Are you booked into our Stray Ferret Business Club’s breakfast event this Thursday at Banyan in Harrogate between 8-10am? 

The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories. Get your tickets now by clicking or tapping here.

One of Harrogate’s oldest accountancy firms has expanded its apprenticeship programme.

A quarter of Lithgow Perkins’ twenty strong team now comprises of trainees at different stages of their accountancy career.

Partner Tom Rhodes, who began as an apprentice at Lithgow Perkins 11 years ago, said:

“Having a strong apprenticeship programme that gives young people the opportunity to develop their careers with us is vital not just for their future, but for ours too.”

Mr Rhodes added:

“As a small, independent firm, we can be flexible in creating opportunities for our trainees to work across a range of disciplines, supported by various specialists from our team.

“It’s not just a case of developing accountancy expertise; it’s also about building confidence in the ‘softer’ skills that are so important when dealing directly with clients.”

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The Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting is a breakfast event on Thursday, 27 July at Banyan in Harrogate between 8-10am. 

The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

A new promotion and networking event is being launched in Ripon to help companies connect and trade with each other.

Moot Ripon will follow a ‘business market’ format with exhibition stands of companies showcasing what they offer. The one-day event in October is open to all businesses in the area who are looking for local B2B opportunities.

Following advice from Ripon BID, the Federation for Small Businesses (FSB) and the North Yorkshire Growth Hub (LEP), the event is being organised by Ripon-based marketing and events firm Colour It In.

Managing director Mark Lancaster said:

“The Ripon area has a wealth of companies of all sizes operating across a huge variety of sectors.

“We wanted to bring them all together to get to know each other, re-establish connections, and do business together in a traditional face-to-face environment.”

Mr Lancaster is a former president of the Harrogate District Chamber of Trade and helped launch the Harrogate Business Market in 2005. He said he created Moot Ripon after struggling to find a similar local exhibition-style event to showcase his company to other businesses in the area.

Moot Ripon takes place at Ripon Racecourse on October 2.

Businesses of all sizes are invited to exhibit or attend the event but they must be based in the Ripon, Thirsk, Northallerton, Bedale, Masham, Pateley Bridge, Boroughbridge, Knaresborough and Harrogate areas.

Exhibitor spaces start from £250, and visitor entry is free.

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The owners and founders of Crown Jewellers In Harrogate have been nominated for an award by Professional Jeweller Magazine.

Crown Jewellers on Commercial Street is one of six companies in the country to be nominated for ‘Jewellery Team of the Year’.  Steve and Sue Kramer were nominated anonymously.  The winners are decided by retailers and suppliers who will cast their votes at the end of the month. Winners will then be announced in September.

Steve Kramer said:

“This is a fantastic accolade for Sue and I, one which we were surprised and delighted by. To be nominated independently for this award by our peers is testament to our hard work and dedication over the years.

“We genuinely love working together, even after all these years, and looking after our customers too – many of whom we have known now for a very long time! In fact, we have been invited to many of their weddings which is an honour!”

As well as running Crown Jewellers, Sue Kramer is president of the Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce and plays a lead role in promoting the Commercial Street family of shops.

A man has been charged in connection with a collision on Yew Tree Lane in Harrogate that left two teenagers seriously injured.

The 15-year-old Rossett School students who were walking to school at the time, were taken to hospital following the collision at 8.46am on February 2.

Benjamin Oakes, 46, of Tewit Well Avenue, Harrogate has been charged with two counts of causing serious injury by careless driving in a Vauxhall Astra.

He is due to appear at Harrogate Magistrates Court this morning.

Police said a second man who was interviewed under caution will face no further action.

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Staff well-being and culture have rapidly risen up the priority list for many employers.  At the next Stray Ferret Business Club  we’ll hear from award winning employer, LCF Law, on how organisations can ensure their teams are productive and happy. 

The lunch event is lunch at Manahatta, on June 29th at 12.30pm. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

A new business group for women in leadership roles is to be set up in Harrogate. The aim of the Female Advisory Board (aka F.A.B) is to help executives from non-competing organisations come together and problem solve collectively.

The group is the brain-child of Samantha Addy who says she has big ambitions for the women who have been ‘hand-picked’ to attend- not only to help female entrepreneurs but also to help them invest and support women and girls in the arena but find funding difficult or don’t know where to start. The first meeting is a Rudding Park next Wednesday.

Samantha’s said her mission is to empower female trailblazers:

“Why is that so important?  Because research has shown that women generate higher returns for society, are more likely to address social needs and according to Harvard Business Review – women score higher than men in key skills such as leadership, problem-solving and innovation.

“There are so many possibilities and I want to connect these brilliant leaders with other brilliant leaders using Napoleon Hill’s “Mastermind Principle”.

“I’m so excited to launch F.A.B. in Harrogate – there has been such a lovely response to my invitation, even those unable to attend – there is definitely a demand for a more niche community like this and the possibilities it’s going to bring.”

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Harrogate luxury linen store Woods has announced a return to stocking the Italian linen firm, Pratesi.

Established in 1895, Woods is one of the town’s oldest businesses. In recent years it has expanded into Woods Fine Linens and William Woods Interior Design.

William Woods CEO at Woods Fine Linens said:

Staff well-being and culture have rapidly risen up the priority list for many employers.  At the next Stray Ferret Business Club  we’ll hear from award winning employer, LCF Law, on how organisations can ensure their teams are productive and happy. 

The lunch event is lunch at Manahatta, on June 29th at 12.30pm. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

Yorkshire and the Humber attracted fifty one foreign investment projects last year, up from a total of 40 in 2021, according to consultancy firm Ernst & Young.

EY’s ‘attractiveness survey’ showed the region was the UK’s sixth-best performing. Its share of UK FDI projects increased to 5.5% from 4.0%, despite the UK seeing a 6% fall in project numbers.

The survey analyses the attractiveness of a particular region or country as an investment destination. It is designed to help businesses make investment decisions and governments remove barriers to growth.

The region’s strong performance was driven by growth in key sectors, including machinery and equipment, utility supply, and health and social work. sales and business services, manufacturing and logistics.

Stephen Church, EY’s North Market Leader, said:

“Amid a strong year for the North on FDI, Yorkshire and the Humber’s results stand out as exceptional. After a few years of falling project numbers, it’s very encouraging to see the region deliver a significant increase in projects and a strong performance on investment attractiveness relative to the rest of the UK. A positive performance on FDI-supported jobs in 2022 suggests Yorkshire has been able to do well not just on project volume, but on project value too.

“With sustainability and climate change high on investors’ agendas, clean technology is an increasingly important investment focus, providing the UK with the opportunity to play to its regional strengths. Expertise in manufacturing and utilities – key sectors here in Yorkshire – will be crucial to any efforts by the UK to establish itself as a place where clean technology is not just deployed, but also developed and built too.”

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Vida Court, the third care home of Harrogate-based specialist dementia care provider Vida Healthcare, has been rated as Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

All of Vida’s three specialist care homes have now been awarded an Outstanding rating.

The inspection highlighted the exceptional dementia care that is provided. Staff’s exceptional creativity when following best practice guidance was applauded. Person-centred care is prevalent throughout the service, and this includes how people wish to be cared for at the end of their lives and approaching difficult conversations.

Sharon Oldfield, Vida Court Home Manager at Vida Healthcare, said:

“We are extremely proud of the Vida Court team. It is a privilege to work with people who are so focused on enriching residents’ lives and providing the highest quality of care. We are delighted that our inclusive and open working environment, alongside the hard work and creativity of our team has been recognised by the CQC.

“We are committed to developing, promoting and implementing innovative methods of care to deliver an outstanding service to our residents”.

James Rycroft, Managing Director at Vida Healthcare, commented:

“The commitment of the team at Vida Court, highlighted in the inspection report, is what makes our service outstanding. Securing an Outstanding rating for all of our care homes is an incredible achievement, and really sets us apart from other care home operators in the UK. Our staff are our greatest asset and I would like to thank them all for their dedication. “

Vida Court has recently opened a specialist unit to support people living with Huntington’s disease.

Staff at Vida Court celebrate the homes CQC Outstanding status

Selby and Ainsty Conservative MP,  Nigel Adams, a key ally of Boris Johnson, has announced his resignation with immediate affect.

Mr Adams resignation will trigger a third by-election in a Conservative held seat in the past 24 hours- following the shock resignation yesterday of former Prime Minster, Boris Johnson, and former culture secretary, Nadine Dorries as MPs. Mr Adams was minister without portfolio in Boris Johnson’s cabinet.

On Friday Mr Adams was not nominated for an honour on Mr Johnson’s peerage list.

Mr Adams said he wanted to “thank my constituents for their wonderful support since 2010”.

Last year Mr Adams had said he would not be standing again as an MP at the next general  election- today’s announcement means his departure forces an earlier by-election.

Mr Adams was first elected in 2010 and has defended the seat in three subsequent elections. He currently holds the seat with a majority of 20,137.

Posting on Twitter, Mr Adams announced he was leaving politics immediately.

Yesterday, Selby Conservatives selected an excellent new parliamentary candidate.

I’ve today informed the chief whip that I will be standing down as a Member of Parliament with immediate effect.

It has been an honour to represent the area where I was raised, educated &

1/2

— Nigel Adams (@nadams) June 10, 2023

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A group of traveller families has set up camp on Ashville College’s sports field off Yew Tree Lane in Harrogate.

The independent fee-paying school said is was alerted at 9.00pm last night to their arrival and that police have attended the scene.

In a statement the school said it was working closely with the police to remove the travellers and their vehicles as soon as possible.

This not the first time travellers have pitched up on Ashville’s sports fields. In August 2021 travellers parked on the school’s land and demanded money to leave. They left only to return weeks later. The school then started legal proceedings against them before they eventually departed.

Today Ashville College said:

“Naturally, our priority is to ensure the safety of our pupils and to minimise disruption to normal School life. We have taken a number of precautionary measures today including postponing home sports fixtures and ensuring close supervision of our boarders as they move around the campus.

“All parents were contacted on Friday evening and we will continue to update them as we monitor the situation.

“We are grateful to our families for their understanding, and praise our staff for making every reasonable effort to prevent the break-in. The continued vigilance of our staff and supervision of pupils on-site is of paramount importance”.

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It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. Our next networking event is lunch at Manahatta, on June 29th at 12.30pm.

Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

Harrogate based IDR Law has announced a £3.25 million growth capital investment from BGF – one of the largest growth capital investors in the UK.

IDR Law is the only UK law firm to specialise solely in the resolution of contentious wills, probate and trust disputes. The majority of the firm’s work is generated by referrals.

The firm’s IDR Network (IDRN) launched last year provides members with an online referral and support space for contentious issues, along with extensive training,  general resources and commentaries.

The deal will allow IDR Law to invest in talent and legal tech, as well as expanding its office network to the Midlands, North East and London.

Martin Holdsworth, founder and CEO of IDR Law, said:

“By its nature, our work is very emotive, so it’s crucial for us to deliver the best possible service to referrers and clients, which is reflected in our exceptional client and referrer NPS scores. We have identified opportunities for significant growth, but we will only take on cases where we genuinely believe we can help someone reach their goals. BGF understood what we are looking to achieve and that it’s essential we continue to do this in the right way.

“Our business is built on strong foundations because of our focus on our people and culture.  From day one, we were set up to work remotely so we could offer our lawyers the opportunity to work flexibly with paid overtime and a healthy balance between work and home. Because of this, we’ve been able to attract the best talent with a 20-strong team based across the UK with 90% of our workforce made up of women. It’s also the most productive and engaged team I’ve experienced working with.”

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New Executive Chef at Swinton Park

Ruth Hansom has been appointed Executive Chef at Swinton Park Hotel near Masham.

Ruth who has worked at The Ritz, The Ledbury and L’Enclume said her aim is to ensure Swinton achieves five star status in the next 12-18 months.

She said:

“I am thrilled to be joining the team on the at Swinton Estate as Executive Chef.  I am excited to showcase the best of Yorkshire’s produce, from the Estate’s own walled garden to the surrounding farms and producers.”

Ruth has redesigned the restaurant kitchens with between 50% and 80% of the food served in the hotel’s Samuel’s restaurant sourced from the Switnon estate.

Dame Susan Cunliffe-Lister, owner of Swinton, said

“We are delighted to welcome Ruth to Swinton Estate as our new executive chef.

“Her vision and enthusiasm for both the food and the process of delivering it – from kitchen design to creating a happy and fulfilled catering team, really stand out.  We are sure she’ll be a huge asset to all of the dining experiences we offer at the Swinton Estate.”

Ruth Hansom, Executive Chef, Swinton Park

The next Stray Ferret Business Club will focus on staff wellbeing and work culture.

The lunch at Manahatta on June 29 will hear a talk from Rebecca Gosling, HR Lead for LCF Law in Harrogate. The firm was recently named by the Sunday Times as one of the UK’s best places to work. 

The aim of the monthly Stray Ferret Business Club events is to network, share knowledge and business ideas.

Rebecca said:

“Creating a culture of wellbeing in the workplace is not just a luxury, it underpins our HR strategy.

“We are delighted with our achievement in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work accolade. This is a reflection of our focus on our people and culture.

“I am grateful to have the opportunity to share LCF’s wellbeing focus with like – minded professionals.”

Tickets for the lunch are available here.

Cycling store focuses on women riders

Specialized Concept cycling store in Harrogate is to become the first store outside London to stock MAAP clothing.

Specialized said it was keen to support the growing number of women riders – 40% of the MAAP range in store will be women’s cycling apparel.

Assistant manager Felix Geldart said

“We see MAAP as a premium brand and I think it will represent a lot of the riders that we have coming into the shop.

“We’re having more of a focus on women than we have done previously – over the past few years we’ve seen more groups and avenues for women to get involved in cycling.”

Specialized is supporting the inaugural 2023 Women Race North Road Race league, across the North East, North West and Yorkshire.

The store is hosting a series of activities this weekend to celebrate MAAP’s arrival.

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The Adage dance store in Harrogate is to close its shop and only on selling online.

The specialist shop which sells clothing and footwear for different types of dance opened on Cheltenham Parade eight years ago.

The owners said in a post on their Facebook page that they had recently had to review how the store operated due to the rising cost of utilities, stock and a change in customer shopping habits.

They also said the arrival later this year of a new baby for one of the team played a part in the decision.

The statement said that “after careful consideration” they had taken the decision to move to becoming an online retailer only and would miss their in-person relationship with customers.

The store which fits pointe shoes for ballet dancing said their fitter would offer a new service visiting dance schools to fit on-site from January next year.

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