A new £2 million spa and well-being centre in Harrogate has been completed after a six-month delay because of the coronavirus crisis.
The zen garden and sun terrace at The Harrogate Spa have now been finished, at a cost of £20,000.
They are the final pieces of the development, which officially opened in July without the planned outside area. Situated adjacent to the Doubletree by Hilton Majestic Hotel on Ripon Road, the spa offers an indoor pool and treatment rooms as well as a gym, studio and cafe.
Andy Barnsdale, The Doubletree by Hilton Harrogate Majestic Hotel & Spa General Manager with one of the new water features.
Lynn Roach, The Harrogate Spa director, said:
Harrogate care worker says visiting restrictions essential to protect residents“We were just a week away from our official opening when the government announced the closure of our industry, which put the brakes on us finishing our two outside areas.
“I’m delighted to say we have now completed our work and they are a superb addition to The Harrogate Spa.
“The zen garden will become a place of tranquillity for those enjoying our facilities and experiencing one of our fantastic holistic treatments.
“We are the only spa facility in Harrogate town centre, and have now written our own chapter in the town’s ongoing spa heritage story.”
A care worker has said she backs measures to restrict visitors to care homes in the Harrogate district as they put the health of residents first.
Cheryl Allan, a care supervisor at a care home in Harrogate, said while she understands the concerns of relatives, limiting the spread of covid 19 among vulnerable people was vital.
North Yorkshire County Council introduced a seven-day restriction on visitors in September, before announcing it would be extended for the whole of October.
Mrs Allan said:
“It’s sad for the residents and their families. We were allowing residents to see their families – socially distanced – but there is new legislation and we have to follow that.
“The residents do understand, and their health and well-being is our main priority.”
Mrs Allan said the residents were good at supporting each other, along with the staff ensuring they stayed positive and did not feel lonely.
“They enjoy chatting and socialising with each other and with staff. We have a group who sit out every evening and chat and have a drink together.
“The doctors have been in touch and we’ve got plans in place for people who do suffer with mental health. We’re trying to keep their routines as similar to before lockdown as possible.”
Like many care homes, Mrs Allan said the residential home where she works – which she asked us not to name – has been using technology to enable residents to video call their families while they could not meet in person.
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Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has said care homes should be allowed visitors who can see relatives through a pane of glass. While one daughter of a patient with dementia told the Stray Ferret this can cause extra distress, Mrs Allen said it was a positive experience for some of the people she worked with.
One resident was able to speak to her daughter on the phone while waving through the windows, which she said benefitted both. For residents who are less confident with technology, Mrs Allan said this offered a good alternative.
However, she said suggestions of nominating one relative for each resident, offering them a weekly test and enabling them to visit would be impractical.
New directors sought for Harrogate BID board“I don’t think it would work. Staff are testing weekly and residents monthly. In between visitors being tested, you could pick it up and we wouldn’t know. It would work in some ways, but there’s a chance you could bring it in without realising.
“The residents’ health is the most important thing and we have to protect that.”
New directors are being sought to lead Harrogate Business Improvement District in the coming year.
The BID is preparing to hold its annual elections and is inviting BID members to put themselves forward.
Requirements include attending a BID board meeting each month as well as giving at least two hours each week to BID activities.
The board is currently planning Christmas lights displays for the town centre, new planters and hanging baskets for outside shops, and schemes to support businesses facing a tough retail climate in the run-up to Christmas.
Harrogate BID acting chair Sara Ferguson said:
“I’m incredibly passionate about Harrogate town centre, and last year, I put my name forward to join the BID board. I stood for election because I wanted to be a loud voice for the town’s independent businesses.
“I will be standing again as there is still plenty to do. The job is not finished yet. The last 10 months have not been without their challenges, However, in that time, we have achieved a number of objectives with plenty more in the pipeline.
“The qualities we are looking for in a board member include having the time to devote to the BID activities, totally committed to the aims of the BID, willing to make bold decisions and, above all, wanting to see Harrogate town centre thrive.”
Ms Ferguson became acting chair earlier this year when then-chair Bob Kennedy stepped down, along with three other board members. They cited undue council influence and a lack of progress on important projects in their joint resignation letter.
Harrogate Borough Council leader Richard Cooper also left the board in June and was replaced by the authority’s director of economy and culture, Trevor Watson.
Though nominations are limited to BID members, organisations can join the BID by filling in the application form on the BID website by Thursday, October 15. Applications will be presented to the BID board on October 19.
BID members will then be invited to express an interest in becoming a director of the BID. There can be up to 15 directors, with nine currently in post.
If more than 15 people put themselves forward, a ballot of members will be held.
Read more:
- Harrogate BID aims to bring town centre businesses together
- BID prepares to brighten Harrogate with new Christmas lights
Cash reward after Triumph motorbikes stolen in Harrogate
A “substantial” cash reward is being offered by the owner of two motorbikes stolen from a home in Harrogate last month.
The two Triumph motorbikes were taken from Firs Drive between 10pm and midnight on August 19.
Police believe the bikes were ridden away towards the Leeds area. They had the number plates AV52 KWS and WX56 EKY, but these are likely to have been changed since the theft.
The 52-plate bike had damage to its front right fairing and a messy fibreglass weld running through it, as well as a crack to the rear left seat fairing.
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A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:
“We are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.
“In particular, we are appealing for information about a Ford Focus seen in the area around the time and any sightings or adverts of the bikes for sale.
“The owner of the bikes is offering a substantial cash reward for information given to the police which results in the safe return of both bikes.”
Anyone with information that could help the investigation should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option two, and ask for James Skaith. You can also email James.Skaith@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.
To report information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12200144624.
Free digital business events begin in Harrogate district todayA week of free digital events for businesses across the Harrogate district gets under way today.
Harrogate Digital will cover digital connectivity, sustainability of data and how to grow a start-up during lockdown. It concludes with a round-table discussion about ways to grow the tech community in the Harrogate district.
The events form part of the wider Leeds Digital Festival, which began last week.
Harrogate Digital has previously run face-to-face events, but decided to move online to enable more people to attend and avoid coronavirus restrictions. All events are free and can be booked via the Harrogate Digital website.
The events have been organised by Harrogate Borough Council’s SME growth manager Alistair Forbes, along with Martin Whincup from Berwins, and tech entrepreneur and mentor Sanjay Parekh.
Read more:
- Harrogate hospitality businesses welcome Chancellor’s winter support
- Second lockdown would see Harrogate businesses face battle to survive, says chamber
The week will also see the launch of Co-Lab, a new incubator hub being run by Harrogate Borough Council from Springfield House. While use of the offices has been delayed by covid, support is being offered to new and growing businesses in the tech and digital sector.
Mr Forbes said there is already evidence that new businesses are being formed during lockdown and people are using their time creatively.
“We have had all sorts of different enquiries and ideas come forward from existing businesses I was already working with for new businesses or divisions.
“There are also people who have been made redundant from previous roles and want to start up a new tech-related business. That appears to be as strong as ever.
“Harrogate has been well-known as a place to start a business even if it’s based from home, but there has been a resurgence over the summer in terms of people with new ideas and starting businesses.”
Uniting Harrogate’s town centre businesses with a common voice is one of the biggest challenges facing Harrogate BID as it approaches its second anniversary.
With numerous groups and organisations representing different elements of the town, the BID hopes it can find common ground and bring different factions together to make progress for the benefit of all.
However, even within its own membership, there is no consensus on what the town centre needs. BID ambassador Jo Caswell said it is surprising how wide the range of opinions is on matters like pedestrianisation.
“It’s very mixed. A lot of it is to do with the demographics of the outlet and their customer base and what suits them as a business.
“We’re here to get feedback and put all that information together and put some kind of strategy together as a consequence of it. We’ve been very proactive – I’ve got a good feeling about what Harrogate BID will deliver if we know it’s the right thing that the retailers and general public want.”
Having been in post for five weeks, with the official title of Harrogate Host, Jo has spent a lot of time going from business to business, finding out what they need to make their lives easier in such difficult times.
A Harrogate resident for more than 20 years, she feels a sense of loyalty to the town and is enjoying being able to “put something back” by supporting the town centre. But she has been surprised by the lack of a sense of community across the town centre.
“There’s not as much of a community hub as I thought there would be. Why that is, I’m not sure.
“In a way, that excites me, because I think the initiatives that we’re putting forward are addressing that directly: networking with the councils, meetings with the homeless project. Our responsibility is to bring all those people together, give a bit of cohesion to it and represent those views.”
Harrogate BID’s new project manager, Dawn Gennery
Jo will be joined by a second Harrogate Host next week, as well as project administrator Dawn Gennery, who is supporting acting BID manager Simon Kent in his work.
Alongside liaising between organisations and business owners, the BID is aiming to provide a practical boost for local businesses over the coming months. A £100,000 investment is being made in Christmas lights – compared to around £30,000 raised in previous years through donations – to drive visitors into the town centre.
With retail and hospitality facing the most challenging times in most businesses’ histories, the BID is also working on more schemes to increase footfall and improve the environment of the town centre over the coming months. Measures including additional street cleaning and new planters to brighten up shop frontages through the winter months.
Read more:
- Second lockdown would see Harrogate businesses face battle to survive, says chamber
- Conference sector ‘cut adrift’ says Harrogate events company
Since it was launched in early 2019, Harrogate BID has faced its own challenges. Board members have come and gone – including the resignation of its first manager after less than four months last year, and the departure of four board members including the chairman in April, citing undue influence from local authorities and an inability to make progress on important projects.
Jo recognises the challenges still facing the organisation, but said the reception so far for her proactive approach has been reassuring.
Nidderdale High School wins national award for pastoral project“Generally, I’m finding it very positive. Because Harrogate BID has been quite invisible so far, there’s a bit of scepticism sometimes, but when you talk things through and talk about initiatives, I’ve had very little negative comeback.”
Nidderdale High School has been recognised with a national award for its pastoral care.
In the first ever online awards run by the National Association of Pastoral Care in Education, the school was announced as the winner of the Pastoral Development of the Year category.
The recognition is for the school’s Harmony Project, which saw a group of year 10 students working on a project with pastoral leader Anneliese Walker. They made lanterns at Number 6 Studio Gallery in Pateley Bridge and went trekking with Nidderdale Llamas.
Judges praised the unique and innovative way the project supported young people, enabling them to experience the enjoyment of working confidently and collaboratively with others. They were encouraged to show and receive kindness and understanding, to make future plans together and not to be influenced by difficulties they had faced in the past.
Headteacher Kath Jordan said:
“I am so proud of the work that all of the pastoral team do in school, led by Ms Walker. This project was inspired by the students themselves and was devised by Ms Walker to take them beyond their usual experience to find common ground together.
“We were delighted just to be selected as finalists for this national award. To be announced as the winners is fantastic news and well deserved recognition of the incredible work that the pastoral team do to support all of our young people.”
Read more:
Harrogate Thalidomide campaigner pays tribute to Sir Harold Evans
A leading Thalidomide campaigner from Harrogate has paid tribute to Sir Harold Evans, the newspaper editor who championed the cause of the drug’s victims in the early 1970s.
Sir Harold – known as Harry – a former editor of the Northern Echo and the youngest editor of the Sunday Times, has died at the age of 92.
He was instrumental in exposing the Thalidomide scandal, which saw thousands of babies in the UK born with severe disabilities after their mothers were given the drug to cure morning sickness.
Thalidomide victim Guy Tweedy, who lives in Harrogate, became a good friend of Sir Harold, and last saw him at his New York club in July 2019. He said:
“I am very sadden by the news of the passing of my dear friend.
“He was an icon. The world’s greatest journalist, and Harry was, and will always remain, a hero of Thalidomiders worldwide.
“What he did for Thalidomide survivors and their families in the UK was enormous. He trod where no one else did. If it wasn’t for him fighting against the establishment, and having the courage to expose this horrendous scandal, we would never have got any justice at all.
“We owe him a huge debt of gratitude that sadly we will never be able to repay. I hold him up in complete veneration and consider him one of the greatest men of all time. My thoughts are with his wife, Tina, and his family at this very sad time.
“I lit a candle to his memory, which is standing in front of a portrait that I had commissioned of him a few years ago. God bless you, Sir Harry.”
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Weekend of free events as Harrogate literature festival goes online
Some of the biggest names in literature, politics and broadcasting will be streamed directly into people’s homes thanks to the Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival.
Usually held in the town in October, the event has moved online this year and will see interviews with Simon Mayo, Jeremy Vine, Rory Bremner, Jess Phillips MP and more.
From Friday, October 23 to Sunday, October 25, 17 events will be held online – all free for the public to attend. Sharon Canavar, chief executive of Harrogate International Festivals, said
“2020 has been a journey of discovery and adventure, a theme that trails through our programme. For Harrogate International Festivals, reinvention has come out of necessity to ensure survival of our arts charity and to continue in our mission to bring the very best of our events to audiences.
“Whilst there is no denying that this is a hugely challenging time for the Festival, and for artists, through our exciting digital weekend of events, bottling a taste of our usual Festival, we support authors, creators and suppliers and bring them together with audiences as community in a celebration of literature. For we have never needed stories that explore what it means to be human, more than we do now.”
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Among the novelists taking part are Bernard Cornwell, Lee Child, Ken Follett and Natalie Haynes. Former Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman and bestselling author Ariana Neumann will share their memoirs, while Hugo Vickers discusses the story of Gladys Deacon, Duchess of Marlborough.
David Lammy MP, Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason and Loyd Grossman are also included in the line-up.
Raworths managing partner Zoe Robinson said:
“The content and delivery may have gone digital, but the inspiration that literature brings will continue to shine through.
“We are once again delighted to be partnering with Harrogate International Festivals and sponsoring the Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival – established as one of the leading literature festivals in the UK.”
The Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival will be streamed through the Harrogate International Festivals website.
Police are appealing for witnesses after a car was stolen and driven at speed around Ripon.
The silver Ford Galaxy, registration MK11 LHD, was taken from Kirkby Road at around 10.25am on Tuesday morning.
It was seen being driven at speed out of Kirkby Drive, spun around in the middle of the road, and making off in the direction of the city centre.
Four men and teenagers, aged between 13 and 20, have been arrested and released under investigation while enquiries continue. A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said:
“Officers are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.
“In particular, they would like to hear from anyone who saw a silver Ford Galaxy being driven at speed and erratically in the Ripon area between 10.25am and 11am that day. They would also like to hear from anyone who saw a group of young people running away from the Thirlway Drive and College Road area towards the town centre.”
Read more:
Anyone with information, or CCTV, dash-cam or doorbell camera footage, should email deborag.utley@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option two and ask for Deborah Utley.
Alternatively, to report information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12200166679.