Washburn Valley tells story of Queen through creative flower festival

A creative festival of flowers in Blubberhouses tells the story of the Queen’s life and 70 years on the throne.

The display is available to visit at St Andrew’s Church in Blubberhouses, just past Fewston Reservoir off the A59, from 11am to 4pm every day over the four-day weekend.

It’s been organised by the Friends of St Andrew’s Church and displays have been arranged by talented florists that live in the Washburn Valley, which includes villages such as Norwood, Fewston and Farnley.

Displays pay tribute to major events in the Queen’s life, including her wedding to Prince Philip and the coronation.

There are also displays that highlight some of the Queen’s interests, such as horses, Balmoral and the girl guides.

The church’s top florist, Daphne Wilson, has been busy arranging several of the displays this week.

She said:

“We wanted to depict the major part of the Queen’s life. It’s our first proper outing since covid. We’re all volunteers and everyone has played their part.”

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Teas and some delicious homemade cakes are also available. Money raised will go towards paying for new disabled access at the church.

There are 12 displays in total. Some pictures are below:

‘The Commonwealth’ by Alison Bowers

‘Balmoral’ by Lorna Freegard and Bolton Priory Flower Team

‘The Coronation’ by Catriana Cleverley, Virginia Kay, Liz Furse, Connie Fenwick and Duncan Clayton

‘The Wedding’ by Daphne Wilson

‘Childhood’ by Steph Wilson

Harrogate rail campaigner ‘optimistic’ early morning train could be reinstated

Rail campaigner Brian Dunsby has said he is “optimistic” that the 6.07am Harrogate train to Leeds could be reinstated sooner than expected.

Mr Dunsby, of the Harrogate Line Supporters Group, met officials from rail operator Northern last week.

The cuts, which came into force on May 15 and have also affected services across Yorkshire, led to widespread disappointment from commuters.

The early service from Harrogate was popular with business travellers as a way to get not only to Leeds but also to London King’s Cross before 9am.

However, Northern has maintained the cuts are necessary.

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Mr Dunsby and the group’s chairman, Andrew Whitworth, met with senior Northern officials Tony Baxter and Pete Myers to discuss the changes to the timetable.

Following the meeting, Mr Dunsby said:

“I am optimistic that the 6.07am early morning service from Harrogate to Leeds will be reinstated as soon as the threatened industrial action has been settled.

“Failing that happening in quarter three then I am confident that December 2022 will see the reinstatement of the original December 2021 timetable if all else is going to plan.”

Members of the RMT union, which includes Northern employees, voted to strike over pay last week with industrial action expected to take place this month.

Tony Baxter, regional director at Northern, said previously:

“The new timetables are designed to deliver high levels of reliability.

“We’ve made decisions about our timetables based on the levels of resource we have available.

“We’ve then prioritised the routes with the highest customer demand, and which support the region’s economic growth.”

How stressful is it managing Harrogate Town?

Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver has had many nerve-wracking moments during his 13 years on the touchline at Wetherby Road.

But he was recently fitted with a monitor to see how a 90-minute match affects his heart, in an experiment captured by Sky Sports.

Weaver was fitted with a heart monitor at The Duchy Hospital in Harrogate before the club’s final game of the season against Sutton United on May 7.

The game promised to be an emotional one as it was the last game for veteran midfielder Lloyd Kerry before he retired.

One moment in particular, where Jack Diamond rounded the keeper only to see his shot hit the post, saw the exasperated gaffer put his head in his hands.

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The cardiologist Professor Chris Gale showed Weaver the results of the heart monitor after the game, which thankfully showed his ticker was healthy and in good condition.

There were a few peaks, such as when Diamond hit the post and the manager’s heart rate rose to 115bpm.

Weaver told Sky Sports after the game:

“Now I know my heart’s in good nick, it comes as a relief. It’s interesting how excited you can get during a game. It can really raise that heartbeat so I have to stay fit to do this job.

“I try and transmit a bit of calm to the lads, we have our moments where we get a bit too excitable. It doesn’t do the players any favours if I’m off the Richter scale!”

Click here to watch the full video.

Ofsted returns to St Aidan’s for ‘very positive’ monitoring visit

Ofsted inspectors were back at St. Aidan’s Church of England High School for their first monitoring visit last week, following the school’s ‘inadequate’ report this year.

The report was published in January and was highly critical of the school’s leadership and management. It said pupils are “at risk of harm” due to its safeguarding measures.

The school was rated ‘good’ in four of the five areas assessed during September’s two-day visit. These were: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and sixth form provision.

But its ‘inadequate’ grading for leadership and management meant it automatically achieved the same overall outcome.

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Schools that receive an ‘inadequate’ rating are subject to regular monitoring visits by inspectors to check on progress.

A full inspection will take place within 30 months of the last report.

A St Aidan’s spokesperson said the school will provide more information about the visit before the end of term, but it was a “very positive experience” overall.

They said:

“As a result of our most recently published Ofsted inspection report, St Aidan’s is subject to monitoring visits to assess progress against our statement of action.

“We were pleased to welcome Ofsted back for the first of their monitoring visits recently. While this was a very positive experience we are unable, as is standard practice, to share any further details at this stage. We are hopeful that we will be able to provide more information before the end of term.

“We would also like to pass on our thanks and gratitude to our staff, children and young people, parents and carers, and all stakeholders, for their on-going support in making St Aidan’s the very special place that it is.”

Key planning document delayed for west Harrogate residents facing 4,000 new homes

Residents worried that west Harrogate won’t be able to cope with thousands of new homes are facing further delays to see another key document on how under strain services should be improved.

The West Harrogate Parameters Plan was met with dismay when it was approved by Harrogate Borough Council in February after almost two years of work between council officers and housing developers.

It was criticised as a “developers’ charter” by locals who said the long-delayed plan failed to recognise the pressure that around 2,500 new homes will put on the area’s roads, schools and health services.

And now a delivery strategy on when proposed improvements will be carried out and how much they will cost has been hit by yet more delays.

The West Harrogate Infrastructure Delivery Strategy was due for completion in May – but the borough council has now failed to say whether it will be approved before the end of the year.

Cllr Howard West, chairman of Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council, said he had “little faith” in the outcome of the delivery strategy, but added he was prepared to accept the latest delays if it “yields the infrastructure we need”.

He said:

“Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council has offered to cooperate with Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council from day one regarding highway infrastructure for the new settlement on Harrogate’s Western Arc.

“Our offers of continuous involvement have constantly been rebuffed with a ‘we know best’ attitude that allows only a token consultation once the draft has already been made.”

West Harrogate was identified for major expansion during the creation of the district’s Local Plan when a government inspector ordered the parameters plan to be made.

Once complete, both the delivery strategy and parameters plan will be used together to shape decisions on how west Harrogate will cope with 2,500 new homes – although as many as 4,000 properties are set to be built in the wider area by 2035.

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There are proposals for two new primary schools and four playing pitches, as well as two new local centres for shops and health services.

Land has also been designated for other businesses, as well as new cycle lanes, footpaths and bus routes.

As part of the delivery strategy, a review of existing infrastructure is being carried out ahead of the document being published in draft form during a public consultation.

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said it aims to publish the draft document in mid-July, but did not say when it could be signed off.

The spokesperson said:

“Since the completion of the West Harrogate Parameters Plan, we have been working with our appointed consultants to prepare the West Harrogate Infrastructure Delivery Strategy document.

“This has included topic based discussions with technical officers on matters such as education, sports and green space, transport and health alongside phasing and trajectory input from site promoters.

“We are currently in the process of pulling this information together to provide a document to help the long term coordination of infrastructure across the west Harrogate sites.

“We intend to hold an information session with local stakeholder groups in mid-July to present the draft West Harrogate Infrastructure Delivery Strategy document, with a further session scheduled for autumn before the document is signed off.”

MPs watch: ‘anger’ over partygate and Northern Ireland politics

Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

This month, historic elections in Northern Ireland saw Sinn Fein become the largest party and the Sue Gray Downing Street parties report was finally published.

We asked our three Conservative MPs, Harrogate & Knaresborough’s Andrew Jones, Skipton and Ripon’s Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty’s Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular that they have been doing this month, but, as usual, we did not receive a response from any of them.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found out on Mr Jones:

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Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon.

In Skipton and Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

In rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Adams:

Bilton’s Peter the Peacock living his best life in Lancashire

Bilton’s Peter the Peacock is now happily living among fellow peacocks on a farm in Lancashire.

Peter had wandered around the Tennyson Avenue area for years and was considered part of Bilton. Facebook and Twitter accounts were set up in honour of the enigmatic bird.

But in June last year Peter vanished, which shocked the local community.

It emerged a resident had contacted the RSPCA about Peter after he was seen limping, and the colourful creature was whisked away to the vets for treatment.

Residents in Bilton mobilised and considered launching a campaign to bring the bird back. Bilton councillor Paul Haslam even offered to rehome him on his farm.

But their efforts were in vain, as the RSPCA said they had already found a new home for him.

A year on from the saga, the Stray Ferret asked the RSPCA for an update on Peter, and it’s good news.

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After visiting the vets, Peter crossed the Pennines for rehab with a specialist keeper in Lancashire.

He has since been happily rehomed on a farm with other peacocks, also in Lancashire.

His new owner said:

“Peter is doing really well and he enjoys wandering around on 400 acres of nearby farm land. He no longer limps on his right leg and he enjoys sleeping in his own barn.

“He tends to keep himself to himself but has the company of three other peacocks when he is feeling sociable. We love having him and are delighted that he is happy here.”

An RSPCA spokesperson said it’s the “perfect home” for Peter:

“Peter lived for many years on his own but was found to be injured.

“He was returned to full health in our care and a new home was found with many other peacocks for company where he will be able to spend the rest of his days.

“We are grateful to the residents who cared for him but it would have been illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to release him back into the wild in Bilton because peacocks are classed as a non-native species. Fortunately, we were able to find him the perfect place to live in Lancashire.”

Harrogate Spring Water to submit new plans to expand bottling plant soon

Harrogate Spring Water is to revert back to its original 2017 plan to expand its bottling plant — and will submit a new application soon that proposes how felled trees at Rotary Wood will be compensated for.

The company won outline planning permission to expand its premises on Harlow Moor Road by 5,500 sqm five years ago. It means the principle of development has been established but the finer details have not been agreed.

The approved 2017 plans involve the felling of some trees at Rotary Wood, a woodland behind its current site that was planted by The Rotary Club of Harrogate and local schoolchildren in the 2000s.

In January 2021 a high-profile reserved matters application that was 40% larger and looked to chop down more trees than had been agreed was turned down by Harrogate Borough Council‘s planning committee.

The application provoked a public backlash and generated a debate about how a large, successful businesses should operate in the era of climate change.

Compensation

To compensate for the loss of trees, the company offered to plant new ones, create scrubland and build a pond on private land behind RHS Harlow Carr.

But this was an offer that dismayed some councillors on the planning committee and local groups including Pinewoods Conservation Group.

Piers Forster, a professor of climate physics at the University of Leeds who lives in Harrogate published a co-authored report that said about five times more new woodland was needed to properly compensate for the loss of trees.

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Next steps

The company said in July 2021 that it was working on a brand new application and the old plan would be disregarded.

However, the company has now decided to go back to its original plan rather than going through the torturous process of starting from scratch.

But, as in 2021, it still will need councillors on the planning committee to approve a reserved matters application that deals with its appearance and crucially, how the destroyed trees at Rotary Wood will be compensated for.

The company is yet to publish exact details on how it will do this.

Consultation events

Harrogate Spring Water said in a statement that it is looking to achieve “net biodiversity gain” for the site, carry out a compensatory tree planting scheme and it will make the remaining part of Rotary Wood more accessible to the public.

A series of public consultation events will take place in June where people will get to have their say and shape the proposals.

The company said the plans would create 30 new jobs.

Richard Hall, managing director at Harrogate Spring Water, said:

“The town of Harrogate and the local community are at the heart of our business. So it is important for us to ensure that, as we look to grow, create further job opportunities and continue to support the local and regional economy, we also listen to them.

“That’s why we are now encouraging people to engage with us on this process, to give us the benefit of their views and to help shape the future of the company.

“We have a shared interest in driving prosperity for the town and creating a sustainable future for a key business that takes the Harrogate name around the UK and the world, and we hope that this process will allow us to come to a resolution which addresses people’s concerns and the town’s aspirations.”

A spokesperson for the Pinewoods Conversation Group said:

“Whilst we are pleased that the plans for the larger site have now been dropped we are disappointed that the company still plan to progress with the original development first proposed 5 years ago. Since then, the public’s concerns around single use plastics and views on supporting the environment have strengthened substantially. This original development still has a large footprint of almost 2 acres that will see the removal of many trees and the loss of public accessible green space.

“However, we are encouraged by this new consultation and a commitment to work with us and other key stakeholders to achieve a net biodiversity gain for the site and to create more shared areas. Any replacement for land lost is a must for the local community. We would encourage all those with an interest to attend the planned events and make their views known.”

Rare Beatles Royal Hall poster fetches almost £3,000

A rare original poster from The Beatles’ famous 1963 concert at Harrogate’s Royal Hall has fetched £2,800 at an antiques auction.

The poster was given to the seller in the early 1980s as a gift by a colleague who had worked at the Royal Hall in the 1960s.

The concert on March 8 was during the height of Beatlemania and was the group’s first and only Harrogate gig. It has since become part of Harrogate folklore.

The poster was sold at Ryedale Auctioneers in Kirkbymoorside last week with fierce interest from bidders.

Auctioneer Angus Ashworth said:

“The provenance was good, and the poster was in good condition commensurate with its age. We knew there would be plenty of interest, and bidding was fierce.”

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Last month the Stray Ferret visited the Royal Hall’s archives to look at a collection of bill posters from the 20th century.

Since opening as The Kursaal in 1903 it has welcomed some of the biggest names in entertainment, including The Beatles, Louis Armstrong and Little Richard.

Other huge names of the 20th century such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sir Ernest Shackleton also visited to perform lectures in Harrogate.

Andrew Jones MP tells constituent he feels ‘anger’ over partygate

Harrogate & Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones has told a constituent that he feels “anger” over partygate — but would not say whether he has submitted a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The long-awaited Sue Gray report was published last week and found that many of the parties in Downing Street “should not have been allowed to happen”.

The report included details of vomiting and parties lasting until 4am while the UK was under covid restrictions.

Following the publication of the report, a constituent wrote to Mr Jones. The MP responded in a letter on May 27 with his thoughts on the subject.

The constituent asked not to be named, but shared the letter with the Stray Ferret.

Mr Jones wrote:

“I understand the anger people feel. I feel it too. Most of all I feel intensely depressed that senior people in our political system have pretended, or somehow genuinely believed, that tables groaning with bottles of wine, as we have now seen pictured, were in some way allowed work practices.”

Mr Jones has previously been outspoken over partygate and said in the letter that his “anger is not going to lessen”.

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In January, the MP wrote to a different constituent to say if criminal actions were found then “consequences must flow from that”.

In April, the Prime Minister was given a fixed penalty notice for attending a birthday gathering on June 20, 2020. It made him the first Prime Minister to have been found to have broken the law while in office.

However, the letter suggests that Mr Jones now considers the case closed.

He wrote:

“My anger isn’t going to lessen and I am not going to forget this episode in the story of Covid-19. But I won’t be commenting again unless something substantially new comes to light having already responded to hundreds and hundreds of emails and letters on every aspect of this matter.”

The BBC has reported at least 20 Tory MPs have written to the 1922 committee of backbenchers with letters of no confidence in the Prime Minister.

Fifty-four letters are needed to trigger a leadership vote, but Mr Jones would not reveal if he has submitted one, writing:

“This is a matter that will remain between myself and the chair of the 1922 committee.”

The Stray Ferret has asked Mr Jones for his views following the publication of the Sue Gray report, but has not received a response.