Harrogate council to create specialist public toilet with £40k funding

A new Changing Places toilet will be created in the Harrogate district after the council was awarded funding for the project.

Harrogate Borough Council has been given £40,000 to deliver the facility, which offers specially adapted facilities for people in wheelchairs and with very limited mobility.

The funding is part of a national £23.5m investment from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. It will see the total number of Changing Places toilets across England increase from 1,300 to more than 1,800.

They are expected to be installed in public parks, tourist attractions, museums, art galleries, cathedrals, shopping centres, libraries and other public buildings.

Ministerial disability champion Eddie Hughes MP said:

“People with severe disabilities and their families or carers should not have to think about whether there are suitable toilet facilities when they go out shopping, plan a day out or travel.

“That is why it is great to hear that our funding will help provide over 500 new Changing Places toilets in England enabling them to go about day-to-day activities like the rest of the population with more dignity and freedom.“

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Changing Places toilets feature adaptations including hoists and changing benches. They also have enough space to move wheelchairs around all the furniture and for carers to support people using the room.

There are existing Changing Places facilities at Harrogate and Starbeck libraries, the Hydro, Morrison’s and the Yorkshire Event Centre in Harrogate. In Knaresborough, they have been installed at Gracious Street Methodist Church, Knaresborough Pool and Henshaws Arts and Craft Centre.

There are no city centre facilities in Ripon, but there is a Changing Places toilet at Lightwater Valley theme park.

The Stray Ferret asked Harrogate Borough Council where the new facility would be installed, but had not received a response at the time of publication.

Harrogate petanque club prepares to move home

After 10 years in its town centre location, Harrogate Montpellier Petanque Club is set to expand to a new home this year. 

The club has been based at the pierhead bouledrome close to Bettys since it was founded in 2012. 

However, with a growth in membership and a change in the way people are playing, it has outgrown the site and has ambitions to develop further.

Club chairman Nigel Clay told the Stray Ferret: 

“Petanque has been a life-saver for a lot of people during covid. It was something you could do which was relatively safe: it was sociable but at a distance. 

“It has changed the pattern of play – it has been far more informal and become far easier. Rather than just the fixed times organised by the club, people have formed a WhatsApp group and are meeting up whenever they’re free.” 

The sport – also known as boules – is closely associated with France. However, it has origins in ancient Greece and is widely played in south-east Asia. 

The Harrogate club was set up by Nigel after he moved to Harrogate in 2009, having established petanque terrains near his previous home in Leeds. 

 

The new location for the Harrogate Montpellier Petanque Club 

With club membership now around 50 – just a small percentage of the number of people who have used the terrains over the years – a larger site is needed to add to its existing four pistes. Expecting to outgrow the pierhead, Nigel had already been researching potential locations before covid struck. 

Now, over the coming weeks, 10 pistes will be built on the current car park at Pannal Ash Junior Football Club near Almsford Close in Harrogate. Not only will this provide more playing space, but the clubhouse facilities – including a kitchen and toilets – can also be shared by petanque club members. 

The central terrain in Harrogate has proved a good way to drum up interest in the past, with passers-by often stopping to ask about the game, and Nigel hopes the new suburban location will continue the club’s growth in the coming months. 

Surrounded by family homes and adjacent to a primary school, the terrain will welcome players of all ages – and the open surroundings will allow people to come and watch. Both he and the football club hope the site will become more vibrant over the coming years. 

“They share our vision of providing a community resource for residents. It’s like the pierhead: if it’s standing there doing nothing, what is it?  

“If people see us playing and ask questions and you say, ‘come and have a game’, it develops interest.” 

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Nigel said as well as being accessible to people of all ages and levels of fitness, one of the most appealing aspects of petanque is its affordability. A set of boules costs around £20 and will last for many years.  

For anyone wishing to join the club, membership costs a similar amount, and playing time is limited only by daylight and weather conditions. 

And there is good news for the many people who have enjoyed seeing the town centre pistes in use: they will remain in situ for both club members and the public to use whenever they want.

Harrogate shop closes as sofa company enters administration

The Harrogate branch of Sofa Workshop has closed after the company entered administration yesterday.

The Parliament Street shop is no longer trading and the company’s website has been closed, after administrators PriceWaterhouse Cooper were appointed.

The administrators said one shop in London would remain open for up to 14 days to sell remaining stock. The company’s order book has been sold to Timothy Oulton United Kingdom Ltd, also owned by parent company Halo, so any outstanding orders will be fulfilled.

Toby Banfield, joint administrator and PwC partner, said:

“Unfortunately, given the sustained level of losses, the directors had no option but to appoint administrators to protect the creditors of the company. Sadly, this has resulted in 77 redundancies having to be made today. We will do all we can to support workers impacted by the administration.”

It has not been confirmed how many jobs have been lost at the Harrogate shop.

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‘Over the moon’ as sale completes on planned Harrogate mosque

A new mosque will be created in central Harrogate after the sale of the former Home Guard club completed today.

Harrogate Islamic Association has collected the keys for its new Tower Street premises after raising the £500,000 needed to buy the now-dilapidated building.

However, the hard work is not over: the group will continue to raise funds throughout Ramadan, which started today, to fund the renovations needed to bring the property back into use.

Zahed Amanullah, a member of the association, told the Stray Ferret:

“We are just over the moon — we’re so excited.

“Other communities in Yorkshire are looking this way and are really impressed with what they have seen.

“It’s a great example of how to establish a community within a wider society that is really harmonious and supportive.”

Mr Amanullah said Friday prayers for members of the association had been celebratory, with many having moved to Harrogate a decade or more ago and been searching for a place for a mosque ever since.

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Harrogate Borough Council granted planning permission in March for changes to the building to create a place of worship.

HIA then began a crowdfunding campaign to raise £200,000, alongside loans, to complete the purchase and to carry out repairs. Mr Amanullah said the first priority was to repair the roof and ensure the building was water-tight before any further work was carried out.

Zahed Amanullah of Harrogate Islamic Association

Then, he hopes some space can be refurbished and opened later this year while the remainder of the building is renovated. He added:

“There are some real architectural surprises in there – we’re looking forward to having a good look around. We had just one or two walks through the building in total darkness so far!

“We’ve had people offering in-kind support. That alone is hugely helpful — we’ve got tradesmen and women offering their services.

“We’ll be using an architect, and we’ll be working with Harrogate Civic Society on our plans.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming people into the building. We will have some sort of public open house when it’s safe to do so.”

Delight as Summerbridge school rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted

A Nidderdale primary school has been rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted.

Inspectors visited Summerbridge Community Primary School in February and have now given the ‘Good’ rating across all five areas assessed, as well as for its overall effectiveness.

They highlighted pupils’ behaviour and concentration, after-school clubs and residential trips, and the ambitious learning opportunities, as among the areas where the school performed well.

The inspectors’ report said:

“Leaders want the best for pupils at this small village school. The school has a caring ethos where pupils are taught to develop skills and knowledge to maximise their potential… Positive relationships between staff and pupils are evident throughout the school. Pupils feel safe, happy and well cared for.”

The report praised the school’s teaching across numerous subject areas, as well as the special educational needs and disabilities provision. It also recognised the leadership team’s effectiveness, and said staff were positive about their jobs and enjoyed working at the school. It added:

“Staff feel valued and say that leaders are considerate of their well-being.”

To improve further, the school was advised to offer staff the opportunity to refresh and update their knowledge of the method chosen to teach phonics, and to support subject leaders to ensure staff understood how best to deliver lessons that match the intended learning outcomes.

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Reacting to the new Ofsted report, headteacher Nick Coates said:

“I am delighted with the outcome following a four-year journey of hard work by everyone involved with the school.

“The parents, the governors, the staff, the local authority and of course the children have all had a significant part to play in the success of the school and given the challenges of the last two years, this hasn’t always been easy, but we are thrilled that all our hard work has paid off and has been recognised by the inspection team.”

At its last inspection in 2018, Summerbridge Primary School was rated as ‘Requires Improvement’.

Mr Coates became headteacher in September 2016. He has also been headteacher at Darley Primary School since January 2009 and the two schools have formed a federation, with a total of 160 pupils.

Dispute over Harrogate council by-election raised in House of Lords

A dispute over the decision not to hold a by-election in the Harrogate district has reached the House of Lords.

Following the death of Conservative Cllr Normal Waller at the end of January, Harrogate Borough Council has announced a by-election will not be held in Marston Moor.

The ward includes the villages Tockwith, Cattal and Bilton-in-Ainsty.

The council said a routine election was due to take place within six months of Cllr Waller’s death, meaning a by-election would not be needed.

Norman Waller

However, that election has since been cancelled, as all existing HBC councillors have had their terms extended by a year while the new North Yorkshire Council is set up.

Confirming the decision, the council said:

“As a matter of law when a casual vacancy arises within six months of the date for the ‘ordinary election’, then the casual vacancy is to be filled at the next ‘ordinary election’. For this reason, a notice of vacancy stating the election for Marston Moor would be on May 5 was published.

“However, local government reorganisation and the Structural Changes Order has changed this by cancelling the Harrogate Borough Council ordinary elections on May 5 and extending all serving Harrogate Borough Council members’ term of office until April 1, 2023 at which point Harrogate Borough Council will be dissolved as part of unitary re-organisation.

“Having taken legal advice and consulted with the Association of Electoral Administrators we cannot see any way forward for the election to fill the vacancy at Marston Moor ward.”

However, the decision has been criticised by former councillor Arnold Warneken, who was intending to stand for the Green Party in the by-election.

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Mr Warneken highlighted the inconsistency with Wathvale ward, where a by-election is set to be held on May 5 following the retirement of Cllr Bernard Bateman. He said:

“I’m not at all happy with the situation that Harrogate council have allowed the residents of Marston Moor ward to end up with, which is that as a result of the death of my friend and colleague, former district councillor Norman Waller, we would all expect there to be a by-election but for reasons beyond me this is not the case, and we will be without an elected representative for the next 13 months.”

House of Lords

Now, the issue has been raised by Baroness Natalie Bennett of Manor Castle in the House of Lords.

Baroness Bennett, a former leader of the Green Party, submitted a question to the government on Wednesday about its correspondence with HBC about holding a by-election in Marston Moor after the planned local elections were cancelled. The government has two weeks to provide a response.

Harrogate Borough Council yesterday reiterated that its decision about Marston Moor was made before the planned elections for the district were cancelled. The decision to hold a by-election in Wathvale was made after this date.

The by-election for Wathvale takes place on Thursday, May 5. It is the same day that voters across North Yorkshire will go to the polls to elect their representatives for the new county-wide unitary authority.

Over the next year, work will take place to set up North Yorkshire Council ready to take over from the existing county council and seven district councils, including Harrogate, next spring.

Free events at Harrogate’s Festival of Wellbeing

A day of free events in Harrogate will promote wellbeing to mark the beginning of Stress Awareness Month next weekend.

The Festival of Wellbeing on Saturday, April 2 will include pilates, yoga, barre, and nutrition sessions hosted by the company OneWellness at its studio on Mowbray Square.

It is the third time the festival has been held and aims to boost participants’ moods as well as increasing their energy levels through activities as part of a group.

Alasdair Everest-Ford, head of OneWellness, said:

‘’Lack of support can cause loneliness and isolation, lowering personal wellbeing and impacting people’s health.

“At OneWellness, we believe community support should continue during and beyond challenging times. A community is much more than just a group of people; it’s about connection, having fun, and feel supported and accepted.”

The day will also feature Rose Petal Tea Room from Knaresborough, Sweaty Betty, and The Body Shop. It will raise money for mental health charity Mind, including through donations as part of a series of fitness challenges.

For more information or to book a place on one of the sessions, click here.

Charity seeks volunteers to care for dogs in Harrogate district

A charity is seeking dog lovers to help look after pets across the Harrogate district.

The Cinnamon Trust matches walkers and foster carers to owners who are no longer able to care for their pets alone.

They may be elderly or undergoing medical treatment which prevents them from going out for walks each day. In some cases, the owner may be moving into a care home or facing the end of their life and looking for someone to look after their pet in the long term.

Mandy Scott, appeals coordinator at the trust, said:

“We need more volunteers in the Harrogate area. We’ve got seven volunteers already. There are three long-term foster pets, and across Yorkshire there are 114 pets with 795 volunteers.”

The charity, which was founded in 1985, matches each pet and owner with a team of volunteers. This means there is less pressure on a volunteer to walk a dog every day and there is always cover if anyone is unwell or goes on holiday.

Flexible arrangement

Volunteers can give as much or as little time as they are able, even down to a single half-hour or hour long walk each week, and Ms Scott said the trust recognises that people’s availability can change over time.

When an owner dies or moves into a care home and can’t take their pet, a long-term foster place is found among the volunteers. The trust keeps in touch with all foster carers and helps to coordinate any vet treatment required. Pets which are older and need more care can be rehomed at one of the charity’s two sanctuaries in the south-west, where they receive 24-hour care.

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Volunteer walkers range from teenagers completing their Duke of Edinburgh awards – with support from a parent – to people in their 80s who are still active. Each is checked via references from people who have known them over many years.

Ms Scott added:

“It’s about their experience, their empathy with the older generation, their experience with animals and how they will manage in a crisis. We ask them to complete a form and they can elaborate if they want to – you get a good feel for people that way.”

Once matched, owners are slowly introduced to volunteers, who use ID badges when meeting them in person to give reassurance that they are sent by the Cinnamon Trust. The process of finding the right volunteers after a request for help can be onerous, but Ms Scott said it is worth it to give someone peace of mind.

“It’s an absolute privilege to be able to say you’ve got that extra help, you can close the appeal. You talk to an owner and they say, ‘once I had spoken to you, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders’.

“We do what it says on the tin. We provide that extra help and reassurance.”

For more information about volunteering with The Cinnamon Trust, click here.

Work to begin on new boules court in Darley

A new boules court will be built in Darley next week to add to the growing community facilities.

The project is being organised by Darley Playing Fields Association, which already manages the nearby children’s play area and football pitch as well as leasing out the pavilion to farm shop Crimple Valley Fresh.

Using volunteers from nearby Menwith Hill and the Men’s Shed at Pateley Bridge, the group hopes most of the work will be completed next Friday, ready to open the new court in time for Easter.

Chairman Mark Simpson told the Stray Ferret:

“We only have a relatively small area and we wanted something different that’s not very common and would appeal to people of all ages.

“We know someone who has played boules in the past, and the landlord of the local pub is French, so we thought, ‘let’s see if there is interest’.”

A survey of villagers followed at the beginning of this year, with an impressive 99% of those who responded supporting the idea of a boules court on the Station Road site. The playing fields association then sought funding and materials from their contacts to bring the project together.

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As well as money from the National Lottery Community Fund, Darley and Menwith Parish Council has supported the work and will fund two benches by the courts to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee. The project could cost up to £12,000 in total, though the committee is hoping to use its contacts to get discounted materials.

Once open, the court will be available to play on free of charge. With no other boules courts in Nidderdale, players could travel from around the area to enjoy the new facilities, which the playing fields association hopes will also bring more income to the shop in the pavilion.

Mr Simpson added:

“We’ll have sets of boules in the shop to rent. If people are keen and want to start a competition, we will happily facilitate that with hire of the court for a charge.

“If there’s interest, we could end up with people joining leagues too.”

Covid testing sites in Harrogate district to close next week

Covid testing sites across North Yorkshire, including on Tower Street in Harrogate and Ripon’s coach park, will be closed next week.

As free testing comes to an end from Friday, April 1, the last day for the testing sites to operate will be Wednesday, March 30, North Yorkshire County Council‘s Outbreak Management Advisory Board heard today.

Cllr Michael Harrison, the county council’s executive member for adult services and health integration, asked whether testing would still be made available for care homes and other key groups, such as schools, but was told an announcement on this had not been made yet. There was also no information about any free testing for care and education settings.

Public health consultant Victoria Turner said:

“I think it’s fair to say that is the one we are going to be looking at most closely. We are expecting care guidance coming out next week as well on this.

“From what was said in February we expect there to be some symptomatic testing remaining for care home staff but that’s about as detailed a picture as we get at the moment. Care homes are going to be the one area we still have a particular focus on from April 1.

“We are still seeing quite a lot of outbreaks in care settings, or rather whenever there’s a high degree of community transmission there’s an inevitability that that does affect care settings as well.

“We were hoping that we could have done some of that planning before April 1 but unfortunately the guidance just isn’t out yet.”

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The outbreak management advisory board, which was set up to recommend on the county’s covid response and communications, has also been stood down. It had been meeting monthly but members agreed there was little need to continue as national restrictions were removed.

However, the group said it will remain in abeyance, rather than being disbanded, so it can be brought back into action if required, such as with the emergence of a new variant.

Infection rate almost trebles this month

At present, cases are still rising, though at a slower rate than previously.

The Harrogate district’s infection rate, which was 343 per 100,000 people at the start of the month, is now at 923.

Hospitalisations are also rising at a slower rate, with 30 patients with covid currently being treated at Harrogate District Hospital.

Deaths among people who have tested positive for covid within the last 28 days remain steady, at an average of one each day across North Yorkshire.

Richard Webb, corporate director of health and adult services, said:

“Many of us are continuing to work on the impact of acute and long-term covid in many different ways.”

Meanwhile, covid vaccination centres are preparing to begin giving spring booster jabs to over-75s, and vulnerable children aged between five and 11 in the county are now being given their first doses.