Harrogate Railway will offer one year of free football training to under 5s and under 6s, to try and spur on the next generation of footballers in Harrogate.
Richard Foster, youth development officer at Harrogate Railway, told the Stray Ferret that there’s been “no better time” to be involved in youth football in the town, thanks to the recent promotions of Harrogate Town and Leeds United.
At one stage in the 2000s, Harrogate Railway were synonymous with football in Harrogate, especially after their FA Cup second round tie against Bristol City, which was watched by 3,500 supporters and shown live on the BBC. However, the club, which is based in Starbeck, has struggled in recent years and in 2019 were relegated to the eighth tier of English of football.
Richard Foster, youth development officer at Harrogate Railway.
Richard said Railway is putting their hopes into youth football to try and inspire local youngsters and potentially provide new players for their first team.
He said with many children forced to stay indoors during lockdown for months, it’s meant they’ve been more used to playing FIFA 20 on an X-Box than kicking a ball around with friends, but he said some age groups at Railway have now started to return to regular football.
He said:
“We have seen some regression both socially and psychologically from players, this accounts for 50% of the player’s abilities so we have had to work hard to build these key areas back up.
“These issues are due to the lockdown, excessive playing of videos games, and a lack of a structured educational setting. This has hampered some age groups return, with some players and parents still not wanting to return, but on the whole, we are in a healthy position.”
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Grassroots football in England has declined sharply in recent years, with the FA reporting thousands of clubs folding over the past decade.
Richard said the club wants to offer a clear pathway from grassroots through to the first-team to give their young players something to aspire to. The club will also offer financial support to adults looking to get their UEFA coaching licenses.
Details of the free coaching programme will be announced over the next week weeks.
Richard added:
“This past six or seven months have been hard for the entire community and as a club we are here to support and serve them. The club has been here 85 years and is still going strong.”
Questions surround future of Harrogate’s Jaeger store
Questions surround the future of Harrogate’s Jaeger store after it has remained closed after lockdown restrictions were eased.
While other retailers have implemented social distancing measures and reopened, Jaeger has yet to let any customers back into its Cambridge Crescent outlet.
The Stray Ferret contacted Jaeger to ask if it intended to reopen and if any date was set for the return of shoppers, but did not receive a response.
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Prior to the pandemic, Jaeger’s parent company, Edinburgh Woolen Mill Group, narrowed its losses at the clothing outlet to £1.1 million and expanded its stores in 2019.
EWM Group added seven further stores and four concession outlets to its portfolio.
The upmarket retailer fell into administration and was acquired by EWM Group in 2017. The year before, the retailer recorded losses of £7.1 million.
Harrogate Neighbours praised for covid responseHarrogate Neighbours, which cares for the vulnerable, has maintained its ‘Customer Service Excellence’ accreditation and been praised for its response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Harrogate Neighbours was formed by town residents about 50 years ago. The non-profit group provides accommodation for the elderly, supports private homes and delivers meals to the community.
It is responsible for Heath Lodge on Pannal Ash Road and the Cuttings on Station View.
An external body assessed Harrogate Neighbours in its customer insight, culture, information and access, delivery, timeliness and quality of service.
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The housing association maintained its accreditation and was praised in its response to the coronavirus pandemic. It is one of the only care groups in the area to have reported no coronavirus cases.
Commenting on the certification, Sue Cawthray, CEO at Harrogate Neighbours, said:
“I am so proud of the hard work and dedication shown by everyone at Harrogate Neighbours – particularly in the face of the worst pandemic we have ever had to deal with.”
The ‘Customer Service Excellence’ standard was introduced by the Cabinet Office in 2008. It welcomes all types of organisation and encourages a focus on customer needs.
Harrogate district gets £2m discount with Eat Out to Help OutDiners in the Harrogate district who took part in the Eat Out to Help Out scheme got a discount of more than £1.9 million in August.
New figures out today from HM Treasury also revealed that people in the Harrogate and Knaresborough and Skipton and Ripon constituencies ate 314,000 meals in the scheme.
The scheme was designed to help the struggling hospitality sector get back on its feet. The Stray Ferret reported that many cafes and restaurants saw a big spike in interest last month.
Some restaurants were fully booked and were forced to turn some diners away who were trying to take advantage of the Eat Out to Help Out discount.
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- Harrogate restaurants fully booked for final week of government scheme
- Discount scheme extended in district restaurants
- ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ fills restaurants across the Harrogate district
In Harrogate and Knaresborough 153 restaurants signed up compared with 205 restaurants in Skipton and Ripon.
Some restaurants across the Harrogate district have seen such a boost that they have extended the discount without any government backing to fund it.
Lydia Hewitt-Craft, supervisor at So! Bar and eats Harrogate, said:
“It’s been massively helpful and it’s a relief because it was hard at the start when everyone was worried about coming out but this has been great for us.”
Nertil Xhallo, manager at Sarando on Station Bridge, said:
“It has been really busy, we’ve had a lot of bookings. Most people have returned which is good. The offer has been helpful for the business.”
Sara Ferguson, acting chair of Harrogate BID and owner of two Harrogate restaurants, said:
District’s house building sites hotspots for burglaries“I think it’s been a massive help, everyone I have spoken to says it’s been worth doing. I think with the uncertainty going forward its given all those places a boost.”
North Yorkshire Police is urging for vigilance following an increase in burglaries on new home development sites across the district.
During the past 24 hours, two incidents have been reported. One at a new site one in Langthorpe, near Boroughbridge, and the second in Penny Pot Gardens in Harrogate.
Boilers are the main item to be stolen. The perpetrators are cutting the gas and water pipes before removing the boilers, meaning some of the homes are left flooded.
Other targeted locations in the district include Knaresborough and Ripon. Furnishings valued at £70,000 were stolen from two show houses at a site in Knaresborough. In Ripon, a dumper truck was stolen from a site in the nearby village of Markington.
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- A police operation to combat drink driving in the district encouraged over 20 arrests on local roads in one weekend.
- A routine traffic stop in Pannal resulted in three arrests connected to modern slavery.
The police are asking local residents to keep an eye out and report any suspicious activity.
It has also asked if any CCTV overlooking any of the targeted sites is checked for activity such as large vans driving around the sites.
Information can be reported using the 101 number, dial 1 and pass the information onto the Force Control Room.
WATCH: Do you want to see district councils scrapped?
A devolution deal is yet to be agreed but how do you want the future of North Yorkshire to look?
Harrogate people have mixed feelings on the subject of devolution and whether the district council should be scrapped.
The seven district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council, want to see two councils for North Yorkshire: one for the east of the county and one for the west.
But North Yorkshire County Council would prefer a single unitary authority.
We canvassed views in Harrogate yesterday.
Devolution split opinions for people in Harrogate yesterday.
Extra buses will be provided by North Yorkshire County Council next week to reduce the risk of coronavirus among pupils using public transport go back to school.
The local authority has also introduced additional bus safety measures, such as asking pupils aged over 11 to wear face coverings.
Most buses will operate according to their usual timetable. But some additional journeys will take place on public service routes from next week to minimise contact among passengers as the number of pupils and commuters increases.
In Harrogate, the following additional services will be in place from September 7:
- Service 36 Leeds – Harrogate – Ripon: Extra journeys between Leeds and Harrogate will occur during morning rush hour to accommodate additional commuters and students.
- Service 1 Harrogate – Knaresborough. An additional journey has been added to this service from Harrogate to King James’ School, which is reserved for pupils only. It will depart from Harrogate at 7.56am and return from King James’ School at 3.25pm.
- Service 24 Pateley Bridge – Harrogate. A new timetable and journey to Nidderdale High School has been added. An additional bus, 24S, is reserved for school and college students. It will depart Pateley Bridge at 7.20am to Harrogate and continue to St Aidan’s and St John Fisher schools. A journey from St John Fisher and St Aidan’s schools to Pateley Bridge will return in the afternoon.
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- Schools across the district are set to reopen next week, staggered finish times and year group separation are some of the safety measures being imposed.
- Parents in the district have said they are “delighted” to have their children’s education resume next week.
Different safety measures will apply on school buses to those on public transport.
Social distancing is not required on school buses on the grounds that the vehicles will carry the same group of children regularly and no members of the public travel with them.
But school bus users will be asked to avoid unnecessary contact with other pupils by, for example, trying to sit in the same seat with the same group of pupils every day. Pupils aged over 11 are also encouraged to wear face coverings.
Cllr Patrick Mulligan, executive member for education at NYCC, said:
Harrogate’s Crown Hotel under new management“We would like to reassure parents and pupils that everything possible is being done to enable children to return to school and education as swiftly as possible, as well as minimise the risk of spreading the virus. The instructions for travelling on school buses and straight forward and largely the same as if you were visiting a shop or other public place.
“We expect that things will soon feel second nature to pupils and they can settle back into their school routine quickly.”
The Crown Hotel in Harrogate has had its operations taken over by a new management company.
RBH has added the historic building to its portfolio of 45 other hotels in the UK.
The Crown is one of the oldest hotels in Harrogate, dating back over 300 years. It has 114 bedrooms and seven conference rooms.
The hospitality sector was hit hard during lockdown, with hotels having to remain closed. But London-based RBH is optimistic booking levels will resume now that lockdown restrictions have eased.
Andrew Robb, RBH’s chief business development officer, said it was “an exciting new chapter for this unique venue”, which is owned by Singapore-based developer the Fragrance Group.
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- The Ripon Spa Hotel has now closed after failing to find a new buyer.
- A top Harrogate hotelier has said he hops the cut in VAT for hospitality will be a boost for the sector.
Mr Robb added:
‘Someone is getting sacked!’ jokes over county council poster error“Our ethos is very much based on developing and nurturing our people, and this will be extended to The Crown as we look to maximise the potential of the team and in turn offer an outstanding experience to guests.
The covid pandemic has resulted in an exceptionally challenging time for the hospitality sector, however RBH has emerged from lockdown in a strong position and we are eager to help guide The Crown through this period and on to continued success.”
Harrogate residents have joked that “someone is getting sacked” for a printer error in a new bus shelter advertising campaign.
North Yorkshire County Council has put up posters encouraging people in Harrogate to run, bike and walk to work but there’s a small problem.
The poster has four symbols and while the ‘walk it’ and ‘love it’ match up there has been a mix up with the ‘bike it’ and ‘run it’ lines.
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Some eagle-eyed residents noticed the mistake and took it to a Harrogate community Facebook page to poke fun at the council.
Rachel Webster snapped a picture on Knaresborough Road and shared a post which said: “When you see it…Bravo North Yorkshire County Council, bravo.”
Others commented that it “took a while to see the mistake,” that “someone was getting sacked” and that the proof reader “had one job”.
The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire County Council how many of these posters it had printed, how much it cost and what they plan to do now. The council did not respond to those questions but said it was happy for the publicity.
Fiona Ancell, Road Safety Team Leader, said:
“While we can see there is a mistake in their poster, the messages are still clear and we are glad for the extra publicity the posters are receiving.”
Open Harrogate is a North Yorkshire County Council project aimed at encouraging people to use more environmentally-friendly ways of travelling.
Harrogate police treatment centre reopensThe police treatment centre in Harrogate will reopen on Monday.
The centre, which provides physiotherapy and psychological rehabilitation services for police officers, has been closed since March due to coronavirus.
The St Andrews treatment facility in Harrogate, previously known as the Northern Police Convalescent Home, has operated on the same site on Harlow Moor Road since 1903.
It is one of two sites run by the Police Treatment Centres charity. The other is located in Perthshire.
The charity supports the recovery of both serving and retired police officers. Its patients primarily serve in the forces of northern England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The organisation is funded by a voluntary levy of £1.80 a week by police officers.
It will restart its psychological wellbeing programme next week. Physiotherapy services will also recommence but at reduced capacity.
A new wing, scheduled to open in spring 2021, will offer 20 new beds and space for group activities.
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The Stray Ferret recently reported that assaults on police officers and police staff in North Yorkshire rose by almost 60% during lockdown.
In 2019, the charity supported 215 officers from North Yorkshire.