Last weekend was the 21st Staveley table tennis marathon — a unique event where the village hall is kitted out with tables for games that last from 9am to 8pm on Saturday and Sunday.

The fundraiser was started in the late 1980s by 87-year-old Ken Barker and has raised over £100,000 for charities.

Mr Barker was inspired to start the event to support cancer charity Macmillan as there were some nurses that lived in the village. He thought table tennis was the most weatherproof way to run a fundraiser in the winter months.

Charities that have benefitted from the marathon include Martin House Children’s Hospice, St Michael’s Hospice and Children In Distress, among many others.

Mr Barker said:

“We’ve never stopped since, we’ve kept growing the number of charities we support.

“We’ve gone on nicely. I always try to choose charities for people who want help and can’t help themselves.”

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Mr Barker has lived in the village all his life, except for a couple of years in the 1950s when he served in the military during the Suez crisis.

He’s still sprightly and handy with a racket.

“I might make more tea then I play games these days but I always enjoy a game. I will continue having this marathon as long as i can.”

Last weekend over 60 players took part, including players in the Harrogate league as well as amateurs and villagers.

The marathon is supported by Staveley resident and chairman of the Harrogate Table Tennis Association, Graham Bowland, who managed to play for 19 hours.

Mr Barker said the fundraiser is a great way to meet new people and is an event that everyone in Staveley looks forward to.

This year, all money raised will go towards charities that tackle Parkinson’s disease.

Just 52 social homes were built last year in the Harrogate district, despite there being 1,867 households on the social housing waiting list.

The latest annual figures were published by the government yesterday.

Social homes are low-cost homes rented to tenants by housing associations or a local council. It is the only type of housing where rents are linked to local incomes with any increases limited by the government.

The charity Shelter says social housing is the only genuinely affordable type of “affordable” housing.

Affordable housing also includes homes sold under shared ownership schemes and those sold at 80% under the market rate.

The figures for the Harrogate district were criticised by both the local Liberal Democrat and Labour parties.

Lib Dem leader on Harrogate Borough Council Cllr Pat Marsh, who also sits on the council’s planning committee, said the numbers were “alarming but not surprising”.

She said the council needs to be more proactive instead of relying on developers to build them.

“New homes for social rent are being built on predominantly small infill sites such as former council garage sites and are relatively low in numbers.

“There doesn’t seem to be much of an emphasis on the council developing larger sites with social housing. When there are so many people on the housing waiting list this seems to be letting our residents down. We cannot just rely on developers providing affordable homes on their sites, as welcome as these truly are, they will not solve the problem.

“The council needs to be more proactive and that includes the new authority when it is up and running in 2023. We owe it to those people needing houses.”

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The figure of 52 is an improvement on recent years. In the three years prior to 2020/21, just 18 social homes were built out of a total of 2,355 new houses.

Margaret Smith, chair of the Harrogate & Knaresborough Constituency Labour Party, said the amount of social housing built in the last few years has been an “absolute disgrace”.

“It reflects really badly on the council and all its councillors when the waiting list for social housing is so large.”

According to Harrogate Borough Council, 359 new affordable homes were built in 2020/21 but Ms Smith said that not enough of these were genuinely affordable homes for social rent.

Ms Smith added:

“One assumes that social housing is not considered as much of a priority as the other categories in ‘affordable’.”

The Stray Ferret asked Harrogate & Knaresborough Conservative Party for a response, but we did not receive one at the time of publication.

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said:

“Although we are limited by the amount of land available to us, and the high sale price of land on the open market, 359 new affordable homes were provided by Harrogate Borough Council, our partner housing associations and through the planning system last year (2020/21). In the first six months of this year, 170 new affordable homes have also been provided.

“There are currently 1,867 households on the housing waiting list. We urge anyone with a local connection to Harrogate district who would be interested in a council or housing association property to apply to join the list.”

Parking will be free after 3pm in Harrogate’s Victoria multi-storey car park on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The initiative will last until December 23 and will be paid for by Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID) to encourage Christmas shoppers and revellers into the town midweek.

Harrogate BID Manager Matthew Chapman said:

“Free parking in the run up to Christmas is what the town’s retailers have asked for, and I’m delighted to say it’s what we are now giving, four days a week, right up to the Thursday before Christmas.

“Victoria Car Park has acres of spaces and connects directly with the Victoria Shopping Centre, giving easy access to the heart of the town centre and the wonderful shops, bars, restaurants and entertainment venues it’s home to.

“With our Christmas lights now dazzling, Harrogate is looking absolutely fabulous and really  is well worth a visit for shopping, eating and drinking.”

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Can you help save and protect Nidderdale’s ponds?

Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is looking for volunteers for a project to survey Priority Ponds, which are ponds with high ecological value and that may support species of high conservation importance such as toads and newts.

The AONB’s new Priority Ponds project officer, Kate Wright, will survey toad populations next spring, as well as carrying out clean water tests.

Ms Wright hopes to recruit and train around 50 volunteers to survey a minimum of 100 ponds across Nidderdale.

She said:

“I’m hoping to share my passion for ponds and the excitement of discovering varied species in and around the water. I am particularly fond of toads, and hope that we can learn more about their distribution through the project. It’s also a joy to be working in beautiful Nidderdale AONB.”

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• Rare species found in Nidderdale AONB
• Grants of up to £150,000 available for Nidderdale farmers

As well as providing training for the pond surveys, short courses will be run in specialist areas, such as dragonfly identification and pond management.

The project is thanks to funding through Yorkshire Water’s Biodiversity Programme and is in partnership with national charity, the Freshwater Habitats Trust.

If you’d like your pond to be considered for surveying contact the AONB here.

A Harrogate resident said he is “upset and angry” because a mature tree was felled today to make way for the Otley Road cycle path.

Works have continued throughout November to build the new cycle path, which is part of a package of sustainable transport measures in the west of Harrogate.

For the first phase of the route, a section is being created between Harlow Moor Road and Cold Bath Road.

But to make way for the route, two mature trees have to be felled, including one today near Pannal Ash Drive.

Chris Dicken, who has lived off Otley Road for 35 years, said he enjoyed looking at the tree and was angry to see workers remove it this morning.

“I am intensely angry. It is a mature well-loved landmark that has been felled for minor benefit.

“They are taking a nice green environment and putting tarmac down.

“I’m very angry and upset.”

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• Highways boss: No ‘exact date’ for completion of Otley Road cycle path
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The long-awaited introduction of a cycle path on Otley Road has been welcomed by Harrogate District Cycle Action as a major step forward for active travel infrastructure in the town.

However, Mr Dicken, who is a cyclist himself, criticised the “badly designed” cycle path. He believes cyclists will not be encouraged to use it because 58% of it will be shared with pedestrians.

“They said it will reduce traffic on Otley Road, but there’s no evidence that will happen.”

Karl Battersby, corporate director of business and environmental services at North Yorkshire County Council said:

“To accommodate Otley Road cycle route, this is the one and only tree that has to be removed in Phase 1, with one more in Phase 2. We intend to replace these two trees with new plantings on Harrogate Grammar School and Yorkshire Water land, and we are in active discussion with both parties. We are also working with Harrogate Borough Council to plant additional trees on Otley Road; meaning there will be more trees following this scheme than there were before.

“A congestion study in Harrogate showed overwhelming public support for sustainable transport provision as an alternative to the use of the car. Otley Road cycleway is one element of ongoing projects in Harrogate to make it easier and safer for people to use active, sustainable modes of transport, such as cycling.”

Works have also taken place to widen the junction on Harlow Moor Road for motorists, which has involved the felling of ten other trees.

Ripon Farm Services managing director Geoff Brown has seen huge changes in farming machinery over the past 60 years.

Mr Brown began his career in 1961, back when tractors still ran on petrol and were not even four-wheeled drive.

This year the company showed the world’s largest combine harvester at the Great Yorkshire Show.

Mr Brown started as a 16-year-old apprentice at car and agricultural machinery dealers Glovers of Ripon.

He worked for the Appleyard Group as its John Deere demonstrator before forming Ripon Farm Services in 1982 alongside local businessmen Maurice Hymas and Bill Houseman.

World’s largest combine harvester at this year’s GYS.

The company has grown to become one of the biggest in Ripon, employing 260 employees people and having a turnover of over £100m.

It is now the UK’s largest John Deere dealership with 11 depots and groundscare machinery departments.

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Mr Brown said:

“I’ve seen many changes, both in the world in general and in farming in particular, but the values that I’ve followed throughout my career – hard work and an unwavering commitment to the very best customer service – have remained the same. Many of our customers are also long-standing friends.

“I’ve taken great pride in the success of Ripon Farm Services, which I founded with friends and fellow businessmen in 1982. I’ve watched the company grow from a small concern to one of the biggest employers in the Ripon area, with some 260 staff and a turnover of more than £100m.

“This gives me tremendous pleasure, but I would stress that the success of Ripon Farm Services is down to the loyal and committed staff we have employed over the years. They have been the bedrock of this company and their dedication and expertise is second to none.”

Residents in Staveley are mobilising against a 22-home development that they say will damage the appearance of the picturesque village.

Two weeks ago Jack Lunn Properties submitted plans to Harrogate Borough Council to build three one-bedroom, 13 two-bedroom and six three-bedroom homes on Main Street in Staveley.

The rural site is not allocated for development in the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where planning will take place.

Residents say this means that the development should not go ahead.

Residents met at the village hall on Thursday evening to form an action group to fight the plans.

Staveley resident Graham Bowland, who is a member of the group named SV2, called on HBC to refuse the plans.

He said:

“Once a field is given over to developers, it’s lost forever and the nature and ecological benefits it provides are given over to concrete, cars and CO2 emissions. Housing is needed of that we can all agree, it’s a question of where and how many.”

The village has a population of 430 and is between Boroughbridge and Knaresborough.

Read more:

• 22 affordable homes proposed for Staveley
• Lost planning appeals have cost Harrogate district taxpayers £209,000 in legal fees

The site isn’t in the Local Plan, which in normal circumstances would mean it’s highly unlikely the development would be granted planning permission.

However, the application has been brought forward through a rural exception scheme, which allows councils to grant planning permission for affordable housing in the open countryside if a developer can prove there is a need for it.

The government defines affordable as homes sold at 80% of the market rate or homes for social rent. 

Mr Bowland said villagers fought against a previous application for 13 homes on the site in 2019 but it was withdrawn.

“We expressed their anger at the application and we had substantial support and well-argued planning points against the proposal.”

The Stray Ferret contacted Jack Lunn Properties for a response but we did not receive one at the time of publication.

The government has ordered bird owners in the Harrogate district to keep their birds indoors to limit the spread of avian influenza, or bird flu.

There is no evidence that the virus can affect humans but it is highly contagious among birds can wipe out poultry flocks. There have been several outbreaks across the country in recent days.

Harrogate joins Hambleton and Richmondshire as new prevention zones in North Yorkshire. It means it is now a legal requirement to keep birds in housing until further notice, whether you have a few hens or thousands.

The government’s chief veterinary officer, Christine Middlemiss, said:

“We have taken swift action to limit the risk from wild birds and have introduced a legal requirement for all poultry and captive bird keepers three districts in North Yorkshire to keep their birds housed and to implement enhanced biosecurity.

“Whether you keep just a few birds or thousands, from 8PM today onwards you will be legally required to keep your birds indoors. We have not taken this decision lightly, but it is the best way to protect your birds from this highly infectious disease.

“I urge all bird keepers to be vigilant and take all necessary steps to implement the highest standards of biosecurity.”

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• County council leader ‘wants to be a friend of parish councils’
• Huge crowd attends Ripon’s Christmas lights switch on

Harrogate Town’s EnviroVent Stadium has been transformed from a few rickety stands to a modern English Football League ground in 31 years.

Photos by photographer Andy Dakin from November 17 1990 show Town’s home back when it was simply Wetherby Road and a much more humble place to watch the Sulphurites.

The shots were taken before Harrogate Town drew 2-2 with Horwich RMI in the 2nd round of the NPL Cup.

Just 215 fans were in attendance, a far cry from over 2,000 that will be in the crowd for the game against Salford City later today.

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We’ve compared the photos with how the ground looks today. Did you follow Town back then? Send us your comments about how the club has grown to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk 

Black Sheep Brewery Stand/Main Stand

EnviroVent Terrace/EnviroVent Stand

Myrings Stand

AON Stand

Katherine Swinn from the Harrogate Town Independent Supporters Club told the Stray Ferret about how Wetherby Road has changed over the years.

“One of the first matches that I recall attending was towards the end of the 1989/90 when Harrogate Town won the HFS Loan’s League Cup against Congleton. I still have the programme for this match! At that time the ground was open. There were no stands built or seating although there was what used to be affectionately called a shed behind the goal at the Hospital End.

“This wasn’t really used though & was eventually removed to create more room for fans.The pitch had its well-known slope which sloped down towards what used to be the 1919 end. People were free to walk around the ground & attendances were only small although there was a bigger crowd than usual for the Congleton match.

“Away teams were able to park their coach in the ground next to where the Kop is now towards the exit. Some limited parking was allowed in the ground too. Around November 1990 the club unveiled its first seated stand which used to be known as the Family Stand and is now the Main Street.

“This had a couple of hundred seats & was much smaller than it is now. It was a large step forward for the club. Anyone could sit in the stand. There wasn’t a separate charge. If you didn’t want to sit in the stand then there used to be the odd chair at the 1919 end but that was it for outside seating.

“Over the years the ground has developed significantly so for example a roof was added to the Wetherby Road terracing & the Kop was built in 2014. The Family Stand has been developed twice over the years. Stands have also been built at the 1919 end, next to the Family Stand too with what is now known as the Black Sheep Brewery Stand & seating for away fans has also been added too.”