Emotional Harrogate reunion for Puss the cat and her Scottish owners

Puss the cat, who escaped from the Great Yorkshire Show after sneaking into a Scottish farmer’s sheep trailer, was reunited with her tearful and relieved owners this morning.

Farmer David Mitchell and his wife Annette drove 200 miles from East Ayrshire to collect the intrepid moggy who they feared was lost forever.

Mr Mitchell arrived at the showground on Wednesday last week to show sheep. When he opened the trailer, Puss bolted and disappeared. He then had to return to Scotland to tend to his farm.

When news broke that the cat was missing, The Stray Ferret appealed for information to find Puss.

David’s wife Annette even came back to Harrogate last week to look for her but had no success.

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Puss found refuge, and food, at a house in the Crimple Valley a few days ago. The cuddly and friendly feline was well looked after during her Harrogate sojourn,

The Mitchells drove south this morning to collect Puss, who was purring on the lap of Helen McCallum, a volunteer at Harrogate Cat Rescue.

When the couple arrived, there were tears and thanks to the people of Harrogate for looking after their treasured family pet.

Ms Mitchell said:

“It’s just amazing, so it is. It’s a great team of folk down here looking out for other people’s animals.”

Council: 17 ‘unacceptable risks’ at Harrogate Town forced us to ban fans

North Yorkshire County Council has revealed 17 “unacceptable risks” led it to ban fans from Harrogate Town’s friendly against Sunderland on Saturday just 24 hours before kick-off.

The risks included an inadequate level of stewarding, the CCTV system not being tested under match conditions and the ground’s control room, which oversees fan safety, not being connected to a phone line or the public address system.

In a statement sent today to the Stray Ferret, Matt O’Neill, assistant director for growth, planning and trading standards at NYCC, said the council sent a trading standards officer to last Wednesday’s friendly against Rotherham after safety concerns were raised.

It said the club submitted a risk assessment and stewarding plan on the morning before the Sunderland fixture that identified seven unacceptable risks. This was reviewed by NYCC officers, who found another 10 risks.

The statement said:

“We therefore concluded that there were 17 areas of unacceptable risk in total.”

The statement added the council was in discussions with the club to overcome the issues before the first home fixture of the new English Football League Division Two season against Rochdale on August 7 but that “the safety of everyone entering the facility must come first”.

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The Stray Ferret requested an interview with Harrogate Town’s managing director Garry Plant today but was told he was on leave. Nobody else from the club was put forward for an interview.

The club released a statement this afternoon that said it was “working hard behind the scenes to rectify the issues raised”.

It added:

“We would like to reiterate our sincere apologies to those supporters who had planned to attend but could not, through no fault of their own.

“Clearly this is a testing period for the club and we appreciate your continued support as we work through the issues raised.”

Fans have voiced concerns that the club’s opening home game of the new season will be played in front of an empty stadium due to unresolved issues.

Katherine Swinn, speaking on behalf of the Harrogate Town Independent Supporters Club, told the Stray Ferret yesterday that fans had “numerous unanswered questions”.

She said:

“I think the club have dealt with the situation very poorly. The lack of communication is appalling. This situation needs to be addressed urgently and a full and frank statement provided by the club otherwise the speculation will continue.”

Here is the full statement from Matt O’Neill, assistant director for growth, planning and trading standards at NYCC.

“Following safety concerns raised with us, our trading standards officers attended the match held last Wednesday night between Harrogate Town FC and Rotherham United.

“At this point it was clear there were a number of urgent matters to be addressed at the football ground, if the Sunderland match was to go ahead as planned last Saturday.

“The risk assessment and stewarding plan the club subsequently provided on Friday (23 July) morning identified seven unacceptable risks. Our officers reviewed the risk assessment and found that mitigation measures in place for a further ten risks were insufficient and we therefore concluded that there were 17 areas of unacceptable risk in total.

“These included an inadequate level of stewarding and a lack of effective communication between stewards and lack of confirmation about medical support. They also included the fact that the control room where safety of the ground is overseen, was not connected up to the public address system or the fire panels, had no phone line and a CCTV system which had not been tested under match conditions.

“Discussions now continue to see what can be done to find a safe solution looking ahead. The safety of everyone entering the facility must come first.”

“Together with partner agencies in the Safety Advisory Group we pulled out all the stops to try to support the club to deal with a range of safety measures that had to be addressed to enable the match to go ahead.

“Safety standards are put in place to protect the spectators and ensure a safe match by the Sports Ground Safety Association (an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport) and, as the public would expect, they must be met.”

Harrogate Town fans fear season opener will be played behind closed doors

Harrogate Town fans are worried the club’s opening home game of the new season will be played in front of an empty stadium.

Fans were barred from a pre-season friendly against Sunderland at the EnviroVent Stadium on Saturday less than 24 hours before kick-off because North Yorkshire County Council said a number of safety issues at the ground “made them uneasy”.

The council said these were not covid-related but were due to medical support, stewarding, and spectator safety.

The club released a statement saying it “sincerely apologised for the inconvenience caused” but has released no further details about why the match could not proceed. It did, however, say it would work with the council’s safety advisory group to address the points raised for future fixtures.

About 800 Sunderland fans had tickets refunded and the cancellation, coupled with the lack of information since, has also upset home fans.

It’s also led to speculation about whether the issues will be resolved before the season-opening match at home to Rochdale on August 7, and whether fans could once again by forced to watch Town on a livestream as they did for most of last season.

Katherine Swinn, speaking on behalf of the Harrogate Town Independent Supporters Club, told the Stray Ferret fans had “numerous unanswered questions”.

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Ms Swinn said:

“The club’s last minute statement on Friday led to significant speculation, anger, concern and numerous unanswered questions being raised. None of these matters have been addressed by the club. Some welcome clarification was provided by North Yorkshire County Council following their statement over the weekend regarding the safety issues which led to the match having to take place behind closed doors. However, the silence from the club is deafening.

“There has been no communication, clarification or any attempt by the club to address the numerous concerns and unanswered questions that have been raised nor to provide any reassurance that supporters will be able to attend the match against Rochdale. Instead the club have today reminded people that they have until this Friday to renew their season ticket for this season when supporters don’t even know if they will be allowed into the ground for the Rochdale match.

“I think the club have dealt with the situation very poorly. The lack of communication is appalling. This situation needs to be addressed urgently and a full and frank statement provided by the club otherwise the speculation will continue.”

Town are due to host their final pre-season friendly against Doncaster Rovers at the EnviroVent Stadium on Sunday.

A Harrogate Town spokesman said the club was awaiting further information before commenting on future fixtures.

North Yorkshire County Council said it awaited an individual match risk assessment and stewarding plan from the club.

Harrogate social distancing planters heading to Starbeck

Six of the social distancing planters that were in Harrogate town centre during covid restrictions look set to be moved to Starbeck High Street.

The planters, which occupied town centre parking spaces to the annoyance of some traders, were removed from James Street and Albert Street last week.

Harrogate Borough Council subsequently put out a call to local business owners interested in loaning the wooden boxes.

Andrew Hart, who owns the post office in Starbeck, said the council had agreed this morning to loan him six planters, providing he can get a pavement licence from North Yorkshire County Council, which he hopes will be a formality.

Mr Hart plans to put the planters outside the former McColl’s supermarket building, which was destroyed by fire three years ago. He said it has been an “eyesore” ever since.

Mr Hart said there would be enough space on the pavement for wheelchairs and prams to pass.

He added:

“The planters will distract the eye [from the McColl’s building], especially for people driving through Starbeck.”

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The flowers have been wilting in the sun at the council’s nursery on Harlow Hill in Harrogate because the council said it did not have the resources to water them properly.

Mr Hart has agreed to pay the council £40 per planter to put fresh flowers in the boxes. Once they arrive in Starbeck, they will be watered and maintained by volunteers.

The council bought the planters after receiving £144,411 from the European Regional Development Fund to boost high streets during the covid pandemic.

However, as a condition of using the EU money, the planters cannot be placed on privately-owned land and must be branded with the ERDF and HMG logos before being returned to the council by March next year.

Green Shoots: Harrogate district plumber swaps ‘dirty diesel’ for vegetable fat

In this month’s Green Shoots we look at a Harrogate district plumber and heating engineer who has upgraded his “dirty diesel” van to run on a new green fuel made with vegetable fat — and reduced the amount of CO2 emissions it produces by up to 90%.

Alan Marcon owns Green and Reliable Heating in Whixley and clocks up hundreds of miles a month in his VW van travelling around Harrogate, York, Knaresborough, Nidderdale, and Masham installing central heating systems.

After becoming increasingly concerned about his own impact on the environment, he decided to “practice what I preach” and two months ago ditched polluting diesel for hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO).

No modifications to the fuel tank are needed.

A litre of HVO works out at £1.75, which is more expensive than diesel, but its impact on the environment is profound as it helps to combat climate change while making the air cleaner.

He said:

“We need to make change. Diesel is dirty. Our kids, their grandchildren need cleaner air. The quicker we can rid of diesel the better.”

“Our children need cleaner air”

Once touted as a clean fuel by the UK government in the 2000s, the reputation of diesel was irretrievably severed after the ‘dieselgate’ scandal in the 2010s when the carmaker Volkswagon was found to be cheating emissions tests.

Studies have come out in recent years that show exposure to diesel can contribute to asthma, heart disease and several types of cancer.

In a landmark case in December 2020, a coroner said air pollution contributed to the death of nine-year-old Londoner Ella Kissi-Debrah due to her exposure to toxic exhaust fumes near her home by a busy road.

The government will ban the sale of new diesel vehicles from 2035.

Alan said he was 11 when he began helping out at the family plumbing business, but during his early years in the trade his awareness of the damage diesel can do to the body was limited.

He said:

“We need to do something now”.

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Future technology

Before making the switch, Mr Marcon was worried the new fuel might damage his van, but he says the engine is quieter and happier, which should reduce the chance of engine failure or costly repairs.

He buys the fuel in barrels from a wholesale supplier.

2020 was a record year for electric car sales, but the majority of those sold were personal cars such as Teslas.

The switch to electric for fleet and trade vehicles has been a slower process, partly due to the high cost for new vehicles and a lack of government subsidies to encourage businesses to convert.

Mr Marcon sees HVO fuel as the ideal stopgap before the electric revolution takes hold:

“We need to do something quicker. Electric is brilliant but we haven’t got the technology yet.”

Skyfall

The world is changing, and Mr Marcron hopes other tradespeople will get on board with the new fuel.

He lives in Whixley in a house called Skyfall — fittingly, James Bond is set to drive an electric Aston Martin in the next installment of the franchise.

He added:

“After the pandemic more people want to be green. HVO is the perfect solution. I look at Yorkshire and I want to see our cities and towns go green.

Do you have an interesting project or passion that improves the environment and could feature in Green Shoots? Contact thomas@thestrayferret.co.uk

‘She’s just my daughter!’: Rachel Daly’s dad’s pride at Olympics star

Rachel Daly’s dad Martyn has expressed his pride at watching his daughter play for the Team GB football team that beat Chile in the opening match of the Olympic Games on Wednesday.

From the early days of putting up goalposts in the garden, Martyn Daly told the Stray Ferret he “never thought in a million years” he would be watching her play in the Olympics, which he called “something special”.

Football runs in the family and Mr Daly played as a striker for Harrogate Town and Knaresborough Town in the 1980s and 1990s.

He remembers taking his daughter to train at the age of eight, when she started playing for the Killinghall Nomads boys team, before there was the option for girls to play together.

Ms Daly has ascended to become one of the top players in the women’s game, the star forward for Houston Dash in the US, with World Cup appearances for England and now the Olympics.

He said:

“It’s a far cry from the marshes at Wetherby that flooded all the time!”

The die-hard Leeds United fan wakes up at 2am for every Houston game to watch his daughter play via an online stream. He says football is “all she’s ever been bothered about doing”.

Team GB’s women’s footballers. Rachel Daly is on the back row, far right.

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When the Stray Ferret spoke to Ms Daly earlier this year, she stressed the importance of pay equality with men.

Her dad praised her for setting a good example to girls and women wanting to make their mark in the game.

She is Harrogate through and through, attending Saltergate junior school and Rossett High School. Her dad says she always “appreciates where she came from.”

When she’s back for a visit, she’ll even sometimes play five-a-side with her brother at Rossett where she “runs rings around” the men.

This summer’s Olympics in Tokyo has been dogged by controversy with the matches played in front of empty stadiums and the squad are keeping together in their own bubble.

Mr Daly hopes she can make the squad for the next games in Paris in three years’ time.

He added:

“You can learn a lot mingling with a 100m runner or a canoeist. They’ll miss out on that, which is a shame.”

Team GB stand a good chance of winning a medal in football and take on hosts Japan at 11.30am (UK time) today. Ms Daly’s family will be cheering them on back home in Harrogate.

Mr Daly said:

“She’ll never realise what she’s done in the game until it’s over.

“Every pro has a cockiness about them but she’s down to earth too, she’s just my daughter.”

Ripon Racecourse vaccine centre closes after giving 27,000 jabs

The covid vaccine site at Ripon Racecourse closed yesterday after staff and volunteers gave more than 27,000 jabs in almost six months.

It was led by the Yorkshire Health Network, which presented a plaque that thanked staff from the racecourse.

The centre had been set up in the Wakeman Bar, where race punters normally celebrate winners or commiserate over losses.

Yesterday’s baking hot sunshine was a sharp contrast to when the site opened on a snowy February afternoon.

Today was our last day as a vaccination centre. Huge thanks to everybody who made it possible! pic.twitter.com/SLpQr8ZI0a

— Ripon Races (@RiponRaces) July 22, 2021

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The closure in Ripon means the former Lidl in Knaresborough and Memorial Hall in Pateley Bridge are now the only permanent covid vaccine sites still open in the Harrogate district, after the Great Yorkshire Showground site closed last month.

Both sites will be offering walk-in vaccines without the need for an appointment tomorrow.

First and second doses of the Pfizer jab will be available at Pateley Bridge from 8am to 5.30pm.

The Knaresborough site on York Road will be offering first and second doses of the AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines from 9am to 1pm.

100 new covid cases reported in Harrogate district today

A total of 100 covid infections have been reported in the Harrogate district today, according to latest Public Health England figures.

However, no covid-related deaths have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital in more than three months and hospitalisations remain low at just three.

NHS England figures show that the covid death toll at the hospital since March 2020 remains at 179.

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The district’s seven-day average infection rate now stands at 532 cases per 100,000 people, which is the same average as England. The North Yorkshire average is 585.

Ripon south and east remains the covid hotspot, with 83 infections recorded in the last seven days. Central Harrogate, with 53, is the next highest.

 

Stray Ferret videos of Prince Charles in Harrogate get 200,000 views

Exactly one week ago, Prince Charles and Camilla were in Harrogate to attend the Great Yorkshire Show.

The enduring appeal of the royal family has been highlighted by the fact that two Stray Ferret videos of their visit have been viewed almost 200,000 times.

We were live at the Great Yorkshire Show last Thursday to capture the couple’s arrival.

The clip, filmed live on Facebook, showed The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall happily chatting to exhibitors and the public as they made their way around the showground. It has currently received 92,000 views.

Another video of the royals leaving The Stray via helicopter has proved even more popular, having been viewed 107,000 times.

Their departure coincided with the end of the school day at about 3.45pm and scores of St Aidan’s Church of England High School pupils waved them off.

The videos have been enjoyed across the world and even shared by people in countries including Thailand, Algeria and Denmark.

Did you meet Charles or Camilla during their trip to the show? Email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

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Harrogate landmarks built in Lego for summer family trail

Harrogate landmarks including Bettys, the Turkish Baths and the Great Yorkshire Showground’s main ring have been built in Lego bricks for a new town centre trail this summer.

The trail, created by Harrogate Business Improvement District, will run from Saturday July 31 until Sunday, August 22.

It includes ten mini-models at the following locations:

The models are being made by Fairy Bricks, a charity that donates Lego sets to children’s hospices and hospitals, and will be completed next week in time for the launch.

Other models include Harrogate Town’s mascot Harry Gator and Hogwart’s School from the Harry Potter books.

At 10am on July 31 and August 1, people can watch a white rose being built of Lego at the Victoria Shopping Centre.

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There is also a competition with 500 Lego prizes to be won. To enter, participants need to download the LoyalFree app and ‘check in’ at each venue using the QR code displayed.

The prizes will be collected from Toyland in the Victoria Shopping Centre.

Harrogate BID Manager Chapman Matthew Chapman said:

“With the school summer holidays already here we wanted to create a trail that would really appeal to families.

“With restrictions now lifted, this is one that can be enjoyed by people of all ages, and will be a fun way to spend a few hours visiting different parts of the town.

“As a child I loved Lego, and so do my two sons. And as you will see from these creations Lego can be anything but child’s play. I’m really excited to say that we have commissioned a number of models that will be unique to our trail.

“One of our key remits is to drive footfall into the town centre, and we hope our Lego trail will help us to achieve this.”