Vicky Carr, Author at The Stray Ferret

New Harrogate cafe to offer space for all the family

A new cafe in Harrogate is set to have family at its heart – in more ways than one.

Brood Coffee House will open next month at the bottom of Commercial Street, in a unit previously occupied by Foxy Vintage and Interiors.

It is being converted by Hannah and Frank Pinder to offer space for children to play and enjoy classes, while parents can also enjoy a coffee or light lunch.

Hannah told the Stray Ferret:

“My husband’s passion is coffee. I’m more on the baby development side.

“I run multi-sensory and baby development classes all over the place. This gives me a bit more of a base.

“I’ll be doing a couple of days here, and then renting the space out to other class providers during the week.”

The ground floor coffee shop will be open from 8.30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and 9am to 1pm on Saturdays.

As well as café seating, it has toys for youngsters to play with – all selected by Hannah using her expertise.

Dark Woods will be supplying the coffee, pastries will be provided by Manna Bakery, and Hannah is currently speaking to cake suppliers to fill the counter with sweet treats.

Sandwiches will be made in-house by her mum, who has been part of the family effort to get the business ready to open.

Hannah’s dad – an artist and designer who runs classes for students at Henshaws in Knaresborough – came up with the name and branding, and has been hard at work on the DIY with Frank.

He has also designed some colouring sheets for young visitors to use at the tables.

Since setting up the cafe’s website and Instagram account, Hannah said she has been “inundated” with interest from people hoping to use the newly-converted basement to run classes and activities.

If they all sign up, she’s hoping to offer everything from baby yoga and drama classes to pre- and post-natal sessions and a breastfeeding café.

As a class leader herself, Hannah said she has experienced how hard it can be to find a high-quality venue.

“Running my classes in Leeds, I was done with the cold, horrible church halls and mums having to use nasty toilets with nowhere to change their babies.

“A couple of things started popping up that were really nice spaces, but there was nothing in Harrogate like that.

“I’m from a group of six girlfriends with children of similar age and we really struggled with where to go. You can meet at the Valley Gardens for an hour, but where can you go after that’s child-friendly and also a nice place?

“There’s such a lovely mum culture of people wanting to meet friends with children and hang out and do thing for the kids, but also for them.”

While the space will be used every week during term time for regular classes, Hannah is also hoping to run special events during the school holidays.

Her mum is already signed up to run storytime sessions, and there will be crafts and other activities on offer.

The studio is also going to be available for private bookings, mostly on Sundays, to host birthday parties, baby showers, christening celebrations and more.

Hannah and Frank will be test-running the space as a party venue for their own son, Reg, who turns two this month – and has also been in the shop daily checking out the toys in time for the planned launch events on Saturday, September 2.

Baby loss ball to be held in Harrogate in memory of stillborn twins

Parents of twins who were stillborn last year are inviting anyone who has lost a child to take part in a celebration of their lives in Harrogate this autumn.

Hayley and Neil Patrick-Copeland hope to raise money for a charity supporting families through child bereavement with their Baby Loss Awareness Ball.

Hayley said she hoped the event would bring people together, as well as raising money for other parents going through the same situation.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“Everyone deals with it differently, but I think it’s really important to try and change the conversation around baby loss, so people don’t see the trauma and think, ‘we mustn’t talk about it’.

“The vast majority of people i’ve met would just love people to talk about their children, include them, say their names.

“People say, well-meaningly, they don’t want to upset you by reminding you about your children. But people don’t forget their children have died – they’re constantly in their mind.

“Yes, it might make you cry, but the fact that someone mentions them is emotional because it’s wonderful.”

Hayley was 25 weeks pregnant last year when her twin girls were born, on August 2 last year.

She and husband Neil had been told it was a high-risk pregnancy, because the twins shared a placenta, and at 24 weeks doctors diagnosed twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS).

Despite successful laser surgery in Birmingham, the babies’ hearts stopped beating and they could not be saved. Hayley and Neil returned to North Yorkshire and she gave birth a few days later in hospital in York.

Hayley said:

“It’s the most life-changing, earth-shattering thing anybody could ever imagine.

“It’s everybody’s worst fear, your children dying, and on top of that not just the grief for the fact that you’ve lost them, but for the whole lifetime they should have had.

“Intertwined with that is the absolute joy and delight of meeting your children. They were our first children, so we became parents.

“The overwhelming joy of meeting these beautiful little girls we created is the greatest honour. This is why we are trying to make sure we have a legacy and make sure they are always part of our lives and our family, and remembered and included.”

As a result, the couple will raise money for the charity 4Louis through their blue-and-pink themed Baby Loss Awareness Ball, which takes place at Pavilions of Harrogate on Saturday, October 14.

4Louis provides memory boxes for parents whose babies are stillborn, enabling them to capture hand and footprints, and give their child a teddy bear.

The charity also delivers cooled boxes and blankets to allow bereaved families to spend more time with their children after they have died.

Hayley and Neil were able to spend time with Alya, left, and Aleah thanks to 4Louis

Although Hayley and Neil live in Selby, they chose the venue in Harrogate because of its peaceful setting, and to offer easy access to people from across North Yorkshire.

They particularly wanted to hold the night during Baby Loss Awareness Week, and all attendees will be given a candle to take home and use in the national wave of light the following evening.

If it goes well, Hayley said they hope it will become an annual event and a way of welcoming recently bereaved parents from across the county into a supportive community.

“Since the girls died and we had met them, we decided this was something we would like to do in their memory and all of those beautiful babies, especially so there was an event in North Yorkshire that recognised them in a fun, celebratory way that was not a sombre occasion.

“Candle-lit services are lovely and very special, but we also want a celebration for them.”

Tickets, which include a welcome drink, three-course dinner and entertainment, are £65 each or £600 for a table of 10. They can be booked via the event website.

New play barn added to attractions at farm shop near Boroughbridge

A farm shop near Boroughbridge has added a children’s play barn to its attractions for families.

Yolk Farm, which offers a restaurant and shop as well as opportunities to meet and feed its animals, opened the new Yard@Yolk facility this week.

Emma Mosey, who has run the business near Minskip with husband Ben for the last six years, said she hoped it would add another reason for local families to visit.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“It all stems back from our mission and vision here which is educating kids and young families about farming, and being reconnected with food.

“A lot of the places that already exist are amazing, and can cost quite a lot to get in, particularly for a family with more than one child.

“Our aim is to make this a place people can come regularly and spend some time with their kids.”

Milkshakes will be among the treats on offer at the new facility

Interest in the project has been high since it was first announced on social media last month.

The building where the play space is housed has been completely transformed from its original use.

Emma said:

“It was originally the hen barn. Late last year, we were told if we were to get avian flu within the hens in that location, we would have to shut the whole site, including the restaurant.

“It was a huge risk, so when the flock came to an end, we decided to move the new flock into a field a bit further away.

“It meant we had this big barn, in the middle of the car park, which was vacant.”

The barn now offers role play areas and ride-on toys, all connected to the theme of farming and food.

Visitors can buy hot and cold drinks, as well as snacks, milkshakes and ice creams, drawing on the menu from the adjacent restaurant.

Yard@Yolk is open daily from 10am to 3pm and entry is £2.50 per child.

Man pleads not guilty to seriously injuring teens in collision outside Harrogate school

A man has pleaded not guilty to causing serious injury to two teenagers in a collision outside a Harrogate school.

Benjamin Oakes, 46, of Tewit Well Avenue, Harrogate, was charged with causing injury by careless or inconsiderate driving in the incident on Yew Tree Lane on February 2.

He appeared at Harrogate Magistrates Court this morning, where he confirmed his name and address, and entered his not guilty pleas.

Both he and magistrates opted not to send the case to crown court, where he would have faced a jury trial.

Instead, the trial will be heard a York Magistrates Court, with provisional dates set for December 4 and 5.

Mr Oakes was released on unconditional bail.

The court heard the two 15-year-old boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, suffered serious injuries in the collision outside Ashville College.

They were not present at the hearing today, but are expected to give evidence via a video link during the trial.

Major Harrogate road set to close each evening for three weeks

A major road through Harrogate is set to be closed for patch resurfacing at the end of this month.

A section of the A61 Leeds Road will be closed for five hours from 6.30pm every day for three weeks from Tuesday, August 29.

It is to allow for patching up damaged parts of the carriageway, between the Prince of Wales roundabout and the St George’s roundabout.

Confirming the closure, which its roadworks map said will last until September 18, North Yorkshire Council said:

“Patching takes place to repair the road surface, it involves removing a part of the surface around a pothole or defective surface course and placing a new patch of road surface.

“This is a cost-effective method to repair damage when a small area is affected and precedes surface dressing.”

Meanwhile, two new sets of roadworks in Harrogate are expected to be removed by the weekend.

Yorkshire Water has this week installed temporary lights on Otley Road at the junction with Cold Bath Road and Arthurs Avenue.

The roadworks, which include temporary pedestrian crossing signals, are expected to be completed tomorrow.

Roadworks on Otley Road

And a stretch of Yorkshire Water works on Leadhall Lane, close to the junction with Throstle Nest Drive, is also expected to be removed by Friday.

Works that Northern Gas Networks began on Duchy Road on Monday, however, are expected to last until August 25.

Temporary traffic lights that have been causing long queues on Skipton Road are due to end on the same date. However, further works are expected to be carried out on the road, close to the junction with Bilton Lane, in September.

New Harrogate ‘café’ to support communication after stroke and brain injury

A charity supporting people living with communication issues after stroke is appealing for volunteers to help run a new service in Harrogate.

Aphasia Support is setting up a twice-monthly ‘café’ at Knaresborough Road Health Centre from September.

It will offer activities including quizzes, games, and arts and crafts, while providing people with aphasia the chance to meet up and build their confidence in communicating.

While a qualified speech and language therapist will be on hand to run the café, volunteers will also be needed at the sessions, including serving drinks and cakes to visitors.

James Major, CEO of Aphasia Support, said:

“We’re delighted to be launching our sixth Aphasia Café in Yorkshire. We’ve already got sessions running twice a month in Leeds, Halifax, Wakefield, Barnsley, and Doncaster, and have since recognised a real need for similar community support in Harrogate following an increase in referrals.

“Our events are a great opportunity for those living with aphasia and their carers to meet others dealing with the same challenges, with the support of an experienced speech and language therapist. Although, as a charity, we rely on the generosity of volunteers to help run the cafes.

“So, we’re on the lookout for new faces in Harrogate to join our team. If you’re looking for a volunteer role, or if you have an interest in speech and language, we’d love to hear from you. You don’t need any speech and language experience and we provide full training.”

Aphasia is a complex language disorder experienced by people who have had a stroke or other type of brain injury.

It affects the ability to speak, read, write and understand language.

A third of stroke survivors in the UK live with the condition, and a total of 350,000 people have aphasia, but Aphasia Support said almost 85% of the public have never heard of it.

The charity helps people with aphasia to work on key communication goals with support from speech and language therapists.

It matches patients with trained volunteers, working together on a one-to-one basis using conversation techniques and computer therapy programmes.

The first Harrogate aphasia café takes place on Thursday, September 14, from 10,30am to noon. It will run every second and fourth Thursday of the month from then on.

Pat Malin, who has volunteered at Aphasia Support’s café in Barnsley since 2021, said the experience has also been beneficial to her:

“I love seeing people grow in confidence the more they attend the café.

“I’ve made so many great friends since I started volunteering for Aphasia Support. We’re like a little family.”

Anyone interested in volunteering at the Harrogate group only needs to be available for a few hours each month. To find out more, visit Aphasia Support’s website.

Trains stopped amid ‘concerns for safety’ of teenager on Crimple Valley viaduct

Trains on the Harrogate line were stopped this morning after emergency services were called to deal with concerns for the safety of a teenager on Crimple Valley viaduct.

The concerns were first reported to police just after 5.30am, and both North Yorkshire Police and British Transport Police attended the scene.

They were joined by staff from Yorkshire Ambulance Service, while North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service was on stand-by to help if needed.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:

“Police negotiators brought [it] to a safe conclusion just before 8.30am.

“A man aged in his late teens was checked over my paramedics and he is receiving medical support.”

Train services on the line had to be replaced by buses for a number of hours while police dealt with the incident.

The line is now clear, though Northern said delays to services could last “for some time due to displaced trains and crew”.

Police investigating after man dies on building site in Ripon village

Police are investigating after a man died on a building site near Ripon.

The Health and Safety Executive has also been called in after the incident at the Palladian Homes development in Marton-le-Moor.

The man has not been identified, but is understood to have been working on the site at the time.

A spokesperson for HSE said:

“We are aware of an incident and making enquiries alongside North Yorkshire Police.”

The incident happened on Saturday, July 5, but has only just been confirmed after a nearby resident contacted the Stray Ferret.

North Yorkshire Police has confirmed its officers were called to the site. A spokesperson said:

“We can confirm that we received a call from the ambulance service at 11.41[am] with a report that a 34-year-old man had life threatening injuries following an incident at Marton-le Moor.”

The Stray Ferret contacted Palladian Homes about the incident but had not received a response by the time of publication.

The development, off Chapel Lane in the village, features 10 detached homes of between three and five bedrooms.

It was originally given outline planning permission for up to 16 homes in 2019 after the developer appealed against Harrogate Borough Council’s decision to turn down the proposal.

Detailed plans were then drawn up for a development of 10 homes, which were approved in 2021.

Work was today continuing on the site, where several of the houses have already been listed for sale and some are under offer.

Golf clubs stolen from car in central Harrogate

Police are appealing for information after a set of golf clubs was stolen from a 4×4 in a Harrogate street in the early hours of the morning.

North Yorkshire Police is seeking witnesses and information after the incident in the Chelmsford Road area.

It happened on Wednesday, August 2 around 5.25am, when the black 4×4 had its rear window smashed.

A police spokesperson said:

“The suspect left the area along Arthington Avenue on foot with a black Ping golf bag containing 14 Calloway clubs and a Cobra driver.

“Officers are appealing for witness, dashcam and private doorbell or other CCTV footage that may have captured the suspect on camera to get in touch.

“They are also appealing to anyone who may have been approached by someone selling similar items since August 2 to get in touch.”

Anyone with information can call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option two and ask for Ben Robinson-Brockhill, or send him an email.

Alternatively, to report information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 quoting North Yorkshire Police reference 12230147463.

New Knaresborough group aims to unite community and support good causes

A new community group has been set up with the aim of building more support for people in Knaresborough.

Life Aid Knaresborough was created by volunteers four weeks ago and has already attracted more than 200 members to its Facebook group.

Its aim is to organise events, raise money for charities, and bring the community together.

Stacey Worrall, who was one of the founders, told the Stray Ferret:

“There’s so many people in what some say is a rich town, but it’s not – the poverty at the moment is higher than ever.

“It would be nice to be able to have some funding in a pot where, if we hear of a family that’s struggling, to be able to help the people of Knaresborough out.”

While local support is the long-term aim, the first project the group is working on is raising money for a fire engine to send to Volodymyr in Ukraine.

The city has strong links with Knaresborough, after resident Bob Frendt made eight aid trips there over the course of 15 months after the war began last February.

Bob Frendt has delivered eight lorry loads of medical and other supplies to Ukraine

He built connections with local dignitaries and, on what he said was his final trip, was asked by the mayor to deliver a fire engine after its appliances were commandeered to help in the war effort.

While an official scheme has seen fire engines delivered to Ukraine from the UK, these have gone directly to Kyiv and have not benefitted outlying communities like Volodymyr, which is in western Ukraine.

Bob said:

“The problem is, for the towns to try and get an engine back, they have got to grease the wheels, they’ve got to give a backhander to someone.

“Volodymyr is such a poor place, they can’t afford to give a backhander, so they can’t get the fire engine back.

“When I was there, I met a woman whose husband was killed in the war. She lived in an apartment on the sixth floor of a building – and those buildings are poorly built to start with.

“We asked what would happen if the apartment block caught fire. Without thinking, she said, ‘we will die’.

“For her sake and her children, I have to get a fire engine to them.”

Mr Frendt hopes to raise enough money to deliver a second-hand fire appliance in October, and has already passed the £5,000 mark.

Life Aid has already begin helping his fundraising efforts, with several events planned for the summer.

Knaresborough Cricket Club will host live music on Friday, August 25. Entry will be free, with donations taken towards the fire engine fundraising.

The following day, venues around Knaresborough are taking part in a series of events designed to get the whole community involved.

There will be face painting and children’s games at the kiosk at Conyngham Hall, while the World’s End pub will have live music from a folk duo.

A disco will be held at Park Place Social Club, supported by Yorkshire Young Farmers, and other venues around the town will offer open mic nights.

Entry is free, but volunteers will be visiting all the venues to collect donations.

The organisers are also keen to hear from local businesses interested in sponsoring or supporting the events, or getting involved in the future.

Stacey added:

“We hope Knaresborough will be heaving with visitors and locals for the bank holiday.

“If it’s a success, we’re planning to carry on every year on the same day, raising money for different charities and helping locals in need.”

To find out more, join the Facebook group. To donate to Bob Frendt’s fire engine fundraiser, click here.

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