The Stray Ferret has learnt that Jack Wills on James Street in Harrogate will not be re-opening after the coronavirus crisis.

The clothing brand, which was founded in Salcombe in Devon, was bought by Mike Ashley in an auction for £12.7m last year.  Mr Ashley bought the retail chain out of administration after competing against Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group. The brand now forms part of Frasers Group

James Street which is seen as Harrogate’s most prestigious retail street, has seen a steady loss of major retailers over recent years – Next, Austin Reed, Swarovski, Cath Kidston and now Jack Wills.  Next moved to the Victoria Shopping Centre and the space is now filled with a discount store. Swarovski closed in February this year.

The Harrogate store is one a number of Jack Wills stores across the UK to close.

The NHS figures this lunchtime show that a third patient has died at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust whilst the number of positive coronavirus cases in North Yorkshire has risen to 75 – up 6 from Friday. The patient died yesterday.

At present, most patients are only tested if they are admitted to hospital with severe symptoms, so figures do not include people who have symptoms but are able to stay at home.

An NHS England statement which released today said of all the deaths:

Patients were aged between 39 and 105 years old and all but 4 patients (aged between 57 and 87 years old) had underlying health conditions.

Their families have been informed.

The Spirit of Masham has tweeted an urgent call for plastic bottles after it switched production from gin to hand sanitiser to help prevent the spread of  coronavirus.

https://twitter.com/spiritofmasham/status/1243942655584763904

The Masham distillery is not the only gin company in the district that has turned from making gin to hand sanitiser. Harrogate Tipple in Ripley which makes Harrogate Gin lobbied the Treasury to remove duty from alcohol so it could make the sanitiser cheaply and provide it at-cost to health workers, the emergency services and community care organisations. It too has struggled to source plastic bottles.

The Harrogate Tipple distillery production manager Andrea Natiello and co-founder Sally Green, Ripon

For a little light relief this Sunday here are two Harrogate residents who have tried online shopping for the first time.

As many people will experience as they start to get to grips with online deliveries, they didn’t quite receive what they thought they’d ordered……

Long queues are appearing outside supermarkets in Harrogate as the number of people shopping at any one time  is being restricted. The new social distancing measures at Waitrose in the town centre (pictured above) meant people were waiting outside for around half an hour before they could get into the store.  A similar situation was reported to be happening at other supermarkets.

The queue at Waitrose in Harrogate, which snaked around the car park, was organised and patient 

In a statement on it’s website Waitrose said the measures were to protect both staff and shoppers .These include:

• Limiting the number of customers in our shops at any one time.
• Dedicated marshals per store to help manage queues, reminding customers of the two-metre social distancing rule.
• Introducing floor signage in all shops to ensure customers keep two metres apart when queuing at checkouts and at welcome desks
• Screens have been ordered to be placed at checkouts to protect customers and Partners
• Fewer checkouts open to maintain social distancing for our Partners.
• Partners will have the option to wear a protective visor, if they wish.
• Asking that only one customer or family occupy a lift at any one time.
• Encourage customers to shop in a cashless and contactless way to prevent unnecessary contact.

Fire fighters from Harrogate’s Blue Watch joined people from all over the district this evening saluting NHS workers and “Clap for our Carers”.  Across the district people clapped from windows, front doors  and balconies.

The fire fighters parked outside Harrogate District Hospital — their fire engine lights flashed and sirens sounded.  Hospital staff came outside to clap and cheer too.

If you took some pictures or video of your family thanking the NHS please send them to us at contact@thestrayferret . We’d love to publish  them.

The opening of a new £10m Ripon retail park featuring an M&S food store is to be delayed due coronavirus. The development on the edge of Ripon was due to open on 29^th April.

New recruits, who were due to start working at the M&S store in Rotary Way just off the Ripon bypass, have been advised that the opening date has had to be put back and the timescale for the opening is not currently known, because of the uncertainty that the coronavirus crisis has caused.

The St Michael’s Retail Park scheme, which was first granted planning permission by Harrogate Borough Council in 2017, is being developed by Marshall CDP and the M&S unit, is currently at the fit out stage.

When fully open, it will feature a number of retailers, including Pets at Home.

M&S, the anchor store within the development, is due to provide 80 new jobs, including people who have been recruited locally. A spokesperson for M&S said:

“Due to the current unprecedented situation we have had to unfortunately postpone the opening of our Ripon store. We will keep the community updated with more information on the opening as soon as we can.”

In a letter to the Stray Ferret, Paul Baverstock, a former Director of Communications for the Conservative Party, who lives in Harrogate accuses the council’s conservative Leader, Richard Cooper, and local MP, Andrew Jones, of a lack of leadership and poor visibility during the coronavirus crisis.

Mr Baverstock, who now works  at a senior level in the health sector, says he contacted Mr Jones to put himself forward to help after the MP announced he wanted to create “an army of volunteers” but says he received a generic email response. Mr Baverstock argues that the MP is well meaning but out of step with the urgency of the situation and how local people feel.

Since the advent of Covid 19, both Harrogate’s MP Andrew Jones and the leader of our borough council Richard Cooper have been nigh on invisible and practically silent. ..Andrew Jones, our MP, needs to take the lead and grab the council by the scruff of its neck and get it moving. The people of Harrogate are crying out for it.

Andrew Jones MP

He offers Mr Jones some communications advice:

He should work with local radio station Stray FM to comment immediately – “down the line” – following the PM’s daily briefing. This could become an opportunity for local residents to dial in and discuss their concerns with their elected representative. Mr. Cooper, the leader of the council should join him too. They could live stream these from their respective isolations so we can see them, as well as hear them, becoming truly accountable.

• Mr Baverstock’s letter to The Stray Ferret in full

He urges both Cllr Cooper and Mr Jones to start bring together local experts to provide clear and free advice, use technology and social media to connect people and get their messages out. He ends with:

So come on Mr. Jones and Mr.Cooper.  Get up and onward, get brave, get visible, get creative and give us the energetic leadership and accountability you were both elected to provide, for Harrogate in Westminster and for Harrogate Borough at home. This is not a time for business as usual. Nothing will ever be the same again. We need and deserve better, now and tomorrow.

The Stray Ferret asked both Cllr Cooper and Andrew Jones MP to respond to Mr Baverstock’s letter. Neither has yet done so.

This is the full version of the email letter sent to the Stray Ferret’s Editor:

Dear Madam,

In splendid isolation I look forward to today’s 5pm televised press conferences held by the Prime Minister, flanked by his impressive scientific and medical experts. Like millions of Brits I am anxious for knowledge, for guidance and for reassurance in the daily battle against the silent killer, Covid 19.

Our economy, society and the communities that comprise it are faced with Britain’s greatest peacetime challenge. A situation in which poor decisions and confusing communication will…not might…but will cause thousands of deaths and untold human suffering. A time, if ever there was one, for individual leadership, serious communication and bold example from our elected politicians in order to bring people together in common action and common cause.

Many of the measures announced in parliament and at the Prime Minister’s daily press conference to tackle Coronavirus are to be implemented by our local councils, in this case Harrogate Borough, working with their respective MP’s.

Since the advent of Covid 19, both Harrogate’s MP Andrew Jones and the leader of our borough council Richard Cooper have been nigh on invisible and practically silent.

Andrew Jones, our MP, needs to take the lead and grab the council by the scruff of its neck and get it moving. The people of Harrogate are crying out for it. No time now for limp lettuce consultation and back room intra-party squabbles. We need a local leader to match the energy, clarity and accountability being shown by our national leader, Boris Johnson.

Mr. Jones’ efforts so far appear to be a “Be the best neighbour you can be” round robin email asking the people of Harrogate to volunteer their ideas and help by email or by phoning his office. For those who respond to his office with an offer of help, a second generic email arrives saying thank you for your offer and we are working on matching these individual offers of help with the need for help and we’ll be in touch again. This is well meaning but seems oddly out of step with the scale, urgency and impact of the challenges we all face.  So, in the absence of leadership here are a few ideas offered in helpful spirit. All practical, all costing virtually nothing but time and effort.

Mr. Jones could and should provide a daily briefing for the people of Harrogate, this to join the dots between national government policy and local government implementation.  By so doing, he will energise and amplify our local efforts.

He should work with local radio station Stray FM to comment immediately – “down the line” – following the PM’s daily briefing. This could become an opportunity for local residents to dial in and discuss their concerns with their elected representative. Mr. Cooper, the leader of the council should join him too. They could live stream these from their respective isolations so we can see them, as well as hear them, becoming truly accountable.

Following Boris Johnsons’ lead, Andrew Jones and Richard Cooper could and should bring together relevant local experts, such as the Chief Executive of Harrogate Hospital, the Head of Mental Health charity Mind in Harrogate, or local employment lawyers or employee representatives, to provide clear and objective information and advice, free from partisan political concerns.

Using virtual meeting technology such as Zoom or Houseparty, Andrew Jones should be calling together the local Church, Third Sector and business leaders of Harrogate to place himself visibly at the head of a volunteer army to help deliver care, food, virtual conversation, to provide a loudspeaker for the myriad of local initiatives, Facebook pages and support groups springing up around town. Jones’ army should be morning briefed and tasked everyday with an urgency worthy of the consequences of Covid 19.

So come on Mr. Jones and Mr.Cooper.  Get up and onward, get brave, get visible, get creative and give us the energetic leadership and accountability you were both elected to provide, for Harrogate in Westminster and for Harrogate Borough at home. This is not a time for business as usual. Nothing will ever be the same again. We need and deserve better, now and tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Paul Baverstock

Former Director of Communication for the Conservative Party

Louise Pullan, Owner of The Flock and Fold cafe near Thurscross Reservoir

Louise Pullan pleads with people to stay at home comes after almost record numbers visited Thruscross yesterday and walkers returned again today. After yesterday’s crowds at Thruscross and Fewston amongst others, Yorkshire Water said it was shutting its reservoir car parks and urged people to be responsible and stay away.

Louise and her husband Richard run the Flock to the Fold cafe at Breaks Fold Farm -they followed the governments advice and closed the cafe but were astounded at what they witnessed yesterday and again today . Over the weekend, Louise said, so many cars arrived that they had to shut and padlock the farm gates to stop people parking in their yard.  North Yorkshire County Councillor, don Mackenzie tweeted:

Sorry @YorkshireWater to report that residents telling me Thruscross reservoir car park full of cars again this morning. This may be because there is no gate or other means to secure the area in which case please post ‘closed’ notice at very least. @JulianSmithUK @northyorkscc https://t.co/Os3wMMWscS

— Don Mackenzie (@Mac1Don) March 23, 2020

Yorkshire Water responded by saying it was doing everything it could but it had 29 car parks and only a small team that was able to shut them.