Harrogate District Hospital has been overwhelmed by the rapid response to its call for volunteers to help during the coronavirus pandemic.

On Saturday, the trust that runs the hospital said it urgently needed volunteers after some of its staff had been forced to stand down from their roles.

The volunteers will largely be assisting in administrative and manual handling roles but it’s unclear how long they will be needed for.

Today a spokesperson for the hospital thanked people for sharing their original appeal.

“An overwhelming response. Thank you, Harrogate. We have what we think we need currently so no need to share further. Again, thank you.”

A family from Harrogate have ‘made the decision’ to live apart for 12 weeks. Leah Coates is a care worker and her husband Mark is in the ‘extremely vulnerable’ group after having a Kidney transplant 20 years ago. Leah told The Stray Ferret that ‘it is a very upsetting time, especially for our three year old son, but as a carer I need to be there for my patients too.’

Police in the Harrogate district have insisted that they will enforce the coronavirus lockdown with fines up to £1,000 if people are caught flouting the restrictions from Thursday.

As of last night, people will only be permitted to go outside to shop for food or medicine, to exercise once a day and to travel to and from essential work.

Prime minister Boris Johnson also said that the police will be able to fine people between £30 and £1,000 and disperse any gatherings of more than two people – excluding those from the same household.

There is still some confusion about when and how the police will be able to enforce the rules. North Yorkshire Police said today that it was working to “obtain the details of the new legislation as it becomes available.”

Assistant Chief Constable Mike Walker is leading North Yorkshire Police’s response to the outbreak.

“The new and significant restrictions announced by the Prime Minister on Monday evening spell out very clearly what each and every one of us must do to save lives. The message is clear and the warning stark. Stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.

“These are the lives of the people we know and love. Our partners, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children, grandparents. You may never be in such a position again where your simple actions will lead directly to saving lives.

“Alongside the new restrictions, the Government announced new powers to enforce them. I know the vast majority of people will follow the restrictions without question, as they have done so already and we will work with local communities to help reinforce the message should it be necessary.

“We sincerely hope that we will not have to resort to enforcement measures, but if we have to, we will. In the meantime, we are working with national police colleagues and the Government to obtain the details of the new legislation as it becomes available.

“Please continue to look after each other, try and make the most of the time spent with your loved ones, and remember we are here for you if you need us.”

The Police Chief Constable, Police and Crime Commissioner, and the Chief Fire Officer also released a joint statement on new measures to stop the spread of coronavirus today.

“It is our job to keep North Yorkshire safe and we can only do that if you follow the instruction to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.

“We know the vast majority of you have already been taking action to stop the spread of Coronavirus, and we thank you for those efforts. But some have not – and the crowds we saw in some parts of North Yorkshire this weekend illustrated that all too clearly.

“Now there is no ambiguity, there can be no question – if you do not need to be outside for an essential reason, to buy food or medicine or to exercise once a day, you must stay at home.

“Anyone who thinks this does not apply to them is putting lives at risk. North Yorkshire Police will use all powers we have to stop that, to keep us all safe and to ultimately save lives.

“Our emergency services will be here to protect you throughout this national emergency. We know these are unsettling times. They are unprecedented times. But across North Yorkshire we stand together, and together we’ll get through it.”

At 1.30pm today, the police will hold a “public accountability meeting” live on YouTube to focus on the county’s reaction to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a letter to the Stray Ferret, Paul Baverstock, a former Director of Communications for the Conservative Party, who lives in Harrogate accuses the council’s conservative Leader, Richard Cooper, and local MP, Andrew Jones, of a lack of leadership and poor visibility during the coronavirus crisis.

Mr Baverstock, who now works  at a senior level in the health sector, says he contacted Mr Jones to put himself forward to help after the MP announced he wanted to create “an army of volunteers” but says he received a generic email response. Mr Baverstock argues that the MP is well meaning but out of step with the urgency of the situation and how local people feel.

Since the advent of Covid 19, both Harrogate’s MP Andrew Jones and the leader of our borough council Richard Cooper have been nigh on invisible and practically silent. ..Andrew Jones, our MP, needs to take the lead and grab the council by the scruff of its neck and get it moving. The people of Harrogate are crying out for it.

Andrew Jones MP

He offers Mr Jones some communications advice:

He should work with local radio station Stray FM to comment immediately – “down the line” – following the PM’s daily briefing. This could become an opportunity for local residents to dial in and discuss their concerns with their elected representative. Mr. Cooper, the leader of the council should join him too. They could live stream these from their respective isolations so we can see them, as well as hear them, becoming truly accountable.

• Mr Baverstock’s letter to The Stray Ferret in full

He urges both Cllr Cooper and Mr Jones to start bring together local experts to provide clear and free advice, use technology and social media to connect people and get their messages out. He ends with:

So come on Mr. Jones and Mr.Cooper.  Get up and onward, get brave, get visible, get creative and give us the energetic leadership and accountability you were both elected to provide, for Harrogate in Westminster and for Harrogate Borough at home. This is not a time for business as usual. Nothing will ever be the same again. We need and deserve better, now and tomorrow.

The Stray Ferret asked both Cllr Cooper and Andrew Jones MP to respond to Mr Baverstock’s letter. Neither has yet done so.

This is the full version of the email letter sent to the Stray Ferret’s Editor:

Dear Madam,

In splendid isolation I look forward to today’s 5pm televised press conferences held by the Prime Minister, flanked by his impressive scientific and medical experts. Like millions of Brits I am anxious for knowledge, for guidance and for reassurance in the daily battle against the silent killer, Covid 19.

Our economy, society and the communities that comprise it are faced with Britain’s greatest peacetime challenge. A situation in which poor decisions and confusing communication will…not might…but will cause thousands of deaths and untold human suffering. A time, if ever there was one, for individual leadership, serious communication and bold example from our elected politicians in order to bring people together in common action and common cause.

Many of the measures announced in parliament and at the Prime Minister’s daily press conference to tackle Coronavirus are to be implemented by our local councils, in this case Harrogate Borough, working with their respective MP’s.

Since the advent of Covid 19, both Harrogate’s MP Andrew Jones and the leader of our borough council Richard Cooper have been nigh on invisible and practically silent.

Andrew Jones, our MP, needs to take the lead and grab the council by the scruff of its neck and get it moving. The people of Harrogate are crying out for it. No time now for limp lettuce consultation and back room intra-party squabbles. We need a local leader to match the energy, clarity and accountability being shown by our national leader, Boris Johnson.

Mr. Jones’ efforts so far appear to be a “Be the best neighbour you can be” round robin email asking the people of Harrogate to volunteer their ideas and help by email or by phoning his office. For those who respond to his office with an offer of help, a second generic email arrives saying thank you for your offer and we are working on matching these individual offers of help with the need for help and we’ll be in touch again. This is well meaning but seems oddly out of step with the scale, urgency and impact of the challenges we all face.  So, in the absence of leadership here are a few ideas offered in helpful spirit. All practical, all costing virtually nothing but time and effort.

Mr. Jones could and should provide a daily briefing for the people of Harrogate, this to join the dots between national government policy and local government implementation.  By so doing, he will energise and amplify our local efforts.

He should work with local radio station Stray FM to comment immediately – “down the line” – following the PM’s daily briefing. This could become an opportunity for local residents to dial in and discuss their concerns with their elected representative. Mr. Cooper, the leader of the council should join him too. They could live stream these from their respective isolations so we can see them, as well as hear them, becoming truly accountable.

Following Boris Johnsons’ lead, Andrew Jones and Richard Cooper could and should bring together relevant local experts, such as the Chief Executive of Harrogate Hospital, the Head of Mental Health charity Mind in Harrogate, or local employment lawyers or employee representatives, to provide clear and objective information and advice, free from partisan political concerns.

Using virtual meeting technology such as Zoom or Houseparty, Andrew Jones should be calling together the local Church, Third Sector and business leaders of Harrogate to place himself visibly at the head of a volunteer army to help deliver care, food, virtual conversation, to provide a loudspeaker for the myriad of local initiatives, Facebook pages and support groups springing up around town. Jones’ army should be morning briefed and tasked everyday with an urgency worthy of the consequences of Covid 19.

So come on Mr. Jones and Mr.Cooper.  Get up and onward, get brave, get visible, get creative and give us the energetic leadership and accountability you were both elected to provide, for Harrogate in Westminster and for Harrogate Borough at home. This is not a time for business as usual. Nothing will ever be the same again. We need and deserve better, now and tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Paul Baverstock

Former Director of Communication for the Conservative Party

Louise Pullan, Owner of The Flock and Fold cafe near Thurscross Reservoir

Louise Pullan pleads with people to stay at home comes after almost record numbers visited Thruscross yesterday and walkers returned again today. After yesterday’s crowds at Thruscross and Fewston amongst others, Yorkshire Water said it was shutting its reservoir car parks and urged people to be responsible and stay away.

Louise and her husband Richard run the Flock to the Fold cafe at Breaks Fold Farm -they followed the governments advice and closed the cafe but were astounded at what they witnessed yesterday and again today . Over the weekend, Louise said, so many cars arrived that they had to shut and padlock the farm gates to stop people parking in their yard.  North Yorkshire County Councillor, don Mackenzie tweeted:

Sorry @YorkshireWater to report that residents telling me Thruscross reservoir car park full of cars again this morning. This may be because there is no gate or other means to secure the area in which case please post ‘closed’ notice at very least. @JulianSmithUK @northyorkscc https://t.co/Os3wMMWscS

— Don Mackenzie (@Mac1Don) March 23, 2020

Yorkshire Water responded by saying it was doing everything it could but it had 29 car parks and only a small team that was able to shut them.

Today it was the turn of the district’s parks and gardens to close after large visitors numbers over the past few days.  The RHS announced it was shutting Harlow Carr in Harrogate today saying it was not able to ensure people adhered to social distancing measures.  This follows a similar announcement yesterday from the National Trust that all its parks and gardens ,including Brimham Rocks and Fountains Abbey, would close from today.

In a Statement the RHS said:

After careful consideration, it is with great regret that the RHS has taken the sad decision to close our four RHS Gardens from today, Sunday 22 March.
Our online plant shop, rhsplants.co.uk continues to offer a wide selection of edible and ornamental plants.
Our utmost responsibility and concern is for the health and safety of our staff, members, visitors and volunteers. Yesterday was a very busy day at our gardens, and we felt we were no longer able to guarantee the Government’s requirement for social distancing.

Yorkshire Water also announced this afternoon it’s shutting its reservoir car parks due to large number of visitors.

Unprecedented numbers of people have been out and about at our reservoirs this weekend. To help keep everyone safe and maintain social distancing, we’re shutting our reservoir car parks and asking everyone to stay away for a little while

Elsewhere church services across the region were streamed for people who stayed at home.

A cameraman films this morning’s Eucharist in Ripon Cathedral

Some stores in Harrogate town centre cleared out stock last night as they took the decision to temporarily close.

Staff were clearing out stock at LK Bennet on James St yesterday evening

Last night, at around 7.30pm staff at some retail stores were clearing the shelves to leave the shops empty of stock whilst they temporarily close. The lights were on at LK Bennet on James Street with a single member of staff on the phone sitting at a desk in the back of the empty shop- sacks of rubbish sitting in the entrance.

It was a similar picture at SpaceNK around the corner.

At 7.30pm, Harrogate’s usually busy Saturday nightlife would normally just be coming to life. But last night everything was shut except the town’s takeaway restaurants. Some bars had decided to switch their lights off – others kept them on.

North Bar on Cheltenham Parade

Revolution Bar on Parliament Street

It was a scene none of us could have imagined a few months ago.

Many churches across the district are streaming their Sunday morning services this morning..

Canon Jim Callaghan, the Catholic Dean of Harrogate, has written these reflections after a tumultuous week: 

Two weeks from now the Church throughout the world begins the celebration of Holy Week; the days in which we commemorate Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday), the Lord’s Supper (Maundy Thursday), Jesus’ Passion and Death (Good Friday) and the joy and glory of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

The Diocese of Leeds is the Catholic Church across most of what was Yorkshire’s historic West Riding and our Mother Church is Leeds Cathedral. The Harrogate Deanery has three parishes in Harrogate, plus one each in Knaresborough, Ripon, Bishop Thornton, Pateley Bridge and Wetherby. On an average weekend, these churches have an attendance of more than 2,000 at Sunday Mass.  That number easily doubles at Easter, with our young people returning from Universities and Colleges to be with family for the Easter Celebrations, not to mention tourists and other visitors to the area.

In the past few days our Bishops, in common with all other major faith groups, heeding advice from H.M. Government, have suspended all public worship until further notice.

This temporary suspension of the public celebration of the Mass is for the Catholic community “unprecedented and disturbing” in the words of our own Bishop.  Other religious believers and the wider community will share our sense of dislocation; a feeling of being displaced from where we ought to be.

In these challenging days and weeks however, we remain in communion with Christ and with each other.  Our Priests will continue to celebrate the Eucharist privately each day, praying for the whole community, and we would encourage all our people to unite with us spiritually.

St Robert’s Catholic Church, Harrogate

We hold in prayer especially those who are already sick and housebound and all who care for them, those in Harrogate District Hospitals and all our Doctors, Nurses and related staff who are at the forefront of the NHS.  Indeed, our prayer for them is one of solidarity and thanksgiving for all that they are doing.

Our churches remain open each day as places for private prayer and reflection, though without any formal services.  In our churches and in our houses this Sunday we will pray for each other and for the whole nation.

May the Lord Bless us, protect us from all harm and bring us safely home to Him.

From today, you can join the Right Reverend Marcus Stock, Bishop of Leeds online, as he celebrates Sunday Mass at Leeds Cathedral.  Live-streamed at 11.00 hrs via YouTube: www.leedscathedrallive.org.uk

These images of Harrogate town centre were taken at 11.30 this morning: