Vicky Carr, Author at The Stray Ferret

New town centre venture for Harrogate coffee shop owner

A Harrogate coffee shop owner is set to open a new business in the centre of town.

Simon Somerville-Frost, who opened Brew Bar on St Winifred’s Avenue in May 2018, has just picked up the keys for 3 Royal Parade.

He plans to turn it into a coffee, brunch and evening venue, under the name &… Harrogate.

Brew Bar has been teasing the new development on its social media accounts over the last week before finally revealing more details last night. In a post on its Instagram account, it said:

“We’ve got keys! Introducing @ampersand_harrogate, our new coffee, brunch and evening venue situated at 3 Royal Parade, Harrogate.

“We’re looking forward to sharing our progress prior to our launch.”

The business is recruiting kitchen and front-of-house staff, as well as managers and supervisors, ready for the new venue’s launch. The date has yet to be confirmed.

The premises was previously home to Gron, a small chain of Leeds-based cafes serving vegetarian, vegan and pescatarian dishes. It closed its doors in Harrogate late last year, having first arrived in the town in December 2020.

Brew Bar was opened by Simon opposite his own home, when he realised he didn’t know any of his neighbours and wanted to build more of a sense of community.

Last year, it set up a ‘community table’ where people could sit if they wanted someone to chat to. It also enabled customers to gift a coffee to others who couldn’t afford to buy one.

Support for plans to twin Knaresborough with town in Ukraine

Knaresborough could be twinned with a town in Ukraine in a show of support and solidarity from the town council.

Councillors last night voted in favour of writing to the mayor of Volodymyr in western Ukraine with the proposal, after a motion was put forward by Cllr David Goode.

The meeting saw a presentation by Bob Frendt, the retired lorry driver from Knaresborough who last year made six trips to deliver aid to people affected by Russia’s invasion of the country.

Mr Frendt said:

“I addressed Knaresborough Town Council and they agreed to my request to twin Knaresborough with Volodymyr in Ukraine to promote cultural, education, commercial and sporting links between our two towns going forward.

“I am very proud and pleased to have got this twinning project through.”

Cllr Goode described Mr Frendt as a “force of nature” and said his hard work to deliver medical equipment as well as toys to Ukraine had inspired the town twinning committee to back the idea.

Mr Frendt had already broached the subject with the mayor of Volodymyr and had an enthusiastic response. Now Cllr Goode’s proposal has been voted through by Knaresborough Town Council, a letter will be sent to the mayor to formalise the plans.

Cllr Goode said there would be some details to work out over the exact wording of the twinning agreement. If the councils in both Volodymyr and Knaresborough are happy with the wording, the twinning will be made official.

However, the arrangement is likely to be less active than the 50-year twinning agreement with Bebra in Germany, which has seen partnerships between groups including Knaresborough Silver Band, civic organisations and local schools.

Cllr Goode said:

“I think, at this stage, it’s more moral support and commitment to the people in Volodymyr, as much for them to know there’s another group of people out there really thinking about them and what they are going through.

“There’s also an element of continuing to support Bob in what he’s doing.

“That’s what came across to the town council in terms of introducing the motion. It might not be a massive commitment, but it’s something more we are doing than just flying the flag in front of Knaresborough House.”

Cllr Goode said he was hopeful Ukrainians who had moved to Knaresborough since the war began last year would be keen to get involved if the twinning project went ahead.

Meanwhile, Mr Frendt will set off on another trip to Ukraine tomorrow afternoon. He will drive his lorry through Europe to Volodymyr to deliver supplies – including 200 Easter eggs donated by people and businesses in Knaresborough.

As with previous trips, his lorry has been filled with donated medical supplies, and has raised funds to cover insurance, fuel and other expenses, as well as using his own money.

Individuals or businesses wanting to offer support can email him, or call him on 07836 514952.

Call for parents to share maternity experiences in Harrogate district

A group of volunteers is calling for parents to share their experiences of maternity services across the Harrogate district.

Harrogate Maternity Voices Partnership (MVP) is an independent group of volunteers aiming to use feedback from parents to ensure maternity services are the best they can be.

From community midwifery to the hospital’s delivery suite and postnatal care at home, the MVP wants to hear from anyone who has experienced the maternity services provided through Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

The group’s chair, Jen Baldry, took up the role in early 2022. She said:

“I’ve had three children in Harrogate and I think I’ve had really positive experiences throughout my maternity journeys. However, I always think there’s room for improvement.

“I have a passion for developing local maternity services, in particular focusing on personalised care and informed choice.

“I had a baby during covid so that massively impacted me wanting to do this role and give my experience of that, compared to having two before covid.”

The MVP holds regular coffee mornings around which any parents are welcome to drop in to. They offer space for children to play while the parents can chat to each other, MVP volunteers and maternity professionals about their experiences.

There are also regular, free information sessions, such as one next Friday evening on the biomechanics of birth, led by a hypnobirthing teacher and a student midwife. It will cover how different positions and movements can be used during labour and childbirth.

Feedback over the last year has seen the MVP work with maternity professionals to look at the language they use, the birthing environment at the hospital, and delivering personalised care to suit each person going through pregnancy and birth.

As well as giving feedback, people who have experience of maternity care in Harrogate are always welcomed as volunteers with the MVP. Jen said:

“We have over 40 active volunteers. I ask everyone for one to two hours a month, and that could be for reviewing leaflets or coming to a coffee morning, or even going in to the unit for a ’15 steps’ review, when we look at what the experience is like for someone arriving there.

“Anybody who has had experience with maternity services or worked in a field related to maternity can join us.”

Pilot project

While the MVP will operate long term with all parents, at the moment it is working on a pilot project with the maternity department in Harrogate.

Across the NHS, midwives will soon be required to undertake more training each year. Harrogate’s involvement in the pilot project will see it help to produce training based on feedback from people using its services.

The MVP is helping to find parents to take part and is particularly seeking those who have experienced pregnancies with twins and multiples, surrogacy, their child being cared for on the special care baby unit, or giving birth outside NHS guidance.

It also wants to hear from anyone from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds who has been cared by for through Harrogate’s maternity services.

Two focus group events are being held at the end of March – one online and one in person in Harrogate – to gather feedback from those parents.

Jen said:

“The biggest challenge for the MVP is hearing the voices of people who don’t necessarily speak up.

“People tend to get in touch if they’ve had an amazing experience or a really bad experience. We don’t often hear from that middle ground, where it was fine, but there are some areas that could be improved.

“All those tweaks, we’re here to help with. Was there anything that would have made it even better?

“We also want to ensure we represent everybody in the community, from all different types of background – anybody who has had an experience of maternity services.”

For details of upcoming events, visit the MVP Facebook page.

To contact Harrogate MVP, or give feedback on your experiences of maternity services, visit its website.

Photo-a-day man from Harrogate writes autobiography aged just 30

A young Harrogate man who made international news when he turned 21 has written an autobiography to mark his 30th birthday.

Cory McLeod has led an extraordinary life since he was born, from trekking through South America as an infant with his parents to partying with boxer David Haye in his 20s.

It was a project begun by his dad on the day of his birth that first brought Cory to international attention.

Ian McLeod decided to take a photograph of his son’s face every day for the first year, or perhaps up to the age of two or three. At the time in 1991, he planned to turn into a flick-book – but the project soon grew.

Mr McLeod would send the camera with Cory’s teachers on school trips to ensure he didn’t miss a day, and even travelled for an hour late at night to take a shot when Cory was staying at a friend’s house, before driving home again.

Former Oatlands and St Aidan’s student Cory said:

“It was a family art project for a couple of years, but it became his passion or addiction and he just kept going.

“In his mind, 18 or 21 seemed a good time to stop, but when we got that far, we thought, ‘let’s keep going’.”

In 2012, Cory turned the photos into a video which he uploaded to YouTube, showing his development each day for more than two decades.

It proved a hit: it has since been viewed more than six million times. As a result, Cory and Ian hit the headlines and appeared on TV and radio shows around the world.

In the decade since, his life has been even more eventful.

Moving to Dubai to work in events has brought him into contact with numerous celebrities, from Rihanna to Prince Harry – who, on one memorable night, asked Cory to stop offering him drinks and leave him alone.

A keen traveller, Cory has had many adventures, not all of them trouble-free. He has been held at gunpoint and met bandits during his travels, but always managed to take his daily photograph to keep the project going.

Last month, he published a new video, including images up to his 30th birthday.

His new autobiography, which he began writing during the covid lockdown when he was stuck in his apartment in Dubai, is called 30 Years: A Life Lived Every Day. It covers all his experiences up to the age of 30, in late 2021.

It took him more than two years to complete it, often writing for six or seven hours after work.

The daily photographs, documenting wherever he was in the world, proved a useful prompt in his writing.

The photos are a kind of social history, from masked selfies during the covid pandemic to the shot of him holding a Blockbuster video from the late 1990s. His favourites are those that show his travels around the world, and special moments in his family life.

Yet taking them has not always been easy, he said.

“I went through a phase where I was constantly remembering at 10 or 11 at night. I’m trying to get out of the habit of doing that.

“Over the course of the whole thing, we’ve only forgotten a handful of times.”

Cory’s autobiography will be published in August and is available to pre-order now.

It is his second book, after he turned his blog about his journey to Everest base camp into a book. He said he now has the writing bug and hopes to use his degree in TV and film production to turn to script writing next.

That drive to create comes from his parents, who were also adventurous: they took him backpacking in South America when he was just one. Dad Ian has since begun a new photo-a-day project, taking him from 60 to the end of his life.

As for the photographs – now selfies taken by Cory wherever he is in the world – he has no intention of stopping. He has his sights set on a lifetime of daily photos.

“I think it would be amazing – the first time you could see a full life, from birth to death.”

Turner Prize winner’s work to go on display in Harrogate

Works by a Turner Prize-winning artist will go on display in Harrogate next month as part of a major national collaboration.

The Mercer Art Gallery is working with Tate and National Galleries of Scotland to put on the exhibition of artworks by Martin Creed.

The project is part of Artist Rooms, which brings the work of more than 40 international artists to galleries around the UK.

Mercer Art Gallery curator Karen Southworth said:

“Since this is the first time Creed’s work has been shown in North Yorkshire we are also hoping to attract a new cohort of visitor to the gallery, keen to learn more about contemporary and conceptual art.

“The exhibition presents an incredible opportunity for our residents and visitors to North Yorkshire to access the national collections of Tate and National Galleries of Scotland through Artist Rooms in Harrogate, and for free. It also offers a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of the Mercer Gallery, to attract future interest from high profile art institutions and contemporary artists to our beautiful, historical and unique exhibition space.”

Ms Southworth said Creed’s work was “deliberately provocative, challenging and playful”, adding:

“Some people may be surprised or even affronted, but if you allow yourself to go with it and give the works a bit of breathing space you will start to discover some of his deeper ideas and deliberate intentions.”

Born in Yorkshire in 1968, Creed rose to fame after winning the Turner Prize in 2001. His most famous installation is perhaps Work No 227 The Lights Going On and Off, an empty room in which the lights were switched on and off at five-second intervals.

He was also commissioned to mark the opening of the 2012 London Olympics with Work No 1197 All The Bells in the Country Ringing as Quickly and Loudly as Possible for Three Minutes. It saw bells across the country, from Big Ben to bicycle bells, being rung simultaneously.

Creed’s Work No 370 Balls, from 2004, will feature in Harrogate. It will see almost 1,000 balls of different scales, weights and textures filling the main gallery.

Visitors will also be able to see Creed’s Work No 890 Don’t Worry and Work No 1340, a large-scale wall painting of diagonal stripes.

It is the first time the artworks will be exhibited in North Yorkshire, as well as the first time Balls has been shown outside London and Edinburgh.

The exhibition will run from April 1 to July 2 and admission is free.

Schoolboy aims to clean up in aid of Knaresborough rescue centre

A young Starbeck boy has been putting his passion for the environment to good use to support a cause close to his heart.

Owen Sutcliffe has been a keen litter picker for the last three years, encouraging his family to go out regularly and clear areas of Harrogate.

The nine-year-old Hookstone Chase Primary School pupil is also a supporter of exotic pet rescue centre K’Rescue Knaresborough. When he saw it was struggling to cover its rising costs, he was determined to do all he could to help.

Mum Clare told the Stray Ferret:

“He’s obsessed with the rescue centre. He’s also an avid litter picker ever since he was in year 2 at school.

“In the first lockdown, he still went to school twice a week because his dad and I were key workers. They were learning about litter and how all litter eventually goes to the sea.

“Owen had just fallen in love with frogs and we had made a frog border in our garden. The teacher was trying to engage him and told him litter ends up in frog ponds too.

“He didn’t sleep for a week! We had to buy litter pickers and we’ve been picking litter ever since.”

Owen has set himself the challenge of collecting 100 bags of litter in the next six weeks, aiming to raise £250 for the rescue centre.

Two weeks into the task, he’s on track with around 30 bags collected – and his fundraising has already more than doubled his initial target, at just over £500.

He has been venturing out to areas around Harrogate nominated by friends and family as being in need of a clear-up. The worst so far was along the bridge on the A61 between Killinghall and Ripley, where Clare said the family spent three hours filling bags with litter but still “didn’t make a dent” in what was there.

Even in the recent hail and snow, Owen has been out collecting bags of litter, often taking enthusiastic friends with him as he aims to raise as much as possible for the centre.

He has also got members of his school’s eco club involved and the group will be picking litter around the grounds before the Easter break.

Clare added:

“They all love it! He is so proud of himself as well, and so grateful because a lot of the donations have come from complete strangers.”

K’Rescue owner Dan Holmes has said the rise in electricity and other costs is having an impact on his bills, which are currently around £1,500 a month. While he has a local vet who provides his time for free, medicines and other treatments also add up.

There has also been an influx of animals to the centre over recent months, as owners struggle to afford to look after their pets.

K’Rescue takes a donation from anyone adopting one of its animals, but Dan said the amount given each time has also been falling, as has the amount people donate when they visit the rescue centre.

Despite the challenges, Dan is proving an inspiration to Owen, who hopes to train as a vet specialising in exotic animals so that, when he opens his own rescue centre, he can treat the pets himself.

Clare said:

“He’s mad for animals. We can’t go on any kind of walk without him finding some animal in the wild.

“We’ve got two rescued axolotls. We made our frog border in the garden and we get so much frogspawn every year.

“The frogs there are so tame, they just come and sit on him. He’s like the animal whisperer.”

To support Owen’s fundraising, click here.

For more information about K’Rescue, visit its Facebook page.

Ripon nursery creates ‘joy and happiness’, says Ofsted

A nursery in Ripon has been praised for the sense of joy it creates in its children.

In a report published this week, Ofsted said Stepping Stones in Blossomgate offered “purposeful” activities and helped children to become more independent.

Rating the setting ‘good’, inspector Jen Lyons said:

“Lively, interesting and purposeful activities filtrate the rooms, giving a sense of joy and happiness for the children and staff at this nursery.

“Children are settled and happy attending and have built strong attachments with their key workers and other staff. Children are focused and engaged in carefully planned activities built around their interests and next steps.

“Joyful songs are heard throughout the day and children’s faces light up during group singing sessions. Babies learn about jungle animals, exploring different textures through making animal footprints in play dough.

“Children experience moments of awe and wonder, such as while using shakers and playing with glittery water in the baby room. This effectively supports the development of children’s emotional well-being.”

The inspection, which took place in February, found staff helped children to develop their understanding in key areas of the curriculum.

Indoor activities, such as learning the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff, were followed by imaginative play outside when the children pretended to be characters from the fairytale.

Ms Lyons said the nursery’s approach of making learning enjoyable helped children to engage and make good progress.

She added:

“Children with special educational and/or disabilities are well supported. Staff are quick to spot the signs of children not meeting relevant milestones.

“These children make good progress from their starting points as staff know how best to support them. Parents are kept well informed of their progress and are happy with their learning and development.”

Looking at areas for improvement, the report recommended the nursery should ensure consistent teaching about personal care, such as washing hands before meals.

Stepping Stones manager Clare Brigantes said she was pleased with the latest Ofsted report and that the recommended improvement was already in place.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“Normally, you feel on edge about an Ofsted inspection, but she was very friendly and made everyone feel at ease.

“The day just flowed and it was really nice – the staff were able to answer her questions and the children were having a really good day.

“The inspector asked us to get emails from parents about their experiences. Some of them made me cry.

“They say thank you when they’re picking up and we get Christmas cards and things, but it’s lovely to hear their experiences and how they really feel about what we offer.”

Hundreds sign petition for 20mph limit across south Harrogate

A petition calling for a blanket 20mph zone across an area on the south side of Harrogate has received more than 600 signatures in support.

The proposal would see all streets between York Place and the southern edge of Harrogate limited to 20mph.

The petition has been set up by parents Hazel Peacock and Vicki Evans, who founded the Oatlands Road Safety and Active Travel Campaign. They say it is vital to ensure children can travel to and from school in safety.

They wrote:

“We want safer streets for the children, young people and wider community when travelling to school and other locations in the area, from their home to their destination.

“Road safety has been of particular concern from school leaders, parents and carers of school children and local residents in Oatlands and the wider Harrogate area for many years.

“A maximum speed of 20mph is now urgently needed to reduce road collisions, improve safety, reduce air pollution and create a better environment for walking, wheeling, cycling and scooting to schools, shops, workplaces and local amenities.”

Dr Evans and Ms Peacock will present their proposal to a meeting of North Yorkshire County Council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee on Thursday.

Their proposed 20mph zone covers as far east as Wetherby Road and extends west to West End Avenue and Green Lane.

There, it links with another existing petition for a 20mph zone and additional safety measures, including crossing points, proposed by campaigners Jenny Marks and Ruth Lily.

Dr Marks presented those plans to the Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee in November.

Since then, pressure on NYCC’s highways department to improve road safety has grown, particularly following a serious collision on Yew Tree Lane that left two 15-year-old boys from Rossett School with leg injuries.

In the wake of the incident at the beginning of February, headteachers from almost every primary and secondary school in the area met at Harrogate Grammar School to urge representatives of NYCC to take action.

After the meeting, Rossett School’s acting headteacher, Pete Saunders, told the Stray Ferret:

“Speaking to the family of one of the boys [who was injured], they said that was one of five incidents that has affected just their family since their children were small.

“It’s a very pervasive issue. We will do whatever we can to support changes being made.”

Next week, the group is due to meet again – this time at St Aidan’s school – and will be joined by a caseworker for Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, as well as NYCC’s transport lead, Cllr Keane Duncan, and local councillors whose divisions are affected by the concerns over safety.

The meeting of more than 30 people will follow a walk around the Pannal Ash area led by the parents, for councillors and school representatives to discuss the issues.

Phase Eight to move into Harrogate’s Hoopers store

Womenswear chain Phase Eight has closed the doors to its James Street shop – but will not be leaving Harrogate entirely.

The brand is set to open a new concession on the first floor of Hoopers department store, just a few metres down the road, on April 3.

At more than 270m sq, the old premises has retail space on the ground and first floors, as well as staff facilities on the second floor.

The unit is now being marketed by Montpellier Property Consultants at £72,000 per annum on a full repairing and insuring lease, with the term to be agreed.

Phase Eight has not publicised its reasons for the move, nor confirmed whether any jobs will be lost as a result. It did not respond to a request for details from the Stray Ferret before publication.

The Harrogate branch is one of 350 across the UK and Ireland, alongside 200 elsewhere around the world. It already has concessions in Hoopers’ stores in Tunbridge Wells and Wilmslow.

It is owned by the Foschini Group, which is also home to Hobbs and Whistles – both of which have shops along Harrogate’s James Street.

The popular address has recently seen a new branch of Oliver Bonas arrive, alongside Pret a Manger, which opened its doors last May.

‘Decisive plans’ improving village school near Harrogate, says Ofsted

Ofsted inspectors have praised the measures put in place to improve education at a village primary school near Harrogate.

Beckwithshaw Primary School was rated ‘inadequate’ after an inspection in December 2021.

Last year, Victoria Kirkman became interim executive headteacher of the school, along with its federated partner primary schools, Ripley Endowed C of E – which had also been rated inadequate in late 2021 – and Kettlesing Felliscliffe, which was rated ‘good’.

An interim executive board (IEB) was appointed to oversee the schools’ progress under its new leadership.

Inspectors returned to Beckwithshaw for a monitoring visit in January this year and published their report last night. While there is no new rating for the school, Ofsted wrote to interim executive headteacher Victoria Kirkman about their findings.

The report said:

“Since joining the school, you have taken swift and effective action to make improvements. You have a strong understanding of the benefits and challenges facing small schools.

“You have put clear, decisive plans in place, which set out ambitious and realistic targets for future improvement. One parent commented, ‘It certainly feels that there is a more robust leadership team in place, underpinned by the IEB and the new headteachers.’

“You have rightly prioritised the development of the curriculum and staff professional development. However, you are also acutely aware of the importance of supporting staff well-being and workload. This has ensured that staff are positive about changes that are being made.

“The atmosphere in the school is purposeful, happy and focused.”

The letter, which has also been sent to the IEB, North Yorkshire County Council and the Department for Education, praises the school’s focus on improving pupils’ reading skills.

Inspector Andrea Batley found teachers “quickly identify and give extra support” to pupils who are struggling with reading. They use the school’s approach to phonics consistently and recognise the need to adapt lessons to support all pupils.

‘Warm, caring and welcoming’

Ms Batley said Ms Kirkman has made a strong curriculum her priority across areas including personal, social, health and economic education. The inspector said changes to the curriculum were still “in the early stages” and continuing work was needed to deliver more improvements.

She wrote:

“Much has been done to improve the early years provision in the school. You have worked with staff and with local authority support to create an environment that is warm, caring and welcoming.

“Staff recognise the importance of developing children’s communication skills. They support children to use newly taught vocabulary well.

“However, it is not always clear what the intended learning is across the classroom, both indoors and outdoors. This means that some pupils are not sufficiently engaged and interested with learning.

“Leaders know that this is an area that needs more development in the future.”

Ms Kirkman has welcomed the inspector’s findings, which followed a similar monitoring visit to Ripley Primary School in December.

While Beckwithshaw remains ‘inadequate’, in line with its previous inspection, she said its recent monitoring visit was reassuring that the school is going in the right direction. She said:

“We are delighted with the outcome of the recent Ofsted monitoring visit at Beckwithshaw which recognises the significant and rapid school transformation since the previous inspection. This, coupled with the success of the Ripley monitoring visit in November, evidences that these previously ‘Inadequate’ schools are now moving forward positively.

“This is due to the hard work of all stakeholders in working together to ensure future success of the school and the life chances of children in the federation. We now continue focus on the next visit and continue our relentless drive for further school improvement.”

Along with her work at Beckwithshaw, Ripley and Kettlesing Felliscliffe, Ms Kirkman is executive headteacher at Birstwith Primary School and Admiral Long Primary School in Burnt Yates, both rated ‘good’.

Last year, the three federated primary schools were preparing to join Elevate multi-academy trust, as part of an Ofsted requirement after Ripley and Beckwithshaw were rated ‘inadequate’.

However, those plans fell through when Elevate pulled out shortly before the planned conversion date of November 1.

Addressing this in the latest letter, inspector Ms Batley said:

“The IEB is very clear about their desire to bring about future stability in leadership. They know the school well and provide both challenge to leaders, and scrutiny of improvement plans. They are working closely with the local authority to identify how recent improvements can be sustained in the future.

“As a sponsoring academy trust has not been identified it is vital that ways to ensure long-term stability in leadership are identified and pursued with urgency.”

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Pilot project

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‘Warm, caring and welcoming’

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