Cedar Court hotel in Harrogate has reopened to key workers as they prepare to fully re-open to guests on July 4th.

From today (June 15th), guests are asked to bypass the traditional hotel reception and check-in themselves using a screen or an app. Electronic keys are available to download via guest’s mobile phone.

A one-way system has also been introduced inside the hotel to encourage social distancing and staff are now wearing face coverings and gloves.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret, Wayne Topley, Managing Director of Cedar Court Hotels, said around £25,000 has been spent on coronavirus safety measures to “create confidence for staff, guests and suppliers.”

He said:

“There will be far more visible cleaning.  How a hotel was cleaned and maintained used to be all part of the mystery and the housekeeping efforts were pretty much hidden from view; you will now see our Housekeepers with the confidence to be able to explain to our guests the efforts and procedures that they are undertaking to make their stay safe and Covid-Clean.”

Read more: 

• Harrogate hotel group leader warns of ‘carnage’ ahead
• Operator of St George Hotel in Harrogate goes into administration

Cedar Court was one of the first hotels in Harrogate to close on March 20th. The government is yet to formally announce the reopening of the sector but hotels in the district including Cedar Court and the White Hart expect to be allowed to welcome all guests from July 4th.

Mr Topley added: “We are extremely confident in our new procedures and we now look forward to welcoming guests back again who can stay and dine with us with complete peace of mind.”

The Harrogate Bus Company is selling colourful face masks in order to raise money for NHS Charities Together.

The bus operator is making it easier for people to get their hands on a face covering. Masks are being sold in the shop at Harrogate Bus Station for £2.50 with all proceedings going to NHS Charities Together.

As of today face coverings are compulsory when entering hospitals and travelling on public transport.  It’s part of the next stage in easing lockdown restrictions set out by the government.

Face coverings designed by The Harrogate Bus Company

Read more: 

• Bike thefts investigated at Harrogate Hospital 
• Queues outside as Harrogate shops reopen 

The Harrogate Bus Company’s CEO, Alex Hornby said:

“The latest Government guidance is a simple ‘ask’ of our customers, so everyone can travel with peace of mind. Our buses are clean, safe and ready to go, and we want everyone to travel in comfort and confidence.

The Harrogate Bus Company is also giving away free face coverings to key workers who have been riding buses to get to work during lockdown – to claim, email: keyworker@transdevbus.co.uk with either your bus pass number, or the email address registered to your mobile ticket account.

The Harrogate Bus Company’s Operations Director Vitto Pizzuti (front left) and CEO Alex Hornby (front right.)

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire County Council is reminding people to dispose of their face masks, gloves, wipes and tissues correctly. These items cannot be recycled and should be disposed of in general waste.

Harrogate town centre felt less like a ghost town this morning, as people returned for the first day of the shops re-opening after lockdown.

The biggest queues were outside Sports Direct, which is offering NHS workers a huge 50% discount from today.

The line to get into the store ran all the way from Sports Direct in the Victoria Shopping Centre, around the corner and down to WHSmith at the bottom of Cambridge Street.

One shopper told The Stray Ferret:

“We have been waiting for over an hour but we will see how it goes once we are inside… we are here to get some trainers.”

Another said:

“It’s just a case of queueing up and seeing what happens, I am here with my grandson to get him some birthday presents so I’m sure it will be worth the wait… We don’t have anywhere else to be.”

There are signs outside all the shops to remind people of 2m distancing and people are being told to hand sanitise on the way in and out of each shop.”

Both Harrogate Borough Council and the Harrogate BID group have organised town centre “ambassadors” as they work to allay shoppers’ fears and welcome them back to the district’s town centres.

The council says its ambassadors will be on hand to help welcome people and offer information and advice to shoppers where they can.

The council has organised a toolkit with advice and materials to help businesses across the district open, including a checklist of the measurements required both in and outside shops. It’s also distributed printable posters and directional signs to help shops manage the flow of customers.

Harrogate BID has also organised town centre “hosts”  and distributed leaflets and posters. The hosts will be tasked with giving shoppers peace of mind as lockdown is eased by welcoming them, giving out information and noting hotspots that need to be cleaned.

It’s not clear if both sets of ambassadors will be working in the town centre at the same time.

One of Harrogate BID’s posters for the town centre

Read More:

• See our list of what shops are opening today
• Can Harrogate compete with Leeds?

The council says public toilets in the busiest areas will be opened and parking charges have been re-introduced.

Councillor Graham Swift, deputy council leader and cabinet member for economic development, said:

“Monday will be an exciting and anxious day for everyone as we all learn to adapt to a new normal.

“Many of our retail businesses are pulling out all the stops to be ready to open safely and we are doing everything we can to support their efforts.

“Our package of measures are designed to support retailers and their customers to get back to trading and shopping as soon as possible and operate in a safe way to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

“We know we are at the start of a long road, but we are committed to working with businesses to progress the district’s economic recovery in the months ahead.”

Charity shops across the Harrogate district will not be reopening today. This comes as non-essential retail shops prepare to reopen on Monday.

National charities such as Age UK, Barnardos and Oxfam as well as local charities including Martin House and St Michaels, are amongst many who are taking a staggered approach to re-opening.

Yorkshire charity Martin House, who provide care for children and young people with life limiting conditions, is not planning on reopening their Knaresborough and Harrogate shops until July and has suspended all volunteering activities since the beginning of lockdown.

Read more:

• Find out which shops across the district are reopening next week 
• Knaresborough market sees stall numbers double 

Stephanie Rimmington, head of retail at Martin House said:

“We are currently working on plans to reopen our shops at the start of July. We are carrying out deep cleaning and installing safety screens and signing to help keep staff and customers safe, and will be limiting the number of people allowed into the shop at a time. Our top priority is the safety of staff, volunteers and customers at all times.”

Many charity shops are unable to open because they’re small which makes social distancing difficult. In addition, all donations made to charity shops have to be quarantined for 72 hours before being put on the shop floor.

Saint Michaels Hospice – Crimple House

Similarly, St Michaels Hospice has confirmed  it plans to reopen its shops from July and is taking precautionary measures around hygiene and social distancing. The charity has encouraged the public to keep clothing donations at home for the time being.

Two further patients, who tested positive for coronavirus, have died bringing the total number of deaths at the hospital to 75.

A 125 patients have been discharged by the hospital.

A further 27 people, who tested positive for the coronavirus have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 27,954.

Read More: 

• Column: Part privatisation is likely to make leisure services more expensive
• “Outrageous” series of bike thefts at Harrogate District Hospital

Patients were aged between 50 and 101 years old. Two patients had no known underlying health conditions.

Approximately 60 cyclists joined a rally organised by the climate change activist group, Extinction Rebellion, in Harrogate this morning calling for safer streets for walkers and cyclists.

Two community police officers looked on as the group set off from Library Gardens and circled around the centre of Harrogate.  The rally spread out and kept in groups of 6 from a household- the mood was friendly and upbeat.

Organiser Vicky Wild said lockdown had seen a big increase in people using and buying bicycles but the worry was as life returns to normal, it won’t be safe to use them:

“Now is the time to hold this rally and call for safer streets for cyclists and walkers. Let’s not go back to to normal in every way. Today we’ve been joined by ordinary people – in this group there’s a doctor, a teacher, a shopkeeper- families and people of all ages. Everyone feels strongly about it.”

The start of the rally on Victoria Park Avenue

Read More:

• The agony of getting a single cycle route built in Harrogate
• Highways chief defends cycling progress

Carl and Jo Summerscales and their 3 children, Eva, Will and Teddy joined the rally. Dad Carl said the roads, and in particular, the school run roads, need to be safer.:

“I think the people in charge are putting their heads in the sand — they seem to want to stop cycling rather than put cycle paths in, especially as there is now extra money for this.  I think for children cycling to school it’s just so dangerous.”

Mum Jo added:

“Will in particular cycles two miles to school and we’ve worked really hard to find a safe route at peak time- it’s worrying there’s so much traffic”

Above: The Summerscales family, Carl, Jo, Eva, Will and Teddy

Extinction Rebellion flags were set out by organisers

Ripon Cathedral will open its doors to the public tomorrow for the first time since lockdown began.

Having been closed for more than 10 weeks under coronavirus legislation, the cathedral is among just a few places of worship in the Harrogate district which have decided to open for private prayer.

Government guidance has changed to allow places of worship to open for individuals. Nationally, leaders of different denominations have all issued advice, with each individual church to make its own decision over whether it is safe to open.

In the Harrogate district, Ripon Cathedral is one of those set to welcome people for prayer. Dean John Dobson said:

Read more:

• Knaresborough Food Bank reopens to support community
• Urgent appeal by counselling charity to support mental health after lockdown

St Peter’s Church in the centre of Harrogate will be open daily, except Sundays, from Monday, June 22. The church supports homeless and vulnerable individuals and families routinely, and this service has not stopped while the church building was closed to visitors. The vicar, Rev Alan Garrow said:

“We want to be open. We have been in a curious situation because we have been active all the time, with 2,500 takeaway hot meals served since lockdown.

“We will only be open for prayer between 12pm and 2pm because the food service takes a chunk out of our day.”

While many of the district’s church leaders will keep their buildings closed until they feel it is safe to open, they are continuing to make good use of technology to deliver online services. The Nidd Valley Methodist Circuit in Harrogate has also opened a dial-a-thought phone line, which people can ring to hear a message each morning if they are unable to access the churches’ online morning prayer.

Harrogate charity Open Country, which works with people with disabilities, has been innovating to find ways to bring wildlife activities into its members’ homes.

The charity normally runs weekly activities for people with a disability including tandem cycling, walking and nature study. Several of its activities require guidance and close contact, specifically to members with visual impairments. But over lockdown these were suspended to protect members.

Telephone befriending, virtual spinning sessions and blogs about nature are a few of the ways the charity is supporting its members as restrictions remain in place.

The ONS reported that more than a third of disabled adults had spent too much time alone since lockdown began, compared with a fifth of non-disabled adults.

Lizzie Hughes, the countryside activities officer for Open Country, told The Stray Ferret about the impact of lockdown on their members:

“For people with a disability it is an even bigger struggle, it’s not just the initial 12 weeks it will be difficult for them in the coming weeks too. Until we can resume in a safe way we have no confirmed date to return. The severity of the situation means some members may be able to return earlier but we want to be as inclusive as we can.

“We know it won’t return back to normal instantly, it will take time for us to adjust and offer the same service again.”

Open country members have previously enjoyed group activities, but now the charity has to find new ways to offer support to its members.

Read more:

• Harrogate Borough Council are offering discretionary grants for smaller businesses in the district, this includes charities. 
• The Nidderdale llamas are offering birthday messages and virtual treks over lockdown. 

Nature has a positive impact on the charity’s members but under lockdown their opportunities to go outside are limited. To combat this Open Country has introduced a new initiative ‘Breakfree’ – a collection of local walks suitable for all abilities round Harrogate, Nidderdale and Wharfedale.

Lizzie added:

“The Breakfree packs were developed with wheelchair users and those with limited mobility in mind. But they’ve been perfect for families and local people who have been limited to an hour’s exercise per day around their local area. The packs are free to download and will help you discover footpaths on your doorstep.”

Todays figures mean 73 patients who tested positive for covid-19 at Harrogate District Hospital have died- with 125 discharged.

A further 67 people in England, who tested positive for the coronavirus have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 27,927.

Read More:

• Series of “outrageous” bike thefts at Harrogate Hospital
• Harrogate Scrubbers get donation for second phase 

Patients were aged between 37 and 102 years old. Three patients, aged between 59 and 94, had no known underlying health conditions.