Harrogate Apple repair shop donates 60 iPads to local schoolchildren

An Apple repair shop in Harrogate has refurbished 60 iPads and donated them to local schoolchildren.

Howard Conrad on Leeds Road launched an appeal in January for faulty devices after staff read news reports about parents not having the technology for children to study from home during lockdown.

The shop’s team of technicians has been busy over the past couple of months bringing the iPads back to life.

They have now been donated to schools that are part of the Red Kite Learning Trust, a charitable company that operates several schools in the district, including Harrogate Grammar School, Western Primary School and Rossett Acre Primary School.

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 Danny Scott, manager of Howard Conrad, said:

“Thank you very much to everyone who donated iPads over the last two months, thanks to your generosity and our repair skills – over 60 children have been able to learn from home who otherwise might not have been able to.

“This have been a been a valuable experience for not only the children who received the iPads but also ourselves as we have learnt a lot along the way and we hope to be able to offer more charity work in the future.”

“We want to pay a special thanks to Dave Noble at the Red Kite Trust, who organised the distribution of these donated iPads on our behalf”

 

Harrogate Town Wembley petition nears 900

Almost 900 people have signed a petition set up by a Harrogate Town fan that calls on the FA to move a Wembley cup final appearance so fans can attend.

The FA announced last season’s postponed FA Trophy final between the club and Concord Rangers will take place behind closed doors at Wembley on May 3.

But for Philip Holdsworth, who set up the petition, this has led to “heartwrenching disappointment” for fans as the government says supporters can return to stadiums from May 17 — just two weeks later.

Hebburn vs Consett in the FA Vase final will also take at Wembley on May 3 which promoted Labour MP for Jarrow, Kate Osbourne, to raise the issue in the House of Commons.

Several Harrogate Town fans have now contacted Conservative Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones in the hopes he will support their cause.

Town supporter Jordan Ford said he hopes the petition will influence the FA to move the fixture:

“If we didn’t try then nothing would change. We’re getting our voices across and doing all we can.”

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The FA previously said the game would be rearranged when fans can return. Town fan Rob Nixon said long-suffering supporters should be rewarded for their patience.

“After missing out on Wembley last year, we had a lot of good faith in the FA after they suggested a final we could attend this season. I think it’s only fair they honour this and reward the fans for our patience.”

You can sign the petition here.

Plans to convert Ripon office block into apartments

Plans have been submitted to convert the Athelstan Court office block in Ripon into 19 homes.

The site owners, Athelstan Court Ltd and Spirit 80 Limited, are proposing 13 two-bedroom and six one-bedroom apartments with 30% being “affordable”.

The building on Kearsley Road has been empty since 2013 and lies within the College Business Park. It was previously used as offices by the Inland Revenue.

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In 2020, the building was being sold as office space for £1.3 million.

However, planning documents suggest the owners failed to find a buyer for this purpose:

“The marketing information over the past 7+ years has demonstrated that the site is not desirable for office use with no credible offers for use of the site for office use. This leads to conclude that the use of the site for employment use is unviable.”

Harrogate district reports 7 more covid cases

There have been 7 more positive covid cases reported in the Harrogate district today.

The total number of confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic is now 7,497.

The district’s seven-day covid rate stands at 44.1 cases per 100,000 people. The national average is 56.6, while the North Yorkshire rate is 50.3.

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It was revealed yesterday that Harrogate’s coronavirus testing centre is to be moved from the Dragon Road car park to a new location “within the next few months”.

This is because the car park is used by Harrogate Convention Centre which is planning to reopen in June.

Meanwhile, the NHS announced that 70,138 people have now received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

Weeton Show to go ahead in July

Weeton Show is set to return on July 18.

The annual agricultural show, which has taken place since 1945, includes horse, sheep, dog and poultry classes, as well as competitions for fruit, flowers, vegetables and crafts.

Organisers were forced to cancel last year’s show due to the covid pandemic.

However, after the government announced its roadmap out of lockdown, show chair Paula Harper said they were determined to give the community something to look forward to.

She said:

“We all felt strongly that we couldn’t cancel it for the second year in a row, so we thought, we better go for it.”

“We’re still in the lap of the Gods, but we’re confident it will be able to take place.”

Paula said this year’s edition at its usual home on Weeton Lane will be a smaller affair but will still feature favourites such as the Rougemont Chase, which sees runners make a dash around the Rougemont wood.

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The outlook is positive for other agricultural shows in the district.

The Yorkshire Agricultural Society said it plans to stage a three-day Great Yorkshire Show from July 13 to 15. Organisers of the Nidderdale Show are also “cautiously optimistic” that the event will go ahead this year.

Paula said agricultural shows are vitally important to the rural communities they serve — but can always be helped by a bit of sunshine on the day.

She added:

“Weeton Show is institution as far as the local community is concerned.”

Train staff in Harrogate to wear body cameras

Rail operator Northern is introducing body cameras for staff to prevent crime on trains and at stations.

The company, which serves Harrogate station, is introducing more than 350 cameras for staff across the north of England.

It says the cameras will provide ‘enhanced protection’ for staff dealing with threatening behaviour.

They will not record all the time but the footage could be used as evidence in criminal cases and could be the deciding factor in securing court convictions.

Northern said in a statement that studies showed body-worn cameras reduced crime.

A freedom of information request recently submitted by the Stray Ferret revealed that since 2018 there were 22 reports of verbal or physical abuse against Northern staff on one of the Harrogate lines.

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British Transport Police chief inspector Lorna McEwan said:

“A trial using body-worn video cameras showed a significant reduction in assaults against rail staff.

“This is really positive step by Northern. As well as reducing incidents of assault on rail staff by helping to diffuse situations, body worn cameras also reassure the public as they travel through stations and on trains.”

Lightwater Valley to reopen next month

Lightwater Valley will reopen to visitors on Saturday April 17.

The theme park will initially be operating with reduced capacity and all visitors will need to pre-book tickets online.

Staff will be carrying out on-site cleaning and queue markers will be in place to help visitors keep a safe distance apart.

Manager Colin Bowes said:

“It’s wonderful to be able to start welcoming visitors back again and we are doing everything we can to ensure they can have a great day out in a safe and secure outdoor environment.”

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Visitors will be able to enjoy a series of brand new attractions for the 2021 season including Go Safari, which is described as a sightseeing journey to spot dozens of life-sized animals hiding in the grasslands.

Other rides that will be open include the Little Dipper, Carousel, Skyrider, the Lady Bird rollercoaster and Splash Falls.

Covid vaccine tally in Harrogate district hits 70,000

A total of 70,138 people in the Harrogate district have received their first coronavirus vaccine, according to NHS England figures today.

The data, which covers the period until today, reveals almost 6,000 vaccines have been given in the last week.

North Yorkshire’s health officials insisted yesterday the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and urged people to continue to come forward for their jabs when invited.

However, under-50s will now not be offered a vaccine during April due to supply problems.

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Meanwhile, another 12 covid infections have been confirmed in the Harrogate district today by Public Health England.

The district’s seven-day covid rate stands at 39 cases per 100,000 people. The national average is 58, while the North Yorkshire rate is 48.

Harrogate council awarded £2.4m to cut carbon emissions

The government has awarded Harrogate Borough Council over £2.4m to cut carbon emissions at the Hydro swimming pool and Harrogate Convention Centre.

The Hydro, which opened in 1999, received £1.8m to replace gas boilers with air source heat pumps, install solar panels on the roof and put in place new energy monitoring and control systems.

A total of £580,000 will be spent on the almost 40-year-old convention centre to convert its lighting to LEDs, install solar panels and heat pumps and introduce variable speed drives to control the fans and pipework insulation.

Air source heat pumps are regarded as an environmentally friendly way to heat buildings. They work by absorbing heat from outside air and pumping it indoors.

The council, which has a goal of being a net-zero carbon economy by 2038, hopes the improvements will cut emissions by 577 tonnes a year at the Hydro and 70 tonnes at the convention centre.

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Kathryn Daly, head of place-shaping and economic growth at the council, said:

“We have ambitious plans to ensure our own operations and buildings will be clean, efficient and have a net zero carbon economy by 2038.

“This government funding provides a significant step to allow us to achieve this.”

The council has awarded a £1.1m contract to Arcadis to design the first phase of a proposed £47 million redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre.

Asked how the redevelopment might affect the new funding, a council spokesman said:

“Arcadis are still working on design plans for the proposed development.

“Should the redevelopment be agreed, and subsequent planning applications submitted and approved, these improvements will no doubt complement the plans.”

The council successfully bid for the funding from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy‘s public sector decarbonisation scheme.

The scheme has so far awarded £932 million to 429 projects in England and Wales.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust announced in January that it had received £14m from the fund to reduce Harrogate District Hospital’s carbon footprint by 25%.

North Yorkshire County Council also received just under £2m to improve carbon efficiency in its buildings.

Man charged after police officer struck by car in Harrogate

A 30-year-old man has been charged with three offences after a police officer suffered a fractured kneecap in Harrogate on Tuesday.

The man has been charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified and use of a motor vehicle without third party insurance.

The incident happened at 3.20pm when officers approached a suspicious vehicle in Bewerley Road, Harrogate.

A male police officer underwent surgery and has remained in hospital since the incident.

A 35-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman who were also arrested have been released on conditional bail.

All three people are from Leeds. North Yorkshire Police has not revealed any names.

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