Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Show on course for 140,000 sell-out

The Great Yorkshire Show could welcome 140,000 visitors next week, with tickets already sold out for Wednesday and Thursday.

The county’s showpiece agricultural event will take place over four days from Tuesday to Friday next week at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate.

In 2021, organisers capped the number of visitors at 104,000 and made the show a four-day event to spread out the number of visitors due to covid.

This year, the show is back to full strength and the last few tickets are available for Tuesday and Friday. Tickets are available here and won’t be sold at the gates.

As well as the usual animal shows, activities, stalls and competitions, Tuesday will see a royal visit from Princess Anne and a new GYS stage will welcome TV stars Matt Baker, Amanda Owen and Peter Wright.

Show director Charles Mills said:

“We have capacity for 140,000 visitors across the four days and there are no ticket sales on the gate so anyone who wants to come and enjoy the show needs to be buying their tickets as soon as possible.”

The Stray Ferret will be attending the show and will also be giving traffic updates from Wetherby Road and Harrogate town centre each morning.

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Andrew Jones MP backs bid for levelling up cash to fund HCC redevelopment

Harrogate MP Andrew Jones has set out his support for a bid for levelling up cash to fund a proposed redevelopment of the town’s convention centre.

Mr Jones said the bid from Harrogate Borough Council is “key” to levelling up not just the local area, but also Yorkshire and the Humber as the convention centre is a “significant driver of economic activity” across the region.

He said:

“The convention centre is Yorkshire’s convention centre and hosts large-scale regional and national events, most of which attract many international visitors.

“This bid for funding towards the centre’s redevelopment project is key to levelling up across Yorkshire and the Humber, not just the Harrogate district.

“It will help provide a platform for Yorkshire and the Humber businesses domestically and for export, help to drive inward investment and support extensive employment opportunities.”

It is understood the bid to the second round of the government’s Levelling Up Fund is worth £20 million – the maximum amount allowed per project.

Harrogate Borough Council is behind the convention centre proposals and will submit its funding bid before noon tomorrow after it received the support of Mr Jones.

The project was first announced by the Conservative-run council in 2020, but there have been questions over the total £47 million cost could be funded.

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It will also need to be approved by borough councillors before it can go ahead.

The project could involve three exhibition halls being demolished to make way for a new 5,000 sq m hall and a refurbished auditorium.

There are also proposals to refurbish the convention centre’s studio two with a flexible events space for up to 1,200 delegates. A start date for this first phase of works was previously earmarked for October.

The Harrogate district has been listed as a tier three area in the Levelling Up Fund which prioritises areas most in need of economic growth and is a key part of the government’s aim to give communities that feel left behind a chance to catch up.

This was the same tier listing when a joint bid from Harrogate Borough Council and Craven District Council for £6 million to fund regeneration projects in Ripon, Skipton and Masham was unsuccessful in the first round of bidding last year.

The bid did not receive any money, with tier one and tier two areas being given greater priority.

Harrogate man ‘out of his mind’ on alcohol admits attacking friend

Vitalijus Koreiva has admitted punching and kicking Gracijus Balciauskas during a drunken argument but that he was “out of his mind” on alcohol during the weekend he died.

Mr Koreiva, 36, and Jaroslaw Rutowicz, 39, are accused of murdering Mr Balciauskas at a flat on Mayfield Grove in Harrogate on December 20 last year.

Yesterday afternoon and today at Leeds Crown Court, Mr Koreiva was cross-examined by defence barrister Simon Kealey QC and prosecuting barrister Peter Moulson QC.

The court heard how Mr Koreiva, who is Lithuanian, had abused alcohol since he was 13 and there were periods during his life when he was drinking a litre of vodka a day or “until I get knocked out”.

He moved to Harrogate in 2017 to move in with his sister in a failed attempt to get sober and had previously been in prison in Germany for drug offences.

Mr Koreiva said he was working at the Morrison’s factory in Flaxby packing onions and carrots and had developed a friendship with both Mr Rutowicz and Mr Balciauskas whilst living in Harrogate.

Read previous articles on the trial below:

Game of chess

Mr Koreiva disputed Mr Rutowicz previous claim that the argument took place over a game of chess but said he could not remember how it began.

The court heard how on in the early hours of December 20, Mr Koreiva erupted after Mr Balciauskas told him to “go f*** himself”.

Mr Koreiva then said he raised his fists in aggression and punched Mr Balciauskas four times in the face.

A video was again shown in court, taken on Mr Rutowicz’s phone, that showed Mr Koreiva kicking him whilst Mr Balciauskas was laying bloody on the floor and semi-conscious.

When asked why he kicked a defenceless man, Mr Koreiva said:

“I was in such a state I didn’t know what I was thinking or doing.”

He then said he “did not remember” what happened after he kicked Mr Balciauskas.

‘I was in shock’

After several hours passed without either man calling an ambulance, Mr Rutowicz felt his pulse and told Mr Koreiva that he was dead. Mr Koreiva said he attempted CPR to try and save him.

“I had two hands on his chest and I was doing CPR. I saw the blood in his mouth at that moment Rutowicz said, ‘It’s too late, leave it, leave it.

“I was in shock. I couldn’t believe it. It was unexpected really.”

Mr Koreiva then said the pair had a drink of alcohol together “to give our last respect for Gracijus, a drink for our friend.”

Speaking about the assault on Mr Balciauskas, he added:

“If I was sober it would never have happened. I was out of control.”

‘Out of our minds’

Mr Koreiva also admitted to putting Mr Balciauskas’s dead body in a rug after he died. He said both himself and Mr Rutowicz were “absolutely out of our minds and in madness”.

He added:

“We didn’t know what we were doing. You can’t imagine me and Rutowicz carrying a dead body through Harrogate town centre? It was a situation when you are drunk, lost and don’t know to do.”

During cross-examination, Mr Rutowicz claimed that Mr Koreiva threatened him with his life he called 999, which he denied.

He said:

“He is trying to get out of prison. I wasn’t holding him or threatening him. He was free to go. He’s lying. He’s a good actor.”

Police interview

In Mr Koreiva’s original statement given in the days after the incident took place, he told police that he saw Mr Rutowicz strike Mr Balciauskas twice.

However, in court, he admitted this was not true and he initially tried to “create another version” of events because he feared Rutowitc would pin the murder on him.

Mr Koreiva confirmed that he did not see Mr Rutowicz be violent towards Mr Balciauskas on the night that he died.

He told the court, “I’m taking my responsibility for the death of Gracijus” who he called a “good man”.

Mr Koreiva added:

“I want to apologise to Gracijus’ family for everything that happened. He did nothing wrong and he didn’t deserve this”.

The trial will continue tomorrow.

Doubt cast on Harrogate murder suspect’s claim

Doubt has been cast on a murder suspect’s claim that he was not involved in the death of Gracijus Balciauskas at a flat on Mayfield Grove in Harrogate last year.

Jaroslaw Rutowicz, 39, and Vitalijus Koreiva, 36, are accused of murdering Mr Balciauskas at a flat on Mayfield Grove in Harrogate on December 20 last year.

The trial at Leeds Crown Court began two weeks ago with the prosecution giving evidence.  The court heard how Mr Balciauskas’s body was found wrapped in a rug.

Mr Rutowicz took the stand last week to begin his defence. He claimed Mr Koreiva violently killed Gracijus Balciauskas after a drunken game of chess turned ugly — and then threatened to do the same to him if he dialled 999 for help.

Today Mr Rutowicz was cross-examined by Mr Koreiva’s barrister, Peter Moulson QC, who suggested his version of events was “simply a lie”.

‘In shock’

Much of Mr Moulson’s questioning focused on why Mr Rutowicz did not call the police until almost 18 hours after the alleged murder took place.

The court had previously been shown CCTV footage of Mr Rutowicz leaving the flat and returning several times to buy alcohol in the hours after Mr Balciauskas died.

Mr Moulson QC said:

“For almost 18 hours after your friend sustained his injuries, you went backwards and forwards to the flat voluntarily. You were never being threatened by Mr Koreiva, that is simply a lie.”

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During today’s hearing, Mr Rutowicz repeatedly said that he was in shock after witnessing the death of Mr Balciauskas.

Mr Rutowicz repeated his previous claim that he had been threatened by Mr Koreiva with his life if he called the police. He said Mr Koreiva’s nickname in Harrogate was the “crazy Russian” and he had an unpredictable character.

He said:

“It was that fear. Nobody had threatened me before in my life like that, that he would find me and kill me. As long as that aggression was there I kept coming back.”

Harrowing images

The court was again shown harrowing video images, filmed on Mr Rutowicz’s phone, of Mr Balciauskas bloodied and barely conscious after being assaulted at the flat on Mayfield Grove.

Mr Moulson QC suggested the reason he filmed the encounter was to use it as a threat against Mr Balciauskas if he “crossed” the pair again, which Mr Rutowicz denied.

He said:

“[I filmed it] so I could report to police what Vitalijus had done. I didn’t kill him. I didn’t beat him.”

The afternoon finished with Mr Koreiva on the stand beginning his evidence. The trial continues tomorrow.

Harrogate Convention Centre redevelopment to seek levelling up cash

The proposed £47 million redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre will seek cash from the government’s Levelling Up fund.

Harrogate Borough Council is behind the major project and has today confirmed it will bid to the second round of the fund which has a limit of £20m per project and a submission deadline of July 6.

The redevelopment plans were first revealed in 2020, but questions over how the project would be funded have remained ahead of the council being abolished next April.

The council issued a statement today, but did not say how much it would bid for.

It said:

“We can confirm we will be submitting a formal bid through the government’s Levelling Up Fund to help support the redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre.

“If successful, a version without commercially sensitive information will be available on our website after the announcement.”

The Levelling Up Fund was set up to help areas in need of economic recovery and growth, and each project must have the support of an area’s local MP.

Cash for the 40-year-old convention centre has also been included in a proposed devolution deal for North Yorkshire and York, which is currently being negotiated with government.

It is expected that a deal will be reached this summer, although there are questions over what funding could be agreed for the convention centre.

The venue has been described as in “critical need” of an upgrade by the council which previously said that without investment its maintenance costs could reach £19 million over the next two decades.

The proposed redevelopment could involve three exhibition halls being demolished to make way for a new 5,000 sq m hall and a refurbished auditorium.

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Plans to refurbish the venue’s studio two with a flexible events space for up to 1,200 delegates are also included in the proposals.

A start date for these works was earmarked for October, although the wider project has yet to be given approval.

Figures revealed by the Local Democracy Reporting Service last year showed the council has already spent £1.5 million on planning the redevelopment ahead of a final decision from councillors.

Contracts have been awarded to several companies to produce design and feasibility works, an economic impact assessment and a business case.

These works will be presented to the council’s cabinet in “the coming months,” a spokesperson said.

In the first round of the Levelling Up Fund, Harrogate Borough Council and Craven District Council submitted a joint bid for £6 million for regeneration projects in Ripon, Skipton and Masham.

The projects would have included “high-quality place-making, improved cultural and community assets, and improved sustainable connectivity” in the three areas.

However, the bid was not successful and no funding was awarded.

Bilton man says government is failing young people with mental health issues

A man from Bilton who battled undiagnosed Post-traumatic stress disorder for six years says the government is failing young people with mental health issues due to a lack of funding.

Ben Rothery, 22, said his mental health first began to suffer as a teenager when he struggled to come to terms with his sexuality and was bullied by other children.

He also developed a problematic relationship with food and his weight increased to 18 stone.

The bullying led to a suicide attempt aged 16 and further traumatic events at university increased his suffering. Despite seeking help through the NHS several times, they were unable to diagnose what was wrong with him.

He said in one year, he told at least 10 people within the NHS about the same traumatic experiences.

He said:

“I shut everything positive out of my life. I didn’t know what was going on.”

Huge waiting lists

After his suicide attempt six years ago, he was first referred by his GP to CAMHS, an NHS service for young people with mental health problems.

Mr Rothery said the waiting list was “huge” but he was offered regular sessions for a year.

He was one of the lucky ones, with reports of some young people waiting up to two years for sessions.

Whilst helpful, he said CAMHS was unable to diagnose him with any mental health condition, which left him confused.

Things began to improve at school, and after coming out as gay during his school’s 6th form prom, his confidence improved. He went to university in York to train to be a teacher and his future looked bright.

He said:

“It was the happiest I’d ever been. I finally looked in mirror and that was who I wanted to be.”

But whilst at university, his mental health began to suffer again. He starved himself and lost six stone in just two months.

He then suffered a painful fallout with people he thought were friends and faced more bullying.

He bought a pride flag that he hoped to take to his first Harrogate Pride event. However, somebody went into his bedroom, urinated on it and posted a video all over social media. He said he then “isolated himself completely”.

Retreating into own world

When the first covid lockdown happened in March 2020, Mr Rothery said “the world stopped when I needed it to stop”.

He dropped out of university with thousands of pounds worth of debt, moved back home to Harrogate with his family, and retreated into his own world.

He said the experience at university was traumatic and he didn’t feel like he could talk about it.

“People said, ‘it’s just drama’ but it really affected me. It was like being so high up, feeling like you made it in life, then plummeting straight back down. I was lower than when I tried to commit suicide at 16″.

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Seeking help

In early 2021, Mr Rothery decided to seek help again. His GP referred him to IAPT, an NHS talking therapy service.

But he was offered just three hours of CBT treatment and it didn’t address his problems. He was still desperately seeking a diagnosis and an answer to why he was feeling so bad.

He said:

“I thought I had anxiety that had spiralled out of control. I had looked into PTSD, but I thought only people who had suffered really extreme things, like soldiers or victims of sexual assault had that.

“I felt like I hadn’t been listened to. Everybody I spoke to didn’t understand my problems.”

He said he carried on struggling until late last year when he had a “complete meltdown” and contemplated suicide again.

“I sat sobbing in my bedroom. I thought, I don’t want to leave my mum and dad. I saw how my previous suicide attempt made them feel. But I just thought, I don’t want to wake up.”

Next therapist

With his mental health problems now at an all-time low, he visited his GP again.

The doctor presented him with two options: go back to IAPT again or take medication. But he didn’t want to rely on chemicals to feel better.

Fortunately, his dad, who is a painter and decorator, had a customer in Harrogate who is a trained therapist. A deal was agreed where he would do work for her in return for offering sessions for Ben.

Private therapy sessions usually start at least £50 an hour, out of reach for most young people in Harrogate on lower salaries, so the offer changed his life.

He said it was the first time somebody had listened and told him what was wrong with him: PTSD brought on by the traumatic events of his teenage years and at university.

“That was the first time somebody told me what was wrong with me.

“It’s like a filing cabinet that has been thrown over and reorganising. It was the first time I’d felt listened to. I felt like I’d achieved something. For six years since 16 I’d been trying to get support but nobody seemed to know what to do.”

Doing better now

Mr Rothery says since the private therapy sessions finished he is doing much better. He has a fulfilling job and a good support network including his mum and dad.

But he fears that there are countless other people in Harrogate who are suffering with poor mental health in silence⁠ —and they are unable to afford expensive private therapy sessions that could make all the difference.

A report published in May by Harrogate-based Healthwatch North Yorkshire found that 72% of young people said they had experienced mental health or well-being issues in the past year.

Mr Rothery said:

“The biggest frustration for me is that anybody who didn’t have a support system at home like me would not have survived as long as I did. It crossed my mind that i could stop it all with one solution, but I’d be giving up. If i was to commit suicide, I’d give up all this fight.”

He added:

“If everybody tried to get help and came forward to their GPs, maybe more would be done.”

Starbeck cafe tackling the cost of living crisis

A cafe in Starbeck has become a hub for the local community, which is rallying together in the face of the cost of living crisis.

The Living Room Café is run by Sarah Khanye and inside the Life Destiny Church at 93b High Street.

The family-friendly space opens from Tuesday to Friday from 9am until 3pm and hosts a variety of events that aim to bring the community together with homemade food, drinks and treats available.

Ms Khanye, 31, has worked in catering all her life. When the Stray Ferret visited yesterday, she looked at home with a spoon in a bowl as she made a cake.

She set up the cafe over two years ago, before covid and before the cost of living crisis.

Both have unquestionably increased stress, isolation and anxiety for people living in Starbeck.

The cafe aims to be not just a place to fill up your belly, but also somewhere where local families and friends can get together in a welcoming space.

Ms Khayne said:

“One cup of tea can last all day. The cafe helps people feel safe, combats loneliness and improves mental health.”

Affordability

The cafe is volunteer-run, with prices kept affordable.

It also includes a pantry and community fridge that includes donated food from places like the Co-op, which people are able to pay for with whatever they can afford.

The cafe also hosts events including community running clubs, craft and coffee mornings and get-togethers for mums, among other activities.

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Cost of living

Starbeck is one of the least affluent areas in the Harrogate district with many residents more vulnerable to increasing prices.

Life Destiny Church also runs a food bank, which has seen demand increase sharply.

Ms Khanye says in the last two months alone, the number of people coming to the food bank has gone up by a “massive, massive” amount as the cost of living crisis continues to bite.

She said:

“People in Starbeck are worried about the cost of living. A lot of people have limited income so numbers are growing.”

But with difficult times ahead, Ms Khanye believes Starbeck will stick together through choppy waters.

She added:

“I just like to see people enjoy the community where they live.

“Seeing families being able to support each other is massive. It would be a sad thing not to work here!”

Some of the events the cafe puts on.

Bambudda restaurant in Ripon to close

Asian restaurant Bambudda in Ripon is to close this month.

The eatery on Kirkgate posted a message on its Facebook page this afternoon to say that it will shut its doors for the last time on July 11.

Opening in 2017, Bambudda built a name for itself in the city for offering quality Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian and Thai food.

The message said:

 “We are very grateful for your support in last few years. Thank you for all lovely messages, all the amazing staffs in Ripon Team”.

The message added that anyone who has vouchers at the restaurant is able to use them at its Darlington restaurant, which will remain open.

Bambudda is one of Ripon’s most popular restaurants and the post this afternoon prompted a flurry of responses from Riponians who enjoyed eating there.

The comments included ‘Big loss for Ripon, been a few times and always been excellent food and service’ and ‘Thank you for all the support you gave me providing food for the elderly and vulnerable during lockdown — was appreciated by many in Ripon’.

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Children at Starbeck school plant new community garden

Children at Springwater School in Starbeck have been busy planting fruit trees, edible herbs and wildflowers in a new community garden.

The special needs school on Starbeck High Street offers a modified curriculum for young people aged two to 19 with special needs.

The community garden was the brainchild of Life Destiny Church and Starbeck Community Group, which wanted to collaborate on a new green space in Starbeck where produce can be enjoyed by the local community.

The herbs and fruit trees that were planted will be used in the school’s curriculum cooking sessions. Food will also be donated to the food bank that takes place at the church.

Around 80 students spent a day working on the area last week along with Andrew Hart from Starbeck Community Group and Jeremy Fennings from the church.

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Kelly Tomlinson, RE lead at Springwater School, said:

“It will create a wonderful area of greenery in Starbeck that can be enjoyed into the future. All students shared the common goal of supporting the community in a project that cares for our planet.

“Andrew and Jeremy were fantastic at guiding students throughout the day and we continue to work with them, developing the area further. “

Andrew Hart added:

“A smaller group of Springwater students are now attending the garden weekly with Life Destiny Church and Starbeck Community Group to bring this garden to fruition. The produce will all go to Springwater School and the vulnerable in the community. It’s another great example of the community working together in Starbeck.”

Harrogate pregnancy brand raises £2m to grow company

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

A Harrogate business specialising in maternity products has raised £2m to help grow the company.

My Expert Midwife offers 19 products designed to help women prepare and recover during pregnancy, birth and early parenthood, as well as midwife-developed webinars, antenatal classes and ebooks.

Its products are sold online and in Boots, John Lewis, Ocado, JoJo Maman Bébé and Next.

The £2m fundraise was led by Pembroke, which invested £1.5m alongside existing shareholders and private investors.

Lesley Gilchrist, registered midwife and co-founder of My Expert Midwife, said:

“Our driving vision is to help all parents-to-be on their journey to parenthood, every step of the way, from preconception, through pregnancy and birth, to recovery and caring for their new baby, whether that be through our expert information guides and ebooks, our midwife-developed products or our antenatal education services.”

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New coffee shop opens in Harrogate

A new coffee shop called Espresso House has opened in Harrogate.

The shop is on Beulah Street in a unit that was previously home to Subway.

It joins a flurry of new food and drink openings on Beulah Street over the past year, including Turkish cafe Sirius, which is over the road from Espresso House.