North Yorkshire Police says a member of the public reported seeing missing Harrogate woman Judith Holliday in Wetherby yesterday, as officers continue to search for the missing 73-year-old.
Judith was last seen on Saturday at 10.43am at Library Gardens in Harrogate after she left her care home.
Police believe she may have walked from here to use public transport.
She is described as white, thin build, approximately 5ft in height, with medium-length grey bobbed hair. She was last seen wearing dark-coloured trousers and a coat.
The police have deployed their operational support unit as well as a drone to search for her in rural areas around Harrogate.
Extensive CCTV enquires are also taking place to try and establish any further positive sightings.
North Yorkshire Police critical incident inspector, Martin Smith said:
Free home security upgrade scheme opens in Harrogate district“We’re currently extremely concerned for the welfare of Judith. I believe that Judith has either walked from this location on foot or has used public transport.
“I would urge members of the public, in particular people in the Harrogate and Wetherby areas to remain vigilant, and report any sightings to police immediately.”
A scheme for some Harrogate district villagers to improve the security of their homes opens today.
The Protect Your Home scheme aims to prevent burglaries on the district’s border with West Yorkshire. Grants are available for new locks for doors, windows, garages and sheds as well as alarm systems for farms.
For homes with suitable WiFi coverage, the scheme also includes a RING video doorbell.
£719,590 is available in total with over 1,000 homes and 90 farms eligible. It is funded by the government and administered by the office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner North Yorkshire.
Residents living in Harrogate district villages Hopperton, Kirk Deighton, Kirk Hammerton, Leathley, Long Marston, North Deighton, Sicklinghall, Spofforth with Stockeld can apply.
Residents will receive a registration pack through the post over the next six weeks and can sign up at www.protectyourhome.org.uk.
Conservative Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, Zoë Metcalfe, said:
“Burglary can leave people feeling vulnerable, frightened and distressed, the best way of deterring criminals from the entire community is for as many residents as possible to sign up and make their properties more secure so please sign up as soon as possible.”
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Police growing ‘increasingly concerned’ for missing Harrogate woman
North Yorkshire Police says it is growing ‘increasingly concerned’ for the welfare of missing Harrogate woman Judith Holliday who has been missing since Saturday.
Judith, who is 73, was last seen on Saturday at 10.43am at Library Gardens in Harrogate after she left her care home.
She is described as white, thin build, approximately 5ft in height, with medium-length grey bobbed hair. She was last seen wearing dark-coloured trousers and a coat.
The police have deployed their operational support unit as well as a drone to search for her.
Judith requires daily medication and it’s believed she doesn’t have this with her. She has a limited amount of cash and doesn’t have a mobile phone.
Anyone with information that could help with the search should email matthew.bulmer@northyorkshire.police.uk. You can also call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for Matthew Bulmer.
If you have an immediate sighting of Judith call 999.
Quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12220153505
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Long-term delays expected at key junction on way to Leeds Bradford Airport
Delays are expected until Spring next year on a key junction between Harrogate and Leeds Bradford Airport while roadworks take place on the A660 and the A658.
The Dyneley Arms junction, at the top of Pool Bank, connects Pool-in-Wharfedale to north Leeds, as well as to Bradford, Otley and the airport.
West Yorkshire Combined Authority is spending £2.4m on the scheme, which involves widening roads and adding crossings and turning lanes.
The council said the works will improve journey times between Leeds and Harrogate. The main works will begin on September 12.
Cllr Helen Hayden, Labour councillor on Leeds City Council said:
“This junction was ranked one of the top congested junctions in the Leeds district. I’m pleased to see after a lot of efforts to deliver the scheme, we’re finally able to make a start to improve capacity at the junction.
“The scheme will also provide benefits to improve journey times between Leeds and Harrogate, and the intervening villages when it completes in spring next year. Like many schemes in construction across Leeds, we’re advising motorists to allow more time for journeys and to plan ahead where possible. We apologise in advance of any inconvenience caused.”
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Harrogate pub Christies reopens after refurb
Harrogate pub Christies has reopened after closing for a month-long refurbishment.
The watering hole on Kings Road, owned by Punch Pubs and Co, welcomed customers to take a look at the new-look pub last Thursday.
The building has had a fresh coat of paint and builders have been busy giving the bar and outside a makeover.
Despite some changes, new managers Lee and Ben say every effort has been made to ensure the pub keeps its “traditional unique character and pub-like atmosphere”.
For drinkers there is a choice of five draft lagers, four cask ales and a selection of craft beers.
There is also a finger food menu that includes burgers and hot dogs.
Previous landlords Marik Scatchard and Jo Jarvis left the pub in July after over 14 years.
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Harrogate district’s floral displays fall victim to hosepipe ban
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Plumpton Rocks to reopen next weekend after Turner inspired restoration
Plumpton Rocks will reopen to the public next weekend after several years of restoration works — which were aided by 200-year-old sketches by the famous landscape painter J M W Turner.
The Grade II* listed parkland and man-made lake fell into disrepair towards the end of the last century before Historic England added it to the “Heritage at Risk Register” in 2012.
Since then Historic England has worked with the current owners and spent more than £400,000.
The visitor attraction first closed for a major programme of repairs in 2013, which included works on the parkland, the dam and on the lake. It reopened three years later in 2016.
Plumpton Rocks closed again in October 2019 to do further work on the dam and bring it up to standard for the Reservoirs Act 1975, but covid further delayed the works.
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The owner of the site, Robert de Plumpton Hunter, said it will be “lovely to get it back open again”.
He said:
“It’s a great relief to see it done. It needed a bit of a refurb.
“The lake, which was silting up, would have been lost within 10 or 15 years.”
Mr Hunter was keen to restore the site, and the lake, to how they looked in the 1750s. But with no photos available, he was fortunate to draw on art created by one of the most famous ever English painters.
Turner painted a watercolour of Plumpton Rocks in 1797 and more sketches of the site are stored at the Tate in London, which were used to inspire the refurbishment.
Mr Hunter added:
“You really got a feel of what the landscape looked like 200 years ago, and we were able to use those sketches to aid the restoration. If Turner turned up now he would absolutely recognise the landscape, that is special.”
Plumpton Rocks will be open every Saturday and Sunday from September 3 from 11am to 6pm. There are plans to open it on more days in 2023. Dates will be announced on its website.
‘Plompton Rocks’ (1797-8) JMW Turner. http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/D17202
Harrogate district’s floral displays fall victim to hosepipe ban
The Harrogate district’s famous floral displays will soon be looking worse for wear due to the hosepipe ban.
The ban came into force today and Harrogate Borough Council has confirmed it won’t be watering plants until it is lifted.
Yorkshire Water acted following months of dry weather, which have depleted water levels in the district’s reservoirs such as Thruscross and Swinsty.
It’s the first hosepipe ban in the area since 1995 and means the council’s parks and environmental services team, which looks after floral displays in parks as well as in towns and the city of Ripon, will have to watch its hard work wither until the ban is lifted.
The district’s floral displays are a source of local pride.
Little rain is forecast for the remainder of the month.
A council spokesperson said:
“The Yorkshire Water website states that during the period of the ban councils cannot use hosepipes or sprinklers to water floral beds, displays or hanging baskets in public locations.
“This unfortunately means that we are not able to continue watering the floral beds, hanging baskets, barrier baskets or floral tubs around the Harrogate district.
“Using watering cans is not practical and continues to use water from our water supplies, which are currently in short supply and high demand”.
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The council also runs a subsidised hanging basket scheme in which businesses pay the council to provide the basket and plants. Staff then water and maintain the baskets throughout the summer.
The council says businesses who use the scheme will not be eligible for a refund.
Its spokesperson added:
Rishi Sunak to court Conservatives in Harrogate tomorrow“The hanging basket scheme is already subsidised by the council to reduce the price of baskets to businesses in the town centre.
“The hosepipe ban has come in at the end of the season so hopefully with lower temperatures and a bit of rain over the coming weeks the baskets will last a few more weeks until they are scheduled to be removed late September.
“Whilst the hosepipe ban is unfortunate, it is also important that as community leaders we play our part in adhering to the restrictions and highlighting the need to conserve water”.
Rishi Sunak will visit Harrogate tomorrow to court Conservative Party members as he attempts to boost his flagging hopes of becoming the next Prime Minister, the Stray Ferret understands.
The former Chancellor is expected to be in Harrogate at around 3pm to meet members, who have been voting for either Foreign Secretary Liz Truss or Mr Sunak to be the next Tory leader and PM.
Mr Sunak was the most popular choice among MPs, but among members, polling has put him consistently behind Ms Truss.
Bookmaker William Hill has odds of 1/16 for Ms Truss to be the winner with Mr Sunak trailing way behind on 17/2.
A lengthy campaign has seen two rivals tour the country in July and August.
Liz Truss met members in Harrogate on August 9, attending a house on the Duchy estate believed to be owned by Harrogate Borough Council deputy leader Graham Swift.
Liz Truss arrives at Bettys in Harrogate this month.
It will be the second visit to the Harrogate district for Mr Sunak, who spoke to party members in Masham earlier in the campaign.
The winner will be announced by September 5.
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The Richmond MP has the backing of both Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones and Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith.
In an article on his website, Community News, Mr Jones described why he is backing the former chancellor. He wrote:
Goalkeeper’s journey from Harrogate Railway to the Champions League“The country needs someone who is consistent and transparent to reinvigorate trust in politics.”
Beginning your career at Station View in Starbeck and ending up at grounds like the San Siro, Nou Camp and the Allianz Arena is an unlikely, even implausible, career path, but Jon McLaughlin was tipped for the top from the very start.
The 34-year-old Glasgow Rangers goalkeeper started last night during a 1-0 win over PSV that secured his club’s place in the Champions League group stages for the first time in over a decade.
Rangers were regulars in the competition in the 2000s when McLaughlin was starting out his career at Harrogate Railway.
Back then, he was a lanky 19-year-old student at Leeds Metropolitan University taking his first steps into part-time, non-league football.
‘The Battle of Harrogate’
McLaughlin made his debut for Railway in the Unibond League Cup away at Gateshead in 2006, due to an injury to the first-choice keeper.
He soon cemented his place in the side and stood out during Railway’s second fairytale FA Cup run of that decade. They were eventually knocked out by Mansfield Town in the 2nd round, live in front of the BBC cameras.
Earlier in the competition, fans of both Railway and Harrogate Town fondly remember his performance in a 2-1 qualifying win over a pre-Irving Weaver Harrogate Town.
The two clubs were at a much more even level than today.
It was a blustery October afternoon game that was watched by 1,300 at Station View. In a match report, non-league blogger Paul Kirkwood described the atmosphere, which contrasts wildly to the cauldron of Ibrox that the goalkeeper plays in today.
“The local paper tried to bull up the match as ‘The Battle of Harrogate’ but it was more like a cordial meeting of two old friends at the famous Betty’s Tea Rooms down the road.”
The Scot’s talent was evident, and it was clear Railway had found a gem.
Following Railway’s FA Cup heroics, he was signed by Town in early 2008. At the time, then-Railway boss Vince Brockie predicted the 20-year-old would play for Scotland one day, and he eventually did in 2018.
‘Massive for the club’
Railway’s secretary Dave Shepherd said he was proud to see one of the club’s former players make it to the top of the game
“To have an ex-footballer make it at the very top level is massive for the club.
“He was quiet really, even back then, but he was very dependable. He always turned up for training and games and was never a problem.
“I can remember back then we had a group of lads who came and sang to him, Scotland’s number one, tongue in cheek.”
Harrogate Railway’s vice chairman Lee Holmes said Railway has been a good starting point for many players over the years.
“He was really, really good. I was there for the match against Town and he did well. He was a brilliant player.”
Katherine Swinn, of Harrogate Town Independent Supporters Group, also remembers McLaughlin as a “great keeper, too good for non-league and very highly thought of”.
Up the ladder
After leaving Town after half a season, McLaughlin moved to professional, full-time football with Bradford City. They were then managed by Harrogate resident and fellow Scot Stuart McCall.
His career has included a League Cup final at Wembley and he will be hoping to make the Scotland squad for the Qatar World Cup later this year, but he still credits his time in Harrogate as laying the foundations for his success.
He told the Daily Record in 2020
Boroughbridge fashion brand to expand into US and Australia“I follow all my former teams. Harrogate Town just got promoted and it’s great to see them starting to build.
“When I was at Harrogate Railway before that, the pitches were open to anyone who wanted to walk in but nobody wanted to walk in unfortunately!
“There were a couple of men and a dog watching games so it’s the polar opposite to now.
“It’s great to be where I am now and hopefully it means I’ll never take it for granted.
“I have an appreciation for what I have now. I know first hand the difference between lifestyles from then and now – and the hours you have to dedicate to it.
“I don’t think any of the Harrogate lads are playing pro football now. We’re talking about quite a few levels below the National League in England so it was part-time boys.
“We try to stay in contact but I don’t get down too often. I don’t get the chance to get involved in the reunions but it would be great to go back.”
Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.
Boroughbridge-based online women’s fashion retailer and brand Kit and Kaboodal is set to expand into the United States and Australia.
The company, founded in 2013, has posted a 48% increase in revenue on the same period the previous year, 20% ahead of target.
It’s now on track to surpass its annual target of £8m for the full 2022/23 financial year.
The retailer has now made the decision to trial international expansion and, from this autumn, it will launch specific sites and products in the US and Australia.
Helen Marsden, co-founder and buying director, said:
“We’re a family-run and family-owned business that began by making all our decisions around the kitchen table. Now we’re watching the orders grow daily and we’re reaching entirely new markets and customers.
“We’ve focused on building strong relationships with suppliers and customers and that has helped us navigate some of the most disruptive years in history and come out the other side with a strong business that’s fit for the future.”
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Harrogate district nursery supplies plants to luxury resort
Johnsons of Whixley are supplying plants to The Springs.
Johnsons of Whixley has supplied plants worth £135,000 for a multi-million-pound renovation at the 133-acre The Springs Resort & Golf Club in Oxfordshire.
The plants have been used to enhance the grounds of the Tudor-style hotel building, clubhouse, golf course and spa grounds and most recently used to landscape the modern lodges which include private outdoor areas with hot tubs and landscaped decking.
Johnsons has supplied a large number of hedging, shrubs, herbaceous, trees and grasses with varieties including mixed native hedging elements, Choisya, Geraniums, Heleniums, Hebes, Hydrangeas, Heucheras, Ilex, Lavender, Magnolia, Prunus, Stipa, Taxus, Viburnum and more.
Eleanor Richardson, marketing manager at Johnsons, said:
“We are pleased to be working with Darwin Escapes once again, and are honoured to be their principal plant supplier. It’s great to see our plants adding the finishing touches to this ambitious project, the grounds look fantastic and will certainly entice people to stay.”