Police have appealed for information after graffiti appeared on a wall opposite Ripon Cathedral.

The daubed lettering, targeting the Conservatives with an expletive, appeared over night on Minster Road in the heart of the city.

It is just metres from the historic Cathedral, on the opposite side of the road.

The graffiti appeared in the shadow of Ripon Cathedral last night

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said:

“The graffiti was reported to police by a member of the public around 7am this morning. Officers are liaising with individuals at the cathedral about this. Anyone with information that could help police establish the full circumstances of the incident should call 101 quoting reference NYP–28082020-068.”

Read more:

• Assaults on North Yorkshire police up 60% during lockdown
• Three arrested after police chase car thieves in Ripon and Boroughbridge

The Stray FM brand will disappear from the airwaves this weekend as owners Bauer Media merge it with national station Greatest Hits Radio.

The station, which was founded in Harrogate in 1994, will lose its local presenters in favour of national programming, with one regional drive time show each day.

it means familiar voices on the airwaves, including breakfast show presenter Nick Hancock, will today give their final broadcasts to audiences across the Harrogate district. Community groups have expressed their sadness at the loss of the station’s local support for many vital events and services.

John Fox, who has worked with Stray FM over many years to fundraise for Harrogate’s Christmas lights as well as organising the Volunteer Oscars, said the loss will be felt by many in the community.

“It’s very sad. It was the best local radio and part of the community.

“They supported small organisations and individuals, and they were also there when the community needed them for inclement weather like snow or flooding. They’re the ones who got us to work and home again. On top of that, they were committed to supporting local businesses – they were passionate about it. It’s a great loss.

“I was overjoyed when we got the licence for a local station – I felt Harrogate was on the map with its own proper radio station. This is a sad day for Harrogate.”

Read more:

• Harrogate MP gives ‘cautious welcome’ to Stray FM assurances
• COLUMN: The excitement and nerves of being the first voice on Stray FM

After news of the closure was announced in May, the Liberal Democrats set up a petition to save it, gaining 2,000 signatures in the first week. Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, voiced his concerns about the planned changes and said he “cautiously welcomed” Bauer’s response to a letter he sent.

In it, Bauer promised that Stray FM would still cover local news and issues with a local team of journalists, and would have “improved options” for businesses to target audiences through advertising.

However, the company has not yet confirmed what the new local team will look like and how many, if any, of the local events covered by Stray FM will continue to receive the same level of support. A spokesman told the Stray Ferret it will continue to support Bauer’s national charities and will launch a new Getting North Yorkshire Back to Work campaign. She added:

“We have made no decisions as yet on buildings, however the station will retain local content and services and a presence in Harrogate.”

Will Smith, Nick Hancock and Sarah Barry at the Knaresborough Bed Race in 2017

Stray FM broadcast live from many events, including Bilton Gala and the Knaresborough Bed Race. Kevin Lloyd, bed race chairman for Knaresborough Lions, told the Stray Ferret:

“This is terrible news for us and other charities and organisations across the district. As a community-focused radio station, they have been fantastic advocates for all kinds of causes from their local heroes awards to the incredible support that they have given us over the years in making the bed race the highly successful and much-enjoyed event that it is today.”

A Christmas lantern parade held annually to draw shoppers into Harrogate town centre has been called off this year.

The Harrogate at Christmas group said it is unable to bring together the parade of local school children safely under the continuing covid-19 restrictions.

Since 2017, the lantern parade has seen local schools create brightly-coloured displays to walk through the town centre, watched by friends and family. The organisers aim to bring more people into town in order to use local shops, restaurants and cafes in the run-up to Christmas.

Group chairman John Fox said:

“It is disappointing that we have had to cancel this year’s event. With more schools wanting to participate, together with more local musicians we just cannot make it covid compliant.”

The lantern parade was first held as part of the Big Switch-On of the Christmas lights in 2017, when the event was filmed as part of a programme about Harrogate’s festive preparations. Harrogate: A Great Yorkshire Christmas was shown on Channel 5.

The parade was later moved to be held separately from the lights switch-on, aiming to spread the crowds coming into Harrogate over a number of nights. This year’s event would have taken place on Thursday, December 3.

Last year, nearly 200 children, parents, friends, musicians and staff from St Peter’s and Western primary schools took part in the parade, led by Reincantation Choir. The event is managed by Red Cape, whose managing director Martin Ballard said:

“We are disappointed that the event is cancelled, but we have agreed with the Harrogate at Christmas Group that we will make the Christmas Lantern Parade bigger and better in 2021.”

A Hollywood superstar has given his backing to a crowdfunder campaign to help an aspiring Harrogate actor take up his place at drama school.

Harry Pritchard needs to raise £13,799 in order to pay the fees for LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art), where he won a place earlier this month for a year-long course.

Now, the former Harrogate Grammar School student’s cause has been given an incredible boost by actor Russell Crowe. The Oscar-winning actor not only shared Harry’s fundraiser, but donated £2,741 – almost enough to pay the deposit for the course by this Thursday’s deadline.

Harry said:

“My mum told me to check the Go Fund Me page. I saw Russell Crowe’s name and I saw his incredibly amazing, generous donation and I was speechless for about 20 minutes.

“I couldn’t believe it. I was just in total shock and amazement and so many feelings. I grew up watching Russell Crowe – I never thought he would interact in some capacity with me and to think he is helping out and donating is just unimaginable. It’s insane.”

There’s a lot of plans and dreams being shattered these days … Will Harry succeed?

He comes from Harrogate home of @YorkshireTea and I’m hoping he’s @LUFC.
Thoughts ⁦@TerryGeorge⁩ ?
Fundraiser by Harry Pritchard : Get Harry to LAMDA Drama School https://t.co/oiSvb0ydxi

— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) August 24, 2020

The fundraiser has also been supported by Leeds entrepreneur Terry George, who told the Stray Ferret he wanted to be an actor himself as a child growing up in a poor family. He used to interview celebrities for a hobby and was given £30 by actor Dick Emery to fund elocution lessons to get him started.

Though the lessons never happened, Mr George said he always remembered how the contribution to his future made him feel and tries to do the same for others when he can. He said:

“I’m friends with Russell Crowe and he tagged me in the post. I’m a Yorkshire boy myself and had a read of what Harry was doing and thought, ‘Wow, what an inspiration, putting himself out there to get funding’.

“If Russell has done it to get worldwide appeal, I’m a Yorkshire lad and I thought, if I can put something towards it, it might help other people do that too.”

Read more:

• Harrogate student hopes to crowd-fund his acting dream
• Harrogate teenager struggles to fund racing career

Mr George said he hopes Yorkshire Tea and Leeds United – tagged on Twitter by Mr Crowe, who is a fan of both – will also do something to support Harry’s cause. The aspiring young actor said he was very grateful to both supporters, not just for their donations but for helping to spread the word.

Since Mr Crowe and Mr George donated to Harry’s fundraiser, the total has risen steadily and now sits at almost £7,500. Mr George said the Hollywood superstar’s donation could help in other ways, too.

“I know Russell really well and if he sees a part that would fit Harry, he would try to get him cast. That’s the type of man he is.”

In response, Harry added:

“That would be amazing. I hate to get ahead of myself, but that would be a huge, exciting, fantastic opportunity.

“It’s hugely encouraging and makes me feel like I’m not alone and I’m on a good path and people want to help me up. For something like this to be the launch into it, it doesn’t mean it’s going to shoot off on the right trajectory, but it says to me there are people who will help you – you just have to find them and put in the work.”

The Co-operative Bank in central Harrogate will close before the end of the year as a result of national cuts.

The Prospect Crescent bank is one of 18 branches to be closed by the Cooperative, with 350 jobs set to be lost as a result.

The bank said the decision was made based on footfall during 2019 and was unrelated to the coronavirus lockdown.

Co-operative Bank chief executive Andrew Bester said:

“Our people have shown great dedication and commitment to our customers over the past few months, so we are very sorry to announce this news today.

“Unfortunately, we’re not immune to the impact of recent events, with the historically low base rate affecting the income of all banks and a period of prolonged economic uncertainty ahead, which means it’s important we reduce costs and have the right-sized operating model in place for the future.

“At the same time, we are responding to the continuing shift of more and more customers choosing to bank online, with lower levels of transactions in branches, a trend which has been increasing for some time, across the banking sector and more broadly.

“The bank is in a resilient position given the significant progress we’ve made in recent years, and our focus is on maintaining this as we continue to support our customers through the crisis. We will do all we can to support colleagues through the process with fairness and respect.”

The branch closure will be completed by December 1 and customers who are affected will be contacted directly by the bank with information about alternative options.

Read more:

• Knaresborough’s only bank to remain open for time being
• Plan for a home at former Knaresborough high street bank

A planning application has been submitted to replace four garages with townhouses in the centre of Ripon.

The garages, to the north of Court Terrace just off Kirkgate, would be demolished so the four two-bedroomed townhouses could be built.

Each of the four homes would have a small courtyard of around 9 square metres to the rear, along with a cobble-set frontage of 13.5 square metres. There would be space for four cars to be parked outside.

An application submitted last year was turned down by Harrogate Borough Council over fears that the area, known for gypsum deposits, was not proven to be stable for development. Although the applicant, Mike Kell, provided a report from an environmental consultancy, the council’s decision notice said:

“The submitted gypsum report and associated declaration form are not considered to comply with Policy NE9 of the emerging local plan by virtue that they do not sufficiently demonstrate that the site can be developed without creating issues of ground instability and the signatory does not meet the definitition of a ‘competent person’ within this policy.”

A new geotechnical report on the site has been submitted with the current application.

Read more:

• Search for ‘hero’ who rescued child from Ripon river
• Plan for a home at former Knaresborough high street bank

Objections to the original plans for three-storey homes were raised by Historic England, leading the applicant to submit new plans for two-storey homes instead. Planners acknowledged the run-down appearance of the site was out of keeping with the historic surroundings, less than 100m from Ripon Cathedral. Their 2019 report said:

“The design is similar to that of the cottages to the south of the site and is considered to be an improvement on the overall appearance of the local area and would have a positive impact on the character and appearance of the conservation area.”

The new application can be viewed in full on the planning pages of Harrogate Borough Council’s website using reference 20/02809/FUL.

An elderly woman had a necklace of high sentimental value stolen in a distraction theft in the centre of Harrogate.

The necklace – which was given to her by her husband on their golden wedding anniversary – was taken when the 95-year-old victim was near the HSBC Bank in Cambridge Street.

The woman was with her husband near the HSBC Bank on Cambridge Street when she was approached by two women who attempted to engage the couple in conversation. After the women had left, the victim realised her necklace was gone.

The incident happened on Tuesday, August 11 at around 11.15am and police are now appealing for help to trace two suspects from CCTV images. A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said:

“Officers are asking members of the public to get in touch if they recognise the people in the CCTV images as they believe they may have information which could help the investigation.”

Police are trying to trace this woman following a distraction theft in Harrogate town centre.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for Colin Steele or email Colin.Steele@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk. To report information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote reference number 12200139244 when passing on information.

Harrogate Christmas Market is set to be called off this year, the Stray Ferret can reveal.

The four-day event, which has been running annually since 2012, is set to be cancelled for the first time in its history next week because of continuing covid restrictions.

Public health officials for North Yorkshire are expected to meet on Monday to discuss restrictions which would need to be in place for outdoor events to go ahead. However, with crowds of up to 60,000 coming from across the country – including coaches filled with day-trippers – it is expected that Harrogate Christmas Market will not be able to meet the requirements.

The news comes as a further blow to local businesses, including retailers, restaurants and bars, which have reported increased footfall during the market in previous years. Organisers say the event is designed to bring visitors into the town centre at a vital time for the local economy – and this year could have been more important than ever.

Harrogate BID acting chair Sara Ferguson said:

“The Christmas Market brings thousands of shoppers into Harrogate over its four days, and if it were to be cancelled this year, it would be another blow to the town’s retailers.

“I know the organisers, who have worked incredibly hard to make it the success it is, will be trying their hardest to comply with all the health and safety requirements brought about by coronavirus.”

With events at Harrogate Convention Centre not possible because of its continued use as a Nightingale hospital, it is the latest in a string of major events in the Harrogate calendar to be forced to cancel.

Read more:

• Harrogate Nightingale contract extended until March 2021
• Yorkshire Showground cancelled events worth over £70 million
• Harrogate district event venues light up in ‘red alert’

Andrew Armstrong, who runs Harrogate Lifestyle Apartments on Kings Road, told the Stray Ferret he would have liked the opportunity for local businesses to come together and see what could be done to save the event. He said it could have been moved into the town centre and set up in smaller clusters, with masks mandatory, in order to limit crowds.

“We would normally be full with tourists and visitors coming for the weekend. At the moment, we’ve only got a couple of bookings in for that weekend – we’re finding that the booking window is getting shorter and shorter, because nobody dares commit to booking in case something happens.

“It’s quite frightening. It’s the same for all accommodation businesses – nobody knows that’s going to happen. We rely on the business element during the darker winter seasons, because you just don’t get people wanting to come when it’s cold, windy or snowing. 50% of our business in winter is from Harrogate Convention Centre and events like this.”

Mr Armstrong said he has had one booking for this year’s dates called off already, with the visitor asking to move to next year’s provisional dates. However, he said putting bookings back by a year would be no help to those hospitality businesses struggling to make ends meet in the coming weeks and months.

NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber, Harrogate

Unlike others around the country, Harrogate’s Christmas market focuses on Yorkshire products. As well as individual stalls around the aisles, it features a craft and gifts marquee and a food and drink marquee – though the latter was not expected to feature in this year’s event because of covid restrictions.

In July, organisers confirmed they were awaiting a licence being awarded by Harrogate Borough Council for this year’s event, which takes place on Stray land, for which the council has responsibility.

Guidance on the government website says:

“Where the council is the landowner, they could refuse permission to allow the use of the land for an event without the need to issue a direction.

“Beyond this, however, it seems broadly that the intention is that outdoor events should take place where it is safe to do so with the focus on these being supported to operate safely, rather than blocked.”

However, the guidance also states that events can be called off by authorities if there is a rise in cases in the locality. This happened last week in Leeds, when a funfair was banned less than 24 hours before it was due to open because of a cluster of new cases in the surrounding area.

The Stray Ferret understands organisers are keen for Harrogate Christmas Market to return as usual next year.

A pedestrian was left with a serious ankle injury after a collision with a black BMW X6 in the centre of Harrogate.

It happened at the junction of The Ginnel and Montpellier Street on Tuesday at around 4pm.

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses, or anyone with CCTV footage of the area, to help establish the full details of what happened.

Anyone with information can call the force on 101, select option2 and ask for Chris Storey, or email chris.storey@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.

Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12200143779.

Read more:

• Three arrested after police chase car thieves in Ripon and Boroughbridge
• Stolen car crashed into wall in Jennyfields

Students across the Harrogate district have been celebrating their GCSE results after the challenges they faced this year.

Year 11 students received their results by email, marking their achievements in similarly subdued style to the way the year ended.

Having not sat exams, the grades awarded were based on centre assessments. So far, there has been much less controversy over the results than last week, which saw more than a third of centre-assessed results in the Harrogate district downgraded by the government’s algorithm.

The process has since been reversed and assessed grades reinstated – but it has left many students still uncertain over their university places.

GCSE results from each school will be published below when released by schools across the Harrogate district.

Read more:

• Students receive A-level results online
• Harrogate students ‘panicking about the future’ despite grades U-turn

Ashville College

Two students achieved grade 9s across the board at Ashville College, as 25% of all students gained the top grades of 7s, 8s and 9s in all their results.

Three of those pupils were new to Ashville last September and have made significant progress since – despite the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.

The school described the pupils’ engagement with online lessons as ‘remarkable’. Acting head Elspeth Fisher said:

“Our Year 11 pupils have faced a challenging year with lockdown and a lack of opportunity to demonstrate their hard work over the preceding two years.

“We were therefore delighted that centre-assessed grades would be the basis of the grades awarded for GCSE pupils.

“We are very pleased with the commitment our pupils have demonstrated to their GCSE studies and also towards the transition lessons they have recently attended in preparation for A Level and BTEC courses and we look forward to welcoming them back in September.”

Harrogate Grammar School

Harrogate Grammar School has not published details of its students’ grades. Headteacher Neil Renton said:

“We are very pleased with the outcomes our students have achieved this year.  The outcomes reflect the high standards that we typically achieve along with our continued emphasis on providing a broad and balanced curriculum, meeting the differing needs, aspirations and interests of our learners.

“We are very proud of our year 11 students who embraced all the opportunities that the school offered them, not only in a broad curriculum in areas such as science, maths, languages, humanities and the arts, but also the wide range of extra-curricular activities such as sport, music and charities. We admire them for their commitment, sustained effort and for achieving their own excellence.”

Nidderdale High School

Students at Nidderdale High School received their GCSE results this week – though those who studied for BTECs are still awaiting results.

As well as traditional subjects, students were able to gain skills in other areas, including working alongside professional crafters at Number 6 Studio in Pateley Bridge in order to gain a GCSE in art, craft and design.

The school has not released statistics for the grades achieved by this year’s students.

Headteacher Kath Jordan said:

“Our Year 11 students are very much more than the grades they have achieved this year. Many of this talented year group have been involved in student leadership, charity fund raising, sport, music and drama extra curricular activities. They have been excellent role models for our younger students.

T”he grades our students have received today are a result of their hard work and commitment, the excellent support of their parents and other family members. They are also the product of the skill, expertise and professionalism of their teachers and other support staff.

“We wish our students all the very best of Team Nidderdale luck and success as they move onto Sixth Forms, Colleges and Apprenticeships.”

Outwood Academy Ripon

The schools is celebrating after 77.3% of students achieved a grade 4 or higher in both English and maths, along with 68% of combined science students achieving two grade 4s or higher.

Student Ryan Chandler was among the high achievers, gaining six grade 9s and two 8s. The school congratulated all those who are now able to move on to the next phase of their education and careers.

A spokesman for Outwood Academy Ripon said:

“It is wonderful to finally congratulate our students for the many fantastic outcomes of their hard work. This year 11 cohort have had to contend with some significant challenges and have done so admirably and without any loss of enthusiasm.

“Although they have missed seminal moments at the end of their final year with us we have no doubt that they will be successful in the next steps they take in education and employment.”

Ripon Grammar School

A total of 97.6% of grades awarded to the 131 students were 9-5s (equivalent to A*-B in the previous ratings system) and 67.7% were 9-7s (A*-A).

Seven students achieved 10 or more grade 9s, Lucy Cox, from Ripon, gained 11 grade 9s and an 8, while Eleanor Chaplin from Boorughbridge, Eloise Hopkings from Ripon and Sophie Pointon from Thirsk all achieved 11 grade 9s.

Chloe Stringwell, from Ripon, and Bertie Wood, from Brafferton, were both awarded ten grade 9s and two grade 8s. Bertie, an aspiring lawyer and keen sportsman, will return to RGS in September to study chemistry, history, maths and economics or business studies.

He will be joined by Henrietta Jarvis, from Roecliffe, whose eight 9s and three 8s have helped her take the first step towards a career as a vet.

Joel Wilson, meanwhile, will study A levels in psychology, history, English literature and chemistry as he pursues a career as a barrister. Already an accomplished fencer, he said his biggest challenge over the last two years has been balancing the sport with his academic studies.

Headmaster Jonathan Webb said:

“Without the opportunity of an examination, our departments worked hard to award grades which we believe were fair, valid and as accurate as possible in the situation.

“Consequently, I am extremely encouraged by our results today and am really looking forward to welcoming our new sixth formers back to school in September.”