Saint Michael’s offers big money lottery Superdraw

The Saint Michael’s community lottery is to double its jackpot as a way of thanking players for helping it raise £200,000 a year.

Established in 2000, money raised by the lottery helps the Harrogate hospice provide care and support to families affected by terminal illness and bereavement. 

To mark the lottery’s 20th year, Saint Michael’s has launched a Big Thank You Superdraw with a prize of £2,020. Its usual weekly jackpot is £1,000.

The superdraw will be held on November 4. Current lottery members will be automatically entered but newcomers are welcome to join.

Tina Hedges, deputy chief executive of Saint Michael’s said: 

“Regular and dependable income, such as the lottery, has never been more important, and in recent times has given us the ability to innovate and adapt to help our community throughout the pandemic.

“It is therefore apt that we offer our Big Thank You Superdraw during a year when we couldn’t be more grateful for the ongoing support of our community.”

Visit the charity’s website or call 01423 878628 to take part in the lottery.

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Stray drainage system robust, says contractor

The company that carried out drainage work on the Stray at West Park has said the new system is robust and conforms to industry requirements.

John Lowe, managing director of Green Hammerton company L Philliskirk and Sons, said the company used a controlled discharge system that removes water slowly — but does not leave it standing for days or weeks as has historically blighted the Stray.

The Stray Ferret reported yesterday the Stray at West Park was flooded after one night of rain, six months after Harrogate Borough Council spent £20,000 on a new drainage system for this area.

By early afternoon most of the water had indeed drained away. The main problem was large puddles on the adjoining path – with some forcing pedestrians off the footpath close to the Prince of Wales roundabout.

Mr Lowe said the hydrobrake system conformed with Yorkshire Water guidelines. He likened it to draining water through a straw, and said it could be frustratingly slow but was effective at preventing long-term flooding. He added:

“The system may not be as quick as everyone likes but it will drain the water.”

A spokesman for Harrogate Borough Council said the new drainage channels meant the water drained quicker than it did previously. He added:

“This area is one of the lowest points so the water will naturally make its way there. Over the coming hours and days this standing water will filter through to the drainage channels and subside. Rather than the weeks that it would have remained there previously.”

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When will Skipton Road traffic misery end?

They were supposed to have moved three weeks ago, but the four-way traffic lights on one of Harrogate’s busiest roads are still bringing daily misery to hundreds of motorists.

Northern Gas Networks began work replacing metal pipes with plastic pipes beneath Skipton Road on July 13.

The project has required two sets of traffic lights on Skipton Road, plus lights on the adjoining King’s Road and Woodfield Road.

On September 18, Chris Reed, site manager at NGN, apologised for any inconvenience caused by the delayed project and assured the Stray Ferret the four-way lights would be replaced by two-way lights the following day as the project moved further along Skipton Road.

But since then the four-way lights have remained.

Besides delaying motorists, the lights have blighted the lives of residents and business.

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Bilton Working Men’s Club on Skipton Road has filed a claim for loss of earnings against NGN.

The Stray Ferret asked NGN if it could finally say when the four-way lights would be removed.

But Richard White, the company’s business operations lead, was unable to give a date.

Mr White said NGN was now resurfacing the Skipton Road end of King’s Road. He added:

“This is a major, complex project, involving the removal of a number of ageing metal gas pipes some of which are 70 or 80-years-old.”

He said completion of the entire project “remains on schedule for the end of November”. But no date before then for the end of the four-way lights was given.

It’s goodbye Doncaster for Harrogate Town

Harrogate Town have played their final ‘home’ fixture at Doncaster Rovers’ Keepmoat Stadium.

Following promotion from the National League, Town were forced by the English Football League to remove its artificial 3G surface at Wetherby Road and replace it with grass.

This meant the team has been playing its home fixtures at Doncaster, 46 miles from Harrogate.

Harrogate Town chairman Irving Weaver’s housing company, Strata Homes, is also based in the South Yorkshire town.

The team signed off from the Keepmoat with an impressive 3-1 win against Leicester City’s under-23 side on Tuesday in the EFL Trophy.

Work on Town’s new pitch at the club’s EnviroVent Stadium is now nearly complete.

Playing at the Keepmoat seemed to be popular with Town’s players, with veteran striker Jon Stead tweeting yesterday:

“What a venue, unreal hospitality, and fantastic ground staff. Thank you Donny.”

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Town’s next fixture will be a hotly anticipated local derby against Bradford City at Valley Parade on Monday night. The game will be shown live on Sky Sports.

Simon Weaver’s men will play at Wetherby Road for the first time since July on October 17 when they face last season’s National League champions Barrow.

Meanwhile, a petition has now been signed by over 180,000 people urging the government to allow fans to safely return to football stadiums, amid reports that several EFL clubs face a precarious financial situation.

Initially in the summer, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said fans would be able to return to grounds from October 1. But rising coronavirus infection rates put this plan on hold indefinitely.

Stray floods despite £20,000 drainage scheme

The West Park area of the Stray was flooded this morning after the first night of heavy rain since Harrogate Borough Council spent £20,000 improving drainage.

Several large puddles covered the Stray this morning, the largest of which is at the corner of West Park and Otley Road.

The council announced in April it had awarded £130,000 to Glendale Services to restore the Stray after last year’s UCI Road World Championships caused widespread damage.

More than £20,000 of this was set aside to improve poor drainage, which caused regular flooding.

More puddles on the corner of Beech Grove and West Park.

Council leader Richard Cooper said the investment would “address the historic drainage issues at the corner of Otley Road and West Park” that had been “an issue and frustration to local residents for a number of years”.

But today’s evidence suggests the problem of flooding remains.

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A council spokesman said:

“Overnight, there was a significant amount of rainfall that has resulted in numerous areas in Harrogate and across the district experiencing standing water. West Park Stray being one of them. This standing water will filter through to the drainage channels in due course.”

Harrogate Borough Council reopened West Park Stray in August, more than 11 months after the UCI championships ended.

The council promised to fix the problem.

The Stray Defence Association said it believes the work did not fully repair the damage and said it remains “dangerous” – something the council disputes as “frankly ridiculous.”

West Park Stray: A year at a glance

Light a candle for lost babies, urges Harrogate charity

The Harrogate branch of the pregnancy crisis support charity Reflect is asking people to light candles next week to remember babies that died during pregnancy.

The candles will form a virtual wave of life during Baby Loss Awareness Week, which begins tomorrow.

The week raises awareness of pregnancy and baby death in the UK.

This year will focus on the isolation many people experience after pregnancy and baby loss – women, partners, other family members and friends, especially since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. 

To get involved, Reflect is asking people to light a candle at 7pm on October 15 and share a photo of it online, accompanied by the hashtag #WaveofLight.

Landmarks across the UK will light up blue and pink, and virtual services will be held as part of the week-long activities.

Tanya Allen, manager of Reflect Harrogate said: 

“We hope that Baby Loss Awareness Week will spark conversations about baby loss and give local bereaved parents and families an opportunity to talk about their precious babies.

“For some people Covid has meant that they have felt more isolated in their loss, and for others the slowdown has caused the past pain of loss to surface, which they may now need to process.”

Reflect manager, harrogate charity

Tanya Allen, manager of Reflect

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Reflect provides free and confidential support services for individuals and couples to help them cope with their bereavement. 

For further information about Baby Loss Awareness Week visit: www.babyloss-awareness.org

No plans to reopen Harrogate restaurant months after ‘temporary closure’

There appear to be no plans to reopen Las Iguanas in Harrogate, six months after the restaurant said it would close temporarily.

Las Iguanas, on John Street, remains closed with chairs stacked on tables. A notice in the window from staff still reads “we can’t wait to see you very soon”.

Big Table Group acquired Casual Dining Group in August and took on 150 of its restaurants trading as Las Iguanas, Bella Italia and Cafe Rouge.

But Las Iguanas in Harrogate was not included in the deal, which has left its future uncertain.

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The Stray Ferret asked Big Table Group whether the restaurant will reopen but a spokesperson said it would not comment on individual sites.

James Spragg, chief executive of The Big Table, said of the takeover in August:

“We inevitably emerge from this process as a leaner business, and one that is now equipped to navigate the challenges the industry faces, safeguarding thousands of jobs.”

Coach and Horses: date set for licence decision

The Coach and Horses could soon get a new landlord after Harrogate Borough Council set a date to decide on a new licence.

Samantha Nelson, the daughter of previous landlord John Nelson, applied to take over the pub at the start of last month.

Her application will be heard on October 29.

Harrogate Borough Council revoked the pub’s licence in July after council officers claimed Mr Nelson showed a “blatant disregard” for coronavirus social distancing rules.

The officers also said Mr Nelson was “aggressive and abusive” towards council officials and the police when they served him a prohibition notice on May 31.

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A total of 449 people signed a petition calling on the council to grant Samantha Nelson the licence to run the pub.

When the council’s licensing sub-committee revoked the licence, Mr Nelson’s lawyer Paddy Whur said his client “accepted he made a chronic error of judgement”.

The Stray Ferret has approached the Coach and Horses several times to inquire about its future. We had still not received a reply by the time of publication.

Teenager tackles Yorkshire Three Peaks as tribute to granny

A Harrogate teenager will attempt to complete the Yorkshire Three Peaks in December as a tribute to her grandmother, who died of sepsis.

Leah Gresty undertook the challenge, which will raise money for the UK Sepsis Trust, in honour of Elizabeth Simmonite, who died on September 29. 

Elizabeth was a former butcher and baker on Knaresborough Road, Harrogate.

Leah said:

“She always liked being with nature and going for walks, so it seemed quite fitting, and it’s something that she would have liked to do herself.” 

 

granny, leahgresty, elisabethsimmonite

Leah’s grandmother, Elizabeth, enjoying the outdoors

There are about 48,000 deaths from sepsis every year in the UK. 

Early diagnosis is crucial for improving survival rates. Leah, who has so far raised more than £500, hopes her challenge will spread the message.

The tough Three Peaks challenge involves climbing Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough in less than 12 hours – a particularly difficult feat in the darkness of winter.

You can donate here to Leah’s JustGiving fundraising page.

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How to spot Spesis:

Sepsis, also known as blood poisoning, is a life-threatening reaction to an infection. It happens when your immune system starts to damage your body’s own tissues and organs, causing organ failure and death if not treated quickly. 

www.nhs.uk advises you to call 999 or visit A&E if an adult or older child experiences any of these symptoms: 

 

Andrew Jones urges PM to give support package to conference sector

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones today urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to commit to a support package for the conference and exhibition industry.

Speaking at Prime Minster’s Questions, Jones said Johnson had recognised the difficulties facing the industry last month when he revealed ministers were working urgently on a support package for sports clubs that rely on paying spectators.

Jones said the the exhibition industry was “really important in Harrogate and Knaresborough”, adding:

“Could he tell the House when that package will be coming forward, and will it include the conference and exhibition industry?”

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Johnson said the conference and exhibition industry was worth about £90 billion to this country and of “massive importance” but did not commit to any firm support.

He added:

“It was a very difficult decision to take to pause conferences and exhibitions. We want to get them open as fast as possible.

“Of course, they have had a lot of support, as I indicated earlier—the £190 billion package is there to help businesses of all kinds—but the best way forward is to get the kind of testing systems that will enable not just conferences and businesses of that kind but all types and even theatres to reopen and get back to normality. That is what we are aiming for.”