Harrogate Borough Council’s claim that 120,000 visitors attended two jubilee events over the recent four-day weekend has been questioned.

To celebrate the Queen’s 70 years on the throne, the council and Harrogate Business Improvement District turned part of the Stray into Jubilee Square. The venue included a stage and big screens showing events such as the Queen’s birthday parade.

Valley Gardens hosted a free family festival, organised by the council, which featured jugglers, magicians, choirs and fairground rides. An artisan market was also held in the Sun Colonnade in the gardens.

The free rides in Valley Gardens were a hit with families.

Following the two events, the council’s tourism body Destination Harrogate issued a news release that said 120,000 visitors attended over the four days.

Whilst the events were clearly popular, the council’s figures suggest as many people attended them as the British Grand Prix, Leeds Festival or the Great Yorkshire Show.

How was the figure calculated?

The Stray Ferret asked the council how the figure of 120,000 was calculated.

At Valley Gardens, a system called PFM counted whenever someone entered, meaning one person could be counted multiple times.

A council spokesperson confirmed that “if people went between two sites then they could be counted twice”. They added:

“Of course, when it isn’t a ticketed event you can’t be 100 per cent but we believe over the four days there were more than 120,000 visits to both locations.”

The council’s method of counting visits means that a family of four would have been counted 8 times if they had begun the day at the Valley Gardens, gone to the Stray and returned to Valley Gardens later in the day.

Jubilee Square on the Sunday night.

If they did the same thing again the next day, the same family would have been counted another 8 times.

This suggests the true number of people that attended the events could be significantly lower than the “120,000 visitors” stated in the news release.

Read more:

• Mixed picture for Harrogate town centre as jubilee celebrations end
• How the Harrogate district celebrated the jubilee

‘Loose with the facts’

Harrogate district resident and transparency campaigner Alex Smith has queried the council’s use of statistics on previous occasions.

He has questioned its claim that three million people visit Valley Gardens a year and has also queried a comment by Conservative council leader Richard Cooper that 88% of Harrogate Convention Centre conference delegates return to the district for leisure.

Mr Smith accused the council of using “bogus” visitor numbers to trumpet its jubilee events and to justify spending on projects such as the proposed £47m redevelopment of the convention centre.

He added:

“Obviously this is an attempt at PR for their Destination Harrogate intentions.

“But with the future of of the town centre at stake we deserve better than a council playing fast and loose with the facts.”

Asked to respond to Mr Smith’s comments, the council spokesperson insisted its jubilee figure was accurate. They said:

“We use a system called PFM that records visitor numbers to Valley Gardens in Harrogate. This system recorded 120,258 visitors between Thursday 1 June and Sunday 4 June.

“As we knew visitors could – and would understandably want to – enjoy all the events taking place across Harrogate town centre, we used a rounded figure and phrase of ‘more than 120,000’.”

Harrogate footballer Rachel Daly has made the England squad for the Women’s Euro 2022 tournament this summer.

Daly, who went to Saltergate and Rossett schools, now plays in the United States for Houston Dash.

The full-back is also an experienced international who has made 46 appearances and scored seven goals for her country since her debut in 2016.

Manager Sarina Wiegman has used the versatile Daly as a substitute in recent fixtures.

The Lionesses have reached the Women’s Euros final twice before in their history, in 1984 and 2009.

This year’s tournament will be played in England and the squad will be hoping home advantage will give them an extra edge. They are in a group with Austria, Norway and Northern Ireland.

Daly, along with the rest of the squad, today met Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, who wished them luck.

⚽️ Wishing the very best of luck to the @Lionesses ahead of this summer’s UEFA Women’s Euro 2022.

A major tournament on home soil is an exciting prospect and it’s clear the players are looking forward to the opportunity to show what they can do. pic.twitter.com/RzoZ4BYvMk

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) June 15, 2022

Read more:

• Harrogate’s Rachel Daly dedicates England goal to late dad Martyn
• ‘She’s just my daughter!’: Rachel Daly’s dad’s pride at Olympics star
• Harrogate footballer’s journey from Killinghall Nomads to Tokyo Olympics

When do England play?

Wednesday July 6

England vs Austria, 8pm, Old Trafford

Monday July 11

England v Norway, 8pm, Brighton and Hove Community Stadium

Friday July 15

Northern Ireland v England, 8pm, St Mary’s

All of England’s games will be shown live on the BBC.

https://twitter.com/RachelDaly3/status/1537115164931153920?s=20&t=Hl6Dk4RnCIKTtmbWt6blwQ

World-class opera singers used to performing in New York and Paris will be at the picture-perfect village of Aldborough for a production of Handel’s Theodora tomorrow evening.

The performance will take place on the opening day of the two-week Northern Aldborough Festival, which hosts some huge names in jazz, opera and pop music.

Theodora will be the biggest performance in the festival’s 29-year history and will be performed in the 14th century St Andrew’s Church, which is rich in history.

The Stray Ferret dropped in on rehearsals at the church this morning and met Robert Ogden, the festival’s director.

He said:

“There isn’t a huge amount up north where you can go to a small rural community like Aldborough and hear world class artists that have just stepped off platforms in London, Paris or New York.

“You can get very close. Some stages are bigger than this church, so you’re right in the thick of it hearing these world class performances.”

Theodora is being played by soprano Fflur Wyn and directed by Joe Austin, whose recent credits include Katya Kabanova at the Royal Opera House.

It will include a line-up of soloists, chorus and orchestra under the baton of Baroque specialist, Julian Perkins.

Mr Ogden called the opera “a tragic tale”.

“It’s about persecution and a small sect of Christians in Pagan times that are in hiding practicing their religion. There’s an edict from the emperor that says anyone who doesn’t worship the pagan god will be killed.

“It does take quite a dark turn but it’s very moving. It’s about a noblewoman called Theodora who is very devout and a young Roman soldier who who wants to rescue her.”

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Other festival highlights

The festival,  near Boroughbridge, will also include an appearance by the British bass, Sir John Tomlinson, who will star in a new opera by John Casken based on Shakespeare’s King Lear.

There will also be performances from Blur’s Britpop rebel rock star turned cheesemaker, Alex James, and classical guitar player Sean Shibe.

Other acts include an evening of jazz by Claire Martin and clarinetists Julian Bliss performing with leading pianist James Baillieu. Clare Hammond, a leading light on the UK piano scene, will play Schubert, Stravinsky and Schumann.

As well as established names, the festival supports young talent. It hosts a Young Artists Showcase, as well as the upcoming harp and saxophone duo, The Polaris Duo.

On the final evening, the grounds of Aldborough Manor will be opened for the festival finale, an outdoor concert with fireworks that often attracts around 1,000 people.

The last night concert features Harrogate-born vocalist Alex Denny of The Big Cheese, with high-voltage pop and rock covers, supported by So 80s, who set a light show to 80s tracks.

To book tickets for Theodora or any of the other events visit here.

The rate of covid in the Harrogate district has more than doubled since the end of May.

Latest North Yorkshire County Council data shows there are currently 113 positive cases per 100,000 people in the district.

The rate was at as low as 52 cases per 100,000 people on May 30.

Whilst the rate has begun to climb up again for the first time since March, it is still far below the peaks seen in January and April 2022.

Source – North Yorkshire County Council

North Yorkshire County Council public health consultant Dr Victoria Turner said the rise was being driven by the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants of omicron.

The sub-variants have also caused high rates in other countries across the world.

She said:

“There is evidence that BA.4 and BA.5 are more transmissible than previous variants, and there is limited protection from infection with previous variants against BA.4 and BA.5.

“The ways to prevent the spread of BA.4 and BA.5 remain the same as for other covid variants. Meeting outdoors where possible or in well-ventilated areas indoors, wearing a face covering in enclosed or crowded spaces, and good hand and respiratory hygiene will all reduce the risk of transmission.”

Dr Turner said anyone who has tested positive for covid should stay at home for five days.

Covid tests are available to be purchased from pharmacies.

Read More:

• Trees in new Bilton woodland to be dedicated to covid victims
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A senior North Yorkshire Police officer has said former officer Christopher Groom ‘betrayed public trust and betrayed North Yorkshire Police’ after he was given a community order for downloading indecent images of children.

Leeds Magistrates Court heard yesterday how Groom, 41, searched the internet for images of youngsters using search terms such as ‘naked young teens’ and ‘youngest naked models’.

Analysis of Groom’s computer tower revealed that he had downloaded 8,707 Category C images of children over what is thought to be a seven-year period.

District Judge Richard Kitson told Groom, of Main Street, Claxton, he would not be sending him to jail because the probation service said he was at low risk of reoffending and could be rehabilitated in the community.

Mabs Hussain

Following the end of the court case, North Yorkshire Police deputy chief constable Mabs Hussain said the force “demands the highest level of integrity from our officers and staff.”

He added:

“This is essential to ensure the communities we are proud to serve have complete trust in their police service.

“The abhorrent and criminal actions of Groom have betrayed that public trust and he has betrayed North Yorkshire Police.”

Read more:

• Police officer avoids jail after downloading 8,000 indecent images of children
• Mobile speed van is not ours, says North Yorkshire Police

Groom resigned from North Yorkshire Police ahead of his first court appearance on May 18.

An accelerated misconduct hearing will now be considered by the Chief Constable and the professional standards department.

Groom was investigated by NYP’s online abuse and exploitation team.

Detective Sergeant Steve Alderson said:

“The fact that Groom was a serving North Yorkshire Police officer made no difference to how we conducted the investigation.

“He was treated the same as any other member of the public who become subject to a criminal inquiry and court proceedings.

“This case shows the determination of North Yorkshire Police to secure justice against those involved in indecent images of children offences, no matter who they are.”

A review into Harrogate’s controversial hosting of the 2019 UCI Road World Championships is finally set to be published – almost three years after the major cycling event was held.

Members of Harrogate Borough Council’s overview and scrutiny commission are behind the review, which will be published ahead of a meeting on July 4.

The nine-day cycling event was hailed by organisers as a “once in a lifetime moment” for Harrogate, but was also criticised by businesses and residents in the town who had complaints about disruptions during road closures.

It is also infamously remembered for leaving Harrogate’s West Park Stray severely damaged after the parkland was used as a spectator area during heavy rainfall, with repair works and upgrades later costing £130,000.

Conservative councillor Nick Brown, who has chaired the cross-party review, previously said the commission hoped to publish a final report last year, however, there have been several delays.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he said:

“I can confirm that after long deliberations, covid and the recent local elections, it is planned for me to present the review on 4 July.

“The purpose of the review is to fully understand the impacts of this large-scale event for people who live and work in the area, and to also make any recommendations based on the evidence presented during the investigation.

“It should make interesting reading and perhaps will be useful for the new North Yorkshire unitary authority which will be involved in holding future events.”

Cllr Brown also said the views of residents and businesses had been “extremely useful” in shaping the review which involved a survey last year.

The review is separate to an economic impact study carried out by accountancy firm Ernst and Young at a cost of £19,000 to the council.

Read more:

• Harrogate walkers highlight shared cycling routes and footpath concerns
• ‘I am utterly clueless when it comes to cycling’: How The Personal Cyclist helped me conquer my fear

This study concluded the championships resulted in an economic boost to the local economy of £17.8 million and was watched by a global television audience of 329 million.

It also said 84% of people who came to watch the event were satisfied or very satisfied with it.

However, it did not take into account a reported drop in earnings for some businesses, whose complaints rumbled on long after the event was held.

Retailers unhappy

Retail campaign group Independent Harrogate previously conducted its own survey looking into the event’s economic impact. After speaking to 22 of its members, the group claimed losses amounted to nearly £1m.

Based in Harrogate as the host town, the championships were held in the UK for the first time in nearly 40 years after a joint-bid by British Cycling, UK Sport, Welcome to Yorkshire and the government’s sport and culture department.

The event organisers were Yorkshire 2019 – a now-dissolved company which was set up by the government and later contributed £35,500 towards the West Park Stray repair costs.

A further £95,000 was spent on park upgrades by Harrogate Borough Council which spent a total of £606,000 on hosting the event.

The biggest single cost was £200,000 for the fan zone on West Park Stray.

A developer is not giving up on his dream of delivering a self-build eco-development in Flaxby after being knocked back by Harrogate Borough Council.

Ben Holmes, from Birstwith, first submitted plans last year to build the cutting-edge development in the village near Knaresborough.

It was for a community self-build scheme, which is a different model of housebuilding from what is usually seen.

Mr Holmes would install infrastructure, such as paths, water, drainage and a communal area, on the site.

Nine plots would then be available to people who want to build their own home. The buyers then hire an architect and builder and design a home to suit their family’s needs.

A stipulation would ensure all the homes are built to strict environmental standards and include solar panels, air-source heat pumps and super-tight insulation.

The plans were refused by the council on the grounds that it was not in the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which sets out where development can take place, and because the number of homes was below the council’s requirement per hectare.

‘Moving away from the car’

Mr Holmes appealed the council’s decision to the government’s Planning Inspectorate but it upheld the refusal.

He has this week submitted new plans to the council, which he hopes address the reasons for refusal.

The revised plans include plots for 20 homes, which would be available to those who have joined Harrogate’s self-build register.

He said:

“All of the principles of our original scheme will be included, which is again trying to move away from the car, with use of shared electric vehicles and further an electric mini-bus for the school run.

“The homes will generate their own electricity with photovoltaic panels on the roofs and rainwater harvesting will be used to cut down on energy bills.

“They will all be Passivhaus, relying mainly on solar gain for heating, and have air source heat pumps for any extra heating required. They will be extremely well insulated and air-tight. The intention is that they will set the standard for new homes across the area, and be a catalyst for greener developments.”

Read more:

• Eco-development could be catalyst for green housing in Harrogate district
• Developer appeals decision to reject Harrogate district eco-homes

New village hall

The initial proposal received a seven-page objection from Goldsborough and Flaxby Parish Council.

It cited concerns over flooding, sustainable transport and claimed the plans “gave no thought whatsoever to the village of Flaxby”.

To help win over locals this time, Mr Holmes has added a village hall and nature reserve for anyone to use.

He added:

“This was in response to some of the existing villagers’ comments that there was nothing in the original scheme to fulfil their social needs, and it should be more integrated for community cohesion.

“The joined parishes of Flaxby and Goldsborough don’t currently have a village hall so this would be an opportunity for them to have their own village asset, that they can use as they see fit.”

The council will decide on the plans at a later date.

Just 2.2% of all adults in the Harrogate district are claiming out-of-work benefits, latest figures show.

Monthly figures published today by the Office for National Statistics show 1,755 people were claiming the benefits on May 12, which was similar to April’s figure of 1,779.

The figures appear to have stabilised after falling by around 150 people a month since the start of the year.

However, they are still above pre-pandemic levels. In January 2020, 1,410 people claimed the benefits that includes Universal Credit.

Universal Credit can also be claimed by people who are in work but on low incomes.

Many of the district’s key sectors including hospitality and social care have reported difficulties hiring staff since the end of covid restrictions.

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Sainsbury’s supermarket on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road looks set to remove eight manned checkouts to make way for more self-service tills.

Over the past decade, self-service tills have become increasingly the norm for shoppers.

A survey published by The Grocer last year found that manned checkouts were still the most popular choice for both men (42%) and women (39%), but 31% of shoppers now prefer to pay using self-service.

The Stray Ferret understands from a source at the Wetherby Road store, which is the largest supermarket in Harrogate, that it plans to replace eight manned tills with self-service checkouts later this summer.

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson confirmed it plans to introduce more self-service checkouts, which it said would meet customer demand for the service.

She said:

“We regularly review the services available in our stores to make sure we offer the most convenient experience to our customers.

“This summer we will slightly increase the number of self-service checkouts at our Harrogate store so that we can meet customer demand for this service.

“Our colleagues are on hand to help anyone who may need support using them and we continue to offer manned checkouts for our customers who wish to use them.”

The spokesperson added that no jobs will be lost in the Harrogate store but staff that did work on the checkouts will be working “in a slightly different way”.

Read more:

• ‘We just want to make a living’: Harrogate cabbies hit out at new rules
• Oliver Bonas to open in Harrogate in September

Self-service checkouts are now ubiquitous in every major supermarket but they are not always popular, particular with older shoppers who like to have a chat with the person serving them.

This year a pensioner in London called Pat McCarthy launched a petition against Tesco, which is also replacing manned tills with self-service checkouts.

At the time of publication, it’s been signed by over 170,000 people.

Ms McCarthy, 69, wrote:

“What used to be a great shopping experience has now become physically difficult, overwhelming, and a ‘nightmare’.

“I love chatting with the staff, albeit briefly, especially as l live on my own. Talking with human staff is important to me. Now that experience has been taken away.”

Good morning and welcome to our Knaresborough Bed Race live blog. It’s Tom here who will be here all day. It’s the first race since 2019 and it’s fair to say there’s a buzz of excitement around.

The weather at the moment is overcast with a light breeze, perfect weather for lugging a heavy bed through town.

The actual race kicks off at 3pm but there’s a whole day of activities organised by Knaresborough Lions. I will be heading to Knaresborough Castle shortly for the judging of the best-dressed beds competition.

Amusements at Conyngham Hall open at 12pm and there’s the traditional parade of beds through the town from 1pm.

Teams have been slowly making their way up the high street all morning carrying their beds to the castle, conserving some energy for later you suspect.

17.00 – Presentation at Conyngham Hall

With all the festivities of the day, it’s easy to forget there was an actual competition taking place.

The presentation followed a very enthusiastic live band who performed hits from The Killers and Mumford and Sons, which had the crowd dancing like it was Glastonbury.

GH Brooks was the quickest team on the day, making their way around the course in a rapid 12.59.

The Welly Wheelers were the fastest women’s team at 15.14 and celebrated on stage to pick up their trophy.

GH Brooks, the fastest team

The Welly Wheelers, the fastest women’s team

That’s all for a very enjoyable Bed Race 2022. See you next year!

15.30 – Crowds line streets for the 2022 race

Thousands of people lined the streets to cheer on every team who competed in this year’s bed race. We got a good vantage point close to Henshaws to take in all the action.

One moment that summed up what bed race is all about was near the end when a woman was walking after being separated from her team. She looked in agony but the crowd roared and she picked up the pace to carry on running past the delighted spectators.

Watch the race below:

13.45 – Town is heaving

Whilst the bed race at 3pm is main attraction, today is usually the busiest day of the year for pubs and cafes in Knaresborough. We stopped for a quick pitstop in the Hart on Market Place, where it was lively.

The Hart pub

1.00pm – Bed parade through the town

All 85 beds took part in a glorious parade through the town that was led by bagpipes, The Rocketmen and a resplendent Knaresborough town crier Roger Hewitt.

The parade was a feast for the senses and it was hard to keep up with everything on show but there were bumblebees, men dressed as mermaids, rugby players and more. We’ll pretend those few raindrops we all felt didn’t happen.

Watch our video of the full parade below:

12.30pm – The Rocketmen are victorious!

A team of Knaresborough dads called The Rocketmen have picked up the top prize for their steampunk-inspired effort. Bravo.

The Wall-E bed that caught my eye going up the high street this morning came a commendable second.

The steampunks will take pride of place with their bed at the front of the parade, which starts shortly. The streets are already full with people hoping to get a good view for the afternoon.

11.30am – Best dressed beds competition

Judging is underway for the not-so-serious business of best dressed bed. There are over 80 teams and they’ve all got into the environment spirit.

Without wanting to pre-empt the judges decision, I really did like Techbuyer’s effort which involved decorating a bed and bicycle with used computer components. Although it did look very heavy, which could cost them in the time trial.

Top marks to Monkton Meanderers and Meadowside Academy, too.

Techbuyer

Meadowside Primary Academy with their ‘English Countryside’ theme

Monkton Meanderers with their bed that shows the recycling process.

10.30am – People and their beds make their way to Knaresborough Castle.

The theme this year is The Environment: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. One woman was seen walking up the high street with an ingenious dress made out of crisp packets. Crisp chic!

Another team was pushing up their bed, which was the Pixar trash cleaning robot Wall-E.