Plans to create a new business and industrial site on the southern approach to Harrogate could be progressed next week.

Harrogate Borough Council‘s cabinet will decide on Wednesday whether to begin speaking to developers to gauge interest in the site.

Allocated for employment use in the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place, the site lies along the eastern side of the A61 near Pannal. It is between the railway line and Crimple Beck, north of the Mercedes garage and the M&S Food shop at the petrol station.

A strategic sites masterplanning document prepared by consultants BDP and Colliers will be reviewed by the cabinet as part of the decision next week. It says:

“Crimple Valley Viaduct, to the north-east of the site, is a Grade II* listed building.

“Development of the site should minimise harm to the setting of this designated heritage asset and seek to enhance its significance; this should include retaining key views of the viaduct from within the site and from beyond the site through the site.”

An officer’s report summarising the document said the focus of any development should be on “high quality place-making and low carbon development”, referring to the council’s “aspirations for high-tech/high skilled job creation”.

Access to the site would be via public transport or the A61

The consultants’ report suggests the site could be accessed via traffic lights or a roundabout, with pedestrian and cycle access further south to link with bus stops on Leeds Road and the railway station in Pannal.

It says the site could be used for high-tech manufacturing, research and development, or business headquarters. Buildings would be up to three storeys and 5,000m sq in size.

The total office space allocated for the site is 10,000m sq alongside 31,500m sq of industrial space. The report says:

“In order to support the local economy there is a need to provide a range of office, manufacturing and warehousing accommodation from shared spaces to single occupiers.

“There is also the opportunity to include a hub building at the heart of the development that can offer a mix of business space and shared facilities for the business community.

“The site should feel like an extension of the existing community, rather than a gated ‘estate’. Access to the existing right of way along the eastern boundary of the site is to be retained and enhanced with new pedestrian connections through the site and safe crossing points on Leeds Road.”

With the site designed to encourage sustainable travel, one parking space has been allocated for each 40m sq of office space or 50m sq of industrial space.

As well as tree planting through the site, the document suggests a wildflower meadow and attenuation pond could be created to the north of the site, adjacent to Crimple Beck.

The suggested layout, with industrial space in orange and office in brown

The officers’ report acknowledges that any development of the site is likely to take place after Harrogate Borough Council is abolished next spring, when the new North Yorkshire Council comes into effect. It adds:

“Taking into consideration current market conditions/costs and uncertainties around the new strategic objectives of North Yorkshire Council from April 1, 2023, it is currently not clear how much direct involvement the council should or could have in the development of the site.

“Officers therefore recommend the next steps to be engagement in expressions of interest with developers to test market appetite, focussing on high quality place-making and low carbon development.

“This can then inform a future decision about the appropriate level of local authority involvement and timescales for delivery of the site.”

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Harrogate Theatre will not receive any funding from Arts Council England from next April until 2026.

The funding body had previously given the White Rose Theatre Trust, which runs the theatre, just over £140,000 a year since 2015 through its national portfolio scheme.

The last round of awards from 2018 to 2022 gave the theatre a total of £563,636.

In today’s funding announcement, however, the theatre misses out completely — and no other organisations in the Harrogate district are included either.

Deborah Larwood, chair of the Harrogate Theatre board, said:

“Following this news, the board and leadership team will take some time to reflect and reimagine our plans from April 2023, as we continue to support the [ACE] Let’s Create agenda and ensure that Harrogate Theatre continues to deliver a vibrant cultural offer for people of all ages across the Harrogate district.

“We will continue to work alongside Arts Council England and to advocate for the value of the arts in all our lives.”

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In a statement, the theatre said it was disappointed by the news, but was grateful for ACE’s support to date.

It said the money had enabled the theatre not only to bring a “fantastic range” of artists to Harrogate, but also to engage with children and young people and to support emerging artists – as well as putting on the annual pantomime.

Arts Council funding has helped Harrogate Theatre to put on its popular annual pantomime. Photograph: Karl Andre

Theatre chief executive David Bown said:

“I am proud of the positive impact Harrogate Theatre has on our community. Our extensive programme of events and workshops reach an audience of over 150,000 per year due to the extraordinary talent and dedication of our staff, volunteers, board and the incredible artists on our stages.

“Harrogate Theatre has played a key role in the economic recovery of Harrogate post-pandemic and will continue to provide a rich artistic programme to inspire and entertain the town and its visitors.”

‘New organisations’

ACE said it was sharing out £446m each year across 990 organisations around England.

It said the list of organisations receiving funding was “richer and more varied than ever before”, featuring the likes of Blackpool illuminations, Unlimited in Yorkshire which commissions work by disabled artists, and community arts organisation intoBodmin.

ACE chief executive Darren Henley said:

“Together, each of the 990 organisations that have been offered funding today will contribute to a portfolio that is rich, varied and truly national. This is our widest ever spread of investment across the country, ensuring that many more people will have access to a wider choice of exceptional art, culture and creative opportunities on their doorsteps.

“We are in tough times but we must remember creativity brings with it extraordinary dividends, boosting our country’s economic growth, creating jobs, bringing communities closer together, and making us happier as individuals.

“Everyone deserves to enjoy the benefits it brings, and with this investment, we believe we’ve taken a decisive step towards making that vision a reality.”

The organisation’s chair, Sir Nicholas Serota, added:

“As well as continuing our commitment to our many established and renowned cultural organisations, I am deeply proud of the support we will be giving to those new organisations which will help ignite creativity across the country.

“We are facing economic pressures at present but this funding is about an investment in our future. This portfolio will support the next generation of visionary inventors, makers, performers and artists. In particular, the growth of our funding for organisations that support and develop work for children represents a profoundly important long-term investment in our country’s talent.”

A parent from Harrogate has raised concerns that the growing cost of living, including childcare fees, could see children put at risk.

The mum, who asked us not to use her name, said rising fees were putting pressure on household budgets as they also faced increased costs for mortgages, fuel and more.

As an NHS nurse, whose partner is in the police, she said she had little money left each month after bills were paid – and now she faces a further rise in nursery fees from January.

She said:

“Even we are struggling on fairly decent wages. I have considered taking my son out of nursery, but we don’t have much alternative – my mum has got health needs and I want to know his needs are being met.

“If I’m considering that on the wage that I’m on, what are other people considering?

“We aren’t paid any more – how are we supposed to afford all of these rises without going bankrupt?”

With a take-home monthly pay packet of £1,700 from her full-time role, the mum said she already pays more than £550 a month on childcare, and her mortgage has recently risen by £200 a month. She also pays for business insurance on her car to be able to do her job, and often buys equipment out of her own pocket because NHS budgets are so stretched.

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She also said she worried that families facing growing costs might decide to remove their children from childcare, even after accessing funded hours on government schemes.

Not only could they potentially be left somewhere unsafe or unregistered, such as with an older sibling or family friend, but their contact with professionals would also be delayed and any early warning signs not spotted.

She added:

“From a safeguarding perspective, the reason those [funded] hours have been brought in is because the ages of nought to five are the most vulnerable time in a child’s life, where they are more likely to experience significant harm or death.

“If children are in nursery, parents get that break. If they don’t get that break, we’re putting pressure on people. But if they’re not in childcare, nothing is going to get pocked up until those children start school or end up needing medical care.”

Her son is at Nature’s Little Learners nursery in Starbeck, where he is entitled to 30 hours’ free childcare funded by the government. That provision is given to working parents of children aged three and over and only applies during term-time, so is used by many pro-rata across the full year.

Difference in costs

However, the owner of the nursery said the money paid through North Yorkshire County Council for those funded places was significantly below the cost of offering them.

Sam Williams said parents would pay £62.50 for a full day’s nursery, from 8am to 6pm, from January. By contrast, the money paid to the nursery through the funded hours scheme was just £43.10 per day.

As a result, most nurseries charge a fee to cover extras, such as food and equipment. Nature’s Little Learners had been charging £8 per day for this, but from January will charge £19.40 to cover the difference in costs.

If it did not do so, she said, it would not be able to continue offering childcare.

Other nurseries around the UK have been forced to close their doors as a result of rising costs. Ofsted data for April 2021 to March 2022 showed there was a net decrease of 4,000 childcare providers.

Ms Williams said:

“All businesses have their own operating cost. This will be different for each unique setting. When deciding on the daily rate at Nature’s Little Learners for 2023, we have taken into consideration staffing cost, training, rent, rates, utilities, food costs, resource cost, travel, recruitment cost etc.

“We understand that families need to be able to afford childcare in order for them to go to work, and without working families we wouldn’t have a nursery.”

Ms Williams said the nursery had introduced flexible timings for families who did not need childcare from 8am or until 6pm, allowing them to pay less and use only the hours they needed.

As a result, the nursery’s staffing costs would be lower during those times. She said while staffing was the highest cost for any nursery, there were also growing pressures with rising costs which childcare providers were facing.

She added:

“We have considered that this coming year is set to be challenging for families as well as businesses. We appreciate the financial pressures that families are currently facing, and to minimise the impact of another increase to families’ expenses, we have attempted to amend our sessions, and offer a more flexible approach instead of an increased fixed daily rate.

“We are thankful for all our families who have support the introduction of the new session times and prices and really appreciate everyone’s words of kindness.”

The Dragon Road car park in Harrogate could be used to create affordable flats or extra care housing if a proposal is approved next week.

Harrogate Borough Council‘s cabinet is set to decide on Wednesday whether to take the next steps in planning for the site’s redevelopment.

The project could see 72 apartments created, including 40% affordable homes, and part of the site could be used to create an extra care facility.

However, officers presenting a report for the cabinet have said the use of the car park to support events at Harrogate Convention Centre will take precedence over any development. They said:

“Given the current HCC investment project, it may be more appropriate to keep the site available for that facility until the full details of the HCC project are finalised. However this needs to be balanced with the development opportunity…

“During the course of the masterplanning study and in response to the market-led challenges, housing officers have expressed an interest in the site.

“They are in the early stages of looking at plans to develop the rear part of the site for either extra care (for which there is an identified shortfall in the district) or affordable housing. This provides an opportunity to maximise grant funding to improve viability.

“Officers recommend further discussions are held with housing colleagues to explore this registered provider led opportunity and consider whether this can be achieved without compromising HIC parking requirements. Officers note that adequate parking for HCC associated vehicles takes primacy over site redevelopment.”

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The report suggests development of the site would be an opportunity to improve the Nidderdale Greenway entrance to the town centre:

“The masterplan illustrates how a high quality urban residential development could be accommodated within the site. The masterplan proposes three apartment blocks of three storeys that will enhance the character of the site to provide an attractive setting for living and an enhanced gateway to the Nidderdale Greenway.

“The entrance to the site is enclosed by an ‘L’ shaped block to follow the grain of Dragon Road and enclose the route into the site. This is followed by a more regular shaped block, which reinforces the building line and defines the second edge to a green courtyard through which the Nidderdale Greenway passes.

“A third block positioned along the line of the railway replicates the terraced form of adjacent street and creates a buffer to the railway with apartments facing eastward to overlook the greenway.”

It recommends council officers should draw up plans and find a contractor for the work, as well as reporting back on costs and potential sources of funding for the improvements. It also suggests speaking to providers of affordable housing and extra care facilities about the potential of developing the site.

The report recommends speaking to providers about the feasibility of maintaining HCC use of the site for service vehicles during events if it were developed, noting again that adequate parking “takes primacy” over any development.

The proposal suggests access through the site for deliveries to the neighbouring Asda supermarket and to the railway for maintenance would be maintained.

The site is allocated for mixed use in the local plan, but the latest report suggests it is unlikely to be suitable for business development. It said:

“Employment use on this site was discounted early on in the study due to viability constraints and lack of market demand for this location. The masterplan reflects the sustainable, edge of town centre location with a high density apartment scheme.

“[Seventy-two] units are shown including 40% affordable housing. Improvements to the Nidderdale Greenway within the site will provide a welcome entry into Harrogate, much improved from the current provision.

“Access for Asda service lorries is retained through the centre of the site as well as Network Rail access to the railway line. The masterplan assumes the current use of the site as a public and HCC car park is ended, as per the local plan allocation.”

The council’s seven-man cabinet will decide whether to proceed with officers’ recommendations when it meets next Wednesday at 5.30pm. The meeting at the civic centre is open to the public, as well as being live streamed on YouTube.

Mental health services for people across the Harrogate district still require improvement, according to the health regulator.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) found the services provided by Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV) were below the standards expected.

However, inspectors said there had been some improvements since the last inspection report in December 2021.

At that time, TEWV’s forensic in-patient and secure ward services were found to be inadequate, with the trust ordered to make urgent improvements. Now, the service is rated ‘requires improvement’, though the ‘safe’ aspect of the inspection is still rated ‘inadequate’.

The report said:

“Fifteen patients we spoke to raised concerns regarding there not being enough staff on the wards. Patients told us staff spent a lot of time in the office which sometimes made them feel neglected.

“Two patients told us that they had not received their prescribed medication on the day we arrived due to staffing. Another patient told us they did not know who their key worker was.

“However, most patients said that staff were caring towards them.”

In-patient and secure wards for Harrogate district residents are provided elsewhere in the north-east after the mental health unit at Harrogate District Hospital, the Briary Ward, was closed down in 2020. The CQC inspection of TEWV’s services was carried out at Roseberry Park Hospital in Middlesbrough.

The Briary Wing, Harrogate District Hospital, which was closed in May 2020.

Inspectors said data provided about staffing levels over an eight-week period suggested the service was regularly understaffed to an unsafe level. However, managers said the data was inaccurate and there was always a nurse and support staff on duty.

The report said:

“Staff were frequently being moved to different wards during their shift based on risk, which meant they were often working in environments and with patients they were unfamiliar with.

“This was impacting on several areas within the service; incident data showed staff were not always able to provide a timely response to incidents. Staff were unable to carry out all clinical duties on time, such as administering medication and completing clinical audits.

“Staff were regularly unable to take their breaks off the ward. Patient’s hospital ground leave, Section 17 leave (permission to leave the hospital) and visits from friends and family were being cancelled daily at short notice.

“Patients told us they felt neglected and did not have enough time with staff. Carers we spoke to highlighted staffing pressures as a concern and felt it was impacting on patient’s continuity of care and their ability to visit their loved ones.”

Areas for improvement

The CQC set out 12 areas where the service must be improved in order to meet legal requirements, including adequate staffing levels, cleaning all wards, ensuring staff have up-to-date training, and reporting all incidents quickly and accurately

Naomi Lonergan, care group director of the secure inpatient services at TEWV, said:

“We have been working hard to improve the service since the previous Care Quality Commission inspection in June 2021 and we are encouraged by the improvement in the rating.

“We have recruited 70 health care assistants since the last inspection and we are working with local universities to support the recruitment of registered nurses. This is in addition to developing an international recruitment strategy which is already making a difference.

“We have set up a health care assistant council and one for nurses to improve how colleagues contribute to the quality of care within our trust.

“We are also focused on creating a community on our wards, through the work we do with our recovery and outcomes team who put on events and activities for people in our care that help their recovery.

“We recognise that there is more to be done. This includes an unrelenting focus on patient safety with our absolute priority being on safe staffing and safeguarding our patients. We continue to prioritise the experience of our patients, their carers and colleagues to make the improvements we need to and we are confident the service is making these changes and will continue to do so.”

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Children’s mental health services ‘requires improvement’

Meanwhile, TEWV’s specialist community mental health services for children and young people which were rated ‘inadequate’ in the ‘safe’ category last year have now been rated ‘requires improvement’.

In a report published in September, following inspections over the summer, the CQC said:

“Although staffing levels, caseloads and waiting times for treatment had improved since the last inspection, the service did not always have enough nursing and support staff to keep patients safe. Vacancy rates varied by team…

“Caseload sizes had reduced across the community teams. Most of the staff told us there had been significant improvements to caseload sizes and caseloads were more manageable. Only two of the staff we spoke with raised concerns about staffing levels and caseload sizes.”

Inspectors said a recruitment drive meant two new matrons were about to begin work, with a focus on managing staff caseloads.

The average waiting time for treatment had reduced to 104 days, compared to 371 days in 2021, and the number of children waiting more than 12 months had reduced to 275 from more than 1,000 in the same time period.

The CQC, which inspected six teams within the community mental health service for children, said TEWV must adequately staff its service and continue to work to reduce waiting times.

Brent Kilmurray, chief executive of Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“We are pleased that the CQC have raised the rating for our community children and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) in the safe category.

“The CQC report acknowledges improvements that have been made, including how quickly we responded to address the issues identified at the previous inspection. It also recognises that we are achieving our targets of maintaining contact with children and young people on waiting lists.

“This is a step in the right direction, and a testament to the hard work from our CAMHS community teams across the trust.

“We know there is still work to do and more opportunities to improve the service. We will now focus on embedding the recommendations from the report to ensure that we provide the best care to the young people in our communities.”

Train journeys across the Harrogate district are set to be severely disrupted this weekend as a national strike takes place.

Northern is advising passengers not to travel, with no trains currently scheduled to run through Harrogate and Knaresborough on the Leeds to York line on Saturday, November 5.

Network Rail has warned that there will be no rail connection between Yorkshire and London. Passengers heading towards the capital will only be able to get as far as Doncaster, and many other services across the region will be very limited.

The strike action by the RMT union will be repeated on Monday, November 7 and Wednesday, November 9. Services on the following days – Sunday, November 6, Tuesday, November 8, and Thursday, November 10 – are also expected to be disrupted, especially in the mornings.

Matt Rice, north and east route director for Network Rail said:

“I’m really sorry for the impact that this latest round of industrial action will have on passengers’ plans. We’re only able to offer a very limited service across Yorkshire, and trains that do run are likely to be busier than usual.

“Our best advice is to plan ahead, check your journey before setting off, and to only travel by train if it’s absolutely necessary on strike days. Thank you for bearing with us as we continue conversations with the trade unions to come to an agreement.”

This month’s strike is the seventh round of industrial action in the dispute over pay and conditions for rail workers. The union said its members are concerned about redundancies leading to unsafe conditions for staff on trains and in stations, as well as pay freezes for staff including cleaners, catering staff and track maintenance workers, while rail companies continue to make large profits and bosses take home high salaries.

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This article is sponsored by Wizu Workspace.

Wizu Workspace, the North’s most exciting flexible workspace provider, has opened its doors at the iconic Royal House, one of Harrogate’s most prestigious addresses.

The spacious period building is the ideal place for any local business looking to grow. The stunning workspace offers private offices, co-working membership, meeting rooms and event space – all available on a flexible basis.

Wizu have created a comfortable, friendly environment that combines modern and traditional elements – perfect for growing small and large businesses alike.

Meet the Wizu team

When you walk through the doors at Royal House, the first people you’ll meet are Kitty Lewis and Grace Franklin, full-time hosts at the Harrogate site.

A beautiful communal space.

They’ll make you feel instantly at home: Kitty’s approach is to focus on customer service and creating a warm welcome. She said:

“I’ve always worked in hospitality, and that’s how I see Wizu. We look after our members and give them the best workday we can – every day.

“Most of our staff come from a hospitality background, which shows in our customer loyalty and retention.”

Among those is Jamie Lea, who brings ten years’ experience in five-star hotels (including The Dorchester in London) to his role as community manager. He said:

“I wanted something where I could use my hospitality experience. So I’ve swapped bedroom guests for office members! I’m still running events and the reception desk, but we deliver service differently to a hotel – it’s much more informal and relaxed.”

A culture of service 

Tom Almas, managing director and co-founder, believes that workspace – when done well – can inspire people to enhance their productivity and creativity:

“Many business owners are stuck in soul-destroying, uninspiring workspace, which leads to dull, repetitive workdays for them and their teams.

“At Wizu, we do things differently. We don’t tie people into long leases. We create bright, beautifully-designed workspaces, so our members can stay productive, creative and energised – and go further as individuals and businesses as a result.”

A relaxed and friendly atmosphere

The team work hard to make their members feel at home.

One of the meeting rooms you could take advantage of.

Music quietly plays in the kitchen and co-working space, which Kitty says has “a relaxed coffee shop vibe.” For those who want a quiet space to concentrate, there are private working pods to escape to and get work done.

This approach – to give its members more than an office – is core to Wizu’s design philosophy.

They’ve also created a community where members collaborate and often work together. Kitty said:

“What’s interesting is that our members have set the tone themselves. It’s great to see them chatting and helping each other out.”

Demand for space has been huge

Wizu offer several membership packages, such as ’50 hours for £60′ in the co-working space. Private offices are priced at £300 + VAT per desk/month.  Virtual office packages start from £40 plus VAT/month.

Part of the co-working space.

The fees are all-inclusive: there is no need to arrange broadband or cover heating bills. Even the furniture is included.

This flexible, inclusive package is clearly needed in Harrogate: since it opened its doors in the spring, demand has exceeded all expectations.

Over 65% of all offices have been sold, with interest in the co-working space and meeting rooms far higher than anyone predicted.

John Guggenheim, co-founder, said:

“The rising trend of businesses looking to work flexibly, coupled with our knowledge of the North, made Harrogate a perfect fit for us.

“We’re delighted with how we’ve been welcomed, and we look forward to playing our part in growing Harrogate’s dynamic economy.”

This beautiful building, with its quality interiors, professional team and flexible terms, is a fantastic addition to the Harrogate business scene.

To find out more about Wizu Workspace or to book a free two-day trial in the co-working space, call Royal House on 01423 574110.

A vital community service in Harrogate could be under threat this winter if more volunteers are not recruited.

Starbeck Library is run by more than 30 volunteers, but their numbers have fallen by around 25% compared to before the pandemic.

While they are still able to cover the 17 hours it is open each week, the reduced pool of people is putting extra pressure on them all and opening hours could be reduced if more help is not found.

Volunteer coordinator Ann Lewsley told the Stray Ferret:

“We’ve got 18 shifts a week to fill with 30-something people. We’re putting increasing begging emails out and people are ending up having to do more than they want to do, and then we’re in danger of scaring them off.

“Volunteering really doesn’t have to be a big commitment. If people can give us three hours once or twice a month, that would be great.

“Lots of people do every other week and some are just once a month. We don’t normally put any pressure on people to do more than they want to do, and the more volunteers we have, the easier it is for everyone.”

The community library is supported by North Yorkshire County Council, with access to its books, computer software and a shared professional librarian.

Each shift is staffed by at least two volunteers, and ideally three, and Ann described it as a small but friendly team in a welcoming environment. Most of the team members come from Starbeck, but many travel from further afield around Harrogate and even beyond.

The volunteers have recently been given a 10-year lease by the council to offer long-term security for the community library.

As well as book lending, it offers audio and ebooks, access to computers, and regular events for people of all ages including children’s story time.

Volunteers are supported by equipment and systems from NYCC

Earlier this year, the library was used by NYCC as an access point for people applying for help from the household support fund who did not have the internet at home.

Ann said one of the challenges of the volunteer rota was ensuring there was the right combination of people with complementary skills to meet visitors’ needs.

This winter, the library could also become a lifeline to people struggling to heat their homes, or looking for some company during the day.

Its team is happy to welcome people who want somewhere to read a book or newspaper, to knit, or to meet friends.

Ann added:

“With the winter coming, we’re saying, like lots of public spaces, come and use our electricity, come and be warm, read a book in the library for a couple of hours.

“We have a cafe on a Saturday where we sell drinks, but during the week, the volunteers will quite happily make a coffee or tea for someone.

“That’s all part of what we want to be able to offer to our community.”

A volunteers’ coffee morning for people interested in finding out more about volunteering is being held next Saturday, November 5, from 11am until noon. Anyone interested who can’t visit at that time can email volunteers.starbeckcl@gmail.com or call in to the library any day during opening hours.

Read more:

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A heart transplant received by a young girl from Harrogate in 1994 opened the door to almost three decades of wonderful experiences for her whole family.

Now, as they mourn Lynda’s death 28 years after the operation, parents Kerry and Brian Morrison are urging everyone to donate organs and share their wishes with their loved ones, in order to give the gift of life to others.

Lynda Morrison was just seven when she fell ill in 1994, shortly after she had moved from Kent to Harrogate with her parents and three sisters.

She was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy caused by a virus and told she would need a heart transplant.

Lynda’s health deteriorated rapidly and she was soon put on the European urgent list for a suitable donor organ.

Two false starts saw the family set out for the transplant unit at Newcastle, only to be told the operation could not go ahead.

Brian said:

“The first time, we turned round at Durham services. The second time we got all the way to the hospital. They radioed ahead and closed the Tyne Tunnel so we could get through.”

Then, in late 1994, Kerry and Brian received a call to say a heart was coming from France and they made the journey by ambulance to the Freeman Hospital.

This time, the operation went ahead successfully. Kerry said:

“We don’t know who gave the heart – just that it came from France. We wrote a letter to the donor’s family and our friend translated it into very good French. We sent it off, but we never got a reply.”

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Once the initial period of checks and treatments was complete, Lynda settled into a routine of three-monthly visits to the Freeman Hospital. Slowly, she returned to a more normal life – with a few unusual features thrown in.

Shortly after she moved from Oatlands Junior School to St Aidan’s High School, an opportunity came up. Kerry said:

“In her first term at St Aidan’s, they wanted a flower girl to meet the Queen when she was opening the Sun Pavilion. [Head of year 7 and family friend] John Wood put her forward.”

Lynda was selected and presented the Queen with a bouquet during the visit. Kerry said she took the whole thing in her stride.

“Lynda was pretty unfazed about anything like that.”

A keen swimmer, Lynda joined the disability swimming squad at the Hydro and, for 12 years, took part in the British Transplant Games.

Lynda Morrison, standing third from the right, was part of the Freeman Children’s Transplant Team

In 2004, she was given the opportunity to meet the Australian swimming squad, including Ian Thorpe. Her parents said she was more excited about that meeting than when she met the Queen.

In 2006, as a result of the medication she was taking, Lynda’s kidneys began to fail. Fortunately, her mum proved to be a match and was able to become a donor for her daughter.

The operation improved Lynda’s health and, removing the need for frequent dialysis, gave her back her freedom.

Still keen on sport, Lynda volunteered at the London Paralympics in 2012, staying with friends nearby and catching the train to the Olympic park each day.

A trip to Rome in 2014 was made extra special after Kerry booked tickets to see Pope Francis speak. When a member of staff heard it was the 20th anniversary of Lynda’s heart transplant, he arranged for them both to receive a blessing from the Pope.

Lynda, as always, was pleased but unfazed by the honour.

Lynda Morrison at the European Heart and Lung Transplant Games in the Netherlands

She was a keen traveller, going to France, Sweden, Lithuania and Poland for the European Heart and Lung Games – often happily leaving her parents at home to go with her fellow transplant team members.

She also enjoyed family holidays around the world, most recently to Venice in the spring with older sister Deborah and their mum.

In May this year, Lynda became ill with an infection and was admitted to York Hospital. She never recovered enough to come home – though that didn’t stop the family getting permission to bring Leo, her beloved cat, to visit her.

Lynda died on September 15, aged 35.

Her heart, transplanted 28 years before, was still going strong until the end.

Her funeral was held earlier this month at St Mark’s Church where she had been a regular member of the congregation. It saw many friends gather to celebrate all she had been able to achieve and to support her family as they grieved.

Lynda’s spare time was devoted to the Cancer Research UK shop where she worked for 14 years and her colleagues, many of whom attended the funeral, have been given her prized collection of Harry Potter memorabilia.

Donations from the funeral were split between Cancer Research UK and Heart Research UK.

Members of the Harrogate Network for Organ Donation Support including Lynda, centre in the white jacket, and mum Kerry, second from left

Lynda and Kerry set up the Harrogate Network for Organ Donation Support a few years ago and a tree was planted in the Valley Gardens in 2020 to mark the 25th anniversary of Lynda’s operation.

The network itself is relatively small, as so few people have had organ donations, but Kerry said its impact is wider than they realised:

“The main idea was for people facing the need for a transplant to talk to people and get support.

“Last week, we went to the bank to close her account and the lady looked at the death certificate and said she knew about the tree. When her mother died in the 1980s, her organs had been donated. This lady said she had seen about the tree and been to visit it.

“These things you find out by chance. I said ‘people don’t talk about it much’. She said ‘I think maybe younger people do’.”

Following Lynda’s death, her parents and sisters are keen to continue to spread the word about the value of organ donation and its impact on individuals and families, long beyond the operation.

They said they were forever indebted to the donor and their family, and to the Freeman Hospital for both the transplant and the many years of care afterwards. Brian added:

“It has given us a family life. We were sat down in York Hospital on the Friday before she died and they said there wasn’t much hope for her. The doctor was very sympathetic but it was all a bit rushed.

“I said, ‘we had this talk 28 years ago in Killingbeck Hospital. She’s packed in an awful lot in those 28 years’.

“That is what organ donation really means to people and to families.”

A 15-year-old girl has been sentenced to a 12-month referral order for her role in an attack on two police officers in broad daylight in Harrogate.

The incident took place in McDonald’s on Cambridge Road at around 5pm on April 1 this year.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to five charges. They included two counts of assaulting police community support officers, causing both actual bodily harm and one of affray, using or threatening violence which led people to fear for their safety, all in the fast food restaurant.

She also admitted a further charge of assaulting a police officer by beating her in Valley Gardens, and one of failing to comply with an exclusion order to leave McDonald’s.

North Yorkshire Youth Court, sitting at Harrogate Justice Centre, heard today that the teenager had been in McDonald’s with friends at about 5pm when there was confusion over whether or not they were banned from the premises. Police officers were called and the girls were found in the upstairs toilets.

In trying to remove them from the building, the officers came under attack.

‘Tussle’

Prosecuting, Melanie Ibbotson said:

“The PCSO goes to grab [another teenage girl] to stop her going back into the toilets and as she does so, there’s a tussle between them both.

“She was trying to grab hold of her, they were pushing and pulling each other, moving towards the top of the stairs, and at this point [the officer] activates her alarm.”

Ms Ibbotson said the 15-year-old then went to help her friend, but in trying to prevent herself being pushed down the stairs, the PCSO grabbed her hair.

The court was shown video evidence of the attack in which the PCSO was punched on the nose, causing heavy bleeding, and her colleague was hit around the face, injuring her jaw and cheek.

The teenagers then left the building and were found in Valley Gardens by other police officers. The 15-year-old spat at a police constable as she was arrested.

The PCSOs were taken to hospital. Neither suffered broken bones, but the PCSO with the injured nose required several months of treatment and could still face an operation to repair the damage inflicted on her in the attack.

The other PCSO had since left the police, the court heard, in part because of the incident in McDonald’s.

Read more:

• Teenagers charged after PCSOs allegedly assaulted in Harrogate McDonald’s
• Two PCSOs seriously injured after attack in Harrogate McDonald’s

Defending, Andrew Tinning of Grahame Stowe Bateson, told the court the teenager had never been in trouble with the police before and the incident had “come out of the blue”.

He said she had been working voluntarily with the youth offending team in the months since, in order to improve her behaviour. He said:

“When she was interviewed, she admitted what she had done, she apologised for her actions, she said she did have an anger issue and she had set out to protect her friend, as she saw it.

“It was a complete over-reaction to the situation she was faced with, but that’s what she did.”

Mother ‘shellshocked’

Her mother told the court she was “shellshocked” when she heard what her daughter had done, adding:

“She made the wrong friends and wrong choices and it just escalated from there.”

Mr Tinning said the girl had since been permanently excluded from school but was about to start at a new school where she could take her GCSEs. She was “academically gifted”, he said, and already had plans for the next steps in her career, supported by her mother.

She now had a part-time job and was at home every evening, the court heard, and had stopped associating with some of her previous friends.

The girls appeared at North Yorkshire Youth Court today

After magistrates retired to consider their sentence, bench chairman Alison Henny told the teenager they had seriously considered a term in a young offenders’ institute because of the severity of the attacks.

However, because of her age and her willingness to improve her behaviour, they had decided to give her a 12-month youth referral order during which she would be given support to make better choices and control her anger.

Mrs Henny said:

“The aim of the youth court is rehabilitation. We believe there’s a real prospect of you being rehabilitated.”

The magistrates ordered her mother to pay compensation of £100 for each of the injured PCSOs.

Meanwhile, a 14-year-old girl, also from Harrogate, has pleaded not guilty to assaulting an emergency worker by beating her, affray, and failing to comply with an exclusion order, at McDonald’s on the same date.

She is due to appear for trial at North Yorkshire Youth Court on November 25.

Another 14-year-old girl has already been dealt with by an out-of-court disposal through the youth outcomes panel in relation to the same incident.