Key workers have been proving their worth every day in the pandemic – and some did so in spades again today.

Members of staff at The Harrogate Bus Company took to the roads with shovels and grit to help keep drivers moving.

When heavy snow fell for most of the day, major routes came to a standstill, leaving drivers stranded and holding up bus services. So, suspending services in the face of poor conditions, drivers, engineers, cleaners and even directors got to work in a new way.

A member of Harrogate Bus Company staff clears the road

Operations director Vitto Pizzuti said:

“Our team has really pulled together, to try and help around the town on a difficult day. The weather looks to have caught a lot of people by surprise, so we’ve been out gritting roads, getting stuck cars moving again, and doing what we can to help.

“The generosity of others has been really welcome too – like the team in Sainsbury’s in Knaresborough bringing hot drinks to our drivers waiting in the bus station.

“We’re hoping to have buses running normally again very soon, thanks to the effort of our colleagues.”

Read more:

• Gallery: Full day of heavy snow hits Harrogate district hard
• How Harrogate’s snow day unfolded and caused chaos

The organisers of an online support group for shielders across the Harrogate district say they hope more will join them following the announcement of a new lockdown.

Susie Little, who founded the Covid Co-operation Harrogate Facebook group last March, said the announcement that very vulnerable people must begin shielding again has left many feeling anxious.

She is hopeful that the smaller group, Shielders’ Support, will provide both reassurance and comfort to people who face another period of weeks at home. She said:

“The first time, it was all so new and novel, there was a sense of panic. The whole shielding thing had never been a thing before. It got attention because you suddenly realised how many people in amongst us live with these conditions and literally couldn’t leave the house.

“These words are now every-day parlance – R rate, shielding and positive rate are all so run-of-the-mill, there’s a sense that people are going to get forgotten. Everybody is so bored with it now.”

Read more:

• My Year: Harrogate covid group founder’s hope for community in 2021
• Harrogate district prepares as national lockdown announced

While practical support – such as shopping and collecting prescriptions – was important during the first lockdown and will be again now, that has mostly been organised through the main Covid Co-operation group, by Susie and other volunteers.

By contrast, the shielding group is a place for members to express their feelings and frustrations, getting support and empathy from fellow shielders.

“People need to be able to post and say, ‘I’m struggling’. I’ve seen the activity in that group ramp up in the last 24 hours – they aren’t quite sure what to do, whether to re-register [as shielding] and so on.”

Although the group was set up in the Harrogate district, it includes people from around the country – though it remains relatively small, with just 130 members, after being set up in May as the first lockdown was coming to an end. Susie hopes more shielding people will get to know about it this time and turn to it for the emotional support they need to get through the coming difficult weeks.

To join the group, search for Shielders Support on Facebook.

Business owners from the Harrogate district have given their reaction to last night’s announcement of a new national lockdown.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced at 8pm last night that a new lockdown would begin from today, with a stay at home order in place.

Other than for essential trips such as food shopping, medical needs, exercise, work where it cannot be done from home and to escape an unsafe home situation, people are instructed not to leave home.

Sandra Doherty, chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, said the measures would be difficult but were necessary to reduce transmission until the vaccination took effect. She said:

“It’s going to be incredibly tough for all businesses over the coming months, and sadly not all will survive into the spring.

“Until we can resume life as we knew it in pre-Covid days, the Government is going to have to continue its support to businesses, and extend it to those self-employed people who have so far not received any financial help at all.”

A new manager is being sought for Harrogate BID as it enters its third year of operating.

The organisation is offering a salary up to £45,000 for the permanent role, which will lead the business organisation as it tries to support town centre businesses through and beyond the coronavirus crisis.

Simon Kent, who helped to establish the BID (Business Improvement District) in late 2018, was appointed interim manager last April and announced in December he was stepping down. The BID had been without a manager for six months prior to that, following the resignation of its first manager after less than four months in the post.

The newly-advertised job description says the manager will be responsible for the budget of £3m over the five-year term of the BID, managing staff and partners, driving forward projects and delivering on key performance indicators (KPIs).

Harrogate BID acting chair Sara Ferguson said:

“This is very much a hands-on role, and ideal for someone already used to leading a team, supervising a number of external contractors, and leading high-profile consumer campaigns with tangible results for sponsors and stakeholders.

“Additionally, the position will require the successful candidate to report to a board of directors on a regular basis, understand the sometimes challenging differences between the private and public sector, liaise with other interested parties, to act as an ambassador, and be (traditional and social) media savvy.

“Most importantly, they will bring with them fresh and exciting ideas to help promote Harrogate as a must-visit destination for residents and visitors alike, looking for a welcoming and friendly destination to ‘stay, shop, eat and drink’.”

The manager will report to the 14-person BID board, made up of representatives of different sectors in the business community. The role has a six-month probation period.

In the last year, the BID has used its funds – taken from a levy on business rates – to carry out additional street cleaning, provide signage to aid social distancing, and put up Christmas lights around the town centre. It also brought a giant elf to Harrogate in the run-up to Christmas, encouraging families to come into town in order to support local businesses.

Read more:

• Harrogate BID manager to stand down
• Giant elf makes Harrogate debut ahead of town centre tour

Police are appealing for information after a car drove into a property on Duck Hill in Ripon.

The collision happened between 4am and 4.15am on Wednesday, December 30, when a blue BMW collided with a commercial property and failed to stop.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said:

“The collision caused structural damage to the business and as a result it has had to close pending building works. The vehicle failed to stop and it is believed that it was being driven by a man with another man in the passenger seat at the time of the collision.”

Anyone who witnessed the collision or remembers seeing the car prior to the collision is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police as soon as possible to help with the investigation.

Call the force on 101, select option two and ask for Alastair Graham-Merrett, or email alastair.graham-merrett@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk, quoting North Yorkshire Police reference number 12200247651.

Police have issued photos of a man they want to trace after a report that a man performed a sex act on himself near the River Nidd in Knaresborough.

The incident happened in view of members of the public in a wooded area near the river in Nidd Gorge while a number of people, including children, were nearby.

It took place on the afternoon of August 10 last year, but North Yorkshire Police has only today issued the photos.

The man is described as white and aged between 50 and 60. He was naked apart from dark-coloured hiking boots, a baseball cap and a black watch. Police said he had noticeable tan lines around his legs and was carrying clothing in his left hand.

Read more:

• Do you recognise these people? Police issue plea for help
• Police recover stolen jewellery and medals

Officers now want to speak to the man in the photos as they believe he will have information to help with the investigation. A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:

“The incident is one of a number of similar incidents reported over the past year and officers are looking into whether or not the incidents are connected.”

Anyone who can help to identify the man in the photos is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option two and ask for Alex Langley, or email alex.langley@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.

Alternatively, to report information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 and quote reference number 12200150877.

A further 95 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the last 24 hours across the Harrogate district.

It brings the total number of positive cases in the district to 4,575 since the pandemic began.

The seven-day average infection rate for the district is now 161 per 100,000 people, a drop from yesterday’s high of 198 but still higher than the previous day’s 141.

The average rate for North Yorkshire as a whole is 222.8, with the Scarborough district at 243.7 and Richmondshire at 268. Hambleton’s rate is the highest in the county, at 312.2.

Read more:

• Fine people who flout covid travel rules, says North Yorkshire MP
• Health chiefs call for patience on Harrogate district vaccines

Statistics from the NHS show one covid patient has been admitted to Harrogate District Hospital in the last 24 hours, with eight over the last week.

On Thursday, the hospital reported it had 16 in-patients with covid, a rise of two from the previous week, and it had discharged 10 patients since Christmas Eve, bringing the total number discharged since the start of the pandemic to 324. Since March, 109 patients diagnosed with coronavirus have died at the hospital; the last of these was recorded on December 28.

Laura’s Law is a monthly legal column written by family lawyer Laura Mounsey. Laura is a partner at Harrogate Family Law. She specialises in dealing with divorced couples and people who have been in abusive relationships. Her role involves protecting her clients’ assets and income if they want to live with someone or get married, and resolving disagreements about children.

This week Laura advises on whether there is a “right” time to divorce. 

New Year, new start?

2020 was challenging year for most people, with the unprecedented stress of dealing with a global pandemic. Many have not only been fearful of what the future holds outside of their home but also, the future inside their home.

A lot have shared with me that:

• marital problems that they had been able to bury or turn a blind eye to started to bubble up in a big way. Suddenly, they had little choice but to confront the reality of their marriage and the effect this was having on them.
• they found themselves unable to put a plaster on the cracks anymore and bad behaviour boiled over. Exhausted and stressed out, arguments become more common place and, with no distraction or outlet, more difficult to move on from.
• the added pressure of home-schooling, fearing whether they would have an income, missing loved relatives and the ever-fluctuating tier restrictions made them feel more trapped than ever, and more desperate than ever to get out.

Even though the pandemic pushed these individuals to realise that their marital difficulties needed to be dealt with, holding onto the certainty of an unhealthy marriage seemed more comfortable than the uncertainty of separating in an unfamiliar world.

Often, individuals would tell me that they were too anxious about what getting divorced would look like in 2020 even though they knew that, for the sake of their family, they did need to make that change. They were fearful that they would have nowhere to live because of the state of the housing market, they would not be able to pay their bills because of the financial downturn, the impact on the children would be too difficult to handle with home-schooling, and their ex would keep their children from them because of the pandemic.

In my experience, anyone who is thinking about getting divorced is scared about what the future will hold. That is no different in a pandemic. But whether we are in a pandemic or not, there is no lightbulb moment and there is no perfect time.

The hardest part tends to be making the decision about whether to make that call or not. It is easy to delay and delay, convincing yourself there will be a better time. But how much worse are things going to get in the meantime?

If you think splitting up is inevitable, waiting can cause more damage to your relationship. How much harder is it going to be to get through everything as painlessly as possible if there is more to fix when you eventually decide that you are “ready”?

Speak with someone impartial like a counsellor and lawyer who are not here to sell you on any outcome, just help you take a step back and decide whether this is what you want. And if it isn’t what you want, what are you going to do about it?

As 2020 draws to a close, the Stray Ferret looks back at the news stories that stood out among a year of extraordinary events.

Today, we reveal the most popular stories on our site since we launched at the beginning of March.

10. Events company folds after 46 years

Andrew Manby, director of Joe Manby Ltd.

The tenth most-read story on our site this year was a sad one for those involved – and for many others.

After months of uncertainty for the events industry, long-standing family firm Joe Manby Ltd was put into liquidation.

Director Andrew Manby had been warning for many months about the threat to the sector, with events unable to go ahead and no sign of improvement on the horizon.

Readers and fellow business owners expressed shock and sympathy after the news was announced.

9. Eat Out to Help Out

Restaurants and cafes took part in the Eat Out to Help Out scheme

When the government scheme to encourage hospitality spending was launched, businesses in the Harrogate district signed up with enthusiasm.

Residents were also keen to show their support, as our ninth most popular story shows. With more than 100 businesses on the list, locals checked in to see where they could get a discount on dining out early in the week.

8. Six workers rescued from Ripon takeaway

In September, six people were rescued from a Ripon takeaway after local residents raised concerns about their living and working conditions.

Agencies including the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, Immigration Enforcement, Harrogate Borough Council and the police and fire service swooped on the takeaway, which was not publicly identified.

As a result, six people were placed in temporary accommodation. Officers reported several possible indicators of labour abuse but could not find any signs of modern slavery offences.

The council and the fire service said they would investigate a number of housing and fire safety issues at the property.

The story was our eighth most-read of the year.

7. Many hospitality businesses will not reopen

In his first column for the Stray Ferret, Peter Banks, MD of Rudding Park, gave an honest account of his expectations for the future of his industry.

Writing in early May, he said the first week of the pandemic’s impact was the worst of his professional life. However, in a rapidly changing climate, he soon found himself trying to work out how the hotel would reopen – and concluding that, for many, it would never happen.

The column proved hugely popular, especially with our audience on social media, and is seventh on our list of most-read stories of the year.

Today, we published Mr Banks’s reflections on the year in hospitality – including the last-minute bombshell delivered by the government to scupper plans for New Year’s Eve.

6. Long queues outside Harrogate shop after pubs close

Queues formed outside the Tesco Express shop in Harrogate’s town centre just after 10pm.

When the 10pm curfew on hospitality came in, many said it would only lead to a rush of people onto the streets all at the same time.

This appeared to be true, as the queue outside Tesco on Cambridge Road showed on Saturday, October 24 just after 10pm.

The same happened again the following week, and both stories proved popular with local readers. It’s at number six on our list.

5. Harrogate district to enter tier two restrictions

As the second national lockdown ended in early December, the decision about which tier the Harrogate district would be placed in drew a lot of attention.

Readers were eager to find out what restrictions they would face – and local businesses were also keen to know if they could open and trade in the vital few weeks before Christmas.

The story was the fifth most-read of the year. Yesterday’s announcement of the district’s move into tier three from New Year’s Eve is the most-read story in December.

4. Coach and Horses has alcohol licence revoked

Police were called to the Coach and Horses pub by concerned locals in May

In July, long-standing West Park pub the Coach and Horses had its alcohol licence revoked by Harrogate Borough Council after a dispute over their compliance with lockdown rules in May.

The pub opened to sell take-out beer, but as crowds gathered on the pavement and across the road by the Stray, police and council enforcement staff arrived.

Their accounts of the situation suggested landlord John Nelson had been “aggressive and abusive”, though at the licensing hearing his lawyer said he accepted he had made a “chronic error of judgement”.

The committee revoked Mr Nelson’s licence with the support of North Yorkshire Police, and the report on the decision was our fourth most read story of the year.

Three months later, his daughter Samantha was successful in her application for a licence to reopen the pub.

3. Police attend serious incident near Harrogate town centre

A man died and another was treated in hospital after an incident on Harcourt Drive, on the edge of Harrogate town centre.

On a quiet Sunday evening in late August, the incident shocked neighbours and the wider community. It was the third most read story of 2020 on our website.

Police later confirmed the incident was not being treated as suspicious and an inquest would be held to examine the circumstances of the man’s death.

2. Harrogate’s Stray FM to close

Owners Greatest Hits Radio announced the end of Stray FM in May

Residents of the district were shocked by the announcement in May that Stray FM would be disappearing from the airwaves.

Though owners Greatest Hits Radio described the plans as a ‘rebrand’, the reality was that there would be mostly national programming on the station from September, with one regional show each day at drivetime.

As well as the ending of a familiar brand established in 1994, community groups expressed their sadness at the loss of the station’s valuable support.

The announcement of the plans was our second most-read story of 2020.

1. Town centre roads closed by police

Police closed off Mayfield Grove junction with Bower Road. Picture: Sharon Canavar.

A police incident near the centre of town on a Friday afternoon drew our biggest audience of the year.

A man was arrested for saying he had a knife and making threats to other residents.

Officers closed a number of roads around Strawberry Dale while they dealt with the situation, leading to congestion on surrounding routes. The roads were reopened after around 90 minutes.

A second man was arrested for obstructing the police, separately to the original incident.

Read more:

• Looking back: Happiness in Harrogate district amid the challenges of 2020
• Looking back: Clap for carers and scrubbing up for key workers

As 2020 draws to a close, the Stray Ferret looks back at the news stories that stood out among a year of extraordinary events. 

Today, we focus on the impact on businesses, from high street to hospitality.

For most business owners, it has been a very worrying and difficult year. From moving their staff to home working to switching to delivery or click and collect, businesses have adapted to constantly changing rules in order to survive the last 10 months. 

For some, though, it has been more challenging than others.  

Among the industries to suffer most in 2020 were events and hospitality. Bars and restaurants found themselves in and out of lockdown, posing huge problems for planning and ordering supplies.  

What made it all the more difficult was the continuing use of Harrogate Convention Centre as the NHS Nightingale. In a district economy which relies heavily on tourism and events, hospitality businesses found their income drastically below what it would usually be. 

Reopening ‘vital’

As the first lockdown eased, some of the district’s major employers were emphasising just how vital it would be for them to reopen and to receive support from the public. 

When news came that the Nightingale would remain in place, preventing events from being held even if restrictions were eased, it was a blow to the sector. 

Major events were postponed and called off for many months ahead, leaving businesses staring at a blank calendar for the foreseeable future. Among the casualties in hospitality were the Country Living St George Hotel, Ripon Spa Hotel, and The Old Deanery, which announced it will close its doors next summer. The Kimberley Hotel also announced its closure in December.

Restaurants were not immune to the challenges of the trading environment, with Harrogate’s Bistrot Pierre and Las Iguanas among the big names failing to reopen their doors.

It made one leading hotel manager’s prediction of ‘carnage’ in May look worryingly prescient – and with uncertainty still ahead, it’s likely we haven’t heard the last of the closures as the new year approaches.

Events industry

Events businesses, meanwhile, were unable to trade at all, spelling the end for one of Harrogate’s longest-established names. 

Joe Manby Ltd was well known for helping to stage events at the convention centre, as well as elsewhere around the country. Andrew Manby, a director of the family firm established in the 1970s, had warned repeatedly that more support was needed for companies unable to trade because of restrictions.  

In October, with no sign of improvement ahead, the company announced it would go into liquidation. 

Cambridge Street in Harrogate was looking busier in the run-up to Christmas

There were casualties on the high street, too, with several big-name brands announcing they would be closing branches in our district, along with long-standing independent businesses.  Among those lost were AP&K Stothard’s pet shop, The Bookstall newsagent at Harrogate railway station, Edinburgh Wooden Mill and Ponden Home in Ripon, Wren’s department store, and menswear shop Jon Barrie. 

Yet it wasn’t all bad news. For some determined entrepreneurs, the pandemic was no reason not to make their business dreams a reality – including a new taco business and a travel agent.

From music to clothes shops and even a pop-up bakery, Knaresborough seemed like the place to be in the second half of the year. It also saw a pop-up from popular Harrogate bakery Baltzersen’s. 

Nevertheless, uncertainty remained, and the second lockdown left owners desperate to know whether they would be able to reopen in time for Christmas. 

The district’s tier two restrictions meant they were able to do so in early December, aiming to make the most of the final few weeks of trading. Residents can only hope it was enough to get their favourite businesses through the coming weeks and months until the situation begins to improve. 

Read more:

• Looking back: Clap for carers and scrubbing up for key workers
• Looking back: Extraordinary effort to build a Nightingale hospital in Harrogate