Harrogate Hospital Radio set to begin FM broadcasting

Harrogate Hospital Radio will begin broadcasting on FM next week after a three-year fight for its’ licence.

It will be launching on 95.3FM at 9:53am next Wednesday, September 1.

The station has been broadcasting since 1977 but will now move to FM radio to allow greater access for patients and staff.

The station will be heard from around a 2km radius surrounding the hospital. It will also continue to be available online and through the station’s app.

The transmitter will be switched on by Andrew Jones MP who gave his support during the battle for an FM licence.

The rest of the day will be hosted by the radio’s chairman Mark Oldfield, alongside guest presenters.

Read more

After being rejected for an FM licence twice, Mark set up a petition online which gained over 500 signatures and the attention of MP Andrew Jones.

Mark said;

“Support from Andrew Jones and those signing the petition helped us immensely; we can continue to run a station for patients, families and hospital staff.”

The licence approval makes it one of the first hospital radio stations in the country to be broadcast on FM.

Seventy seven new cases of covid in district

There have been 77 new coronavirus cases in the Harrogate district in the past 24 hours.

It brings the total number of people who have tested positive for covid in the district since the pandemic began to 13,283.

Read More:

Harrogate’s seven day average case rate is 296.0 – lower than the North Yorkshire average of 309.2. (latest data August 27)

According to the latest figures, Harrogate District Hospital is treating 10 patients for covid.

The hospital has not recorded any covid deaths in the last 24 hours, according to NHS England statistics. However, two people have recently died at the hospital after testing positive for coronavirus.

 

 

Starbeck Community Day set to return today

Starbeck Community Day will be returning today after being cancelled last year due to covid.

The free event will be hosted at Harrogate Railway’s Station View ground from 12pm until 4pm.

Guests can enjoy craft and homemade stalls, live music and activities such as a bouncy castle and inflatable jousting.

There will be appearances from the Mayor and Mayoress of Harrogate.

All money made from the event will go towards Starbeck Christmas Lights Appeal.

Event organiser Chrissie Holmes expressed her enthusiasm for the event:

“I’m really excited especially because we missed out on hosting the event last year; this will be our way of giving back to residents of Starbeck.”

Read more

Chrissie confirmed that there will be 30 stalls selling food, drinks and handmade goods.

Children under 14 will also have the chance to be crowned Starbeck’s King, Queen, Prince or Princess.

There will also be performances from Harrogate Spa Town Ukes and Summerbell Dance Academy.

Eighty new covid cases in the Harrogate district

There have been a total of 80 new cases of covid in the district in the past 24 hours. It means there have been 13,206 cases of people testing positive for covid since the pandemic began.

According to the latest figures, Harrogate District Hospital is treating 10 patients for covid.

The hospital has not recorded any covid deaths in the last 24 hours, according to NHS England statistics. However, two people have recently died at the hospital after testing positive for coronavirus.

Those two deaths followed a four-month period at the hospital when it did not record any coronavirus deaths.

Read More: 

The seven day average case rate (per 100,000 population) in the Harrogate district is 300.9.  That is now below the North Yorkshire average of 307.4.

Selby has the highest seven day rate in North Yorkshire 359.7.

 

 

 

 

 

Harrogate Thalidomide campaigner takes on key charity role

A well known Thalidomide campaigner has taken a key position with a Harrogate disability charity.

Guy Tweedy from Harrogate, who worked tirelessly for more than two decades championing the cause people affected by Thalidomide, has become a Trustee of Disability Action Yorkshire.

Mr Tweedy helped secure tens-of-millions-of-pounds in additional government support for survivors of the morning sickness drug.

Founded 84 years ago, Disability Action Yorkshire has its headquarters and training centre on Hornbeam Park, a residential care home on Claro Road, and a holiday lodge in Lincolnshire.

The charity’s vision is to empower disabled people to live the lifestyle of their choice, through its training, preparation and other living skills.  It celebrates and promotes diversity at every level of its organisation.

Read More: 

Mr Tweedy, who was born with shortened arms and fingers fused together, said:

“Being disabled myself, I am fully aware of the challenges and inequalities disabled people face, in particular when it comes to employment opportunities.

“When I left school, I wrote to more than 1,000 potential employers – and I still have the rejection letters!

“It’s a privilege to have joined Disability Action Yorkshire as a Trustee, and I’m looking forward to playing my part within this well-respected organisation.”

Neil Revely, Disability Action Yorkshire Chair, said.

“We are delighted to have Guy Tweedy join our Board of Trustees. He is a seasoned campaigner and is well-known for his unstinting efforts fighting the Thalidomide corner.

“For 83 years, this organisation has been at the forefront of supporting disabled people, and I’m very proud of the work we have achieved throughout the decades.

“However, there is still plenty to be done, and Guy’s experiences will be invaluable as we take the organisation to the next stage and beyond.”

 

“I couldn’t do it for life” – the jobs crisis in Harrogate’s hospitality venues

This week we are focusing on a recruitment crisis in the Harrogate hospitality industry as venues across the district report a serious shortage of staff. 

17 year old Josh Suddaby is currently with the Stray Ferret on work experience from Harrogate Grammar School.  With friends currently working in bars, restaurants and hotels we asked Josh to report on what they feel about a career in hospitality. This is his report:

Three of my 17 year old friends are working in Harrogate hotels, bars and restaurants to earn some money over the summer holidays.  I have learned that their wages are between £6.00 and £8.20 an hour. All of them are men.

None of my friends wanted to be identified as they felt they could be more open if they stayed anonymous.

I wanted to know if they’d consider making a career out of their current work.

Behind the Bar– £8.20 per hour 

My one friend is working 5-11pm shifts behind the bar in a large hotel.

 He told me “the responsibility I’m given makes me feel valuable” and that staff made him feel like he’s worth something in his workplace.

 I asked him what he enjoyed about working in a hotel his response was that the flexible hours are good and there was enough variation in tasks to make every shift different.

 He liked the social side of the job as he gets to meet a lot of people including colleagues and customers. 

So would he consider staying on there? He replied he would not as he felt it was “not something to stay in forever”, as he would rather go on to further education or an apprenticeship. 

Working in Housekeeping — £7.50 per hour

Another friend has worked in housekeeping for a large hotel for over a year and a half. He works evening shifts from 5-9pm.

I asked why he chose a hospitality venue he responded saying that they offered the hours of his choice and he can work after school. 

He told me he enjoyed it socially, he liked talking to the people who worked around him and getting to know them. But said that it can be stressful in a fast paced environment. 

Like my friend behind the bar though he also said that he would not consider the venue a future career, I followed up by asking why to which he replied “don’t think I could do it for life”.

He also has another job in the building trade, I questioned him on which job he would choose if he had to do one and he said he would rather work in the building trade it better suits him in life. 

Bar Work and Room Service – £6.00 per hour

Another one of my friends who works behind the bar and does room service in a large hotel in Harrogate for 20 hours a week.

He told me that’s he has “no ambition” to continue in that area of work as it doesn’t feel right for him.  

His reason for getting the job in the hotel bar was to gain money and life skills such as communication and experience in a fast paced workplace. 

After talking to my friends in detail,  I feel hospitality venues are not putting enough effort into showing my friends how a career in a hotel or bar could be right for them.

Offering higher pay, showing young people a career path and including good benefits will make more want pursue a career in hotels and restaurants –and not see hospitality as just a summer job.

Read More: 

Are you looking for a job or have a job vacancy you need to promote to as many people as possible? Take a look at the Stray Ferret jobs page to see the latest jobs or to submit a new one.  Every job is placed on our homepage and posted on our social media channels. 

Tomorrow we’ll be asking whether the high housing costs in Harrogate make it difficult for people to make a living in hospitality.

Fifty nine new covid cases in Harrogate district

Fifty nine people have tested positive for covid in the past 24 hours in the Harrogate district, according to figures from Public Health England.

It brings the total number of people who have tested positive for the virus to 12,719 since the pandemic began.

The number of people in the district who have died of the virus after testing positive is currently 180 after a death was reported last week.

Read More: 

The seven day average covid rate of infections per 100,000 population in the Harrogate district is 346.3 (latest data up to August 19).

This is higher than the England seven day average case rate of 325.5 and also North Yorkshire which has an average of 306.1

No TV? Your questions answered by local aerial expert

After a fire at the Bilsdale transmitter a week ago many homes in the district still have no TV.  This week, we put out a social post asking people how it was affecting them and it had a huge response.  So we’ve hooked up with Jody Lovatt of Direct Aerials based in Knaresborough and put some of your questions to him.

Mr Lovatt says he has been inundated with calls and has been working long hours, visiting up to 30 homes a day to re-tune aerials. He has warned homeowners to be wary of people charging huge prices for aerials re-tuning. His charge is £30.00 per home.

Do you know when services will resume? 

The company responsible for the transmitter, Arqiva, says there will be “significant improvement” in the coming days. It’s my understanding that there’ll be a limited number of channels back by August 28 – when the signal returns to around 80% strength. Only the main channels will resume at this point.

Will I need to retune my TV when services resume? 

If you didn’t try to re-tune your telly when you first lost your TV signal then you will not have to re-tune. If you tried to re-tune your TV not realising the fire was the problem, then you will have to re-tune it.

Why doesn’t my TV retune to the Yorkshire region? 

About 90% of the Harrogate district can get Yorkshire TV, most will need their aerials moved and TVs retuned. There are a number of transmitters that I can turn your aerial towards, including Emley Moor, Hayshaw, Belmont and even Pontop Pike. It’s a quick job of around 20 minutes.

If you live in a higher part of the district, such as Harlow Hill, you may be able to do this without moving your aerial or calling out an engineer. Your TV will give you the option of the Yorkshire region when you try to re-tune it.

The only homes that may struggle with either of these options are low lying areas such at parts of Jennyfields or parts of Bilton.  Homes there may have to resort to buying a Roku stick to get services if they want some TV before the signal is restored.

Read More: 

What is a Roku stick? 

A Roku stick is a bit like an Amazon Fire Stick. It’s easy to buy (Argos, Sainsburys, and Currys stock them). It costs about £20 and is easy to install. It connects your TV to the internet if you have wifi. It is effectively a streaming box.

Will I get a refund on my TV Licence? 

Some of my customers have already asked the BBC if they will get a partial refund of their licence fee. I’m told the answer from the BBC has been no because BBC radio services are working.

Do you have a question for Jody? You can contact him directly on Facebook page here.    

Harrogate council pledges to resettle Afghan refugees under new government scheme

The leader of Harrogate council has pledged that the borough will help house Afghan refugees who are fleeing the country following the Taliban takeover.

Conservative Cllr Richard Cooper said the refugees are “in need of and deserve our assistance” as he pledged his support to a new government scheme to welcome up to 20,000 Afghans over the next few years.

His pledge comes after the council offered resettlement to 19 Afghans in June under a similar scheme which targeted former translators and others who worked for the UK military during the two decades that it has been fighting in Afghanistan.

Speaking at a meeting on Wednesday, Cllr Cooper said this was the “right, humane and just thing to do”.

He said: 

“Back in June, Harrogate Borough Council pledged to take its fair share of the quota of Afghan interpreters who were seeking relocation to this country.

“We not only did that – we pledged to take more than our quota and we have done so.

“The government will now be coming forward with a new scheme for relocating Afghan refugees and on behalf of the council I want to make that pledge again that we will not only take our quota that the government suggests, but we will take more.

“Harrogate is a welcoming, tolerant and diverse place and these people are in need of our assistance and deserve our assistance.”

In June, senior Harrogate borough councillors agreed to offer resettlement to 19 Afghans, which amounts to four families.

The Harrogate district has previously taken part in other resettlement programmes, including welcoming 13 Syrian families between 2016 and 2017.

Read more:

Cllr Mike Chambers, cabinet member for housing and safer communities at the council, said the families are not only offered a place to live, but also given opportunities to go to school, learn English and find employment.

He added that the authority would be prepared to resettle more families if it was required to do so.

Meanwhile, eight families are expected to be resettled across North Yorkshire under the same scheme.

Nationally, more than 3,000 Afghans are expected to be allowed to settle in the UK, joining 1,300 who have already done so.

Social care at ‘tipping point’ as staff shortages deepen with 1,000 vacancies

Social care in North Yorkshire is facing an imminent staffing crisis health officials have warned after they revealed a worrying drop in the number of people coming forward for vacant jobs.

Richard Webb, director of health and adult services at North Yorkshire County Council, said the sector is facing “unrelenting” pressures and that it had reached “tipping point” over recent weeks with a 70 per cent drop in applications for 1,000 jobs currently vacant.

He said the NHS has also not escaped the staffing problems which existed before the pandemic but have only been exacerbated by the virus outbreak.

Mr Webb told a meeting of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum today:

“We have seen a real tipping point over the last four to six weeks, particularly as the wider economy has reopened.

“What we are seeing is fierce competition between care services, hospitality, retail and other sectors for people to fill jobs.

“We have about 1,000 vacancies in social care across North Yorkshire – that’s not just us, that’s the 500 organisations that provide care in the county – and we have seen a 70 per cent drop in applications for those jobs in the last few weeks.

“In North Yorkshire, we are as well placed as anywhere to deal with some of these pressures, but they are pretty unrelenting and they are probably the most significant I have seen in a quarter of a century working in social care and the NHS.”

Nationally, social care looks after around 400,000 people in care and nursing homes – three times the number in NHS hospital beds.

Read more:

There are also around 640,000 people receiving care in their own homes.

Independent Care Group (ICG), a non-profit organisation which provides services in North Yorkshire and York, has raised concerns that as these numbers continue to rise, there may soon not be enough staff to care for the elderly and most vulnerable in society.

Mike Padgham, ICG chairman, said in a statement: 

“We are approaching a crisis point where there simply won’t be enough people to go out and provide care to people at home and to those living in care and nursing homes.

“Care providers are facing a daily battle to cover home calls and care home shifts and it can’t go on.”

Mr Padgham is also calling on the government for short-term help and to also accelerate its long-delayed plans to overhaul the social care sector which ministers have pledged to publish by the end of the year.

A specific tax to help find the extra billions needed in funding and directing more cash straight to care homes are all ideas which have previously been brought to table, but these have never come to fruition.

Speaking at today’s meeting, Mr Webb said the reforms would not be a quick fix to the problems the sector is facing and that the county council would continue stepping up its support for care providers.

He said: 

“I’m pleased that the government is looking at how it can reform social care, but that will take probably three to five years – it is not going to be an instant solution.

“That is why we have continued to put additional funding into social care while we have been giving so much other support to individual care providers.”

The county council is also urging people to consider careers in social care as part of its Make Care Matter campaign.