Brimham Rocks and Fountains Abbey will stay open during lockdown, the National Trust has confirmed.
The charity said it wanted people to enjoy outdoor spaces, but all of the trust’s indoor sites will close from tomorrow.
That means the visitor centre restaurant at Fountain’s Abbey will remain open for takeaway only.
But the abbey, Studley Royal water garden and the play area will remain open.
At Brimham Rocks, the kiosk will remain open to serve takeaway hot and cold drinks and snacks.
The car parks at both venues will stay open.
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National Trust director-general Hilary McGrady said the well-being of visitors, staff and volunteers was its priority.
Ms McGrady said:
Green groups in Harrogate unite to push for radical change“We follow government advice and guidance at all times, in each of the nations we serve.
“We know how important access to green space, nature and fresh air are to people, and we’ll do everything we can to provide them during the next phase. Our priorities will remain the safety and well-being of visitors, staff and volunteers.”
Green groups in Harrogate have joined forces to increase the pressure on Harrogate Borough Council to tackle climate change.
Harrogate District Climate Action Network represents more than 4,000 residents from 13 groups, including Extinction Rebellion Harrogate, Long Lands Common, the Pinewoods Conservation Group and Zero Carbon Harrogate.
The group is separate to the Harrogate District Climate Coalition, which the council set up at the beginning of the year to bring together councillors as well as green groups and local businesses.
The coalition has been criticised by campaigners for being little more than a talking shop.
The new network has said it will campaign for swift and radical change.
In an open letter to HBC council leader Richard Cooper and cabinet member for carbon reduction and sustainability, Phil Ireland, the network calls for a “step-change in the ambitions and speed of activity” at HBC regarding the climate.
The letter says the network appreciates the council setting up the coalition and developing internal change plans but adds:
“However, the network is very concerned about the limited progress made so far.
“We believe there needs to be a step-change in the ambitions and speed of activity, one which reflects the growing and alarming body of scientific evidence and the urgency needed to mitigate and adapt to climate breakdown.”
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Responding to the open letter, Cllr Phil Ireland, cabinet member for carbon reduction and sustainability said the council had made “good progress” on its climate targets, which are set out in the authority’s Carbon Reduction Strategy.
He said:
“Responding to the climate crisis facing us all is not just an issue for the council.
“It’s an issue for every resident and business across the district. That’s why we created a climate coalition, so we have the right organisations around the same table to jointly tackle climate change together.
“When compared to councils of our size, and with the resources available to us, we have made good progress so far against an ambitious action plan.
“We had already agreed to meet the group before it issued its news release although a convenient date has had to be agreed.”
A full list of HD-CAN members is below:
Extinction Rebellion Harrogate
Harrogate District Friends of the Earth
Harrogate Cycle Action Group
Harrogate & District Green Party
Knaresborough SPARKS
Long Lands Common
Love Sustainable Knaresborough
Nidd Gorge Community Action
Nidderdale Climate and Environment Group
Pinewoods Conservation Group
Sustainably Harrogate
United Nations Association Harrogate
Zero Carbon Harrogate
‘Disappointed and bemused’: junior football clubs react to shutdownJunior football clubs in Harrogate and Knaresborough say they are “disappointed and bemused” at the decision to suspend all matches and training sessions from Thursday.
Following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement of a new one month lockdown, the FA released a statement yesterday that said all fixtures and training for youth football must end in line with the lockdown.
Chris McVey, chair of Pannal Ash juniors, a well established club that runs boys and girls teams from ages 5 to 18, told the Stray Ferret the enforced break will have a big impact on children’s lives and he is “struggling to come to terms” with the decision.
“The kids love the training so the boys, girls and the parents are all disappointed. Junior football only happens for a number of years, you don’t really appreciate it until it’s taken away from you. This is an important time in their lives, but when it’s gone it’s gone. They make friends for life playing junior football.”
The links between exercise and mental health are well known and Mr McVey believes the break will have a “massive” impact on children’s mental health.
He added:
“I fear that this time of year, when it’s dark, the kids won’t get out at all. That does affect them mentally just as much as physically.
“After last lockdown, the joy when the boys and girls came back was amazing. It was a real focus being with their friends again and getting fit.”
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Knaresborough Celtic have been a cornerstone of the community for many years. Club chair Matthew Wood told the Stray Ferret he disagreed with the implication that junior football is unsafe and said the lockdown is “a shame for the kids”.
“I have no evidence of anyone catching covid from playing junior football. We have a one-way system, sanitising, we haven’t had any cases. There isn’t much risk, I don’t think.”
With games cancelled during the first lockdown, Knaresborough Celtic gave parents partial subscription refunds. Mr Wood said the club is in a “challenging” financial environment but hope to receive grants from the FA or government, like last time.
“Who knows where we will end up. We still have our bills to pay, maintencnce, grass still needs cutting. A lot of parents dont realise happen.”
Some of their teams will have one last emotional training session tonight at King James’ school’s 3G pitch, which opened in February but hasn’t been fully utilised due to both lockdowns.
He said:
Flaxby vs Green Hammerton: the saga so far…“There’ll be no skills or tactics, we’ll just let them play for an hour then we’ll see them again in the new year, I guess.”
This week, a judge at the High Court in London will decide whether Harrogate Borough Council’s decision to choose Green Hammerton and Cattal ahead of Flaxby for a major expansion of housing in the district was unlawful.
If the ruling goes against the council, it could mean the decision has to be made again.
It is a saga that has rumbled on for years with many twists and turns. Below is a timeline of events so far.
August 2003: North Yorkshire County Council sells land at Green Hammerton to farmer Derek Pickles. When the council sold the land, there was a covenant attached that said if planning permission were granted within 30 years for any other use of the site, a “clawback” would apply. This would result in NYCC receiving 70% of the uplift in the land’s open market value.
2008: Farming family the Armstrongs sells Flaxby golf course to the Skelwith Group for £7m, which then publishes plans for a 300-bedroom five-star hotel on the site. The golf course and hotel would be called Flaxby Country Resort and is touted as the “jewel in Yorkshire’s tourism crown” and even a future host of the Ryder Cup.
March 2010: Harrogate Borough Council grants planning permission for the hotel but building work never begins. Despite this, 158 buy-to-let rooms in the hotel are sold to investors.
An artist’s impression of the doomed Flaxby hotel.
May 2014: The government rejects Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan for the district, after years of preparation. The council begins the process of identifying more sites for housing.
November 2014: Skelwith Group abandons plans to build a hotel and draws up new proposals to develop Flaxby into a new town of up to 2,500 homes.
March 2015: The golf course closes.
January 2016: Skelwith goes into liquidation. A report from administrators RSM Restructuring says the company owed almost £70m, including £51m to HMRC and £7m to former owners the Armstrong family.
April 2016: Flaxby Park Ltd, a company made up of businesswoman Ann Gloag and regeneration specialists Chris Musgrave and Trevor Cartner, purchases the 260-acre golf course site from administrators. Their new proposals include 2,750 homes and a rail link at Goldsborough.
Summer 2016: HBC launches a “call for sites” where landowners can put forward sites that could potentially fit a new settlement. Both Flaxby Park Ltd and CEG Group propose separate developments at Flaxby and Green Hammerton.
November 2016: HBC’s draft Local Plan identifies two locations for a new settlement: Flaxby and Green Hammerton/Cattal.
April 2017: CEG Group publishes a “vision document” for 3,000 homes at Green Hammerton.
A CGI image from the CEG proposal at Green Hammerton.
July, August, September 2017: A consultation is held where CEG’s Great Hammerton plans are presented as the preferred option over Flaxby Park.
November 2017: Flaxby Park Ltd submits a planning application for the 2,750-home development to HBC.
December 2017: At a full council meeting, councillors agree to submit the Local Plan to the Planning Inspectorate, including Green Hammerton as the area for the new settlement.
January and February 2018: HBC holds a public consultation on this decision. Campaigners in Green Hammerton deliver more than 600 objections against it.
Campaigners deliver Green Hammerton objections to HBC.
June 2018: CEG Group formally submits its plans to HBC for Green Hammerton.
August 2018: Harrogate Council submits its Local Plan for independent examination.
February 2019: Oakgate Group, part of Wetherby-based property developers Caddick, submits plans for a rival proposal called “Maltkiln Village” at Cattal.
The “Maltkiln Village” proposal around Cattal railway station.
March 2020: HBC adopts its new Local Plan with Green Hammerton/Cattal identified as the location for a new settlement.
October 7, 2020: HBC agrees to press ahead with a consultation on 3,000 new homes at Green Hammerton/Cattal. Its “preferred option” is land around Cattal rail station.
October 13, 2020: HBC’s planning committee rejects the 2,750-home Flaxby development. The other two applications – by CEG and Oakgate Group – are yet to be decided by the committee.
October 27, 28 and 29, 2020: The High Court judicial review will take place on the Flaxby decision.
The Stray Ferret will be covering the Judicial Review this week at the High Court. Check our website for the latest updates, or subscribe to our newsletter to get a daily round-up direct to your inbox.
Why a punk singer from Harrogate wants to be West Yorkshire mayorHarrogate punk singer Rio Goldhammer is hoping to be the Labour Party’s “rebel” candidate in the West Yorkshire mayoral election next year.
The elections will be held in May for the new metro mayor, who will have control over the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, similar to Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester.
Labour Party members will vote to choose their candidate in November and December, and Goldhammer hopes to join candidates including Tracy Brabin MP and Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe on the shortlist.
He told the Stray Ferret he is standing to highlight issues that matter to him, such as the detention of asylum seekers, affordable housing and public transport.
By day he is a lecturer in music business at Leeds College of Music but by night he’s the snarling frontman of post-punk band, the 1919, which he believes sets him apart from his political rivals.
He said:
“I’m a punk singer so I’m not going to be a conventional candidate. There’s a lot of safe candidates including a lawyer, an MP and the leader of Bradford Council. But whoever does win will make an absolutely great mayor.”
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Goldhammer grew up in Harrogate, attended Harrogate Grammar School, and said his upbringing in the town informed his left-wing politics.
He said:
“There’s this idea of Harrogate being 100% super posh and everybody that lives here must be a millionaire. But my family didn’t have a lot of money. I was on free school meals and had a single parent. Those things inevitably affect the way you view things later in life.”
He’s no stranger to the rigours of campaigning and in the 2016 Harrogate district council elections, he stood for the Labour Party in Killinghall, winning 8.5% of the vote share.
He even created a film about the experience standing in Harrogate called Punk Rock Politics.
His political endgame, he said, would be to abolish the West Yorkshire mayoral position entirely in favour of a One Yorkshire devolution package, which he said would have benefits for the whole county, including Harrogate.
The 1919 performing in Germany
His band, the 1919, have toured across Europe and South America, but coronavirus has put a stop to any gigging for now.
But Goldhammer said that his bid for mayor gives him a platform to highlight the plight of the live event industry, which has been decimated by coronavirus.
He added:
“It’s an absolute killer not having live events. Do we want to live in a world without arts, music and theatre? I don’t think we do. This at least gives me an opportunity to draw some attention to some of the problems musicians are facing.”
And if he does gain power in West Yorkshire, he said he’d never lose sight of his humble beginnings.
Harrogate restaurant to deliver meals to families in need“I hope I’d never get to the stage where I’d forget what it’s like to look for what bread is reduced by 20p in the supermarket!”
A Harrogate restaurant will cook meals and deliver food parcels to families in need over half term, following a controversial vote in the House of Commons over free school meals.
Ozgur Babat, the owner of Portofino Ristorante Italian restaurant on Albert Street, said he took action after the government voted down a Labour Party motion to extend free school meals over half-term and the Christmas holidays. There are currently around 2,000 children in Harrogate receiving free school meals.
He said:
“When I saw they’d cancelled free meals for kids, that was heartbreaking really. I have a daughter, she’s only two and a half. I put myself in that position where I couldn’t afford to buy the food for her. How would I feel?”
On Monday, staff at Portofinos will begin preparing pizzas in the kitchen as well as food parcels with rice, pasta and flour. Families can send the restaurant a message on Facebook to get food delivered to their door, with no questions asked.
He said:
“Even if we can touch one person, that will make us happy.”
However, Mr Babat said the restaurant has already received messages from 10 families in Harrogate who require food for their children.
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Mr Babat said even though his independent restaurant is “struggling to survive” because of the pandemic, this was something he felt he had to do. He now hopes other restaurants in Harrogate will follow his lead and join in if they can.
While some people may say it should be the government’s job to ensure that children in need are fed, rather than charity or local businesses, Mr Babat said he is not interested in the politics of what his restaurant is doing.
He added:
Highfield pupils earn ‘eco-points’ for walking and cycling to school“We’re not thinking anything about politics. The kids are our future. It’s all about humanity and how we can help the people. Hopefully we won’t send any kids to bed without their bellies being hungry.”
Pupils at Highfield Prep School in Harrogate have been competing for ‘eco-points’ by walking, cycling, and scooting to school as part of an initiative to improve the environment.
The school, which caters for children aged 4-11, organised the Move to School initiative this term to encourage children and their families not to travel to school by car.
The class with the most eco-points at the end of the term will win an eco-trophy.
Lizzie Fee, social media manager at Highfield, which is part of Harrogate Ladies College, said the scheme is about improving the children’s awareness of how their actions affect the world around them.
She said:
“This is a great way to encourage the children to become aware of their impact on their environment, and that everyone can make a difference no matter how small. It all helps!”
For families who travel by car from further afield, the school has encouraged parents to shorten their journeys and walk the remainder of the way.
Ms Fee added:
“We are very proud of the children’s commitment and enthusiasm to eco-initiatives and green activities and we will be promoting six Move to School weeks every term.”
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- Western Primary School urges council to tackle road fears
- Could cars be banned outside primary schools in Harrogate?
There is a national project gaining momentum called School Streets, which bans vehicles from outside school gates during pick-up and drop-off times.
The project aims to make streets near schools safer places for children, increase opportunities for them to walk or cycle and reduce their exposure to toxic air pollution.
School Streets was pioneered in the London borough of Hackney in 2017 and has since expanded across the country, including Yorkshire primary schools in Halifax, York, Leeds and Sheffield.
North Yorkshire County Council has not said it will introduce School Streets but its Open Harrogate project – which encourages active travel – said on Twitter the possibility was being explored.
What is the situation in the Harrogate district on free school meals?The Stray Ferret has received lots of messages about free school meals after last night’s vote in the House of Commons.
A Labour motion to extend provision of £15-a-week food vouchers to 1.4m disadvantaged children in England during holidays until Easter 2021 was voted down.
Opposition motions rarely succeed — only one has done so since 1978. They are designed to raise issues governments would prefer to ignore but the high profile support of footballer Marcus Rashford and the sensitivity of the issue generated considerable interest.
Many comments to the Stray Ferret were critical of Harrogate district Conservative MPs Andrew Jones, Julian Smith, and Nigel Adams, who all voted against the motion.
The Harrogate district is below the national average for children receiving school meals, but nevertheless almost 1 in 10 children receive them.
1,932 free meals in district
A Freedom of Information request in 2019 to North Yorkshire County Council revealed that in May 2019, 1,932 children in the Harrogate district received free school meals, which represented 8.2% of all pupils.
Last year, the county average was 10.2% and the national average was 14.1%.
However, the number of children receiving free school meals in the district had risen from October 2018, when it was 7.7% of pupils.
To qualify for free school meals a parent must apply to North Yorkshire County Council with evidence that they are receiving a benefit, such as Child Tax Credit, Income Support, or Universal Credit.
Several Conservative MPs issued a joint tweet last night defending what the government is doing for low-income families.
It said:
“We’re supporting pupils in need: Free school meals for 1.4 million children from low income families, £9 billion extra put into the welfare system to help and £63m to help councils support families in need.”
A spokesperson from Harrogate District Food Bank, a charity that supports community action, told the Stray Ferret it expected to see Harrogate families using its food bank during half-term next week.
The spokesperson said:
“”From past experiences, families in Harrogate seem to scrape through the holiday and then come to the food bank the week or two after, but we shall just wait and see if that is the case.”
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Yesterday’s motion was voted down by 322 to 261, with five Conservative MPs voting against the government.
The Stray Ferret contacted Andrew Jones, Julian Smith and Nigel Adams but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
Match Preview: Grimsby Town vs Harrogate TownHarrogate Town will be looking for a third league win on the bounce tonight when they head to the east coast to play Grimsby Town.
Town have taken confidently to life in League Two of the English Football League and recorded victories over Barrow AFC and Bradford City in their last two fixtures. The club is currently in 7th place, which is in the playoff positions and just two points behind leaders Cambridge United.
Grimsby, who are managed by the popular Ian Holloway, are also looking for a third win in a row after recent victories against Cheltenham and Leyton Orient.
The two clubs have already played each other this season in the EFL Trophy. That game at Blundell Park ended 2-2 with Grimsby winning on penalties.
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Town manager Simon Weaver has largely stuck with the same team that won promotion last season, minus Jack Diamond, who has been replaced by former Celtic midfielder Calvin Miller.
There is competition for places between veteran striker Jon Stead and Aaron Martin, who joined the club from Guiseley just before lockdown.
Weaver opted for the lively Martin in the first few games but in the last two games has picked the more experienced Stead.
Grimsby have had a recent run of misfortune with injuries, and James Hanson, Max Wright, Elliot Hewitt and Danny Rose all expected to miss out tonight.
Knaresborough’s Oliver Cromwell building set for faceliftA historic building in Knaresborough, which is believed to be on the site where Oliver Cromwell stayed during the siege of the town in 1644, is set for a facelift.
80 Knaresborough High Street, which dates back to 1764, has been derelict for decades.
Knaresborough was a Royalist stronghold during the English civil war but surrendered after Cromwell’s Parliamentarian forces laid siege to the castle for four months.
Harrogate Borough Council has applied to turn the building which is on the site where he is reputed to have stayed, as well as a former weaver’s workshop on number 82, into flats and new shops.
The council purchased the two Grade II listed properties in 2019 from developer Freshwater Group with the intention to bring them back into use.
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The application proposes to refurbish and retain the existing vacant retail units on the ground floor and turn the upper levels into four flats.
The council’s planning committee will meet on Tuesday next week to decide on the plans, which are recommended for approval.
The application is supported by both Knaresborough Civic Society and York Georgian Society.