83-year-old Harrogate legend John Shackleton has a twinkle in his eye when he considers one last trip delivering ambulances to Eastern Europe, something he’s done through his charity Aid to Eastern Europe for over 30 years.
“My daughters say ‘come on, think of everyone else’, but I’ve been kicking my heels for the last two-and-a-half years due to covid. I’m getting older and the years are going by quickly.
“I have enough money to go to Amsterdam to buy an ambulance and I’ll be in Georgia within a week or two, but do I take the chance? It’s a big decision. I really want to do it.”
If you’re not familiar with John’s work, he’s been delivering ambulances to hospices and hospitals in Eastern Europe since 1990. He started after seeing upsetting TV images of orphans in Romania following the death of dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu.
He’s since delivered 38 ambulances to an exhaustive list of countries, including Albania, Kazakstan, Armenia, Slovenia and Bulgaria.
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 — which he usually buys from auction in Amsterdam.
John chopping down trees to raise money for an ambulance. Credit – The Ambulance Man (Facebook).
He said:
“I fly into Amsterdam but they sometimes take the stretcher out and make you pay extra. Invariably, when we tell them its a charity we get around that!
“We then bring it to Harrogate, fill it with medical supplies and find two co-drivers. We sleep in it, drive day and night, and deliver it right into the sticks, miles away from civilisation.
“We leave the ambulance, hitch hike to the nearest international airport, come back to Harrogate and do it all over again.”
Harrowing scenes
John is moved to tears when he describes the harrowing scenes of human suffering that he’s witnessed, but is comforted by the knowledge that he has helped people less fortunate than us in Harrogate.
Many of the countries he’s visited have been riddled with poverty after the fall of the Soviet Union.
In Ukraine. Credit – The Ambulance Man (Facebook).
He said:
“When I think back to some of the places I’ve been to it is very hard. I don’t dwell on it but sub-consciously it’s there.
“In the early days, we’d get to know the kids, there’s always one you’d get to know more who might smile a lot or give you a cuddle. You’d ask where he is, and they’d say, ‘oh, he died last night, he’s buried over there’.
“It was a building site and they’d take them out the back and bury them like a dog. They had nothing. You wouldn’t be human if it didn’t affect you.”
Show no fear
John has endured the trials and tribulations of the road and has clocked up tens of thousands of miles. He’s faced bribes, bandits and gunfire.
In Turkey, he said he expected to have to pay a bribe but the police wanted him to cough up the value of his ambulance, so he refused.
He and his co-drivers were thrown in an underground jail cell with a bucket for a toilet.
“They locked us up for 36 hours. I’d already given Turkey two ambulances after they had an earthquake! I was really annoyed they had the audacity to lock us up.”
John said his team was beginning to panic.
“You must show no fear. I got to the boss man, nose to nose, screaming at him, he eventually freed us. That was a little bit scary.”
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The right stuff
Driving through Russia, John was warned of bandits and not to stop during the night. He came across a roadblock with lights flashing so he had to think quickly.
“I thought, I won’t stop here. So I put the foot down and the blues and twos on.
“They jumped out of our way and fired at us. But they must have been firing in the air. A man that can’t hit an ambulance is not worth holding a gun!”
John in Poland. Credit – the Ambulance Man (Facebook).
John has had UK police officers, and his grandkids, as part of his crew, although not every co-driver that has signed up has joined with the right stuff.
He added:
“I advertised for a driver once on eBay. I said the highest bidder can come along. A professor from Cambridge University paid £700.
“But all he wanted do to when we drove through France was go to the vineyards and taste the wines. He got really ansty with me, I said ‘why did you volunteer? We’re humanitarian, this is not a holiday!'”
Helping others
When the Stray Ferret visited John at his house in Harrogate, he had his head under the bonnet putting a new engine in his kit car, which he first built over 50 years ago. He said by spring he’ll have it going again.
John has been a bomb disposable expert, mountaineer, greengrocer, a housing fixer upper and he ran an art studio. His rich life experience has given him a practical and positive outlook.
“I’ll have a go at most things. The Egyptians built the pyramids, if a man can do that, most of us can do anything if we put our minds to it.
“Some people are hesitant when opportunities arrive. I invariably say give it a go, if you have the right mentality, you will succeed.”
Most of all, John is known for putting other people before himself, and as the Stray Ferret left his home, he told us he’s pencilled in September as a possible date to deliver his 39th ambulance to those who desperately need one in Eastern Europe.
To donate and help John buy a new ambulance, email johnshackleton@aidtoeasterneurope.co.uk
Otley Road cycle path ‘disaster waiting to happen’, says pub landlordThe landlord of Charlie’s Place on Otley Road has described the new cycle path, which has sections shared with pedestrians, as a “disaster waiting to happen”.
Work has continued since November to build the first phase of the new cycle route between Harlow Moor Road and Cold Bath Road. It’s part of a package of sustainable transport measures in the west of Harrogate.
Over half of the route will be shared with pedestrians, with only a line of paint to separate them from cyclists, including the section directly outside Charlie’s Place, which has been owned and run by Charlie Tinker for 18 years.
Mr Tinker fears a speeding cyclist coming down the hill will strike a pub patron, who might be standing outside smoking or waiting for a taxi.
He said:
“Cyclists will be coming down the hill at speed, it’s a disaster waiting to happen.
“It wont be long and by the time we get to summer there will be an accident.”
Contractors have been resurfacing the path again this week, which Mr Tinker said has been an “absolute bloody nightmare” with grit, gravel and cones left outside his pub.
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Mr Tinker said the works, which were expected to have been finished before Christmas, have had a negative impact on trade and are putting customers off visiting.
He said he has complained to North Yorkshire County Council about the disruption but has been ignored.
Mr Tinker added:
“The council haven’t had the gall to come out and see us and to not reply absolutely stinks.”
Melisa Burnham, North Yorkshire County Council highways area manager, said:
Bubble tea phenomenon comes to Harrogate“Phase 1 of the Otley Road cycleway is ongoing. While safety audits have been undertaken as part of the design process, the scheme will be subject to a final safety audit and review upon completion.
“The project team is working with the contractors on implementing appropriate signage and lining.
“We apologise for any inconvenience the recent resurfacing has caused. All businesses and residents should have been informed in advance by the contractors.”
Harrogate might be famous around the world for its tea, but a new kid on the block called bubble tea has arrived with the opening of Sweet Pearl House on Commercial Street.
Bubble tea originated in Taiwan and has gone on to become one of the nation’s best-loved and most recognisable exports with takeaway cafes in cities across the UK.
The drink blends a milk or fruit tea base before the signature “bubbles” are added. The bubbles are made from chewy tapioca pearls, also called boba, that sit at the bottom.
Bubble tea is particularly popular among teenagers and is sucked through an especially large straw, which has enough room to hoover up the bubbles.
The family-run Sweet Pearl House was opened last week by Candy Yip and her husband Man Wong. The couple and their daughter moved to Harrogate from Hong Kong last year.
Ms Yip said she spotted a gap in the market and wanted to share their love of bubble tea as well as traditional Hong Kong egg waffle snacks.
“I think Harrogate loves tea, but I didn’t see any bubble tea places here.
“We love drinking tea so much. We opened the shop to share popular Taiwan tea and Hong Kong traditional eggettes snacks culture to people in Harrogate.”
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Sweet Pearl House offers customers different milk or fruit tea bases, including brown sugar milk, strawberry, matcha, jasmine and oolong.
These are combined with fruity toppings including peach, passion fruit and mango, which are served with the tapioca bubbles.
Pearl Sweet House
Most of the drinks can be served hot or cold. Opening hours are from 11.30am to 5.30pm Tuesday to Saturday and from 10.30am to 4.30pm on Sundays.
Almost all the ingredients are imported from Taiwan directly, which Ms Yip says ensures their drinks have the authentic bubble tea taste.
She added:
“The bubble milk tea is a unique taste. There really is no other drink like it.”
The Harrogate and District RoundTable Charity Beer Festival will return to the town’s Crown Hotel on March 11 and 12.
The 32nd edition of the festival will offer over 40 cask ales and 10 keg beers as well as ciders, wine, Prosecco and gin.
The festival has raised over £500,000 for local charities since it began in 1990. This year it will be supporting Samaritans and Martin House Hospice.
The event was cancelled last year due to covid.
Posting on its Facebook page, Harrogate RoundTable said:
“Let’s band together, say “Cheers!” and support our community.”
If you’re interested in tickets and wristbands for the festival, visit its website.
The RoundTable is an association of men between the ages of 18 and 45 that supports local causes.
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Harrogate Town footballer to climb Machu Picchu for charity
Harrogate Town’s club secretary and female team player Abbey Smith is raising money for MIND by climbing Machu Picchu in Peru.
Ms Smith will trek 2,430 metres up to the ancient Inca citadel in May in the hope of raising £4,000 for the mental health charity.
Her fundraising efforts are part of RED January, a nationwide movement encouraging people to move every day and beat the winter blues. She will be hosting various raffles, events and will also run 100km in January to help reach her goal.
Abbey Smith
Ms Smith said:
“MIND is a charity that is close to my heart as it has helped friends and family in the past, and with the current covid situation across the globe I feel that now more than ever the charity needs as much support as possible, to be able to help with people’s mental health.”
You can donate by visiting her Just Giving page here – https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/abbey-smith97
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New 5G masts proposed for Harlow Hill water tower
Mobile phone signal in Harrogate will get an upgrade if an application to install 5G masts on Harlow Hill’s Edwardian water tower is successful.
Plans have been submitted by telecommunications firm Cornerstone to add new 5G antennas to the water tower. They would be operated by Telefonica and Vodafone.
5G is the next generation of mobile internet connection and offers up to 20 times faster speeds than 4G.
But Harrogate is currently poorly served by the technology, as shown by the map below.
Mobile phone coverage in Harrogate. Credit – NPERF
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Four existing antennas would be removed and replaced with three antennas that would reach a slightly taller top height of 21.65 metres. They would also improve 4G coverage in the area.
There have been concerns that 5G poses health risks but the government has said exposure to the radio waves has no consequences for public health.
Cornerstone said:
“The case for 5G is compelling as it will bring faster, more responsive, and reliable connections than ever before. More than any previous generation of mobile networks, it has the potential to improve the way people live, work and travel.”
Harrogate Borough Council will decide whether to permit the planning application.
Flaxby modular housing developer posts £41m lossFlaxby-based modular housing developer Ilke Homes has posted a loss of £41m in its latest annual report.
The company, which has 500 employees, builds homes at its factory on Flaxby Moor Industrial Estate near Knaresborough that are then delivered across the UK.
In the year to 31 March 2021, the company sold 199 homes, up by a third from the previous year.
The report says the company was “significantly impacted” by covid. It adds a restructuring and redundancy programme in summer 2020 led to the departure of 122 employees.
But it adds that the long-term future of the company is healthy and it aims to become a top 10 house builder within the next five years.
It adds:
“In spite of these significant interruptions to business operations and to the wider economic environment, the company continued to make meaningful process, with additional designs and approvals, factory automation and production process improvement leading to capacity growth, sales pipeline development and strengthening the senior management team.”
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Since the company was founded in 2018 it has yet to turn a profit, and has reported combined losses of over £100m.
Homes England, the government’s housing agency, has invested £60m into the company since 2019.
The Stray Ferret asked Ilke Homes for comment but did not receive one by the time of publication.
Harrogate district reports 315 covid cases as rate stabilisesAnother 315 positive covid infections have been reported today in the Harrogate district.
Latest government figures show that the district’s seven-day covid average is 1,467 per 100,000 people, slightly up on yesterday’s figure of 1,428.
It remains below both the county average, which is 1,583. The England rate is 1,672.
No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England.
According to government figures, 104,727 booster or third jabs have been given in the Harrogate district, as of today.
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Meanwhile, Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith has said the supply of covid tests is improving after complaints that the system is in “chaos”, with health workers and residents left empty-handed.
Conservative MP Mr Smith said the government recognised there has been a surge in demand for tests and that while supply chains were improving, he would write to Health Secretary Sajid Javid to highlight the issue.
Boroughbridge care home turned into Graceland for Elvis-themed dayResidents at Boroughbridge Manor care home were all shook up this weekend when their home was turned into Graceland for an Elvis-themed day.
To honour what would have been the king of rock and roll’s 86th birthday on Saturday, staff and residents enjoyed a day of music, fun and dancing.
Residents found out some interesting facts about Elvis that they hadn’t heard before, watched a short biography about the singer and listened to some of Elvis’ hits.
Nancy, a resident, said:
“I loved Elvis growing up. Listening to all his old hits has brought back so many memories. We’ve all had a brilliant time reminiscing about our dance hall days!”
General manager Neil Todd said:
“Lots of our residents are big Elvis fans and love his music. We’ve had a fantastic day listening to all his hits, finding out about his early life and what influenced him and watching old Elvis movies, he was such an incredible talent.
“This afternoon we had an Elvis quiz, it is amazing how many songs he recorded. We all surprised ourselves by how many we remembered!”
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Harrogate Library to close for two weeks
Harrogate Library on Victoria Avenue will close for two weeks due to building works.
The facility will be shut from 4pm on Saturday, January 22, until February 7 as maintenance is carried out at the library and customer services centre.
North Yorkshire County Council said due dates for books will be altered to take the closure into account.
Nearest alternative libraries are Bilton and Woodfield Community Library, Starbeck Community Library, Knaresborough Library and Customer Services Centre and Nidderdale Plus Community Library
North Yorkshire County Council said:
“We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and look forward to welcoming you back to the library.”
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