There are still no firm dates for the re-opening of Knaresborough Pool and Starbeck Baths.

Lockdown restrictions eased to permit swimming pools to re-open on April 12. However, 11 weeks on neither council-run pool has reopened since.

A problem with the pool filters at Knaresborough forced it to remain closed.

The manufacturer, based in Spain, was unable to send engineers to fix the equipment due to covid travel bans.

Harrogate Borough Council eventually decided to replace the filters, rather than delay the opening further, at a cost of £27,000.

In its latest monthly newsletter to residents, the council said Knaresborough Pool was “set to open in July ahead of the school summer holidays” although no precise date was given.

The council recently advertised for a new duty manager at the pool as well as new lifeguards.

Read more:

• Knaresborough pool stays closed with engineers stuck in Spain
• Calls to reopen Starbeck Baths heat up as restrictions ease

Meanwhile, there has been no update on when Starbeck Baths will reopen.

The council previously said the baths would open “shortly” after Ripon Spa Baths. The Ripon pool reopened in May and there has been no update on Starbeck since.

The Stray Ferret understands staffing may be an issue at Starbeck as a number of employees have either left or been seconded to new roles.

A peacock that has strutted around Bilton for years and nested in people’s gardens appears to have left the area for good.

The streets of Bilton have been curiously quiet in recent days without the distinctive squark of Peter the Peacock, and there are murmurings on social media that the bird has flown the nest.

Concerned Bilton resident Claire Hamer told the Stray Ferret that an RSCPA inspector called her this afternoon to say Peter had injured his foot and the charity had taken him to an animal sanctuary in Lancashire to recuperate. 

According to Ms Hamer, when Peter is back on his feet he will be re-homed and will not be returning to Bilton.

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• ‘Feral’ peacocks causing damage in Killinghall

Bilton has been Peter’s home for 12 years and one superfan even set up his own Facebook page for the peacock that has amassed over 500 followers.

Its last post was on June 5.

He told the Stray Ferret today that Peter had not been seen for weeks and that rumours of his departure could be true.

Ms Harmer said Peter would be “greatly missed.”

“I enjoyed seeing him, he was very tame, I used to give him seeds, so beautiful.

“He could make a big noise but I got used to it. He would roost in our tree.

“I will miss him, bless him.”

Anti-trans graffiti has been written on a public toilet near Knaresborough Castle.

The message was spotted yesterday afternoon in the Castle Yard car park toilets by a woman who was visiting the town with friends.

The use of single-sex toilets has become a battleground for trans rights issues in recent years.

Trans rights campaigners believe that trans people should be able to use the toilet in whichever gender they identify as, however there has been pushback against this by some women who say it makes them feel uncomfortable.

The message read:

“Single-sex spaces matter. Trans women are men. Male pattern violence doesn’t decrease if a man ‘feels’ like a woman.”

Jess, who asked us not to use her surname, tweeted her disappointment at the message:

“What kind of hatred do you have to feel in your soul to write this…in the car park toilet of Knaresborough Castle?”

“Trans women are women and if your issue with trans women is male pattern violence then your issue is not with trans women your issue is with predatory men who would do anything to take advantage of or harm women.”

Read more:

• Charity Corner: Harrogate charity says ‘it’s all about inclusivity’

• Harrogate hospital unveils LGBTQ+ rainbow crossings

Jess told the Stray Ferret that she found graffiti at about 2pm and it looked like someone had tried unsuccessfully to wipe the word ‘men’ from the message.

She described the sentiment of the message as “very vitriolic”, adding:

“And in such a strange place, it was really shocking to sit down and see it.”

Leanora Wassel, chair of local LGBT charity Pride In Diversity Harrogate said there was some anti-trans feeling in the area but graffiti was rare.

She said:

“We as a community find anti-trans abuse abhorrent. It’s important we stand together.”

Harrogate Borough Council, which owns the car park, said today the graffiti had been removed.

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses after at least 15 sheds and storage units were broken into at allotments in Ripon.

Thieves struck at Fisher Green allotments, which has 80 plots close to the city’s racecourse, overnight between Friday night and Saturday morning.

Tools were stolen although not all the buildings suffered losses.

A police statement said the culprits also caused “considerable damage” to windows and doors when breaking in.

They are asking for anyone who might have witnessed the incident or has been offered tools for sale to get in touch by dialling 101 and quoting reference number 12210147470.

You can also email James.Skaith@northyorkshire.police.uk.

Read more:

• Delays expected for motorists as work starts on Ripon bypass

• Harrogate porter’s hands feature on new NHS coronavirus pin

Smarties Day Nursery and Pre-School in Ripley, which closed in March after its landlord decided not to renew its lease, could reopen at a new location four miles away in Brearton.

The nursery opened in 1987 and catered for 52 children. The building it was in is part of the Ripley estate and is owned by Sir Thomas and Lady Emma Ingilby.

Its closure promoted an emotional response from many parents on the Stray Ferret’s Facebook page, with one saying she was “absolutely gutted” and another calling it “really sad news”.

The management of Smarties has now applied to Harrogate Borough Council to convert the former Spotty Dog Boarding Kennels in Brearton, which closed in April, into a new nursery.

Read more:

• Smarties nursery in Ripley to close next month

• Thirty-one Harrogate schools take part in ‘walk to school day’

As part of the application, a letter was sent to the council by Smarties’ management, which called the site in Brearton “a perfect setting for a children’s nursery” with indoor and secure outdoor play.

It would be open from 7.30am until 6pm Monday to Friday for children between the ages of three months to 11 years.

The letter added:

“The site provides a rural setting away from main roads and has the benefit of excellent outdoor space for child learning and development.

“Consistently rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted there is a definite need for quality day care in this location which will provide full and part time employment opportunities for local people and a valuable community service for the parents in the area.”

Harrogate Borough Council will decide on the plans at a later date.

Harewood House will host a Big Dog Walk tomorrow so dogs can meet new four-legged friends while walking around the stately home’s famous grounds.

There’s a choice of 2km, 5km or 10km routes and tickets are currently still available for walks that start at 2.30pm.

Owners and their pets are advised to arrive one hour before their booked time to have a sniff around before the walks start, and there will be staff along the route to offer thirsty dogs a drink.

Dogs will be welcome to walk three routes around Harewood House’s grounds

There will also be a ‘dogstacle’ course, shopping, expert advice, a dog show and refreshments.

A Puppy Socialisation Walk at 10am will give owners the opportunity to introduce puppies to other dogs in a safe, organised way.

For tickets visit here.

Read more:

• Thirty-one Harrogate schools take part in ‘walk to school day’
• State of roads in Ripon comes under spotlight

Twenty-four-year-old Washburn Valley farmer Robert McAneney says agriculture should be about respecting the land and “improving what you’ve got for the next generation”.

In February, he single-handedly took over the tenancy of Scow Hall Farm, which has spectacular views overlooking Swinsty Reservoir, one of the district’s most cherished outdoor sanctuaries.

The farm is owned by Yorkshire Water and rented to Robert for five years through a scheme called “Beyond Nature”.

It aims to encourage sustainable land management and improve the environment while helping younger farmers take on their own tenancies.

Open-minded

Robert was busy worming lambs when the Stray Ferret visited the farm last week. He has 120 sheep and 45 cows, which he hopes to double by the end of the year.

He said the stunning Washburn Valley scenery helps during the long and often solitary days managing a farm.

He was brought up in Darlington and studied agriculture at university. He’s not from a farming family, which he believes gives him a more open-minded and progressive approach to one of our oldest professions.

He said:

“I don’t have a farming background so I don’t have dad or grandad telling me ‘that will never work!”‘

“The older generation can be stuck in their ways. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, as they say.”

Read more:

• Green Shoots: Harrogate’s most environmentally-friendly house?
• Green Shoots: A haven for birds and nature near Ripon

Storing carbon

Soil carbon sequestration is a process where carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and stored in the soil’s carbon pool.

It’s key to Robert’s approach to managing Scow Hall Farm. He sees himself as a bit like a scientist, improving the soil so it can store more CO2.

He said this involves lots of soil analysis, harrowing soil, spreading lime and reseeding it with herbal mixtures.

Healthy soil also means he can cut down on using fertiliser, which can be catastrophic to wildlife.

He added:

“I’m open to new ideas. You don’t need to pile on fertiliser.”

A sustainable business

First and foremost, farms are businesses and key to Robert winning over Yorkshire Water was his plan to ensure that Scow Hall Farm turns a profit without dependence on subsidies.

Robert says subsidies can “create dependence” and is a “lazy business structure”.

The UK government plans to replace the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy with a new payment system that incentivises farmers to manage their land in a more environmentally friendly way.

Robert said he plans to start selling meat from the animals he rears later this year to people who care that their meat comes from a sustainable farm.

“That’s where we are heading.”

“I want to cut out the middleman so people know exactly where their meat is coming from.

“After five years I want to to leave the farm in a much better state than when I found it.”

North Yorkshire Police has arrested a third man in connection with a late night assault on two men in the Jennyfields area of Harrogate.

The 47-year-old from Harrogate was arrested yesterday evening and has since been released on bail.

Officers were called to the Grantley Drive area by the ambulance service at 11.20pm on Tuesday after two men were found with head injuries and cuts to their bodies.

Two other men were arrested on suspicion of wounding in the early hours of the following morning and have been released while under investigation.

A police helicopter was used to search the area to find the two men.

Read more:

• Mum’s shock at finding blood after Jennyfields attack
• Two arrested on suspicion of wounding in Jennyfields

Harrogate Town will play Rochdale AFC at home on the first day of the new League Two season.

The Greater Manchester outfit will visit the Environment on Saturday August 7 to kick off Town’s second-ever campaign in the English Football League.

Simon Weaver’s men will then head to Crawley Town on August 14 and then to Leyton Orient on August 17.

Fans will be looking forward to visiting Bradford City’s Valley Parade on Boxing Day with the reverse fixture played at the EnviroVent on 5 February.

The full fixture list. Credit: Harrogate Town

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• Harrogate Town add Sunderland and Rotherham to pre-season fixtures
• Former Harrogate Town footballer launches counselling service for young athletes

The 2022 calendar year will begin with a trip to Port Vale on New Year’s Day before the team heads to Exeter on January 8, which is the longest away journey of the season.

Yesterday also saw Town drawn in the Papa John’s Trophy where they will face Sheffield Wednesday, Mansfield Town and a final team that will be announced at 4.30pm today.

The Carabao Cup first-round draw will also be revealed at 3.40pm today.

In April, the club were awarded a general safety certificate to hold full capacity games next season once all coronavirus restrictions are lifted.

Harrogate Borough Council‘s rewilding to encourage bees and other wildlife has delighted many in the district this summer.

But one group of long-suffering residents believe it could be exacerbating their hay fever.

The pollen count has been at its mid-summer peak recently, especially on warmer days.

Many areas of the district, including parts of the Stray, have been left to grow wild, resulting in more pollen than in previous years.

Stray Ferret reader Clare Winsor got in touch to say she suspects her family’s recent bouts of hay fever could be related to the longer grass and wildflowers.

She said:

“My family and I are really suffering from hay fever this year, much worse than we would normally.

“I think this may be due to an increase in pollen/seeds/allergens produced by the overgrown areas.”

“Not sure how right I am but could this be the reason so many are complaining of hay fever locally?”

Fellow hay fever sufferer Sophie McCallum also believes the longer grass is “definitely making it worse”.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“This year is the worst I’ve ever had it and have been really suffering every day.”

Read more:

• Harrogate’s ‘rewilding’: untidy or biodiversity boon?
• Harrogate district’s wild grass verges continue to divide opinion

However, some experts believe lockdown, rather than longer grass and wildflowers, could be a contributing factor because people are spending more time indoors.

Dr Naveen Puri, associate clinical director at Bupa Health Clinics, told Cosmopolitan magazine:

“Over the last year, social distancing restrictions have meant that we’ve spent more time indoors than perhaps we usually would.

“As a result, you may have been exposed to less pollen than usual, and this could make your hay fever feel worse.”

One Harrogate resident, Jerry Smith, playfully dismissed the claim that wildflowers increased hay fever and said he’s looking at the bigger picture.

He said:

“I wish for all biodiversity to be removed because it’s all giving me hayfever. I will continue to flourish as a human whilst the rest of the earth collapses.”

A council spokesman said:

“We have sympathy for hay fever sufferers, especially at this time of the year when the pollen count is higher and farmers are hay making.

“But we need to remember why we are leaving areas to grow and planting wildflowers.

“Pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, play a key role in sustaining the flora and fauna across the district.

“Sadly, they have been in decline for several years and we all need to play our part in supporting their habitats.”