A series of major fundraisers in Harrogate has been called off, leaving a hole in the budget for a national charity.

Race for Life, along with Pretty Muddy and Pretty Muddy Kids, had already been postponed from July to October but has now been cancelled altogether for this year.

Organisers Cancer Research UK say the decision has been made to keep participants safe. The events usually attract hundreds of participants onto the Stray, completing 5km and 10km courses.

Lisa Millett, the charity’s spokesperson in North Yorkshire, said:

“Since it began in 1994, Race for Life has raised over £890m for Cancer Research UK’s life-saving work. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who has taken part and hope their support will continue.

“We know Race for Life is such a treasured part of the UK’s events calendar and it is with a heavy heart that for the first time in 27 years we have to announce that it won’t be taking place. The safety of our supporters, volunteers, suppliers and staff is however essential.

“We hope the Race for Life event series will be back bigger and stronger than ever in 2021. In the meantime, we’d love to invite as many people as possible to join us by taking part in Race for Life at Home in these challenging times.”

As a result of lockdown, Cancer Research UK says it expects to see a drop in income of up to 25 percent.

Through Race for Life at Home, the charity is encouraging people to set themselves challenges to complete in their own gardens or public places. It hopes the money raised will go some way towards filling the gap left my its major events, which fund long-term research and pioneering trials to treat people across the UK.

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• Charities fear for future after major fundraising events called off
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Cancer Research UK is expecting a 25 percent drop in income this year because fundraising events have been called off

Lisa added: “Cancer hasn’t stopped and people affected by cancer need our support more than ever.

“From a run or 5K walk around the garden or local park to limbo in the living room, there is no wrong way to Race for Life at Home. With no entry fee, people might choose to twerk, star jump, squat, skip, dance, trampoline, or come up with their own novel way of taking part and share it with friends. We’re urging everyone – men women and children – to join our community and help raise vital funds.”

A Harrogate family has been able to share the joy of a new arrival for the first time since lockdown began.

Jen Carne gave birth to Samuel on April 21 and, along with husband Rob Earl, was unable to introduce him properly to his extended family.

Though they visited and waved through the windows, the easing of lockdown restrictions this week enabled grandparents Ed and Rosie Carne to meet Samuel in the park for the first time – and catch up with his 20-month-old sister, Hannah. Jen said:

“There have been a few positives in that we’ve been able to spend a lot of time as a family without having lots of pressure to see lots of people, but we’ve missed out on family being able to come over and help. We’ve missed being able to see other mums and babies. I have missed a lot of Hannah’s groups – it has been tricky trying to entertain her while taking care of Samuel.”

Read more:

• Which attractions are open for families to meet up outside?
• Nurseries welcome children back for the first time since lockdown began

This week’s meet-up was a special moment for the whole family, who should have been gathering this week to celebrate Jen and Rob’s wedding, which has had to be postponed. However, Jen said they hope to be able to hold a small ceremony soon, with a reception at a later date.

Ed and Rosie Carne enjoyed a picnic with their daughter Jen, granddaughter Hannah and new grandson Samuel after lockdown restrictions were eased

Meanwhile, Ed and Rosie are just pleased to be able to meet their new grandson and see how Hannah has grown over recent weeks. Rosie said:

“I feel we’re very lucky we live so near so at least we can see them, but I find not being able to pick Hannah up very hard. We were helping out with looking after when Jen was working so I feel we’ve got quite a close relationship and sometimes she wants to crawl to us and we have to back off. We have a few little games we can do, but it’s not the same.”

With less than four weeks remaining in the contract between the NHS and Harrogate Convention Centre, both parties are remaining tight-lipped about the future of the Nightingale Hospital.

The initial agreement allowed the NHS to establish the emergency hospital across eight halls at Harrogate Convention Centre and was set to last until the end of June. No rent was payable to HCC – which, owned by Harrogate Borough Council, had to cover costs using taxpayers’ money.

Now, with the end of the contract looming, the council has refused to comment on whether any further agreement has been made.

However, with national government advisors speaking publicly about the likelihood of a second wave of Covid-19, it seems unlikely the NHS will take down the facility in the near future. England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, said this week:

“It may be that there’s a seasonal element and if so, for most respiratory viruses, they are more likely to be transmitted, there is a higher likelihood of transmission, in the winter.

“The winter is always worse than summer, spring and autumn for health services, and we need to think about this in terms of how we come out for the next phase.”

While having the NHS Nightingale on stand-by has been described by many as reassuring, concerns have been raised repeatedly about the potential impact on the local economy – especially as hospitality businesses prepare to reopen in early July.

Harrogate’s businesses are heavily reliant upon tourist and conference visitors to the centre, which says that it contributes around £60m to the local economy. Hotels, restaurants and bars have already spoken out about the need to fill the gap left by the conference trade.

Read more:

• Harrogate District Hospital had a fifth of its workforce off sick
• Why one leading hotelier believes the Nightingale hospital could cause problems for the town’s hospitality trade

Harrogate Borough Council refused to make any comment on the status of negotiations with the NHS over the future of the Nightingale hospital, saying the contract was confidential. Last month, HCC director Paula Lorimer told The Stray Ferret that the next events were scheduled for August and, in the meantime, she was doing all she could to reschedule events which could not be held.

This week, Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce’s chief executive, Sandra Doherty, told The Stray Ferret it was a “feather in Harrogate’s cap” to be chosen to host the NHS Nightingale for the region. However, she warned:

“The conference and exhibition industry is the life blood of Harrogate’s economy, and those businesses that rely on this vitally important trade need clarification as to when these venues will be handed back.

“Whilst the coronavirus lockdown has resulted in the cancellation and postponement of many events, organisers will now be looking to reschedule them for later in the year. Harrogate is blessed with a number of other superb conference facilities, and we need to do everything we can to encourage organisers to consider using them as an alternative.

“We must do everything in our power to keep new and existing business here.”

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee has been accused of going against its own guidance in approving plans for a fence on its land.

The council applied for permission to put up a 1m high fence along the boundary between its land and the privately-owned Tower House, which adjoins the Grade II listed Harlow Hill Tower on Nursery Lane, on the edge of the Pinewoods in Harrogate.

The council’s own design guide states:

New 2m high timber panel fences used as screens to maintain privacy for neighbours are generally acceptable in back gardens, however in sensitive locations, such as the boundary to a Listed Building or in a Conservation Area, the screen should be of brick or stone as appropriate to the setting.

A planning application was submitted earlier this year for a picket fence running 28m along the boundary behind Tower House. Reporting to the planning committee, principal conservation officer Emma Gibbens said:

“A stone wall of matching stone would be more appropriate, however, there are concerns over the creation of a significantly more permanent solution for what seems to be a short term requirement, whereas the picket fence represents an option that could easily be removed in the future when it is no longer required.”

Read more:

• How will use of public money be scrutinised during the pandemic?
• The agony of getting a single cycle route built in Harrogate

Tower House was bought eight years ago by Neil and Lucy Hind. The boundary in question is not visible from Nursery Lane because of high hedging, but separates the house from a piece of land owned by the council.

‘No change’

Mr Hind addressed the committee during yesterday’s virtual meeting, urging members to reject the proposal. He said nothing had changed since the last planning committee meeting in March, when councillors deferred their decision on the proposal, telling officers to reconsider whether a fence was the most suitable option.

Mr Hind told committee members yesterday there had been no change to the fence proposal which they had refused to accept in March, other than limiting its life span to five years. The committee’s previous requests for an explanation of why the fence was needed, and for council officers to consult with the neighbours, had not happened, he said.

Among those objecting to the plans was Cllr Pat Marsh, who said:

“I feel that if we’re doing this, we’re almost setting a precedent which will impact on other parts of our district that have got listed buildings. Why don’t we just make it a permanent fixture? Why mess around with temporary fences?”

Her views were shared by Cllr Robert Windass and Cllr Nigel Simms, who said a more suitable material should be used for a boundary so close to a listed building. However, the plans were passed by six votes to five.

After the meeting, Mr Hind told The Stray Ferret:

“The committee members were originally unanimous in their view that the plans were not acceptable, so it is somewhat a mystery as to who or what changed some of their minds over the last few months.

“It was clear from the discussion that these plans are still not in line with the council’s own guidance and policy. However, it seems there is one rule for the council and one for residents, especially where cost is a factor.”

Scrutiny of routine council decisions is expected to be put on hold as the authority focuses its energy on responding to the Covid-19 crisis.

The chairman of the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Commission, which examines decisions made by Harrogate Borough Council, said some of its investigations which had begun before the virus outbreak will be delayed until a later date.

Instead, Cllr Chris Aldred said, the commission will focus on how the council is responding to the crisis to support residents and businesses.

“The council has a £15million shortfall and there’s going to have to be decisions made in the next few months to address that. Scrutiny need to be looking in more detail about issues involving that and offering advice and comment to officers.”

Until now, the commission has not been able to examine any major decisions the council was set to make. Giving commercial tenants a three-month rent break, for example, was proposed in a report by officers to the council’s leader, Cllr Richard Cooper, and his deputy, Cllr Graham Swift.

It was seen by Cllr Aldred in his role as commission chair, who has the option to call in decisions, but decided not to do so while it was unclear when the commission would next meet. He added:

“I think it was quite right that businesses were suffering and needed to be assured they would not have to pay rent now, rather than two months down the line.”

Read more:

• The £200,000 rent-break given to commercial tenants – even if they’re still trading
• Tory councillor seeks answers over UCI debacle

Cllr Aldred said the commission was also keen to look at how community resources had been made available and the way in which council staff had been cared for through the crisis. So far, only a handful of planned public meetings have taken place online, with most cancelled since the lockdown began in March.

The commission’s proposal to change its focus will be put before the cabinet by officers later this month for approval.

It means its planned examinations, such as bus provision across the district, could be put on the back burner, which Cllr Aldred said may no longer be relevant anyway as use of public transport changes in the coming months. However, the commission’s in-depth investigation into the council’s handling of the UCI Road World Championships could still proceed this year.

“We’ve got a working group into that and there’s a proposition that it continues, but it will not report back to the main committee until it has done its job. There’s going to be a formal decision at the next meeting.”

A planned examination of HBC’s decision-making over the UCI cycling could still go ahead this year

An informal online meeting was held on Monday evening to test the technology ready for official meetings to resume next month for the first time since March. While other council committees are not meeting regularly, Cllr Aldred said the Overview & Scrutiny Commission was the best body to examine and give feedback on council decisions and actions.

However, like all the council’s committees, agendas will be limited to just a few items because progress of debate is slower when councillors and officers are working remotely. He added:

“For all those committees from now until we can meet physically, there will only be two or three agenda items that we can manage. We tried it in real conditions – I was chairing it, we had an agenda. You’ve got to be aware of who wants to speak – some people will put their hands up, some people use chat and other technology. It’s a bit more difficult to chair than usual.”

Cllr Aldred has been a long-term advocate of making meetings available online and said he was pleased it is now happening. However, he acknowledged that it was harder to organise and run than a gathering in a meeting room and said it was important the council got it right before going ahead.

“It’s important we aren’t secretive about it. The way the council operates could be changed forever now and the public need to know about any changes that are going on.”

North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has urged residents to remember the potential consequences of flouting lockdown guidelines.

Julia Mulligan’s warning comes after a weekend which saw groups gathering to drink along West Park, resulting in one pub being issued with a prohibition order.

She said police were doing all they could to respond to public concern but were only able to disperse large gatherings:

“The police have no powers to deal with breaches of social distancing – that’s public health advice. Part of the problem is the public expect the police to deal with it, but the police don’t have the power.”

Harrogate’s Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Penny Taylor said officers had spent a busy weekend engaging with the public and explaining the importance of following regulations, as well as assisting Harrogate Borough Council’s licensing team at two pubs. She said:

“Personal responsibility is now key to controlling the virus and while the police cannot enforce social distancing guidance, we urge people to remember that although some of the restrictions have been relaxed, the virus has not gone away, you can still catch it and pass it on to your family and friends.

“Thankfully, the vast majority of the public continue to do their bit and follow guidance which means our officers have rarely had to enforce the Government regulations.”

While six people have been allowed to meet outside from today, over the weekend the rules remained that people could only meet with one other person from outside their household. Ms Mulligan said the announcement that rules were going to change this week probably led to a greater number of people feeling safe to go out over the weekend and meet more people.

“I’m sure that’s actually what they thought. It puts the police in a very difficult set of circumstances, to have to deal with that. In a way, the lockdown was easier to enforce.”

Read more on this story:

• Harrogate bar issued with prohibition notice after repeated breach lockdown rules
• Groups gather on Harrogate’s Stray before lockdown restrictions eased

She said the government’s guidance had been sufficiently clear but it was trying to balance the need to get the economy moving again against the risk to people’s health. In many cases, she said, problems being reported to the police were in fact for other agencies to deal with, such as local authorities with licensing breaches.

Julia Mulligan, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire

As well as central Harrogate, North Yorkshire Police said crowds were out in “unprecedented numbers” in Knaresborough at Conyngham Hall and the riverside, as well as Brimham Rocks. Outer Harrogate Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Steve Breen said:

“Our officers reported the vast majority of people were acting responsibly and we thank them for their continued efforts over the past two months.

“The overarching aim of the police response has always been to keep people as safe as possible, and encourage them to follow the regulations, reducing the transmission of the virus and protecting lives but it is up to members of the public to ensure that they are following the social distance guidance.”

With cooler temperatures forecast over the coming days, Ms Mulligan said she is hopeful that the scenes reported over the weekend will not be repeated. However, she said it was important for all authorities to work together, especially as people who have been kept in lockdown for weeks or months want to get out and are limited in the options available.

“I would like to see a more strategic approach to dealing with some of the issues we’ve encountered. A more coordinated approach amongst local authorities, working more closely not just on the ground with policing colleagues, but at a planning level to try and come up with a more robust way to deal with these issues. If this goes on all summer and people can’t get away on holiday, I am concerned.”

She added:

“I just want people to remember there’s a killer virus out there and the last thing we want is a second wave.”

A one-way system and additional staffing will be implemented to enable Grewelthorpe’s Himalayan Gardens and Sculpture Park to re-open tomorrow.

The visitor attraction – named Yorkshire in Bloom Tourist Attraction of the Year in 2018 and 2019 – features more than 80 outdoor sculptures around its grounds. Operations manager Naomi Hutchinson said it could only open if visitors follow social distancing guidelines:

“We believe that being outdoors and in beautiful gardens is restorative and important for people’s wellbeing. It can be a source of much-needed tranquillity in these super anxious times, and with 45 acres, the Himalayan Gardens offers the open space needed.

“We are however mindful that the safety of visitors and our staff is our number one priority. We’re pleased to welcome visitors and that they won’t miss out on the final blooms of spring, but our re-opening depends on all following the social distancing rules.”

The gardens’ new one-way system has been created using natural materials including stones, plant pots and wooden signs. While public toilets will be open, with social distancing in place, and plants will be on sale, the tea rooms will remain closed for the first week.

A booking system will also be in place to control numbers, so visitors will need to book in advance for a specified day via the attraction’s website.

Huge demand

Meanwhile, Newby Hall is set to open its grounds from Wednesday for season ticket holders, and from Saturday for the public. Its other attractions, including the railway, restaurant and teddy bears exhibition, will remain closed, and additional safety measures will be in place for visitors, including more toilets.

Booking will be essential, with slots set to go on sale on Newby Hall’s website on Tuesday, June 2.

Newby Hall and the Himalayan Gardens are the latest tourist attractions to announce they are opening their gates. RHS Garden Harlow Carr last week saw huge demand for access to its grounds as it opened bookings on its website.

The National Trust has not yet opened its properties in the Harrogate district, but slots to visit others around the country sold out quickly last week.

WATCH: Take a look at what might be Harrogate’s first community woodland

Only a third of North Yorkshire’s primary schools are following government guidance on reopening today as concerns remain over the safety of pupils and staff.

Children in reception, year one and year six could all be back in lessons from today – but not every primary school has chosen to follow the changing advice.

Just 111 schools across the county are planning to reopen to pupils in some or all of those year groups today, according to the county council, and 24 more are expecting to follow next week. Judith Kirk, NYCC’s assistant director for education and skills, said:

“Schools have drawn up a bespoke approach to reopening, appropriate to their circumstances, but we want to reassure parents that when children come into primary schools in North Yorkshire, the first focus will be children’s safety and wellbeing, settling them in and making them feel secure, before we begin teaching the curriculum.

“We are working with schools, headteachers and teaching unions to support each school and the decision made by head teachers and governing bodies.”

Teaching unions told The Stray Ferret last month that they had serious reservations about their ability to keep everyone safe, and it seems those concerns remain. Some schools say they will follow full government guidance, while others say it would not be safe to reopen at all, other than for the children of key workers who have already been attending.

‘Not missing out’

Among those opening for some year groups today is Bilton Grange Primary School in Harrogate, which will welcome back pupils in its reception classes. However, the school has told parents it does not feel it can safely open to years one and six yet – something which has been welcomed by parent Jamie Haslam.

His daughter Erin is in year six at the school, but has been learning at home, alongside older sister Jessica who attends Harrogate High School, with support from teachers and their parents since the start of lockdown. Jamie said he was relieved not to have to make the decision himself about whether it was safe for Erin to return – though he does feel sad she’s missing the final weeks at primary school.

“I remember from last year when Jessica left, it was nice that last bit of primary school. I don’t feel she’s missing out on anything education-wise, she will just miss those nice experiences with her friends.”

Schools across the district will teach pupils taught in smaller groups than usual class sizes. Each small group is being kept apart from others, with measures such as staggered arrival times and breaks introduced, and additional ventilation, cleaning and other measures in place to minimise the risks of infection.

Pupils will be taught in smaller groups, but social distancing will not be enforced within those

North Yorkshire county councillor Patrick Mulligan said:

“All schools have carried out risk assessments looking at social distancing, staffing and hygiene and those that can open safely will be doing on Monday. Not all schools will be open on June 1; we are a large rural county with a relatively high number of small rural schools – including traditional church schools based around small classrooms – where implementing social distancing simply isn’t possible.

“We would like to reassure parents who are sending their children to school that schools are working hard to ensure the safety and wellbeing of pupils.”

The county council is also working to deliver home-to-school transport for those pupils who already qualified for it. Parents in need of transport over the coming weeks have been asked to complete a survey on the council’s website.

Is your child’s school reopening today? How do you feel about sending them back? Contact us with your views.

This column is written for The Stray Ferret by Steve Parsley. Steve’s voice was the first heard on Stray FM almost 26 years ago. This week it was announced that StrayFM will be turned into a national radio station, Greatest Hits Radio. The journalist-turned-copywriter reflects on its history – and the future of local media:

Memories of that first broadcast on launch day on July 4 back in 1994 are not as clear as they might once have been – largely because there were plenty of other events at the station after that which were ultimately more challenging.

There were nerves on that first day of course – enough to convince us to record the first-ever news bulletin at 7am in advance. We were that determined that there shouldn’t be a single stutter, cough or blunder to mar a watershed moment which had been years in the planning.

But the rest that morning were done live and, once the pressure was off, we were already beginning to enjoy ourselves – and, indeed, that’s how I’ll remember the first few months that the station was on air.

Stray FM’s roots were as an amateur operation run on a part-time licence during the Harrogate International Festival from a Portakabin on the car park at St Aidan’s School.

But, within a few weeks after its full-time launch, it had already become a popular community service; there was no doubt about that. The station’s minute-by-minute coverage of the first snows of the winter, the dramatic story of the animal rights fire bomb attacks on a gaggle of town centre stores and its determination to include local folk in its programming saw to that.

The groundswell of support was tangible and the presenters – and even the news team – began to realise they even had a little local celebrity. They were definitely exciting times.

However, the euphoria began to wear a little thin when the inaugural team’s enthusiasm and relative inexperience ran up against the commercial realities of financing and running a radio station.

Within a year, a new management team had taken the helm, there were departures among stalwarts who had been with the Stray FM brand right from its very inception and even a sad and devastating suicide among the presenting team.

However, slowly but surely, the station put a rocky first anniversary behind it, remained true to its principles – if not its original format – and cemented a place for itself as a source of local entertainment and information and as a new cheerleader at many of the Harrogate district’s local events.

Run on a shoestring in years two and three and now focusing as much on sales as content, Stray FM shrugged off its reputation for an amateur but well-meaning approach to broadcasting to become a proper RAJAR contender.

Some established names from rival commercial stations in Leeds even began to appear in its presenter line-up. News too was revamped to include a half-hour drive-time programme and live Saturday coverage.

But, perhaps predictably, the station’s success was noticed eventually by the larger players and, in 1999, Stray FM was to be acquired by GWR – then the owners of Classic FM – for a cool £3m.

The purchase certainly offered a great return for shareholders who had invested in the early days of the station, helping to get it off the ground. I remember staff being assured their jobs were secure and glasses being raised to a job well done.

But, for me personally at least, the magic was over. Important decisions were no longer made in the meeting room in Harrogate but in a distant boardroom. The station was also expected to conform to the GWR format. However, the final straw was an instruction not to focus so much on news but “infotainment”. From that moment, my own departure was inevitable.

Nevertheless, I remained a supporter and was as pleased as anyone when, in 2008, Stray FM was given an Arqiva Award as the best station for its size. I claim no credit whatsoever, but I still remember hearing the news with some pride. It was the same too when the station appeared more than once on the Sunday Times Best Places To Work list.

I will always remember my six years on the team with fondness. Indeed, my parting gift – a framed montage of some of my favourite sayings (which, sadly, I can’t repeat here) and commemorating the weird way I wore my headphones – still hangs on the wall in our smallest room at home.

It is therefore with great sadness that I heard the news this week of the station’s demise. I‘ve grown used to seeing newspapers I worked for become shadows of their former selves in a world where information is now gathered mostly for free on the internet and on social media.

But, for me at least, commercial radio was somehow insulated from the ravages on the online world. I thought it was still a place we went in our cars, for local news and content or for music on Sunday mornings.

The decision made by Stray FM’s new owners suggests I’m wrong and I have no hesitation in admitting that is both a shock and source of considerable sadness. For me, it’s also another step towards a grey and uniform world where automation is more important than character and content. But that, perhaps, is the modern reality.

Read more about this week’s news story on Stray FM:

• StrayFM to close as Bauer Media announce it’s to become part of a national radio station
• Harrogate district community groups devastated by loss of StrayFM

A petition has been set up calling for Bauer Media to reverse its decision to replace Stray FM with a national radio station.

Launched by the Liberal Democrats in Harrogate and Knaresborough, the petition says the loss of the service will be “a huge blow to our local communities”.

As announced this week, the 26-year-old Harrogate station is set to be replaced by Greatest Hits Radio, with three hours a day of regional presenting covering Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

Lib Dem spokesperson Judith Rogerson told The Stray Ferret:

“For me, it came as a bit of a shock. During the week, I was talking to one of my friend from outside Harrogate and saying we’re lucky to have local radio, and then this news was announced.

“Stray FM is such a huge part of the community. So many of us just have it on in the background. It always sticks with me how good they are at what they do – in emergencies, like floods and snow, but also the fun stuff like the bed race. You see people around and recognise them and it’s a brand that everyone knows and likes.”

Ms Rogerson said she was concerned about the impact on community groups and events which are supported by Stray FM. Some of them have already spoken to The Stray Ferret about the imminent loss of help from local presenters, journalists and others at the station.

Stray FM entered and supported the Knaresborough Bed Race, among other community events

With the new station offering mostly national content and a small amount of regional programming, she said she fears its reflection of the unique nature of the Harrogate district will be lost.

She also expressed support for the Stray FM team, whose roles are currently under consultation for redundancy.

“It’s dreadful it has come at this time. Everyone’s life is so uncertain at the moment and the community has been really strong during the pandemic. To lose such an important bit of that community is awful, and I really feel for the people who work there too.”

The petition, which she said is for the community rather than a political statement, has already attracted more than 400 signatures in just a few hours. While she doesn’t know whether it will be enough to persuade Bauer to change their minds, she added: “It’s really important that someone speaks up to gather that strength of feeling.”

The Stray Ferret has approached Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, for his views on the changes at Stray FM but has not received a response.

To view or sign the petition, click here.