

Unlike households, small businesses are not covered by the cap and Harrogate district MPs were last month warned that many firms would soon reach a “tipping point”.

Read more:

• Business group to help boost growth in Kirkby Malzeard
• Harrogate district business groups call for more support after new PM’s energy announcement

Speaking in the commons today, Ms Truss said she was “acting immediately” in her premiership and that the support for businesses may be extended for vulnerable sectors after the six-month period.

“Extraordinary challenges call for extraordinary measures, ensuring that the United Kingdom is never in this situation again.”

Reacting to her announcement, David Simister, chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, said it would be “too little, too late” for some businesses.

“Businesses have had it incredibly tough for more than two years, and it isn’t going to get any easier. Surging energy costs are just one of the pressures facing businesses.

“When Ms Truss recently came to Harrogate, members of Independent Harrogate challenged her about business rates.

“Her response was that she would review them. This she needs to do urgently, along with looking at VAT, fuel duty, National Insurance and corporation tax.”

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Italian restaurant Pranzo is to expand its premises on Cold Bath Road in Harrogate. The company has taken a lease on the former hairdressers next door.

The new larger restaurant will see an extra 25 covers inside, a private dining area and double its capacity outside.  Work to convert the building is expected to take a couple of months.

The Harrogate restaurant is the second Pranzo – the first was opened in Ilkley and the company plans to open a third in Horsforth outside Leeds in the near future.

Stephen Peace, operations manager, told the Stray Ferret that despite the gloomy economic outlook the business was resilient:

“I think hospitality is always going to be a struggle however, because of our business model where we make and produce all our own pasta daily, it has allowed us to remain competitive.

“We have a small intimate venue and are always fully booked.

The former hairdressers which will be converted into the larger Pranzo restaurant

Read More: 

• Business Breakfast: Cloud Nine appoints new director in Australia
• Teen denies Harrogate cannabis farm charge

Consultancy firm expands role in Ripon Spa Hotel redevelopment

Silverstone Building Consultancy is to project manage the transformation of the Ripon Spa Hotel, in a multi-million-pound construction contract.

The 43-bedroom Edwardian hotel was acquired by The Inn Collection Group in 2021 and is due to re-open in the spring of next year. 

Silverstone Building Consultancy, is a specialist firm of chartered building surveyors and project managers, with offices in Newcastle and Leeds.

Ben Rennocks, director at the Leeds office of Silverstone Building Consultancy, said:

“We have a long-standing relationship with The Inn Collection Group and we were initially brought in to act as project manager when it came to preparing pre-tender estimates, managing the necessary planning permission and appointing both a contractor and design team on behalf of the client.

“As well as the project management appointment our role, has now developed into a contract administrator. The work has started on site with the main contractor, STP Construction appointed, following a competitive tendering process.

“This is a 40-week construction programme which will see the hotel undergo extensive internal and external works.”

Louise Stewart, property director at The Inn Collection Group, said:

“We’re excited to be working with Silverstone Building Consultancy again for this project. We have worked together on numerous projects and look forward to continuing our ‘eat, drink, sleep, explore’ brand with its help.

Its team shares our commitment to reaching the highest of standards and has a proven track record of producing fantastic refurbishment projects.”

North Yorkshire County Council has put town centres at the heart of its plans to revitalise culture in the county.

The council has begun to roll out its new cultural framework after two years of consultations across the county.

A report for the framework found that the pandemic had a large impact on town centre visitor numbers.

Along with the growth of online shopping, it argued that high streets needed new ways of staying relevant, with cultural attractions seen as key.

The report states that:

“Town centres traditionally serve their rural hinterland’s needs for retail and civic amenities but as shopping and banking move online culture can help in animating spaces through activity or art, driving footfall and creating a buzz and amplifying sense of identity.”

Ideas on how to do this include promoting different towns’ heritages, installing public art and working with local stakeholders.

Over the last year, more cultural events have returned to the district’s towns as organisers recognise the important role they play in attracting visitors.

In July, Harrogate staged its first carnival since 2019, which saw street theatre, international street food and music performances. In September, the Ripon Civic Society is organising Heritage Open Days across the town and the city is also hosting a four day Poetry Festival which is growing in popularity.

A possible redevelopment of the Royal Pump Rooms Museum in Harrogate was also reported to be in the planning stage.

The 2022 Harrogate Carnival

Read More:

• Poetry lovers prepare for a four-day feast in Ripon
• New heritage map reveals Boroughbridge’s rich history
• New royal walk created for Harrogate

The consultation on the state of culture in North Yorkshire began in March 2020, before the first Covid lockdown.

The framework also recognises the impact that the lockdowns had on people’s wellbeing. It found:

“During the Covid pandemic issues of social isolation and loneliness have been exacerbated. A key factor in reducing loneliness is the social interaction experienced while participating in cultural activity.”

Other aspects of the framework concern regeneration, developing and supporting cultural industries, improving health and wellbeing, and supporting community development.

The plans are to be discussed at the county council’s area committees, including the one for the Skipton and Ripon constituency next week.

The framework was developed in partnership between the district and county councils, including Harrogate Borough Council.

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID) is to hold three workshops around saving energy.

The organisation is partnering with energy consultant Ryan Edwards to look at ways of dealing with rising electricity and gas prices.

There will be three events during the day on Monday, September 19.

The first is being held at Hustle & Co on Prince Albert Terrace at 9.30am, the second on Zoom at 11am and the third at 5.30pm at Starling Café on Oxford Street.

The sessions will last between 30 and 45 minutes.

Business who want to attend the Zoom meeting have been asked to email the BID for the link.

Matthew Chapman, Manager of Harrogate BID, said:

“We are acutely aware of the struggles our members are continually having when it comes to understanding, managing and securing new energy contracts for their businesses.”

He said Mr Edwards has expertise that will be helpful:

“He will be able to help us have a better understanding of what is happening within the energy market, and offer practical advice on securing energy contracts.

“Ryan works with more than 26 UK Suppliers, so can assure you that he can find the very best contracts on the market at this time.

“He can also bulk buy energy by buying all Members energy, at the same time driving the unit prices down significantly. It goes without saying, the more businesses we can get involved, the cheaper the unit.”

Read more:

• Business Breakfast: Pannal Ash Juniors receive £5,000 boost
• Business Breakfast: Harrogate advertising firm wins ferry contract
• Business Breakfast: Knaresborough businesses to be recognised at awards event

Richard Levin of Loop Cashmere, Anne Blanden of Finance Yorkshire, Claire Heathcote of Loop Cashmere and Alex McWhirter, chief executive of Finance Yorkshire

Harrogate cashmere company secures Finance Yorkshire investment

Harrogate luxury cashmere brand Loop Cashmere has secured funding from the business loan organisation Finance Yorkshire.

The company makes its products using sustainable yarn from Inner Mongolia.

The £250,000 it has secured has gone towards opening a warehouse in Leeds and appoint a head of marketing.

Claire Heathcote opened the business with Richard Levin two years ago. She said:

“We saw a gap in the market for a sustainable cashmere brand offering contemporary styles made in the softest high-quality cashmere. Sustainability is the heart of brand from the way we source our sustainably accredited yarn, who we select as expert makers to craft our styles, our small production runs and the use of recyclable and compostable packaging.”

Alex McWhirter, chief executive of Finance Yorkshire, said:

“In just two years Loop Cashmere has developed a strong brand with sustainable credentials which will appeal to fashion-conscious customers. We look forward to supporting them in the next chapter of their growth journey.”

Two members of staff at G&T’s ice cream parlour near Ripon shaved their heads outside the shop this weekend for Cancer Research UK.

Sophie Craven and Lynsey Harker publicised the event on their Facebook page and quite a crowd turned up to witness the pair losing their locks at the parlour on Home Farm in Risplith on Saturday afternoon.

Both know friends and family who have suffered from cancer and wanted to help in some way so decided to fund raise by shaving their hair off . So far they have raised £2,000.

Lynsey said:

“It felt strange-one minute your hair is there and the next is gone! Bizarre!  It was fun and it was a good afternoon.

“Everybody has lost someone to cancer or knows someone who is going through it at the moment. It’s a big thing.”

Sophie added:

“The lady who shaved our hair is a local hairdresser for the area Sandra Bassett.

We did it outside the front parlour.  The seats outside were full up. Our families were here to watch it.

We couldn’t have asked for more – we are still collecting money and are flabbergasted by the amount we’ve raised.

We only decided to do it a few weeks ago! We can’t thank people enough.”

To donate click here.

Read More:

• On demand Yorbus sees over 13,000 trips in first year
• ‘I never tire of seeing families look after their own well’: Senior nurse on 25 years at Marie Curie

More than 13,000 journeys were taken using the on demand YorBus service in its first year of operation.

Data from North Yorkshire County Council showed that 13,426 journeys had been taken by the end of July, requested by 850 riders.

In July 2022, there was an average of 51 trips per day.

The bus service serves an area to the north and west of Ripon including Masham, West Tanfield and Bedale.

The pilot scheme, started in July 2021, has now been extended for another year.

The statistics are included in a report on the service’s first year which will be discussed by the council’s Skipton and Ripon area committee next week.

Increasing journey numbers

Journey numbers have gradually increased since the start of the year.

Despite this, the council almost doubled fares for the service at the start of August to £2 for an adult and £1 for a child.

The number of journeys is also roughly seven times the council’s target for the scheme.

It initially hoped that 885 journeys would have been taken after six months.

However, the Transport Action Network has accused the council of setting the target deliberately low.

YorBus covers 217 square kilometres to the north and west of Ripon

Councillor Keane Duncan, the county council’s executive member for transport, celebrated YorBus’s first year in July. He said:

“YorBus has proved incredibly popular since its launch in July 2021, with extremely positive feedback from users.

“We will continue to review this demand-responsive service to help us explore rolling out YorBus to other parts of the county.”

The report also stated that almost half of users would drive if the service was not available. It argued:

“This shows that YorBus is helping to encourage North Yorkshire residents away from the private motor vehicle and onto public transport.”

£229,000 has been allocated to the service for 2022/23.

Next steps

The council will now look at its future plans for on demand YorBus service.

This could include group discount tickets, a joint promotion campaign with the National Trust and investigating the viability of rolling out of YorBus to other parts of the county.

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Harrogate Ladies’ College has appointed a new Head of Early Years at Highfield Pre-School, the school’s associated nursery setting.

Kathryn Wilson, who is originally from Ripon, is returning to her Yorkshire roots after teaching in Long Eaton, Derbyshire where she was an Assistant Head.

Mr Wilson, who has young children of her own, and was previously Deputy Head at new Park Primary School in Harrogate, said:

“I am very much looking forward to coming home to my roots and I know what an amazing place Highfield Pre-School is.  The ethos of the whole school and its close and caring community attracted me back.

The facilities are outstanding, particularly the outdoor space which the children clearly love.  I am looking forward to getting to know the children and their parents and building on the school’s already excellent Early Years provision.”

Sylvia Brett, Principal of Harrogate Ladies’ College, said Kathryn would be an enormous asset to the Pre-School department.

“The first few years of a child’s educational journey are so important and Kathryn has superb credentials and a vast amount of experience in Early Years provision.  We are all looking forward to welcoming her into our school community,”

Read More:

• Business Breakfast: Ripon BID launches training hub for teenagers
• Beech Grove road closure in Harrogate to end in 10 days

Ripon auction house inaugural art sale 

Elstob & Elstob in Ripon is to have its first pictures and sculpture auction featuring some of the region’s greatest artists.

The sale, on August 10, has been put together by the auction house’s newly appointed Paintings and Sculpture Specialist Rohan McCulloch.

It includes Leeds-born artist George Wright, the popular Staithes Group of artists and County Durham miner Tom McGuinness together with paintings of iconic Northern landmarks.

Mr McCulloch said:

“Until now, paintings and sculptures have been included in our Fine Art and Antiques sales but such has been the growing extent and quality of consignments that we have decided to introduce a dedicated auction that will give them their own platform.

“I am particularly pleased with this first collection, which has a broad offering of paintings, drawings and sculpture from the last 600 years of British and European Art.

There is something to suit all tastes and pockets with attractive pieces valued under a hundred pounds to the work of prestigious artists with price estimates of several thousand.”