Carringtons and Pinocchio’s: Harrogate adverts from the 70s and 80s

Fascinating adverts placed inside Harrogate tourist brochures in the 1970s and 80s offer a glimpse into the town’s recent past.

The adverts are available to view upstairs in Harrogate Library on Victoria Avenue.

The retro adverts range from luxurious quilts made at the Dunlopillo factory in Pannal to swimming at the long-demolished Coppice Valley pool.

They also include staples of the era such as Carringtons nightclub on Station Parade and Pinocchio’s Italian restaurant on Cheltenham Parade.

Other businesses such as Olivers fish and chips on Cold Bath Road are still going strong.

Library supervisor Jane Trigoso has been posting some of the images on the library’s Facebook page.

Ms Trigoso said Pinocchio’s is the “number one” best remembered former Harrogate business.

She said:

“People have so much affection for some of these businesses. They like to reminisce about how it used to be.”

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View our image gallery below. How many do you remember?

Harrogate district men fined for selling van with ‘potentially catastrophic’ brake faults

Two Harrogate district men were fined over £4,000 today for selling a van with ‘potentially catastrophic’ faults to its brakes and structural parts.

North Yorkshire County Council’s Trading Standards team began an investigation after receiving a complaint from a resident who had bought the van in October last year to use in a long-distance house move.

The Iveco Daily van was listed on a Gumtree advert as “ready to work and runs perfect”.

However, an expert vehicle examiner found that on a road the van was dangerous because some components were corroded and there was excessive corrosion to the brake discs.

Paul Beesley, of Allotment Gardens, Harrogate and Andrew Birch, of The Green, Kirkby Malzeard, Ripon pleaded guilty at York Magistrates’ Court to offences under the Road Traffic Act 198T8 and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

Mr Beesley and Mr Birch were each ordered to pay a total of £2,006 in fines and costs at the rate of £200 per month.

The two men are listed on Companies House as directors of Boroughbridge firm Boss Motorhome Hire.

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County Councillor Derek Bastiman, executive member for Trading Standards, said:

“The resident relied on the description of this van in the advert he saw, and thought that he had bought a vehicle that he could use safely on an international journey.

“The nature of the faults on the van could have led to a terrible outcome for him, other road users or pedestrians, and for that reason trading standards officers will always take action where there is evidence that an unsafe vehicle has been supplied in the county.”

Harrogate gelato restaurant hygiene rating improves after concerns raised

Ice Scoop Gelato on King’s Road in Harrogate has received a 5-star hygiene rating from Harrogate Borough Council, after receiving a 1-star rating last month.

An inspection took place yesterday by a food safety officer from the council to check that the food is safe to eat. 5 is the highest rating and indicates hygiene standards are very good and fully comply with the law.

It followed an inspection on October 8 that found the restaurant required ‘major improvement’ in the management of food safety and ‘improvement necessary’ in the cleanliness and condition of the building. It received a ‘generally satisfactory’ rating for the hygienic handling of food.

An anonymous source sent the Stray Ferret photos of the restaurant’s kitchen believed to have been taken before the October inspection. The photos show a dirty fridge and microwave.

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said:

“The business has been working with the council to address the matters raised in the previous inspection. Follow up visits and inspections are part of the national working protocol to ensure improvement is made and maintained.”

Thomas Graham, manager of Ice Cream Gelato, confirmed to the Stray Ferret that both recent inspections had taken place.

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Harrogate council asked British Legion about helter skelter location

Harrogate Borough Council has said it asked the Royal British Legion if it had any objections before placing a large helter skelter next to the war memorial.

The attraction appeared on the grass in front of the memorial on Tuesday. Harrogate BID, Visit Harrogate and the council hope it will encourage footfall during the festive season.

The Victorian-style ride has received some online criticism from residents who say it is disrespectful because of its close proximity to the memorial and its appearance just two days after Remembrance Sunday.

Others say the war dead would have wanted life to continue as normal and welcomed the idea of children playing on the rides.

A council spokeswoman told the Stray Ferret that it had chosen where to put the helter skelter “very carefully”. She added the council had received six complaints from residents about the structure.

The spokeswoman said the council asked the Royal British Legion if it had any objections beforehand, adding the charity did not but asked the council to monitor anti-social behaviour caused by the attraction.

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The spokeswoman said:

“We considered the location of the Helter Skelter very carefully and as part of our pre-event planning we consulted with the Royal British Legion on the proposed site. We received no objections but agreed with their only request that we are vigilant for anti-social behaviour in the area, which we are happy to do.

“We will monitor any anti-social behaviour caused by the attraction over the period and will act accordingly.

“The council have received half a dozen complaints in relation to its location, however we have also received a significant number of positive responses towards our Destination Christmas campaign.

“This includes many positive comments on Facebook from veterans and those whose relatives fought for the country, who are hugely supportive of what we are doing.”

Suspected ‘boy racer’ crashes car near Harrogate Asda

A suspected ‘boy racer’ crashed into two parked cars near Harrogate’s Asda supermarket in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

A bystander took photos of the aftermath on Dragon Parade near to the roundabout at around 2am and sent them to the Stray Ferret.

The resident said he left his house nearby after hearing a loud noise coming from the road. He said the people inside the car that crashed “did a runner” and nobody appeared to be hurt.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said no arrests have been made related to the incident.

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There has been a longstanding issue of fast and loud cars driving through the town. Asda car park is regularly used as a meeting place for boy racers.

North Yorkshire Police launched “Operation Chrome” this summer to target speeding and illegally modified vehicles.

Superintendent Steve Thomas said:

“We are taking a zero tolerance approach to this dangerous behaviour.”

Do you think enough is being done to combat boy racers in Harrogate? Contact us on letters@thestrayferret.co.uk and give us your views. We publish Stray Views every Sunday evening. 

 

CNG employees in ‘horrible situation’ regarding redundancy payouts

Employees of the collapsed Harrogate energy firm CNG have described the uncertainty over redundancy pay as a “horrible situation” with Christmas just around the corner.

About 100 staff and chief executive Paul Stanley discussed the insolvency programme at an online meeting yesterday

Two different CNG employees, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Stray Ferret that staff had hoped to receive clarification about redundancy pay but were left disappointed.

They said staff had previously been told they would be paid redundancy by the company but that this was withdrawn. They were then told it would be paid by the government, but at yesterday’s meeting, they were not given answers on when this will be and how much they will receive.

One employee said:

“This is a huge kick in the teeth for those who have stayed loyal to CNG for many years”.

Another employee described the atmosphere of the meeting as “cold”. They added:

“We were plainly made to feel like a nuisance”.

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CNG ceased trading two weeks ago due to spiralling wholesale gas prices but administrators are yet to be appointed.

According to CNG’s annual accounts from October 2020, the company had, at the time, £36.7m in cash reserves.

Questions were put to Mr Stanley at yesterday’s meeting about what had happened to this money. One employee said Mr Stanley “swiftly avoided the question”.

The Stray Ferret approached CNG for a response but we did not receive one at the time of publication.

Brian Cox films new BBC show at Fountains Abbey and Brimham Rocks

Professor Brian Cox has filmed part of his new BBC series about the mysteries of the universe at Fountains Abbey and Brimham Rocks.

In the episode, which airs next week, the physicist explores the phenomenon of black holes whilst using the two National Trust sites as a visual backdrop.

Prof Cox walks around the ruined monastery of Fountains Abbey while discussing how black holes decay. Brimham Rocks and the Nidderdale landscape are used to emphasise the vastness of space.

The episode is due to broadcast on BBC2 next Wednesday (November 24) and is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer here.

Fountains Abbey tweeted that it was delighted to welcome the professor:

1/2 We were delighted to welcome @ProfBrianCox here on some very chilly days earlier this year to film for his new series 'Universe'. The upcoming episode The upcoming episode was filmed within the ancient abbey ruins and explores the amazing mysteries of black holes. pic.twitter.com/jOccODeO0l

— Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal, National Trust (@fountainsabbey) November 17, 2021

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Harrogate district soldiers given military burial 104 years after death

Two Harrogate district soldiers killed during World War One have finally been laid to rest today with full military honours.

Their bodies were among nine sets of human remains found during civil engineering works in the Belgium town of Beselare three years ago.

Archaeologists from the Flanders Heritage Agency subsequently discovered the remains of the trench, a bomb pit and a separate bomb pit outside the trench.

Eight of the nine bodies found inside the trench are believed to have died at the same time as the result of an explosion in October 1917. The ninth was found separately.

Through a combination of military research, anthropology and DNA, Ministry of Defence ‘war detectives’ managed to identify seven of the nine soldiers by name.

The men included 21-year-old Lance Corporal Stanley Blakeborough from Pateley Bridge and 28-year-old Private Harry Miller, who worked as a farm labourer in Burton Leonard.

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An eighth casualty, who remains unknown, is believed to have served with the same regiment (11th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers) whilst the ninth and final casualty is unknown by name or regiment.

The service in Belgium today. Credit: Ministry of Defence

Nicola Nash, from the Ministry of Defence said:

“After working on this case for nearly three years, it gives me an immense feeling of pride to see these men finally being laid to rest. It has been wonderful to share this emotional day with so many of the family members, who have travelled as far as Australia to attend.

“The sacrifice these men made will never be forgotten.”

Today’s service was organised by the MoD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre and was held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Tyne Cot Cemetery near Ypres in Belgium.

The MOD war detectives also traced the relatives of some of the men, with five different families attending the service.

The Duke of Kent attended the service in his capacity as the Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Harrogate Male Voice Choir returns after two-year absence

Harrogate Male Voice Choir returned on Saturday evening for its first performance in two years.

The choir has existed since October 1969 but members were forced to practice over Zoom during the pandemic.

Members performed at a charity event at St. Mary’s Church, Boston Spa in aid of Martin House Children’s Hospice. They raised £1,050 for the charity.

The choir sang renditions of Amazing Grace, Bring Him Home and In Flanders Fields, among others.

It was the debut of the choir’s new musical director Richard Kay, who has been a member of York Philharmonic Male Voice Choir since 2002. He also sang a range of songs solo during the evening.

Choir member Lawrie Coulthard said:

“It was a wonderful experience for both the choir and audience.

“This was the first time for some years that our performance included solo items – the audience really enjoyed them!”

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Watch ex-Harrogate Town footballer’s reaction after winning £1m on lottery

A video has been posted online that captures the moment former Harrogate Town defender Terry Kennedy finds out he’s scooped £1m on the National Lottery.

The clip, which has over a million views on Twitter, shows Mr Kennedy in his work canteen holding his lucky ticket and shaking his head in disbelief whilst on the phone to lottery staff.

When he is told he’s won £1m his workmates erupt in cheers.

Mr Kennedy began his career at Sheffield United but made most of his appearances as a footballer in the sixth tier of English football, including playing 31 times for Harrogate Town in the 2017/18 season when he scored 9 goals.

Watch the video below:

https://twitter.com/notpotmongs/status/1460349225825443846?s=20

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