Harrogate jewellery expert sells rare brooch for £80,000

Harrogate jewellery expert, Susan Rumfitt, has sold a rare brooch at auction for around three times its guide price.

Ms Rumfitt, who has written a column for the Stray Ferret and is an expert for the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, sold an intricate micro-mosaic theatrical mask brooch by Castellani of Rome for £80,600.

The piece had been listed under a guide price of £20,000 to £30,000.

Ms Rumfitt said:

“Items crafted by Castellani are a few and far between at auction, so our sale presented a very rare opportunity for collectors to acquire this delightful brooch.

“The house of Castellani is famed for its archaeological-revival designs in gold, gemstone and mosaic, and it was a privilege to share this brooch. The auction saw passionate bidding, with clients from across the globe taking part.”

Made in around 1850 and depicting Bacchus, the brooch reproduces part of a 3rd Century AD mosaic now in the Capitoline Museums portraying theatrical masks which decorated the Thermae Decianae.

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Susan Rumfitt

For the past decade Ms Rumfitt has focussed on her showroom in Harrogate. Her return to the auction house is in collaboration with Dore & Rees auctioneers in Frome, Somerset.

Ms Rumfitt said:

“The first sale this week was vibrant and exciting, and I’m absolutely thrilled with the results, especially the fabulous price we achieved for the Castellani brooch.

“The sale as a whole was strong with great interest in Victorian jewellery and also the emerald pieces proved very popular. We are now gathering for our next sale in December with some beautiful pieces already consigned.”

 

Knaresborough school pays tribute to former headteacher

King James’s School in Knaresborough has paid tribute to former headteacher John Forster, who has died.

Mr Forster was in charge of the school for 16 years from 1981 to 1997.

The school issued a statement saying how sad it was to learn of his death. Mr Forster had remained a part of the school and the wider Knaresborough community well after he left the school.  The school’s tribute went on to say:

“In his time at the school he was responsible for starting the Knaresborough Fun Run, which ran with great success for very many years. He also established a school farm, complete with pigs and goats, which remained until 2004. His passion for his subject, English, kept him in the classroom, even as a busy headteacher.

“In 1990 he brought back the school magazine, The Chaloner, which had been dormant since 1974. His other great passion, tennis, allowed him to retain his connection to the school beyond his retirement.

“He devoted his considerable energy to the school long after his time as headteacher and we will miss his passion and enthusiasm.”

Mr Forster was also a chairman of Knaresborough Tennis Club, who led the bid to establish the tennis facilities that the school has today.

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A Passion for tennis

John Forster had a love of tennis.  As headteacher of King James’s School he championed the sport to the point where the school’s teams reached national and regional finals.

in 1985 he enthusiastically supported the founding of Knaresborough Tennis Club and offered the school’s facilities for the club to use.

In 2007, when Mr Forster was elected club chairman he pushed the idea of a new club wholly based at the school.  The courts needed serious improvement but the project got the approval of the club, the school and the Lawn Tennis Association and the newly named Knaresborough King James’s Tennis Club was created.

In a tribute to John Forster, Ian Hargreaves, Knaresborough King James’s Tennis Club membership secretary said:

“John’s perseverance was key in getting the project completed in April 2011 to the satisfaction of all parties. After over 11 years of play on the new courts, club, school and LTA are very happy with the relationship, and optimistic that tennis opportunities in Knaresborough have now been guaranteed for the foreseeable future.

“Had the project not been brought to successful fruition, the club and organised tennis in Knaresborough would probably not have survived. The club has now outgrown its three courts, and four multi-use tennis/netball courts have been upgraded to cater for the increased demand.”

Mr Forster continued as club chairman until 2018 and was a committee member responsible for school liaison until his death.  Mr Hargreaves continued:

“John’s invaluable contribution to tennis did not stop at Knaresborough. He was a councillor of the Yorkshire Lawn Tennis Association from 1999 to 2016 and had been president of the YLTA on two occasions. His special responsibility on the YLTA council was tennis in schools, and he was enthusiastic in organising, and persuading others to organise, schools’ competitions across the county.

“John will be much missed by the Yorkshire tennis world.”

 

Boroughbridge Junior FC seeks new players

Boroughbridge Junior Football Club is holding its annual taster day later this month to encourage more youngster to join the team. 

The “try before you join” session will be held  at Boroughbridge High School on Saturday July 23, starting at 10am and running to 12pm.

Players will be able to take part in supervised games with FA-qualified coaches able to answer any questions and take subscriptions.

Nigel Charlesworth, Boroughbridge Junior FC club secretary, said:

“The club motto is football for all, so we encourage players of all abilities to come along.  

“If your son or daughter already plays for the club then come down and register for the new season and let them play supervised games. New players are also welcome. So, come down, try us out, meet the coaches and make new friends through football. Use this as a taster session. If you like what you see, then join us for the new season.”

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The taster session will run teams for the following age groups (child’s age on 1 September). Boys: Under 8s, U10s, U12s, U14s and U15s, girls: Under 6-11 (development squad) U12, U13 and U15 years and Pan Disability Football for boys and girls aged seven to 18.

There will also be a training session for budding goalkeepers on the day. 

The club also said volunteers and helpers were always welcome.

For more information, visit the Boroughbridge Juniors FC website, email nigelcharlesworth@btinternet.com or contact the club on Facebook and Twitter.  

Local Lioness leads by example in the Women’s EUROs

 

Harrogate’s Rachel Daly is currently playing football to record crowds in the 2022 EUROs.  It’s a far cry from the early days of empty stadiums for the women’s game.

Last night the Lionesses won their first game of the tournament with a 1-0 victory to Austria at Old Trafford, with a sell-out crowd of 68,871 fans. Daly played brilliantly.

Back home, Rachel’s success is having a big impact on young players who hope to follow in her footsteps

Rachel Daly

Born in Harrogate in 1991, Rachel quickly rose through the footballing ranks with the support of family, friends and coaches. Daly was a pupil at Rossett High School.

She has become a serious role model for younger players. Something she acknowledged last night on BBC Look North:

“I just think about all the young girls now in the crowd, looking up to us and seeing what they could be a part of when they are older and hopefully it inspires the whole nation to switch their focus to women’s football.”

Baroness Sue Campbell is the FA’s director for women’s football. The Baroness is full of praise for Daly’s perseverance.

The Stray Ferret asked her if she thought the Euros will encourage more young women and girls to consider a career as a professional footballer.

Baroness Campbell said:

‘I am optimistic that this Euro tournament will have an impact on girl’s and women’s football across the whole of England.

Our ambition is to give girls an equal opportunity to play in schools and clubs across the country and this tournament will help to raise the profile of women as players, coaches and referees and inspire a generation of girls to play football.’

When asked about her thoughts on Daly, Campbell said:

‘Rachel Daly is a versatile and talented footballer. She can play equally well in attack or defence and gives 100% in every game she plays. She is hard working, fit and tenacious.

Off the pitch she is always full of energy and good humour – a delight to have in the team’

In Harrogate, Daly’s former local club, the Killinghall Nomads, sent her a video message of encouragement.

 

https://twitter.com/WestRidingFA/status/1538852522391134209?s=20&t=-sv5MsVyTq5drv-iG4IrqQ

The Stray Ferret would like to thank Angus for writing this article. Angus has joined us for a week on work experience from St Aidan’s School in Harrogate. 

Andrew Jones MP calls on Boris Johnson to resign

Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP, Andrew Jones, has called on Boris Johnson to resign as Prime Minister.

It’s been a day of mass resignations at Westminster with Boris Johnson’s position becoming more precarious by the minute.

This afternoon Andrew Jones MP published a statement on his party’s Community News website calling for Mr Johnson to step down.

Mr Jones has already made his unhappiness with Mr Johnson clear when he voted against him in a confidence vote.

This was before the furore over the former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher.

In his statement Mr Jones said:

“Nothing has happened which has changed my opinion of the Prime Minister’s conduct since the no confidence vote just a few weeks ago when I voted no.  In fact the behaviours which put me in that position have continued.  This is disappointing as I was willing to give the Prime Minister time to change those behaviours but recent events show that he is unable to do so.  Indeed he has quite clearly said that he will not be changing.

“For that reason I think we have come to the end of the road with this Prime Minister.  It doesn’t take a genius to read the room.  The Prime Minister should do that and move aside for the good of the country and our politics.”

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In an update this evening, Conservative MP for Ripon & Skipton Julian Smith has also suggested that the PM should resign.

The Prime Minister is absolutely right in what he said just said at the liaison committee, 'all flesh is grass'. He must now take the lead in a responsible transition to ensure stable government for our country.

— Julian Smith MP (@JulianSmithUK) July 6, 2022

New partners at Harrogate law firm

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Yorkshire based law firm, LCF Law, has appointed three new partners after promoting Roger Raper and James Austin and recruiting experienced private client lawyer, Haroon Qayum.

The trio will be based across the firm’s Harrogate and Leeds offices.

James joined LCF Law in 2017 and is an experienced employment lawyer based at the firm’s Harrogate office.

Haroon now heads up LCF Law’s personal law team in Harrogate, and is experienced in advising families and individuals on all aspects of private client law, including the drafting of wills and trusts, administration of estates, lasting powers of attorney, inheritance and estate tax planning.

Roger has worked in LCF Law’s disputes team, in Leeds city centre, for nine years advising companies and individuals on all types of commercial disputes.

Simon Stell, managing partner at LCF Law, said:

“James and Roger are long serving members of our team who are renowned for offering high quality, straightforward advice to clients that genuinely adds value. They walk in their clients’ shoes and their combined legal experience and client focussed approach makes them valuable members of LCF Law. It is a pleasure to be able to reward their hard work with these promotions.

“Haroon is experienced in advising clients on all aspects of estate planning and non-contentious private client work. He has previously led a successful private client department, and is a welcome addition to our team, as we attract impressive numbers of new clients throughout Harrogate and beyond.”

LCF Law employs more than 125 people and 24 partners across offices in Leeds, Bradford, Harrogate and Ilkley.

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Hairdressing group complete 100km walk

Stylists from the Westrow hairdressing group have completed a 100-kilometre walk, raising over £6000 for charity.

The Westrow team walked for three consecutive days via all nine Westrow salons to raise funds for The Principle Trust, a Skipton based children’s charity.

Dubbed The Great Westrow Walk, the event has already raised £6450 which will fund holidays for sixteen families from the Yorkshire region.

The walkers, aged 18 to 59 years, left the Westrow salon in Skipton on Friday 24 June, calling at branches in Ilkley, Bingley, Leeds city centre (two salons), Westpark, Roundhay and Wetherby, before reaching the finish line at the Harrogate salon on Sunday afternoon.

Marc Westerman one of the founders of Westrow and a patron of The Principle Trust, said:

“We want to thank everyone who supported this event; it was a fantastic way to celebrate Westrow’s 35th anniversary. Every penny raised will help to fund much-needed respite holidays for families across Yorkshire”

The team at Westrow arriving at the Harrogate salon on Station Parade on Sunday afternoon

Tributes paid across Harrogate district for Harry Gration

People across the Harrogate district have been paying tribute to Yorkshire broadcasting legend Harry Gration, who died suddenly on Friday.

Helen Mackenzie won Harry’s Heroes last year — a Stray Ferret  competition in partnership with Harrogate Spring Water and Harry to find the people in the district doing exceptional things to help others in the community.

Helen won for her role in starting Back to Basics in 2019 in Ripon, which gives families ingredients and instructions on how to make meals.

Today she said:

“I was so shocked and saddened to hear of Harry’s sudden passing.

“As Harry’s Heroes last summer I had the pleasure of meeting him in the flesh when he presented my award. It’s so lovely when you finally meet a celebrity and he turns out to be just as nice as he is on the telly.

“I was honoured to be the first Harry’s Hero. I am devastated that I am also the last. Hopefully this wonderful accolade can still be kept alive by Harry’s colleagues in his memory.

“My love and prayers go to his wife and family. Rest in Peace, Harry.”

Helen Mackenzie with Harry and Alex Hutton (centre), who nominated Helen.

Harrogate Spring Water described Harry as a “true gentleman” in a tweet.

We were honoured to have worked with Harry on our Harry’s Heroes campaign. What a true gentleman. RIP Harry. https://t.co/Qat66Km7ne

— HarrogateSpringWater (@HarrogateSpring) June 27, 2022

 

Sue Cawthray, from elderly care charity Harrogate Neighbours sent us this message:

“Together with Yorkshire, I am still in shock at such sad news. Can’t believe I was only sat listening to him last Saturday 18 June at the Harrogate Brigantes Rotary Dinner. So funny, entertaining and interesting. Always a supporter of local charities.

“Lovely memory of a news story we did with him on our meals service at Harrogate Neighbours. Was a pleasure to meet him on several occasions through the work I do as a member of the ICG board.”

Artist Caryl Hallett designed the stained glass monument in Harrogate’s Montpellier district that was commissioned by Harrogate Borough Council to celebrate the town hosting the Tour De France Grand Depart. Harry came along to support when it was unveiled.

Caryl’s husband, Shaun Hallett, said:

“He was interested, inquisitive, friendly, helpful, and charming.
 “Hopefully, Caryl’s piece will be enjoyed by many for years to come and will help to represent a legacy that has been steadily building in terms of local cycling participation.
“There can be no doubt that Harry’s legacy as a journalist, presenter, and reporter of the very highest quality is firmly cemented in the hearts and minds of Yorkshire people. “
Caryl Hallett with Harry in 2014

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Ripon auctioneer recruits new painting and sculpture specialist

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

New expert joins Elstob & Elstob

Rohan McCulloch has joined Ripon based Elstob & Elstob as the auctioneer’s paintings and sculpture specialist.

Mr McCulloch has more than 15 years’ experience at Sotheby’s, Bonham’s and Lyon & Turnbull. He is passionate about paintings, drawings and sculpture and has a particular interest in British and European art, Old Masters and portraits.

Educated at Newcastle University, where he studied archaeology, Mr McCulloch has built up a large following of private collectors, top art dealers and corporate curators who both buy and sell art.

He is also well known for finding ‘sleepers’ – undervalued works of art which have been misattributed in the past.

Speaking about his new role, Mr McCulloch said:

“I am very much looking forward to sharing the whole process with clients – from valuing, advising and selling. It’s such as huge pleasure to tell people about their objects and their histories.

“I have great admiration for Elstob & Elstob and have been aware of the strides it has been making within the auctioneering world – so it is fantastic to be joining David and his talented team. It will be a privilege to put together exciting and varied consignments for each auction.”

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Windsor House refurbishment

A Harrogate office building has completed the first phase of an extensive refurbishment.

Windsor House was originally home to the Grand Hotel in the 1900s, then converted into offices in the 1980s.

It is one of the largest office buildings in Harrogate, comprising of circa 75,000 sq ft of flexible workspace and is home to over 115 local, national and international businesses.

Recent refurbishment work on the reception area has been done by Construction North Group Ltd.

The second phase of the work will start soon on the original Palm Court.

Karen Winspear, from Boultbee Brooks said:

“This new look helps give everyone who enters Windsor House a bright, inviting welcome – while preserving the timeless heritage of the building.

“Quality spaces are vital to our wellbeing and collaboration at work. This new renovation encourages our tenants to relax, connect and enjoy our refreshed open areas.

“There is a great community inside Windsor House, and we want to give something back to all of the companies who choose to work here by providing an enjoyable, well-designed, modern environment.”  

An image of the newly refurbished reception area at Windsor House

Weetons invests in new interior

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Well known deli and cafe celebrates refurb

Weetons in Harrogate has completed a refit and will be celebrating by hosting the ‘Weetons Weekend’ next week.

The premium Yorkshire food deli and cafe has been established on West Park for almost 20 years.

Rob Coutts, managing director of Weetons said:

“The biggest change is in the restaurant, we’ve got a completely new look. The tones of green and new lighting create a fresh yet warm and welcoming atmosphere.

“We’re also launching a new all-day menu which features our luxury Yorkshire Wagyu burger and our famous sharing board…

“We’re offering an open invite for foodies to come and join us across our Weetons Weekend to celebrate our refit… we’ll have our passionate suppliers in-store showcasing their produce with tastings and providing advice in their area of expertise.

“There will also be the chance to win a BBQ from our new outdoor living range with our deluxe BBQ meat box, along with other surprises .”

Weetons Weekend celebrations will be running across 4 days  from Thursday June 30 – Sunday July 3.

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Harrogate estate agent donates £5,000 to local hospice

Dacre, Son & Hartley has donated £5,000 to Saint Michael’s Hospice.

Saint Michael’s Hospice on Hornbeam Park in Harrogate provides care and support to families living with terminal illness and bereavement across the Harrogate district.

Saint Michael’s chief executive, Tony Collins, said:

“We would like to say a huge thank you to Dacres for their generous donation.

“As an independent charity, Saint Michael’s is powered by local community support, with the majority of our care funded by the generosity of organisations and local people who choose to show their support in a variety of amazing ways.

“Our corporate partnerships are vital to helping us to continue our work helping local people and their families living with terminal illness and bereavement.”

Dacres has 19 offices across North and West Yorkshire supports a number of charities across the year.

Patrick McCutcheon, head of residential at Dacre, Son & Hartley, said:

“There is nothing better than being able to give back to the communities in which we operate. With a team of 125 at Dacres, we ensure that we select charities that our people have an affinity with.

The care that Saint Michael’s Hospice provides, helping people at the end of their lives and supporting their families is vitality important, and we feel proud to be able to help.”

Fungus released in Ripon nature reserve to kill alien plant

A new rust fungus has been released at Hell Wath Local Nature Reserve in Ripon to help tackle Himalayan balsam.

Himalayan balsam was first introduced into the UK in 1839 as an ornamental plant but has since become a real problem. It colonises river banks, waste ground and damp woodlands, successfully competing with native plants and reducing biodiversity.

Harrogate Borough Council joined forces with the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI), experts in biological control and fighting Himalayan balsam with fungal pathogens.

The council said that until recently, the main way to tackle it has been ‘balsam bashing’ which involved pulling it up by hand but this is only temporarily effective.

The fungus option followed years of research by CABI scientists and showed that it only infects Himalayan balsam and does not pose a risk to other species.

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The rust fungus won’t completely kill off the balsam but it makes the plant less competitive.  It infects the stem and leaves throughout the growing season.

Councillor Sam Gibbs, HBC’s cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, said:

“This is yet another practical solution to help tackle non-native species, following our trial to release Crassula mites at Rossett Nature Reserve in Harrogate to tackle New Zealand Pygmyweed.

“Himalayan balsam is invasive and to tackle it involves lots of hard work, often carried out by volunteers. By using this ‘bio-superhero’ we have less of an onerous task in the future.”

Dr Sonal Varia, project scientist at CABI’s laboratories, said:

“Himalayan balsam has rapidly become one of the UK’s most invasive weed species affecting biodiversity and beauty spots – such as Hell Wath Local Nature Reserve – and traditional methods of control alone are inadequate.

“Results from releases elsewhere in the UK suggest that the rust can perform well under our climate. It adapts to local climatic conditions and spreads from the initial area of release without having a negative impact on other species.

“Good leaf infection is frequently observed in the summer and the rust is able to survive the winter and establish populations in stands of Himalayan balsam the following year.”