Former Labour shadow chancellor Ed Balls was quizzed by students about politics and life with a stammer during a visit to Harrogate’s Ashville College.

Mr Balls visited last week at the invitation of sixth former Thomas Grattoni-May, who is an advocate for stammering children and youth panel member of the charity Action for Stammering Children.

The former politician and TV personality, who is vice president of the charity, spent half an hour chatting to pupils about their studies, interests and aspirations.

Students from St Aidan’s Church of England High School in Harrogate and All Saints Roman Catholic School in York also attended and were able to take part in a question and answer session.

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Thomas Grattoni-May, Ed Balls and Leanne Norton, head of sixth form at Ashville College.

Leanne Norton, assistant head of sixth form at Ashville College, said:

“He showed a real interest in our learning support department and how the team helps pupils like Thomas throughout their school life, and prepares them for the next stage in their careers, be it further education or into the workplace.

“It was also a fantastic opportunity for our pupils, plus those from St Aidan’s and All Saints, to hear from a former Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer about his own personal experiences. In the audience were our own Year 11s who have opted to study our brand new government and politics A Level in the 2022-23 academic year, so this was a great insight into what a life in government can be like from someone who has experienced it first-hand.”

Thomas Grattoni-May said:

“I am incredibly grateful to Mr Balls for taking time out of his busy schedule to visit Ashville and to help promote Action for Stammering Children. He is a superb advocate for the charity, and it was fabulous having him here.”

Harrogate Borough Council has said it would consider selling Rotary Wood to Harrogate Spring Water, as the company looks to expand its bottling plant on Harlow Moor Road.

The move was revealed in an email sent by Trevor Watson, the council’s director of economy and culture, to HSW in October 2021. It was obtained via a freedom of information request.

HSW leases the land where it is based, on Harlow Moor Road, from the council. The company pays the council ground rent of £13,000 a year plus turnover rent revenue, but this figure has never been publicly revealed.

The council is also the planning authority and in January last year councillors rejected a bid by HSW to expand its bottling plant into Rotary Wood.

The woodland was planted by the Rotary Club of Harrogate and local schoolchildren and is part of the council-owned Pinewoods.

In July 2021, Harrogate Spring Water said it would table new proposals to expand the bottling plant ‘within weeks’ but eight months on it has yet to do so.

Asset of Community Value

Pinewoods Conservation Group successfully registered the Pinewoods as an Asset of Community Value in 2015.

This means if the council decided to sell any of it, it must pause any sale for six months whilst it gives local community groups the chance to make an offer to buy it.

The email from the HSW employee, whose name is redacted, to Mr Watson reveals that representatives from HSW had a ‘helpful’ meeting with Conservative council leader Richard Cooper and deputy leader Graham Swift in September 2021. The ACV status of the woodland was discussed.

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In the email to Mr Watson, the HSW employee asked about the process for “releasing the land of this status”.

The email says as HSW decided to ‘do right by the town’ by not appealing last January’s refusal to grant planning permission, it asks the council to ‘lend your assistance’ around the ACV status of the wood, which it would like removed to speed up its planning application. It adds:

“A key element of the new application would be to try to expediate the process of releasing this land of its status, in order to avoid an unnecessarily protracted period of consultation and media scrutiny. I firmly believe this would be in the best interest of both parties.”

Open to offers

Mr Watson’s reply said that any sale of land with ACV status must follow due process but the authority would be open to offers.

Mr Watson added:

“The timing of all this therefore largely rests with HSW, in terms of how soon you wish to commence negotiations for the land and ultimately whether an in-principle agreement can be reached on potential disposal terms.”

He said informal discussions between the council and the business about buying the land took place “a number of years ago” but terms could not be reached.

Harrogate Spring Water’s head office on Harlow Moor Road in Harrogate.

Mr Watson said if a bid came in from HSW for the land, it would be subject to the usual six-month consultation period.

“We would therefore see the ball being in the HSW court in terms of formally approaching the council with a new, meaningful proposal for our consideration.

“If and when disposal terms are agreed in principle, the ACV process would then be formally triggered and we would carefully follow all the legal processes required, including public consultation as appropriate.”

Planning process ‘needs to be followed’

A Harrogate Spring Water spokesperson said:

“Harrogate Spring Water is evaluating its plans for the site and will communicate any update as and when that occurs. We are committed to working with the public and we will continue to keep people engaged and informed as part of the process”.

A Harrogate Borough Council spokeswoman said:

“This matter remains entirely in the hands of Harrogate Spring Water.  We wrote to them back in Autumn 2021 setting out a factual response to questions that they asked us about our decision-making processes.  We made very clear that there are distinct, statutory processes that we need to follow and that planning and land disposal processes are, quite rightly, dealt with as very separate matters. We have not had a response or any further discussions with the company on either the planning or land ownership situation”.

A spokesperson for Pinewoods Conservation Group said

“With each year that passes the Rotary Wood area of The Pinewoods becomes a more mature woodland with increasing bird and plant life, improving the biodiversity of the area and improving air quality.

“We are aware that Cllr Swift has been vocal in his support of this planned development but would be very concerned if any promises had been made to expedite any part of this complicated process and avoid full transparency and consultation. We also note that Cllr Cooper has recently been attending planning committee meeting and would hope he would now excuse himself from any future planning committee that considered these planning matters.

“However, we are somewhat comforted by comments from council officers restating the legal and planning processes that needs to be followed with respect to disposal of public land, and land that is protected as an ‘asset of community value’.

“Our lawyers will continue to monitor progress with interest.”

Plans have been submitted to convert the disused Church of St Mary on Harlow Terrace in Harrogate into seven homes and office space.

The homes would have either two or three bedrooms and 9 car parking spaces would be added.

The grade II* listed Gothic building was built in 1916 but has structural problems.

Mineral felt in the roof is leaking and the stone is deteriorating. It was designed by renowned architect Sir Walter Tapper.

In October 2020 it was placed on Historic England’s ‘At Risk’ register.

Previous plans

A different application to convert the church into office space was granted by Harrogate Borough Council in 2017 but it never materialised.

Shaw and Jagger Architects bought the church in November 2018 with the intention of turning part of the church into its offices with a business partner. 

These plans were approved in 2020 but building work did not start.

The latest proposals for the church still include office space intended for the architect firm, but most of the building would now be turned into housing.

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

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Sister Florrie Prest from Bilton saw remarkable service in the war, tending to injured service people across three continents.

Florrie served in the Territorial Army Nursing Service and was attached to Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNS).

Elizabeth Smith from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission shared her research on the nurse with the Stray Ferret. She is buried at Stonefall Cemetery,

Ms Smith found two historic newspaper reports about Florrie in the now-defunct Harrogate Herald.

According to a report from 1946, Florrie worked as a dressmaker in Harrogate in the years before the war. She then trained as a nurse in London and worked at Harlow Wood Orthopedic in Sutton-in-Ashfield.

When war broke out, Florrie served at Dunkirk, northern Africa, Japan and in the Atlantic and Icelandic waters.

The report says she was of modest disposition and refused to speak about her service but admitted to once saving a person’s life from a blazing building in Iceland.

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Her second mention in the Herald was her obituary a year later. She died in York Military Hospital aged just 46 on October 26, 1947.

Florrie had been assistant matron on the hospital ship Dorsetshire. She was also mentioned in dispatches for service in the Middle East.

Ms Smith suspects this was when she was on the Dorsetshire when it was attacked several times in the Mediterranean despite being a hospital ship.

In North Africa, Florrie was in charge of field dressing station.

A dear sister

Later she was matron on the hospital ship Principessa Giovanna that was seized from Italy by the Royal Navy in 1944.

Her last appointment had been in Hiroshima, Japan before she was flown home.

Her parents lived at Bachelor Gardens in Harrogate and died before her. The personal inscription on her headstone was written by her brother. It reads:

“I HAVE LOST A DEAR SISTER BUT HEAVEN HAS GAINED ONE OF THE BEST THE WORLD CONTAINED.”

Free Stonefall tours

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission runs free tours and events at Stonefall Cemetery throughout the year that give visitors fascinating insights into some of the graves.

The next tours will be during War Graves Week and will shortly be available to book via Commonwealth War Graves website.

Harrogate International Partnership is also organising an ANZAC Day service at Stonefall on Sunday April 24.

It is shaping up to be an interesting event with local dignitaries, representatives from the RNZAF and the RAAF, local cadets, a brass band and potentially a haka.

A scenic 42-mile walk between Bradford and Ripon has been created that takes in Saltaire, Fountains Abbey and Brimham Rocks.

The Burley Bridge Association and Ramblers Lower Wharfedale, who devised the route, have invited ramblers to join them for the inaugural walk on Friday April 29. There will also be several guided walks spread out over the bank holiday weekend.

It will begin at Bradford Cathedral between 9am and 10am and will continue to Saltaire (4.5 miles) then to Burley (8 miles).

The third stage to Thruscross Reservoir (10 miles) will take place on Saturday April 30, starting at 10am from Burley Station, with mini-bus transport provided back to Burley. There will be a small charge to cover costs.

The fourth stage from Thruscross to Brimham Rocks (8.5 miles) will take place on Sunday May 1 and the fifth stage from Brimham Rocks to Ripon (11 miles) will take place on Bank Holiday Monday, May 2.

David Asher, secretary of the BBA said:

“It links the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Saltaire and Fountains Abbey and goes through some of the best scenery that West and North Yorkshire has to offer.

“From a hidden green corridor starting near the centre of Bradford, to upland moor landscapes with extensive views, stunning wooded valleys, and past dramatic geological formations such as Brimham Rocks.”

“There are also loads of bridges to cross including the 13th century Butterton Bridge which features on the waymarks along the route. The Wharfe can be crossed either by the stepping stones or by Denton Bridge depending on the water level.”

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The walk finishes at Ripon Cathedral and all walkers are invited to the Ripon Beer Festival that takes place that day. It is being hosted by the Cathedral as part of its 1350th birthday celebrations.

If you want to book, send names and phone numbers to burleybridge@gmail.com

Pannal Ash Whites under-11s football team will play in the Leeds and District cup final tomorrow.

A total of 98 teams entered the competition in September 2021 and the road to the final has seen the team beat Leeds City, Pontefract Collieries, Farsley Celtic, Chapeltown and Whitkirk.

Pannal Ash have scored an impressive 34 goals and only conceded 3.

The team will play Hunslet Club in the final.

Head coach Andy Pears said:

‘’I am immensely proud of the boys on what they have achieved in reaching the cup final.’’

‘’Myself and Simon Evans started the Whites team last season and despite disruption due to the pandemic, the way they have progressed and developed is a credit to the group we have.

‘’A talented group that always want to learn, they have really matured this year.”

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The final will take place tomorrow at Whitkirk FC, Selby Road, Leeds, LS15 OAA.

Kick-off is at 10:30 and there is a small entrance fee for anyone that wants to come and support the team. It’s £4.00 for adults and £2.00 for concessions.

A good season for the club

It has been a good season for Pannal Ash as its under-14s and under-16s have also made cup finals.

The under-14s will play in the Leeds FA District cup final against Wortley FC on March 27. They will also play in the County Cup final against Yorkshire Amateur Juniors on April 24.

The under-16s will play in the Harrogate FA Final against Pannal Sports JFC on a to-be-confirmed date. They will also play in the County Cup final against Horsforth St Margarets on April 1.

Harrogate’s John Shackleton, 83, is hoping to deliver an ambulance to war-torn Ukraine in September.

Local hero John has delivered almost 40 ambulances to hospices and hospitals in Eastern Europe since 1990 through his charity Aid to Eastern Europe.

He is no stranger to Ukraine, having previously delivered ambulances there in 2014 and 2016. He described it as “such a beautiful country”.

He said if the situation with the war improves, he will buy an ambulance from auction in Amsterdam and drive into Ukraine so it can be used by people injured in the conflict.

If he’s not able to enter the country, he has a backup plan to deliver the ambulance to a hospice in Georgia.

John said:

“Its very sad, I’ve been trying to contact my pals there but haven’t been able to get through. The situation is terrible.

“Ukrainians are exceedingly friendly, lovable people and they are very devoted to their country. They are so powerful in their thinking, they will die for their country”.

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To raise money to buy the vehicles, John chops down trees, cuts lawns, mends bicycles — anything to raise the £12,000 to £15,000 it costs to purchase an ambulance.

But he is currently under doctor’s orders to rest after suffering a heart attack last month.

It happened while he was chopping a tree down at the Oval in Harrogate last month whilst he had his chainsaw in hand.

Fortunately, he had his team with him and they took him straight to Harrogate District Hospital.

Amazing adventures

In January, The Stray Ferret met John at his home to discuss his amazing charity adventures and life.

Since then, he’s been featured on BBC News and had offers from Japanese, German and Gibraltar TV to come on his next trip.

He added:

“I don’t know how to deal with this, never had this publicity!”

Northern is to cancel the 6.07am train service from Harrogate to Leeds due to declining passenger numbers since the pandemic began.

The 6.07am, which is the first service of the day, arrives at Leeds Station at 6.44am. It is also used by business travellers to get to London King’s Cross before 9am.

The change will come into effect from May 15.

A Northern/LNER service, which goes to London via York and leaves Harrogate at 6.41am and arrives at King’s Cross at 9.36am, will remain on the timetable.

There is a direct LNER train from Harrogate to London at 7.36am but it doesn’t arrive in the capital until 10.32am.

LNER has delayed plans to introduce an earlier direct service that leaves Harrogate at 6.35am due to rolling stock issues.

‘We need it’

With the 6.07am service withdrawn, it means the earliest Harrogate commuters will be able to get into Leeds by train from Monday to Friday will be the 6.56 train, which arrives at 7.28am.

Brian Dunsby, of Harrogate Line Supporters Group, said passenger numbers were back to around 80% of pre-pandemic levels and the early service was needed by commuters.

He called the move by Northern ‘disgraceful’ and urged the state-owned operator to reconsider.

He said:

“The service is particularly important for anyone going down to London for a 9am start.

“They could cancel the 6.56am or the 7.14am instead. That 6.07 is very important. It’s the first train of the day and we need it.”

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A spokesperson for Northern said:

“We fully understand the concerns of those using our trains in West Yorkshire and we are doing all we can to provide the best possible service for our customers who are very much at the heart of everything we do.”

“We’re seeing fewer commuters travelling each day, and people travelling at different times of the week and for different reasons. We’ve made decisions about our timetables based on the levels of resource we have available and prioritising the routes with the highest customer demand, and which support the region’s economic growth.

“The timetables currently in place will broadly continue with some amendments from May 2022 and into the summer.”

As the landlord of the Shepherd’s Dog pub on Otley Road, Michael Schofield has been the eyes and ears of Harlow Hill for the past nine years.

He believes his unique place in the community will help give the area a stronger voice on the new North Yorkshire Council. Mr Schofield will be standing in the newly created Harlow Hill & St Georges ward for the Liberal Democrats in May’s local elections.

Newly elected councillors will sit on North Yorkshire County Council until it is replaced by the new unitary authority in April 2023.

Both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council are currently dominated by Conservative councillors but Mr Schofield said their legacy in Harrogate had not been positive.

He said the two councils have been a “shambles” on issues like housing and transport.

Harlow Hill 

Mr Schofield was a member of the LibDems since the days of the alliance with the SDP but quit when Nick Clegg “sold young people down the river” only to rejoin in recent years.

He runs the Shepherd’s Dog with his wife Donna and has lived in Harlow Hill, on-and-off, since 1982. His daughter Mollie, 16, goes to Rossett High School and Harry, 12, goes to Harrogate Grammar School.

The Liberal Democrats emailed local members asking if anyone would like to stand in the upcoming elections and he said it wasn’t a difficult decision to put himself forward.

“I’ve wanted to do it for years. I thought, ‘do you know what? I’ve had enough of the ineptitude of the council’. With all the issues we have around Harlow Hill and St George’s, it’s time for a strong voice.”

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Pub chatter

The council’s Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which lays out where development can take place in the district until 2035, says around 4,000 new homes could be built in the area that surrounds Harlow Hill.

Some residents believe the sheer volume of housing being built is changing the west of Harrogate for the worse.

Mr Schofield said many locals are frustrated that houses are being built without the infrastructure, such as roads and schools, to support them. The council’s West of Harrogate Parameters Plan aims to address this.

There is also the ongoing debate around the Otley Road cycle path, which Mr Schofield said was a good idea, poorly executed.

He said:

“The big issue at the moment is the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan, and the infrastructure around that. There is also the cycle lane and how farcical that’s been put together.

“People are also concerned about traffic and schools. Where are the secondary school places going to come from?

“No, I’m sorry, we’ve had more than our fair share over the last four or five years. We’ve had more than enough housing. There’s no need for all this building at this end of Harrogate.”

Community spirit

During the first lockdown in 2020, Mr Schofield and his wife opened a fruit and veg shop two doors down from the pub.

He said the experience reminded him of the importance of community. He said residents wanted a councillor that lives locally and speaks up on issues that matter to them.

“People would come and talk in the shop. It was lovely to see people mixing that don’t normally mix. Nothing is stronger than a good community and Harlow Hill is a special community close to my heart.”

Mr Schofield said if he’s elected he will still be found behind the bar pulling pints.

And if he can deal with difficult customers in the pub, he says going head-to-head with opposition councillors won’t be a problem.

“We’re all soapbox politicians in the pub, but we can no longer have politicians hiding away, we need someone approachable.

“It’s a cross section in the pub. People from every party comes in here. We do talk politics, but we never fall out.”

The elections will take place on May 5. Candidates must submit nomination forms by April 5.