Vicky Carr, Author at The Stray Ferret

Business Breakfast: Marketing agency appointed to support Knaresborough energy firm

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.

A Harrogate marketing agency has been appointed to support a Knaresborough-based international energy company with its plans for growth.

The Big Bamboo Agency will deliver strategic marketing, PR, social media management and community engagement activities for Harmony Energy.

The firm, which develops utility-scale battery energy storage along with wind and solar projects, has worked across the UK as well as developing its work in France and New Zealand.

It has a long-standing relationship with Tesla, which has provided battery systems for its UK sites.

Pete Kavanagh, chief executive of Harmony, said:

“We were looking for an agency that would become an outsourced marketing and communications team, as an extension of the wider team we already have in place. We wanted to find a partner that we could build a long-term trusted relationship with.

“Having met Nicola and other members of the team, we knew we had found what we were looking for. Their experience and capabilities fit nicely with ours and we know they will understand our industry, due to their extensive credentials.”

Money-saving energy advice for Harrogate BID businesses

Businesses will have the opportunity to learn more about saving money on energy bills at a series of events today.

Harrogate BID is inviting its members to join one of three sessions in person or online to hear from energy consultant Ryan Edwards.

He will give businesses a clearer picture about the current energy market, as well as giving advice on securing energy contracts.

The first event is at Jespers Bar and Kitchen on Station Parade at 9.30am, with another at Starling Cafe on Oxford Street at 5.30pm. A session will also be held on Zoom at 11am.

Businesses interested in taking part can email Harrogate BID for more details.

Donor to fill Knaresborough man’s lorry with hundreds toys for Ukraine

A truck driver who has been driving lorries full of aid to Ukraine since February said he has been overwhelmed by the response to his latest appeal.

Bob Frendt, 71, has just returned from his fifth trip to eastern Europe, delivering medical equipment to help Ukrainian nationals resisting the Russian invasion.

Before setting off, he revealed plans to take hundreds of toys to the country in November, to ensure children who had had a difficult year would have something to enjoy at Christmas.

As a result of his story appearing in the Stray Ferret, Mr Frendt was contacted by an individual – who asked for his identity not to be publicised – who donated £30,000 to fill the lorry with toys.

Mr Frendt said:

“I couldn’t believe it when he got in touch and said what he was going to do. That will fill the lorry and make a difference to so many children.”

He has been offered the use of a storage unit on York Road in Knaresborough, to enable him to collect everything he needs before his trip.

On his most recent visit, Mr Frendt entered Ukraine for the first time, having previously only reached the Polish border to pass on vital equipment to aid teams.

With a lorry full of supplies donated by local firms Medequip and Andway, he visited a hospital inside the country. He said:

“The hospital is dreadful. I met the chief executive and the head of orthopaedics. When we lifted the back door up and saw what we’d brought, they just burst into tears.

“There were 45 mattresses and they said, ‘that’s 45 people who won’t be sleeping on the floor tonight’. We took zimmer frames and they said, ‘100 people can go to the toilet on their own, without having to wait for someone to help them get there’.

“Where we went, it’s like the London slums in the early 1900s. It’s dreadful. They haven’t got inside toilets, there’s a cold water tap at the end of the road and that’s it.

“This is without the Russians invading – it’s how they live normally.”

The contribution was so valued by Ukrainians, Mr Frendt was featured in a local newspaper while he was there.

Asked by the journalist why he kept returning to help, Mr Frendt said he couldn’t give an answer, other than to say he watched the situation unfold on the news and felt he had to do something. He added:

“It’s going to go on for years. I’ve got to do whatever I can.”

The hospital in Ukraine where Bob Frendt donated equipment

Although the anonymous donor has supplied enough toys to fill his lorry for the Christmas trip, Mr Frendt is still keen to hear from anyone who would like to support his efforts.

As well as more toys, he’s collecting old technology including laptops, tablets and mobile phones to deliver to Ukraine, and is always happy to receive financial support for the £2,500 cost of each six-day trip.

He has also been asked to deliver specialist haemostatic bandages used to treat serious wounds, which cost £40 each, and he hopes he can raise more money to pay for them.

Mr Frendt’s fundraising was boosted by the donation of a while from a Porsche which had raced at Le Mans. It was refurbished by AWR in Knaresborough and turned into a glass coffee table by Harrogate Glass Solutions.

He had planned to raffle off the unusual piece of furniture, but was made an offer he couldn’t refuse by a private collector, and the proceeds have gone towards his next Ukraine trip.

After his November visit, he plans to go again in the spring with a further lorry-load of aid, once the worst of the winter weather has eased.

To donate to Mr Frendt’s efforts, click here to send him an email.

Praise for Harrogate school’s ‘strong community’ in new Ofsted report

A Harrogate primary school has been rated ‘good’ with some ‘outstanding’ features in its latest Ofsted inspection.

Rossett Acre Primary School was praised for its “strong sense of community” and for the “impeccable manners” shown by its children.

Inspectors found it was ‘good’ in the quality of its education and early years provision, as well as its leadership. They rated its behaviour and attitudes, and its personal development, as ‘outstanding’.

The report said:

“There is a firm focus on pupils’ academic success alongside their mental health and well-being.

“Staff encourage pupils to benefit fully from the rich curriculum experiences and opportunities on offer. Pupils enjoy their lessons and clubs, such as dodgeball, singing squad, multi-sports and orchestra.

“Pupils respond positively to the education they receive. They show high levels of motivation and a thirst for learning. Pupils feel valued by staff and are proud of the contribution they make to the school.”

Inspectors highlighted the school’s emphasis on diversity and culture of tolerance and respect for others as areas of strength.

Addressing ways in which the school could further improve, they said the new phonics curriculum needed to be implemented in a way that ensured all pupils could make progress and those who were further behind could catch up.

They also said not all subjects were taught consistently from reception onwards, such as poor handwriting formation not being addressed early enough so bad habits could become established.

The report added:

“The broad offer and focus on developing staff expertise mean that pupils achieve very well in the range of subjects over time.

“The curriculum is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with SEND have the support they need so they can achieve well and be fully involved in school life.

“Teachers deliver the curriculum with enthusiasm. This rubs off on the pupils and they respond with curiosity and a desire to learn.”

The inspection took place in June, before the summer holiday, and the report has been published this week.

The school has maintained its rating from its last full inspection in 2011, before it became an academy in 2016. It had a short inspection in 2019.

Rossett Acre is part of the Red Kite Learning Trust, a group of 13 schools including Harrogate Grammar School, Oatlands Junior School, and Western and Coppice Valley primaries.

Inspectors praised the support of the trust for the school, providing training to teachers and ensuring pupils had access to the best learning opportunities.

Responding to the report, headteacher Corinne Penhale said:

“We are thrilled with our Ofsted report, particularly our two areas of ‘outstanding’ for personal development and behaviour and attitudes.

“At Rossett Acre, children are at the heart of everything we do, and the Ofsted outcomes are testament to this.

“I am so incredibly proud of everyone in our school and our community who work so hard to ensure we provide a relevant, rich and fabulous education for our children. What a team!”

Police appeal after man exposed himself to 16-year-old girl in Harrogate

A man exposed himself in front of a 16-year-old girl in Harrogate yesterday afternoon.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident, which took place on Wheatlands Road East, between Rayleigh Road and Hornbeam Crescent, at 4.15pm.

The man is described as white, in his late teens, with strawberry blonde short hair. He was around 5ft 9ins tall and described as slim build, wearing baggy clothes, a black hoody and grey jogging bottoms.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:

“We’ve launched a full investigation and are asking anyone who witnessed this incident or has any information that could assist to please come forward.”

To provide information to the police, call 101, select option two and ask for David Kaye, or email david.kaye@northyorkshire.police.uk, quoting reference 12220170157.

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Pop-up shop marks launch of new venture for popular Harrogate baker

A baker from Harrogate is turning her life-long passion into a career after years of preparation and planning.

Lizzie Warburton began baking at home as a child, but never considered it as a potential job despite her obvious talent.

She said:

“I’ve baked all my life. My grandma is a baker, and my mum – it’s what we have always done as a family.

“I did a foundation course in art and design, and went to uni to do graphics, but I decided it wasn’t the field I wanted to be in.

“I used to bake caked for friends at school, but I never thought of it as a job. Working at Harlow Carr, we used to do Friday bake-offs. Everyone said, ‘you need to go on the Great British Bake-off’ and I never thought about it seriously.

“But eventually I thought, ‘why am I not doing this? I love it’. “

Taking the plunge, Lizzie enrolled on a course at Leeds City College to give her the professional understanding she needed to back up her experience. Once finished, she and mum Sue opened The Kitchen, a coffee shop on Otley Road, in autumn 2016.

Starting with a small menu of light lunches and cakes, they soon became popular with locals and Lizzie’s cakes had a particularly strong reputation.

When events took place, such as the UCI Road World Championships which passed in front of the door in 2019, The Kitchen was packed with cycling enthusiasts and the cake bench laden with special creations which all disappeared by the end of the day.

However, it was not Lizzie’s most ambitious bakes which proved the biggest hit during the five years the coffee shop was operating. She said:

“We made Mars bar crispies when we were kids and we thought they’d work well – I just updated it and added a layer of chocolate. They became our best seller, along with scones. Everybody still asks for them if I bump into any of our customers!

“Our Mars bar crispies would sell out every day. It’s the easiest thing – it takes 20 minutes to make. I’ve done all this training, learning how to make a cake properly, and it’s that simple childhood recipe that people love the most.”

When her parents decided not to renew the lease on The Kitchen last autumn and to move away, Lizzie knew her future was in baking.

She wanted to focus on her true passion and, before the coffee shop closed its doors for the final time, she began building up cake orders for birthdays and other celebrations. In many ways, the covid pandemic had actually helped her.

“When we were opening up, we started doing afternoon teas to deliver to people’s homes and that went really well. I knew people wanted a treat then, but I thought people would still want that even after covid.”

Though she knew what she wanted to do, Lizzie realised it would be some time before she would earn enough from her own baking to make a living. Over the last year, she has indulged her other passion: she has been working for a dog charity and a kennels, caring for animals and enjoying time outside.

An array of Lizzie’s Baked creations

Meanwhile, she has tested the water by offering pre-ordered boxes of cakes on selected weekends, which have always proved a big hit with customers old and new. She has also been building up contacts for wholesale business, baking treats for other cafes and shops to sell to customers.

Now ready to launch her new venture, Baked, Lizzie is holding a pop-up shop this weekend at Oatlands Community Centre – just around the corner from her home.

She’ll spend this week creating a huge stash of goodies to sell on Saturday between 9am and noon, as well as taking pre-orders to be collected on the day.

A selection of favourites from The Kitchen will be on offer alongside new recipes she has been perfecting. However, Lizzie knows she’ll need to stock up on the famous Mars bar crispies:

“It’s crazy that that one thing went so mad, but it’s so nice because it’s such a nostalgic thing we had as children. I’m just going to have to do trays and trays of it!”

Business Breakfast: Free course to boost start-up businesses in Harrogate district

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.

A free seven-week course will help entrepreneurs in Harrogate get their start-up businesses off the ground.

Up to 30 places are available on the Strive course, run by York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub, City of York Council, Harrogate Borough Council, & Enterprise CUBE.

Beginning on Tuesday, October 4, it will offer a series of workshops and individual advice sessions and challenges, before giving out £2,500 of prizes at the end of the programme.

Topics will include creating a brand, taking payments, building an online presence, and dealing with the legal and tax requirements of setting up a business.

Laura Mumford, an award-winning entrepreneur from Enterprise CUBE, said:

“We’re finding more and more people are looking at other ways to make their own income through starting their own business.

“We’re seeing lots of people join our courses who want to start building a business now, to have some extra security, and extra income coming in.”

A free taster session takes place in the Minster Room at Harrogate Civic Centre on Tuesday, September 27 from 7-9pm. The course will run via Zoom.

To find out more or book a place, visit the course page on the York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub website.

Director appointed to Harrogate district law firm

An experienced solicitor has joined a practice in the Harrogate district as a director.

Mark Jones, who was previously partner at Harrowells in York as well as at LCF Law and Raworths in the past, joins Newtons to work on wills, probate, trusts and estates, including inheritance tax planning, from its Ripon and Harrogate offices.

As well as being a long-serving member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, he is a committee member of Harrogate and District Law Society.

Mr Jones said:

“Having known [Newtons managing director] Chris Newton for well over 20 years, I’ve watched with great admiration what he has achieved in building Newtons into the firm it is today from scratch. I’m delighted to have the opportunity to be part of that journey.”

Malt Shovel pub near Knaresborough up for sale

A popular village pub near Knaresborough has been put on the market for the first time in almost three decades.

The freehold of The Malt Shovel at Brearton has been listed for sale on property website RightMove at £550,000.

Owners Charlotte and Les Mitchell have decided to sell up after 28 years, having leased the pub for the last 18 years before retiring to Cumbria in 2015. Ms Mitchell said:

“When Les and I moved from the Scottish Highlands with our young children, we chose The Malt Shovel because of its prime setting in a beautiful village, within the aptly named ‘golden triangle’ between Harrogate, York and North Leeds.

“We fell in love with the sizeable and atmospheric, yet always welcoming, bar and dining areas and the four-bedroom apartment upstairs was perfect for our family. In fact, Brearton and The Malt Shovel ticked all the boxes.

“That was back in 1994 and 28 years later that has not been altered. It is still a superb village to live and work in and the catchment area remains affluent, popular and aspirational.

“The current lease is coming to an end, and aged 74 and 62, we think it’s time to pass this iconic building and business on to a new enthusiastic owner who can take it forward.”

The leasehold of the pub was last sold in 2017 for £40,000.

The property is now being marketed by Christie & Co, including the four-bedroom flat, which the company said gave it “potential to become a residential dwelling” or for letting accommodation.

The particulars describe the pub as “character-filled” but “neither listed nor an asset of community value”. The turnover is listed as £467,000, with an annual rental income of £38,000 or 11% of turnover from the current tenants who plan to continue to run the pub until a sale completes.

The pub has 65 covers inside and 35 outside, with parking for 15 cars. Christie & Co said it is currently fully booked for Christmas parties and there was potential to grow trade significantly outside the current opening hours of 12-3pm and 6-9pm Wednesday to Saturday, and noon until 6pm on Sunday, during which it is “trading exceptionally”.

The company highlighted the pub’s strong rating on TripAdvisor as well as its position in “one of the most desirable villages in North Yorkshire”.

Alex Rex, senior business agent in Christie & Co’s Pubs & Restaurants team, is handling the sale. He said:

“The sale of The Malt Shovel in Brearton offers an exciting opportunity for a new owner to carry on a highly reputable hospitality business or alternatively, acquire a great piece of real estate with potential for multiple uses, in a highly desirable village.

“There is a real shortage of good quality freehold, free of tie, properties on the market in North Yorkshire currently and the business is offered for a fantastic price, so we don’t expect it to be on the market for long.”

Meet Jules B, the big new name on Harrogate’s fashion retail scene

This article is sponsored by Jules B.

Stepping through the doors of Jules B means opening up a world of potential for your wardrobe.

The small yet sought-after brand is opening a brand new luxury designer store in the heart of Harrogate tomorrow.

It is just the fifth bricks-and-mortar shop for the brand, and only its third location: both Jesmond and Kendal have two branches, each dedicated to menswear and womenswear.

Step into Jules B.

On Harrogate’s Cambridge Crescent, the focus will be womenswear, bringing together everything from the latest up-and-coming names to internationally renowned brands including Vivienne Westwood.

The beauty of Jules B is that it retains the feel of an independent boutique, and is still run by its founders, Julian and Rhona Blades.

Their influence in the business is as strong as ever, ensuring the best garments and accessories are sourced and brought together in a comprehensive collection that’s just right for Harrogate shoppers.

The store with a boutique feel.

Julian said:

“Each of our destination stores is located in a beautiful area that’s been carefully selected to fit the Jules B brand, and Harrogate is no different.

“The location of the new store is just right for us: in a beautiful historic building, close to the iconic Bettys and on the doorstep of the stunning Stray.

“We’re enjoying transforming the two floors into the perfect retail space for our customers and can’t wait to welcome them inside for the first time.”

Having founded the business in 1984, the couple have kept to their vision of a new, intelligent approach to womenswear.

Their original boutique in the trendy Newcastle suburb of Jesmond still stands, and though physical expansion into new premises has been deliberately low, the brand now sells extensively online.

The store stocks big and up and coming brands.

Its website has been running since 2008 – but Harrogate residents and visitors are fortunate now to have the opportunity to enjoy the real-life experience of a Jules B visit.

Step through the doorway into a luxuriously stylish and calm environment, a world away from the rush outside. Take advantage of the personal shopping experience to guide you through the latest trends and find the right styles for you.

Harrogate store launch

At the launch event on September 22, visitors will be greeted with a glass of bubbly to make it a retail experience to remember. Designer raffle prizes, gifts with purchases and more will be on offer to tempt you.

Enjoy the special launch event on September 22.

Rhona added:

“Our Harrogate store will have an exclusive range of more than 45 niche and big-name designer brands is available to choose from — the likes of Oska, Holland Cooper, NU London, Rag and Bone, and Barbour International.

“Customers can expect to discover everyday staples like denim and knitwear alongside elegant evening dresses, luxury bags and everything in between.

“We’re proud to stock a wide range of products that you won’t find anywhere else. Our exclusive selection blends on-trend styles and truly timeless pieces, and there’s always something new and exciting to discover.”

Breathing new life into a historic building in south Harrogate

For Vic Smith-Dunn, life is all about connections.

She’s a sociable person who likes to make links between people with something in common – even if that thing is they don’t know anyone else in the room.

Vic’s own connections have been particularly significant in guiding her to where she is now.

Her grandparents were wardens at the former Oatlands Methodist Church in south Harrogate and she is one of the people tasked safeguarding the same building.

Now known as Oatlands Community Centre, it also housed a pre-school for many years, which Vic’s daughters attended. Vic became a trustee of the pre-school after it bought the building around a decade ago.

Last autumn, the pre-school closed under the growing weight of expectations and regulations, which the small charity’s trustees were unable to meet. However, Vic wanted to ensure the building remained in use and the mortgage could still be paid.

“We decided the way forward and to safeguard the community space was to focus on delivering on our constitution in different ways.

“It said it had to be a service for families with pre-school children. One of the main aims is to work with community groups and social enterprises.”

Coincidentally, Vic had set up a social enterprise a few years before, called MyLifePool. It aimed to bring the community together in a simple, affordable way, creating social groups and events as well as supporting businesses.

For £1 a week, members access discounts from dozens of local partner businesses, from coffee shops to hairdressers, and can get discounted rates to attend a programme of family activities, nights out and more.

There are weekly stay-and-play sessions for children, including dedicated times for neurodiverse children. Drinks and snacks are provided, including fresh fruit from local business and MyLifePool partners KD Fruiterers.

While the membership fee is low, the demand has been extremely high, allowing the trustees to keep paying the mortgage on the community centre. Hall hire for children’s parties and other events has also contributed significantly.

Vic grew up and still lives in the Oatlands area, part of her reason for wanting to build up community activities and networks. She also recognises that the support which used to be on offer elsewhere is no longer as readily available.

“When my eldest daughter was a baby, I saw my health visitor every week.

“She realised I had postnatal depression. If it hadn’t been for her and my GP, I don’t know what might have happened.

“I worry about people in the same position now who aren’t having that regular contact – who is supporting them?”

Social media

Even with the support she had, her depression and loneliness prompted Vic to set up Ready Steady Mums, a free walking group for parents of children up to one, which still meets every Friday at St Mark’s Church.

Her experience of the value it offered to attendees stimulated her interest in doing more in the community – leading her to set up MyLifePool some years later.

“I had seen how social media was becoming really damaging to social interaction.

“People were so busy putting up posts showing themselves living their best lives that they were terrified to actually meet anyone, because you can’t be at your best all the time.

“Then it becomes even more difficult to walk into a room full of strangers.”

In recent years, she has drawn on her own experiences once again to set up a new group dedicated to women going through the menopause. From social meet-ups to informative talks from experts, the group has hit the ground running and already has dozens of attendees at each event.

MeNoPause was launched as one of MyLifePool’s events, but is open to anyone in the community.

Vic Smith-Dunn is the welcoming face of MyLifePool and Oatlands Community Centre

Similarly, there is a working mums’ group, offering mums the chance to socialise over drinks but still get home at a sensible time to be up for the school run the next day. It’s organised by one of the ‘lifepoolers’ who, with support from Vic, set up the kind of group she wanted and discovered there were many others who felt the same.

Vic says her role is always to connect people and give them the confidence to get involved.

MyLifePool has become so successful that Vic has been approached to expand the model into York and, if that works, beyond.

Wherever it goes next, Vic is clear about its purpose.

“I’m all about funding community stuff. It’s about finding ways for communities to become self-sustaining.

“We have to find innovative ways for that to happen.”

Proclamations of King Charles III made in Harrogate and Ripon

Residents from across the Harrogate district have gathered to pay their respects to the late Queen today, and to welcome the new King.

Proclamations of the accession of King Charles III were made at the war memorial in Harrogate and at Ripon Town Hall at 4pm.

At the former, the Mayor of the Borough of Harrogate, Cllr Victoria Oldham, read the words of the proclamation to the gathered crowd. She said:

“In an age where modern methods of communication convey news around the globe in an instant, the proclamation is no longer how people learn for the first time that they have a new monarch.

“Today, however, is one of the first occasions when communities have an opportunity to come together and reflect on the moment in our nation’s history when the reign of our longest-serving monarch came to an end and our new sovereign succeeded.”

The ceremony included “inverting the mace” as a symbol that the crown had passed to a new sovereign.

Several hundred people stood in silence until she concluded by declaring “God save the King!”, echoed by the audience.

It was followed by three cheers for the new King.

Among the dignitaries taking part in the ceremony were the council chief executive Wallace Sampson and its leader, Cllr Richard Cooper. Those gathered included Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, as well as many local councillors.

All were dressed in black and wearing black armbands.

Deputy Lord Lieutenant Richard Compton, centre, with other dignitaries outside Ripon Town Hall

The Bishop of Ripon, the Rt Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, was present for the city’s proclamation of the new King, along with its Mayor and Mayoress, Cllr Sid Hawke and his wife Linda.

The proclamation was read out by Richard Compton, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, at Ripon Town Hall.

The crowd then sang the national anthem before giving three cheers for King Charles III.

Meanwhile, this morning, hundreds of people gathered at Ripon Cathedralfor a special Sung Eucharist Service, at which prayers were said to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the accession of His Majesty King Charles III.

What was originally scheduled to be a civic service for the Mayor of Harrogate changed its focus following the Queen’s death on Thursday.

Cllr Oldham was in attendance along with the Mayor and Mayoress of Ripon, Councillor Sid Hawke and his wife Linda, as well as Ripon MP Julian Smith and the chair of North Yorkshire County Council, Cllr Margaret Atkinson.

The service was led by the Dean of Ripon, the Very Rev John Dobson. As chaplain to the Mayor of Harrogate, he was also in Harrogate this afternoon for the Proclamation of King Charles III.