Trade associations in Harrogate have given mixed reactions to parking restrictions put in place in the town to enable social distancing.

Harrogate Business Improvement District welcomed the measures but said it was important that clear signage was put in place to indicate where people can park, while Independent Harrogate called on the county council to rethink the measures.

North Yorkshire County Council has put the restrictions in place on James Street, Commercial Street and parts of Albert Street in Harrogate and elsewhere in the district.

Sara Ferguson, acting chairman of the Harrogate BID, said the town still needed to welcome people coming in cars despite the restrictions.

She said: “Whilst we welcome the measures put in place to assist social distancing in Harrogate town centre, it’s imperative that there is clear signage indicating where there is parking.

“As shops start to reopen from June 1, the last thing we want is returning customers being put off coming to Harrogate due to inadequate parking spaces in and around the town centre.

“Because people will understandably be cautious about travelling by public transport, we need to take this into account and not punish car users, but welcome them.

“There needs to clear signage on the main approaches into the town as well as within it, plus information on both North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Councils as to which streets and carparks are open. We will gladly carry this information on our website too, and promote it regularly via our social media channels.”

Meanwhile, Independent Harrogate said that it was disappointed that the restrictions had been put in place and called for a rethink on the measures.

A spokesperson said: “Independent Harrogate feels we should be encouraging visitors to the town, not discouraging them if businesses are to survive. We are all working hard behind closed doors implementing procedures that will keep our customers safe, ready for when the government allow restrictions to be relaxed.

“Harrogate needs to send out a message that we are open for business and will be pleased to welcome you.

“We feel the new restrictions could be dangerous for pedestrians too! For example, the parking bays on James Street and Albert Street are ipso facto – a pavement. These areas are full of pot holes and Appy Parking road-pods, which may be extremely hazardous for disabled and partially sighted visitors and customers.

“We would urge NYCC to think again about their recent parking restrictions and work with us, together we can work out how to encourage visitor and customers back into the town centre and not discourage them.”

After the first four weeks of lockdown, The Stray Ferret reported on the activity of our two MPs and what role they were playing in tackling coronavirus. We had struggled to establish exactly what they’d been doing.

It’s now eight weeks since lockdown, the country has faced its biggest ever public health emergency, and we have asked them to tell us more about their activity during this time. Again, we did not receive an answer, so here is what we know based on information publicly available.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

In Harrogate- here is what we found on Mr Jones:

• He posted one news story on his website in the last four weeks. It urged businesses to plan for when lockdown eases.
• Mr Jones tweeted three times in the last four weeks. None informed his followers of what work he was doing in Harrogate.
• He has no Facebook page to update his constituents on his community work.
• He chaired the first virtual meeting of the European Statutory Instruments Committee on April 21 and chaired another meeting on May 5.
• Last week, he said publicly that people should not get complacent because lockdown is being eased.
• Mr Jones offered to deliver leaflets and food on behalf of the Harrogate Easier Living Project. The charity confirmed that he did that last week.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Ripon- here is what we found on Mr Smith:

• Mr Smith has posted no news stories on his personal website about his work during lockdown. His last post was in January.
• He does include links to government guidance as part of an advice section on his site.
• On Twitter, two of his 62 tweets since April 20 have been about his constituency – one about Ripon barracks and another on a hardship fund for farmers from the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
• Mr Smith posted five times on his Facebook page in the past four weeks to promote the government’s coronavirus bounce back loans. The others were the same Ripon and DEFRA related posts that he made on Twitter.
• He asked a question at Prime Ministers Questions on May 13 where he called on the government to bring an end to rough sleeping in the UK.
• Mr Smith has held telephone surgeries for his constituents throughout lockdown.

What would you like your MP to being focusing on as we ease out of lockdown? Here’s what a number of people from both constituencies asked.  Have you been in touch with your MP? Have they been helpful? Get in touch with us and tell us how.

The Stray Ferret asked people in both Harrogate and Ripon constituencies what questions they had for their local MPs.

In Harrogate, the questions centred on how the town centre is going to bounce back after restrictions are lifted and what support is going to be in place for both people and businesses.

Here is what people in the town had to ask Andrew Jones MP.

Phil Argent, CEO of Tenancy Stream, said:                                          “Businesses are going to have to try and start again and are not going to have the footfall that they once did. How exactly is Harrogate going to bounce back from lockdown?”

Jan Bathurst, team leader at Harrogate District Food Bank, said:               “Once lockdown is lifted, what support is going to be in place for vulnerable people both in terms of financially and food?”

Kimberley Wilson, owner of The Camberley Hotel and chair of Accommodation Harrogate, said: “I would like to know when we are going to have the Harrogate Convention Centre back and what is going to happen with events going forward?

In Ripon, the questions hit a different tone. There was an anxiety over how vulnerable people will cope and what the government is going to do to address rural poverty which some fear will be worse after lockdown.

This is what the people of Ripon wanted to ask Mr Smith:

Dave Robinson, chair of Henry Jenkins Community Pub Ltd: “The coronavirus crisis has served to emphasise the need for rural communities to come together and make best use of their facilities for local residents. As previously indicated by you, once the crisis is over, can we count on your support in our campaign to save the historic Henry Jenkins Inn in Kirkby Malzeard, reestablishing the Asset of Community Value over the whole site and protecting its status as a community amenity for the three villages in our expanding parish?”

Phil Marley, owner of Marley’s Butchers, Ripon: “The worrying scale of rural poverty in Ripon and surrounding areas, has become even clearer with the coronavirus crisis. We are doing our bit as a business to help families and individuals in dire need, but people cannot rely on charity forever. As I see it, the financial situation can only get worse, particularly as unemployment is likely to rise when small businesses go bust because of the money they have lost. What do you think the government can do to assist places like Ripon in keeping businesses open and helping the poorest in our society?”

Alison Hope, No 12 Greengrocers, Masham:                                                  “Local farmers are working around the clock in the crucial role of keeping us all fed. Many are working in difficult circumstances, with concerns for their future. What have you been doing to support our local farming community during the crisis?”

All of these questions were submitted to Andrew Jones and Julian Smith at the end of last week. We are still waiting to hear back from both MPs.

Firefighters from Harrogate’s White Watch have cooked more than 50 Sunday roasts for local people. Bruce Reid, the watch manager, told The Stray Ferret that he decided to get cooking when he realised he’d be working both this Sunday and next Sunday.

Bruce said he arrived for work early this morning with an idea of how many meals he could cook but it snowballed..

“I got into work at 8am this morning with an idea that I’d cook around 28 meals but then the whole thing grew and by the time we’d finished we had produced 52. I’d like to thank Susie Little from Covid-Cooperation Harrogate for getting in touch and offering to help with deliveries – we’d have been pulling our hair out without her help”

From the left: Andrew Spence, Dave Spenceley, Mat Clough, Val Granger and Bruce Reid

Lunch was the full monty — roast beef, yorkshire puds, roast potatoes, carrots, broccoli, parsnips and cabbage. The lunches were donated to people in need who fitted a set criteria- either medically or financially.

Bookers donated one joint of beef – the rest was paid for my Mr Reid himself.

For the fourth consecutive day, there have been no new confirmed coronavirus deaths at Harrogate District Hospital.

The total number of deaths at the hospital remains 54.  54 is also the number of covid-19 related deaths in care homes in the district.  Those statistics, released this week, covered the period up to May 1.

A further 90 people, who tested positive for the coronavirus in England have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals to 24,617- although NHS England said that The Covid Patient Notification System did not operate for a period of time yesterday which might have affected todays figures.

This week, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust confirmed it had discharged 97 people after treatment for coronavirus, since the start of the outbreak.

For most people, coping with lockdown and the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic can be challenging. It can be so much worse for people who already struggle with their mental health. 

The Harrogate branch of Mind has been offering its support for the last eight weeks. 

Development manager Helen Greensit, one of a team of three making regular phone calls to check in on people, said the initial challenge was the change in routine. 

“It’s the change, in the fact that they can’t do what they would normally do. And it’s the worry about, ‘can I go and get my shopping?’. Especially for people who are vulnerable and have underlying health conditions – many of them are staying indoors anyway. For others, it has messed with that routine. 

“A little group of them used to go to the pictures every now and again. All that is disrupted. For those who have got a daily routine going, they suddenly can’t do that.” 

The small team at Mind began by calling people to check in, offering to call back once a fortnight or week, or even several times a week if it was needed. Some said they were fine without a regular call – but the team called back after a few weeks, and some said at that point that they would benefit from a regular chat. 

Working together

Through the conversations, Helen and her colleagues also identified people in need of additional help. They liaised with the Resurrected Bites food waste project to arrange deliveries for people who were struggling to get food, as well as speaking to GPs and pharmacies to ensure essential medicine and healthcare were available. 

It is not just people who were already known to Mind who have benefited from its support – a growing number of new contacts are being made and added to the list of calls. Helen is keen to reach even more and welcomes anyone who gets in touch.

A loss of routine made the first few weeks of lockdown hard for many people

In a two-week period, there are more than 170 calls being made to people in the community to check in, have a chat and schedule the next call. As well as supporting vulnerable people, Helen and her colleagues are finding benefits for themselves in the conversations. She said: 

“We’ve opened it up to the community. We’ve said, ‘it’s a community service, if you are feeling lonely and isolated, even if it’s just a weekly chat you want about your pet rabbit, if that’s what you want, that’s fine’.

“A lot of my friends think ‘lucky you, going to work’. I do feel happy I’ve got a purpose and I can come into work and I can do something valuable that’s going to be helpful.” 

Alongside their calls, the team at Mind are now looking towards the next steps, when lockdown eases. The Acorn Centre on Station Parade usually hosts up to 30 people at a time, with some doing crafts and activities, others chatting informally over a coffee, or getting help from the staff and volunteers. 

Planning ahead

Helen said that, in line with government guidance, it may be possible in the coming weeks to re-open to smaller numbers. The phone support is likely to continue for those who are still isolating at home, and to provide additional support for people who can’t be accommodated as often as usual at the centre. 

Having started in her role just weeks before lockdown began, Helen said she has found it challenging – but has enjoyed feeling she was making a difference to people’s well-being. 

“It has always been about the people for me. Supporting and helping people is what drives me. 

“I wouldn’t have imagined it would be quite as strange times as this. It hasn’t really allowed me to get to grips with things in the way we would have done.

“It’s really nice to hear a voice on the end of the phone and think, ‘they sound like they’re doing OK’.”

If you are struggling with your mental health and need someone to talk, you get in touch with Mind on 01423 503335. Their telephone support service is available between 8.30am – 5pm every weekday. For information click here. 

Parking restrictions have been introduced across the Harrogate district, with signs suggesting they could be applied for more than four months.

James Street, Commercial Street and parts of Albert Street in Harrogate town centre have been roped off, along with parking bays on Knaresborough High Street. Pateley Bridge’s High Street and Ripon’s High Skellgate and Westgate have been reduced in width to a single lane.

North Yorkshire County Council’s signs say the restrictions are designed to enable social distancing and are in place until the end of September. However, the authority confirmed on Twitter the parking bays will be closed this weekend, with monitoring in place to determine how effective the measures are.

While shops, cafes, bars and restaurants are not currently allowed to open, the government has said the restrictions could be eased in the coming weeks. NYCC has not confirmed whether the weekend’s restrictions will be extended, though the signs suggest they could be in place until the end of September.

The notices on James Street suggest restrictions could be in place until the end of September

Richard Flinton, chief executive of NYCC, said in a message to residents:

“We are doing our best to limit crowds in those places where lack of space is particularly concerning such as Whitby, Filey, Scarborough and Harrogate.

“We are closing a number of streets, shutting certain car parks and suspending parking in a number of areas. We will also have highways crews looking out for any issues of concern over the weekend and ready to take the action open to us, to respond.”

If restrictions on town centre parking remain in place after shops are allowed to re-open, they are likely to cause concern for businesses already affected by declining footfall before lockdown began. Independent Harrogate, which represents small businesses in the town, has been campaigning for free parking to encourage more shoppers to visit and bolster the local economy.

Environmental campaigners argue the quiet roads and increase in cycling and walking over recent weeks should be part of the Harrogate district’s plans for the future. Zero Carbon Harrogate has said now is the ideal time to improve infrastructure for low-carbon transport and encourage people to choose options other than cars.

More visitors were seen in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens today

Visitor attractions

Fears had been raised that, over the first weekend since changes to lockdown advice from the government, crowds could descend on town centres and attractions, making it very difficult for people to keep their distance.

Harrogate’s Valley Gardens today appeared much busier than it has been over recent weeks, with no parking restrictions nearby. Organisations including Yorkshire Water and the Yorkshire Dales National Park issued advice against travelling to potentially busy places.

Mr Flinton added:

“We hope this is reassuring, but you all have a part to play in this, too. Of course, enjoy the outdoors; there is no finer place than our county in my, perhaps biased, view.

“But, please, access open countryside rather than paths, narrow lanes or town and village centres. If you can do so close to your home all the better, and be prepared to change your mind if where you are heading looks busy. Protect yourselves and your family by avoiding crowds and encourage anyone you know who is thinking of coming – to wait until we can offer them a real North Yorkshire welcome in the future.”

What are your experiences of the new restrictions and social distancing across the Harrogate district this weekend? Email us with your views.

Bride to be, but when?

Julie Yeoman, was meant to be walking down the aisle today to marry her fiance, Troy Scott. However, due to coronavirus, they are left in a ‘waiting game’, with no real certainty of when the ceremony will be.

Julie and Troy who live in Harrogate were due to get married at St John’s Church in Bilton today, then on to the reception which was to be at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate.

However, with all weddings put on hold because of the ban on gatherings of more than two people to stop the disease spreading, their big day can not go ahead.

Julie told The Stray Ferret that it has been one long waiting game:

“We spent a lot of time waiting to see what would happen as if we cancelled ourselves we would have to pay… Once the church and venue cancelled, we postponed it to February next year, but we have since found out that our marriage licence runs out at the end of June this year.”

North Yorkshire County Council will be able to carry out what it calls its biggest ever programme of highway maintenance with an extra £3.9 million in government funding.

In total, the Department for Transport has awarded the county £52.6 million to improve roads, pathways, cycle routes and to carry out infrastructure projects.

When the lockdown is lifted fully the council believes it will be in the best possible position to help people get back to work.

The council has drawn up more than 500 individual schemes across North Yorkshire with patching, surface dressing and resurfacing on the agenda.

Some of the locations include Gristhorpe Bypass, Filey, Leeds Road in Harrogate and several locations in Richmond.

Councillor Don Mackenzie, the Executive Member for Access, said:

“We welcome this additional funding from the Government, the second largest amount in Yorkshire as a whole. As England’s largest county, there are thousands of miles of footpaths and highways for us to maintain and this will allow for significant investment in our infrastructure.”

All the works will be undertaken while observing the Government’s social distancing measures aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19.

Earlier this week, the Government announced a £250 million emergency active travel fund as the first stage of a £2 billion investment.

The money will make improvements for cycling and walking such as wider pavements, safer junctions, and cycle and bus-only corridors.

Full details of how much will be allocated to each local authority are yet to be revealed, but councillor Mackenzie said: “We are already working on proposals with regard to this funding and hope to have more information in the near future.”