A father and son team form Nidderdale heading for one of the UK’s biggest races will have their bike blessed by a minister in Pateley Bridge this weekend.

Shaun Chandler and his son Ben will be racing in the Isle of Man TT, which begins at the end of May, through their team White Rose Racing.

To spread the word and drum up support, the pair will be meeting people outside Pateley Ice Treat on the high street from 10.30am tomorrow.

The event will also see them reveal the new paintwork and sponsors for the team, while children will be able to sit in the sidecar and have their photo taken.

Revered Mike Poole from Pateley Bridge Methodist Church will give the bike and sidecar a special blessing around 12.30pm.

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Shaun’s brother Lee, part of the Chandler family who own local businesses including the Spar shop, said:

“We are all going over for the race to show our support. All the family gets involved.

“Even some of the customers from the shop are going to support Shaun and Ben. It’s quite a big thing for everyone.”

Shaun has been to the TT before, but only as a sidecar passenger. This will be his first time riding in the event, and the first time Ben has taken part.

Harrogate’s Pride in Diversity will not take place this year because of a lack of volunteers to make it possible.

Last held in 2019, the event has traditionally begun with a parade through the town centre led by an open-top bus.

It then featured a festival of live music, entertainment and stalls in the Valley Gardens, drawing crowds of up to 26,000 people.

Secretary Poppy Winks said they had considered holding a smaller event, but decided it would be better to focus on delivering a full-scale occasion in 2023.

She said:

“The plan is it will be the same as pre-pandemic. It’s a joyful day: people being together and celebrating who they are, whoever that is.

“To have that space in our town is really important. It’s a really unapologetic event; everybody is there for a reason and it doesn’t matter what that reason is.”

People of all genders, sexualities, ages and races came together for the celebration in 2019.

The cancellation this year means the event will have had a four-year break by the time it returns, having missed two years because of the covid pandemic.

Ms Winks said while there used to be a strong group of volunteers, many had moved on or started volunteering elsewhere.

The remaining team decided to announce their reasons for calling off this year’s event, and it has paid off with a number of individuals and organisations come forward with offers of support. Ms Winks added:

“It was not an easy decision, but being honest about our reasons for cancelling has made people think, ‘this is an event we like and we want to come forward and help make it happen’.

“The beauty is that now we have grown enough that we’re well-known and organisations like the theatre and the Victoria Shopping Centre have said they want to support us.”

Anyone interested in helping to organise next year’s event can contact Harrogate Pride in Diversity via its website.

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The traditional St George’s Day parade returns to Harrogate for the first time in three years this weekend.

Taking place tomorrow, it will see hundreds of Scouts, Guides, Brownies, Cubs and more join together in uniform to mark the occasion.

After gathering on Coach Road, they will parade into Christ Church for a short service when they will renew their promises.

It is a shorter parade than usual, after the decision to go ahead was only made two months ago. Attendance is also likely to be reduced because the event falls at the end of the Easter holidays.

District commissioner Karsten Hartmann told the Stray Ferret:

“In the past, we have started on Beech Grove, but it was too short notice to get everything into place. We hope to come back stronger next year.”

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This year marks the first time the youngest Scouts have been able to take part in the parade. First Pannal Squirrels caters for boys and girls aged four and five, and was set up during the covid pandemic.

The deputy mayor of Harrogate, Cllr Christine Willoughby, and her consort Andrew Willoughby, will also be at the event.

The parade will gather from 2pm with the 45-minute service, led by Rev Matthew Scott Evans, set to begin at 2.30pm.

It will be the first major event in the district’s scouting calendar since 2019. Mr Hartmann said he hopes it will begin to raise the organisation’s profile again, and particularly help to attract volunteers to enable more people to join Scouts and other groups.

For more information about joining Scouts or becoming a volunteer, click here.

A man has been given a £324 fine for headbutting a police officer as he tried to arrest him.

Paul Stephen Turner, 47, of Albany Road, Harrogate, had pleaded guilty in February to the charge.

Acting for him in court today, Sonia Bhalla, of Watson Woodhouse solicitors, said Mr Turner had suffered a head injury when he was assaulted by three men with a baseball bat several years before, which still affected his actions and judgement.

Turner had been watching a documentary about fake police officers on August 18 last year when police officers knocked at his door and attempted to arrest him in relation to a separate allegation against him.

During the arrest, Turner headbutted one of the officers, PC Ryan Rudd, causing pain to one of his teeth. Turner later said he had not done so deliberately, but the process of the arrest had caused severe pain in his feet, where he had a pre-existing injury.

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A carer for his disabled father, the court heard Turner had 26 previous convictions for 52 offences, but none of a similar nature to the charge of assaulting a police officer. Ms Bhalla added:

“At 47 years of age, he has not been in trouble with the courts for a very, very long time. His last conviction was in 2011.”

Magistrates said they did not impose the maximum sentence for assaulting a police officer because the injuries appeared to be minimal, with no follow-up treatment required.

As well as the fine, magistrates ordered Turner to pay a victim surcharge of £34 and costs of £200.

A private hospital in Harrogate has launched a new service offering GP appointments to the public.

The Duchy Hospital, on Queen’s Road, will be offering the appointments with Dr Jason Jones at £100 for a 30 minute appointment.

He said:

“I’m very happy and excited to be joining the team at The Duchy and providing some primary care services.

“Being based within the hospital will also give me access to all the hospital’s facilities, services and consultant colleagues. This should improve the patient journey if any secondary care referrals are needed.”

The news follows reports that people across the UK have been struggle to get GP appointments, particularly face-to-face, following the covid pandemic.

In the Harrogate district, demand for GP services has also risen thanks to extensive house-building in recent years, increasing the population.

A report by Healthwatch North Yorkshire in December found people were struggling to access appointments either over the phone or in person. The service added:

“Several people expressed their concern about digital exclusion for people who can’t access GP and other services online. Others raised issues about misdiagnosis following telephone appointments.

“We know that GP practices across North Yorkshire are working hard to ensure everyone can access the right services for them.”

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Appointments with Dr Jones at The Duchy Hospital are available from Monday, April 25 and can be booked by calling 01423 567136 and selecting option four.

The Duchy’s executive director Rick Sanders added:

“The private GP service is a great addition for our patients at The Duchy. This new service will allow patients to see a GP face to face with easy access to any diagnostic tests, scans or onward referrals that may be required.”

Two new daily flights have been announced to help travellers from the Harrogate district reach Ireland, the USA and Canada.

Emerald Airlines will be operating its Aer Lingus Regional flights on the route from Leeds Bradford Airport to Dublin from today.

As well as visiting the Irish capital, the route gives travellers the option to pre-clear US immigration at Dublin Airport, allowing them to enter North America as a domestic passenger and avoid lengthy queues on arrival.

Nicola McMullen, aviation director at Leeds Bradford Airport, said:

“As passenger levels return to normal, the connection between LBA and Dublin remains an important one for our region, with many passengers travelling for both business and leisure.

“The route will provide a valuable connection to the US with pre-clearance, meaning passengers can travel through immigration smoothly.”

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Flights will depart Leeds Bradford at 8.35am every day, as well as 7.40pm every day except Saturday. Return flights depart Dublin at 6.50am daily and 5.45pm every day except Saturday.

Ciarán Smith, head of commercial at Emerald Airlines said:

“We recognise the vital importance of regional air connectivity and the key role that this air link to Dublin provides for business, tourism and leisure travel.

“In addition, we’re excited to add additional capacity to our existing service from Leeds to Belfast City from mid-May, and I am sure this additional capacity will prove popular for business customers.

“In particular, the new morning and afternoon flight facilitates day return options.”

Artists across the Harrogate district are being sought by RHS Harlow Carr as the garden aims to appoint its next artist in residence.

The year-long appointment would see the chosen artist encouraged to take inspiration from the landscape, as well as the charity’s scientific and biological work.

Education and learning manager Kirstie Blything said:

“We are looking for an artist to present a personal interpretation and perspective of Harlow Carr, creating new work that is innovative, pushes boundaries and inspires well-being.

“We hope this new work will inspire the public to examine their own vision of the gardens and encourage them to engage in new, creative conversations, continuing the development of Harlow Carr as a site that inspires creative practice.”

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The artist would spend at least three weeks on site, carrying out research and demonstrating their practice at the garden.

They would be able to work closely with the garden’s team as well as discussing their work with the public. The role includes creating a programme of workshops, talks, open studios and more to encourage visitors to take inspiration from the gardens for their own creativity.

The year would end with an exhibition at the RHS Harlow Carr Flower Show in 2023.

Previous artists in residents include Nel Whatmore and Anita Bowerman.

For further information about the role, click here. Applications close on Friday, May 20 at noon.

Police have been dealing with an incident in Harrogate this evening after a number of people were reported to have been attacked.

Officers were called to the area near the parade of shops on West Park, close to the junction with Tower Street, where witnesses said a man had attempted to mug several people.

A local resident called police after hearing one of the victims screaming for help on West Park.

Two police cars, two vans and an ambulance were at the scene shortly after 7pm.

The Stray Ferret understands a man has been arrested. We will update this story when more information is available.

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Chocolate may be associated with Easter for many people, but for one Harrogate social enterprise it’s a year-round obsession. 

Harrogate Chocolate Factory has been making its own chocolate “from bean to bar” for the last three years. 

With new equipment being brought in, it will significantly increase its manufacturing capacity over the coming weeks. More bars will soon be available from its website and from local stockists including Crimple and Artizan.

CEO Hadyn Moorby-Davies said the way the project has developed has been rewarding: 

“You have got to have some optimism to start projects like this, but it’s really satisfying seeing it now.” 

After a delay thanks to covid, last summer Harrogate Chocolate Factory Cafe opened next to the Odeon cinema on East Parade. The last year has proven to be a successful one and now Harrogate Skills 4 Living Centre (HS4LC), the organisation behind the project, is looking to build on its growth by engaging with the business community.

The chocolate factory and café are staffed by people with learning difficulties. They were set up to provide a stepping stone to employment, providing real-world experience in a familiar and supported environment. 

From there, students go on to placements with local companies, ranging from small businesses to large corporations. Among the list of places to have taken students so far are Labcorp, Rudding Park, the Army Foundation College and Ilk Homes at Flaxby. 

Students and staff at Harrogate Chocolate Factory Cafe

Angie Russell, who runs several local businesses including Skye Blue Cleaners and Harrogate changeovers, has also taken on two students from HS4L. She said: 

“We advertised for somebody to work in the laundry. Paul [from HS4L] said he had someone who might be interested.  

“My initial reaction was ‘no, we can’t’. My perception was there would be to many problems with stairs and so on. He said, ‘can we come and have a chat?’.” 

With some of her fears allayed, Angie took on a student for a couple of hours a week doing administrative tasks such as sending out letters. Now, she is working in the laundry, and Angie has taken on another student to join her housekeeping team. 

The result has been a complete turnaround in Angie’s attitude to the programme, so much so that she’s now working with HS4LC to increase its engagement with the business community and provide more opportunities for students – and for businesses themselves. 

“Having someone who comes in who doesn’t care if you have a Gucci handbag or who said what about who – it changes the atmosphere. 

“The employers we work with have a genuine interest in the students. People get to realise there are far more benefits to employing that diverse workforce: it can just brighten up a room.” 

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The training the students are receiving at the Harrogate Chocolate Factory and Café could be perfect for Harrogate hospitality businesses, which have reported significant problems recruiting since the covid pandemic began. 

While many business owners are nervous about the practicalities of taking on an employee with learning difficulties, often, they are more risk-averse than is necessary.  

Students are given a job coach who comes to work with them to begin with. That direct support remains in place for as long as is needed, whether it is a few months or throughout their employment.  

However, in many cases, once they get to know the role, the students are confident to be left alone with their coach checking on them and their employer from time to time. 

The chocolate factory itself has proven that students can adapt to, or even enjoy, some of the most mundane tasks. 

Hadyn added: 

“It’s really that routine with steps that is great for people with autism. We’ve got quite a few students who really love that routine.  

“Often, the boring jobs that nobody wants to do, they like it because they can focus on it. That was quite satisfying to realise that initial idea worked.” 

Now, as part of their plans for expansion, staff at HS4LC have launched Engage 22. The project is designed to put the interests and aspirations of students at the heart of the services on offer, from the training they receive to the social activities they can attend. 

The charity’s home on North Park Road has been offering classes for many years, but the calendar of events is still expanding. Gym memberships, swimming sessions and cinema trips are all adding to the variety of art, craft, music, dance and drama lessons. 

Angie said: 

“They really aspire to working. They can see their friends and peers doing similar stuff and living independently.” 

Hadyn added: 

“Our purpose is to overcome inequality and help people do what they want to with their lives.” 

A public footpath in Burton Leonard is set to be closed after an application by North Yorkshire County Council.

The authority argues the path — which is adjacent to Burton Leonard Church of England Primary School — is not needed for public use.

The village is situated between Ripon and Harrogate.

The 118m stretch of path runs north-east from public footpath 15.18/12 at Dolly Walk to emerge next to the primary school’s western end, joining footpath 15.18/22.

If approved, the proposal would see public footpath 15.18/10 extinguished and the definitive map modified.

Comments about or objections to the proposed extinguishment order should be made by April 28 to Steve Metcalfe, North Yorkshire County Council, County Hall, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL7 8AD, stating the grounds for objection or support.

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