Yasmin Waters, Author at The Stray Ferret

Harrogate businesses take up reopening grants from the BID

A share of £14,000 in grants has been handed out to businesses in Harrogate town centre to help them reopen after the coronavirus lockdown.

Harrogate BID has offered a match-funded grant of £750 for vital equipment – and so far, 27 companies have taken up the offer.

The funds must be spent on signage, barriers, screens and other safety equipment. Sanitiser is not included on the list.

More than a quarter of the £20,000 of funding is still available, taken from the BID’s annual income which comes from a levy on business rates paid by town centre businesses over a certain rateable value.

Harrogate BID acting chair Sara Ferguson said:

“Businesses have been through an awful lot since mid-March’s lockdown, and I’m pleased that the BID is able to offer financial assistant to levy payers to be able to reopen.

“The town centre is home to a wide range of businesses, who employ a large number of staff from across the district.”

Submissions from levy payers must include a brief description of equipment already purchased, what they are in the process of buying, plus receipts, estimated delivery dates and expected costs. Grants are not restricted to retail and hospitality businesses.

Levy payers can apply for the funding by emailing info@harrogatebid.co.uk, and find out more by visiting the Harrogate BID website.

Harrogate student hopes to crowd-fund his acting dream

A Harrogate actor and low-income student is one step away from finally going to drama school, but there’s a big £13,800 obstacle.

Harry Pritchard, 23, has applied to more than a dozen British drama school auditions over the past four years, only to be rejected each time.

Last week, however, he was accepted onto a foundation course at the prestigious London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art (LAMDA) – but because of his family’s financial status, he may be denied the chance to go.

Out of the thousands of applications LAMDA received, Harry was one of just 30 to be chosen despite applying in lockdown, by tape. However his acceptance was given after the deadline had passed to apply for a bursary, which gave one of the 30 students from a low-income background full funding for the course.

Harry’s desperation led him to set up a GoFundMe page. By Thursday, August 27, Harry has to raise £2,760 to fund the course’s deposit, followed by four further monthly payments of the same amount, coming to £13,800.

Harry said:

“Going into an acting career is not an easy ride, it’s really difficult. When my parents found out I was accepted they were so happy for me but also immediately grimaced at how much it cost because they can’t afford it.

“My dad is unemployed and my mum was a teaching assistant before she had to stop because of an illness. For the past four years I have worked in pubs and temp jobs to save for auditions, which are really expensive too.”

Since leaving Harrogate Grammar School in 2015, Harry has starred on stage at the Almeida Theatre Young Company and Arcola Theatre in London. He has also joined drama organisations including the National Youth Theatre, Young & Talented, as well as appearing in numerous short films.

LAMDA is known as one of the world’s most prestigious drama schools and one of the oldest in the UK. Attending the school could remove barriers for Harry, providing opportunities unavailable otherwise. The school’s rich alumni list includes Benedict Cumberbatch, David Suchet, Jim Broadbent and The Hunger Games’ Sam Claflin.

Harry said:

“It is so expensive and the lack of student loans available for courses like this holds back those who can’t afford it, only serving those who can. Nobody wants the acting industry to be a private space for those who can afford it.

“Unfortunately, at this moment in time, those things are true. But I won’t let that stop me from trying.”

By Friday, Harry’s GoFundMe page had raised less than half of what he needs by Thursday. Harry said his hometown makes up such a massive part of who he is and he would feel overwhelmed, humbled and “over the moon” if the Harrogate district could support him,

To donate to Harry’s GoFundMe, click here. The final payment for Harry’s tuition has to be made by December.

Paddle board litter pick set for Boroughbridge this weekend

An upcoming stand-up paddle board litter pick event has proved extremely popular in Boroughbridge.

Alfresco Adventures, based in Richmond, will be grouping up with UK organisation Plastic Patrol to take a small group out on the River Ure tomorrow.

Sam Johnson, owner of Alfresco Adventures, said:

“The event filled up in seconds before it was even put on Facebook. As a company, and the owner, it is important we look after the areas we use. We’re conscious about the environment so we want to keep it clean and protected.”

The outdoor adventure company is the Plastic Patrol partner for the Yorkshire Dales National Park and Lake District.

The business will be taking a small group of five people out to comply with coronavirus health measures. They will start at the marina in Boroughbridge before stand-up paddle boarding down to the locks where the bulk of the litter is expected to be.

A spokesperson for Plastic Patrol said:

“We’re excited to be partnering with Alfresco Adventures to bring our paddle boarding clean ups to North Yorkshire for the first time. In return for a free session, participants pay their ‘nature tax’ by picking up litter and recording. Every piece collected contributes towards the mission to remove and log one million pieces of litter! We’re thrilled to be providing an opportunity for the local community to come down and try a new activity and learn more about the extent of the problem we face with plastic pollution.

Plastic Patrol intend to run more river clean ups in the area, with a date planned for September. The litter pick is a free event. Details can be found on the company’s Facebook page or the Plastic Patrol website.

Confederate flag taken down in Harrogate antiques store after complaint

A flag has been removed from sale in a West Park antiques shop in Harrogate after a woman complained.

The flag was hanging near the back of 27 West Park Antiques. It has now been taken down and the owner has apologised for causing offence.

Tim Ward, Owner of 27 West Park Antiques said:

“The flag was bought along with a job lot of American state flags which came from a country and western club that closed down. It was bought from a car boot sale so no offence was intended and the flag has been taken down.”

The complaint was made by Kira Dyer who lives in York and was in Harrogate on a shopping trip with friends. Ms Dyer approached staff at 27 West Park Antiques to complain, before tweeting about it yesterday evening.

Ms Dyer said:

“I have no problem with them selling the flag, I just feel that to display it in such a way is inconsiderate of its racist heritage and highly offensive. I understand a store of its nature will have items of controversy but there is a big difference between its display on a shelf along with other items and it being flown mid store.”

The confederate flag is seen as a hate symbol. In the early 1860s, 11 southern states withdrew themselves from the US to continue being part of the slave trade. The withdrawal formed the Confederate States of America and the American Civil War followed soon after.

Mr Ward said his antiques shop generally researches the historical context of what is being brought in and rarely receives complaints. However, he apologised for displaying the Confederate flag.

Public support vital for Harrogate’s first community woodland

Plans for a 30-acre community-owned woodland are dependent on public support to meet an ambitious financial deadline.

Harrogate community project, Long Lands Common, has to raise £300,000 by mid-November if it is to succeed. Currently the amount raised stands at just over £60,000, less than a third of what is required. It would mean 4,765 individual purchases of a £50.00 share are needed.

The greenbelt plot of land stands between Bilton Triangle and The Avenue in Starbeck. An official shareholding scheme was launched last week to allow people to buy into the community project.

Jo Smalley, Membership Secretary of Long Lands Common, said:

“Our fundraising target to purchase the land is currently November 20 as agreed by the landowner. Despite the encouraging response so far, we know we cannot be complacent and must continue to push on with determination. There is a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes by our experienced team of volunteers to put us in the best position to make the project a success. It is humbling to be working alongside such a committed team of local people.”

Long Lands Common Limited (LLCL) is made up of volunteers from the Nidd Gorge Community Action Group, the team responsible for blocking North Yorkshire County Council’s plans to build a relief road through Nidd Gorge.

The committee’s vision is for the Harrogate community to come together to create an accessible space for families, future generations and wildlife habitats.

LLCL have said the space will be hugely beneficial for the Harrogate district’s mental health. The project will also support the Northern Forest’s goal which is to plant 50 million trees across Northern England.

A duck pond, wildflower meadow, sensory garden and woodlands craft area has been included in visionary plans. Sights are also set on a children’s woodland and educational area to support learning. Over 1500 people have pledged their interest to date.

Ms Smalley said:

“A £300,000 target is of course an ambitious one but we are feeling confident given the support we have received so far from the communities of Harrogate and Knaresborough in the pledging stage, and those people who have already gone on to buy their shares since they went on sale just two weeks ago. We appreciate the support very much and look forward to seeing the rest of our pledges turned into pounds!”

Volunteers are asking for all who have shown an interest to further their support by buying shares. Shares have to be bought in £50 lots, with the minimum amount set at £50 up to £37,500.

Shares can be bought on behalf of an organisation, business, as a gift or donated as inheritance wishes. Anyone buying shares has to be at least 16 years of age.

To learn more and buy shares, go to the Long Lands Common website.

Yorkshire Showground cancelled events worth over £70 million

Harrogate’s Yorkshire Event Centre has calculated the huge impact its cancelled events have had on the local economy.

To date, 148 events have been cancelled or postponed at the Yorkshire Event Centre and Pavilions of Harrogate, both owned by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society. The total cost of struck-off events has cost the Centre nearly £6 million, but the total cost to the Harrogate economy is much higher.

Cafés, restaurants, bed and breakfasts, hotels and other local businesses have all struggled as a result.

Heather Parry, Managing Director of Yorkshire Event Centre Ltd, said:

“This is a challenging year for events businesses and it is no different for us at the Great Yorkshire Showground. Last year, businesses and events at the Showground were worth £73.7 million to the local economy.”

The calculation comes days after the Harrogate Convention Centre, home of the Nightingale Hospital, announced it will remain closed until March next year.

The Yorkshire Event Centre sits in the Great Yorkshire Showground. The venue is home to some of the country’s biggest shows including The Great Yorkshire Show itself, which welcomes more than 130,000 visitors to the Harrogate district.

Bev Kemp, owner of The Bijou in Harrogate said:

“We rely very highly on events for tourism, a heck of a lot. We have lost the biggest conferences this year and I don’t know if we’re going to get them back. From March when lockdown started I would say at least 60% of our bookings have been cancelled, possibly more. We always get lots of people for the Great Yorkshire Show so that’s a huge loss. I am worried about hospitality on the whole in Harrogate. I think it’s going to take a few years to pick up.”

But, Ms Parry remains positive with future events coming to the showground. The Harrogate Bridal Show, the UK’s largest and longest running bridal event, has still been given the go-ahead in October.

Ms Parry said:

“We have taken robust steps to ensure that we can provide a safe, secure and flexible space to host events, in line with the latest government advice on social gatherings. As such, we have worked closely with the organisers of the Harrogate Bridal Show to meet their requirements.

The Harrogate Bridal Show is expected to run at the Yorkshire Event Centre from October 4 – 6.

Communities must step in to save red phone boxes in Harrogate district

More than 30 phone boxes will be removed by BT unless communities come together to save them.

BT said it is considering the removal of 32 inactive booths across the Harrogate district, 22 of which are the traditional red style.

Three are under scrutiny in Harrogate, including one outside Harrogate District Hospital on Lancaster Park Road. Seven across Nidderdale are under consideration, including one on Pateley Bridge high street and one in Birstwith, along with a further 11 in Ripon.

A spokesperson for BT told the Stray Ferret:

“Most people now have a mobile phone and calls made from our public telephones have fallen by around 90 per cent in the past decade. The need for payphones in emergencies is also reducing as 98 per cent of the UK has either 3G or 4G coverage.

“As long as there’s network coverage from at least one network, it’s possible to call 999, even when there’s no credit or coverage from your own mobile provider.”

In some locations, including Greenhow Hill, BT said average monthly use of the bright red kiosks has fallen to zero. But many are worried the removal of the red kiosks will leave some vulnerable and a huge part of British heritage will be lost.

Ripon city councillor Pauline McHardy said:

“All the councillors in Ripon agreed they could remove the modern plastic phone boxes but not the old-fashioned red ones. Ripon is a historic city and and they are a historic landmark.

“People presume everyone has a mobile phone but they don’t and there could be a situation where someone has to use the red telephone box. I would not like them removed and I’m sure that all the other councillors on Ripon city council would agree.”

BT is encouraging communities to keep the red telephone kiosks under its “adopt-a-kiosk” scheme, which costs £1 and lets community organisations, including councils and charities, transform the kiosks into defibrillator sites, mini libraries and more.

The firm said it is giving communities the chance to comment on their proposal. If councils or other groups apply to keep the kiosks, they will remain. The consultation will end on October 7.

Harrogate microbrewery signs petition against tax increase

Over 17,000 microbreweries have signed a petition to stop government plans on a tax increase. Harrogate Brewing Co. is one of many to object.

In July, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, announced plans to remove a 50% tax relief on the general beer duty rate for microbreweries.

Currently the Small Brewers Relief (SBR) is given to all microbreweries making up to 5000 hectolitres (880,000 pints) a year. Under his new proposal only much smaller microbreweries will continue to get relief.

Joe Joyce, owner of family-run Harrogate Brewing Co. said:

“There’s a tranche of microbreweries that are going to lose out on this and that’s not fair. We’re currently producing below the proposed amount but anything that adds more burden to the microbrewery is not where we want to be.”

First set up in 2002, the purpose of SBR was to help newer breweries become profitable and compete against big breweries. Now, there’s risk it could become a lot harder to even enter the beer-making industry.

The idea was announced as part of July’s fiscal statement. It could come into affect from October when the government’s Autumn budget is announced.

Mr Joyce said:

“For a lot of microbreweries this is our lifestyle, this is our business, we are putting our houses and mortgages on the line because this is what we do. I will be surprised if other local brewers haven’t signed it.”

Grassroots organisation Campaign for Pubs, run by leading pub campaigners and publicans, is heavily endorsing the petition which can be found on the government website.

Independent café opens in Harrogate Next store

An Italian independent café has opened on the top floor of Next in Harrogate town centre.

Caffe Masserella opened to the public for the first time on Wednesday. Next Harrogate is the fourth retail shop Caffe Masserella has moved into in Yorkshire.

Jake Earnshaw, Store Manager at Next, Harrogate said:

“Next were looking for some independents, mostly it’s chains in Next stores so they thought in Harrogate it would be nice to have an independent. It has been really busy, they exceeded what they needed to take on Wednesday. It has been buzzing.”

Caffe Masserella has a history dating back over 150 years when Giovanni Massarella and his brothers arrived in the UK from Italy.

Giovanni’s family downline used their Italian heritage to start an ice cream business in the 1950s before opening cafés across the UK.

Aiden Gambles, Manager at Harrogate’s Caffe Massarella said:

“The opening was meant to happen post-lockdown but now the ball’s rolling. I like to make everybody happy spending time in my cafe. It’s slightly different with covid procedures but we’re getting used to it. It’s an exciting time for me and the team I have here.”

Caffe Masserella’s menu includes a variety of artisan sandwiches, sweet treats and hot drinks.

Harrogate gins take home gold, silver and bronze

Global critics have awarded Harrogate gins gold, silver and bronze in a competition deemed the Oscars of the drinks industry.

Slingsby Gin Marmalade bagged top of the class in England with an outstanding gold medal in the “other flavoured gin” category at the International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC).

Judging was done “double-blinded’ to ensure impartiality by drinks specialists including master distillers and global drinks business owners.

When awarding Slingsby Marmalade, judges said:

“Think thick cut marmalade with this beautifully balanced and elegant gin. A plump, jammy nose is met with fresh and concentrated flavours. A juicy gin with a marvellous flavour journey. “

Harrogate Tipple won a highly respectful 91 out of 100 in the “London Dry gin” category with its premium Downton Abbey gin and a bronze medal in the “other flavoured gin category” for its first entry with English Rhubarb.

Founders of the distillery, Steven and Sally Green, use botanicals grown from Ripley Castle where they are based.

Mr Green said to The Stray Ferret:

“The ISWC is the most sought after award in the world. There’s a lot of awards that just want you to pay money but don’t really mean a lot. It’s the one to have, people know about it all around the world.”

Harrogate Tipple sent in premium gin to the 2018 ISWC awards where it won 85 points and scored silver. Since then the grade boundaries have increased, but so has Harrogate Tipple’s sense of competition.

“We entered our premium gin in the 2018 awards and won 85 points, this was before we had launched the Downtown Abbey range. We chose Downtown Abbey because it was mostly set in Ripley and Ripon and Jim Carter, who played Mr Carson, is actually from Harrogate. When I approached Downtown about the gin they were on board straightaway. Making it was a voyage of discovery. We took four or five months perfecting the rhubarb flavour.”

Harrogate Tipple’s prize winning gins

Over 70 countries take part each year in the ISWC which launched in 1969. It was founded by a German/British man called Anton Masse. He was an oenologist, which is someone who studies the science behind wine and wine-making.

Mr Green said:

“We were supposed to be in Vegas tonight to collect two more awards at the Licensing International Excellence Awards which is huge, but obviously we can’t be there. We will be going out tonight and getting drunk to celebrate!”

Read More:

Read More:

Read More:

Read More:

Read More:

Read More:

Read More:

Read More:

Read More: