Hundreds of meteors will fall over Harrogate tonight

Hundreds of meteors will fall over Harrogate skies tonight.

Around 60 to 100 meteors will fall from the sky every hour, but stargazers may struggle with finding somewhere clear to view them because of predicted thunderstorms.

The event is called the Perseid meteor shower and happens every year.

It is expected to be most visible in the early hours of tomorrow morning between midnight and 5am.

Tristan Campbell, an astrophotographer from Harrogate said:

“The weather doesn’t currently look as though it’s going to be clear until at least 1am and unfortunately the moon rises around then which makes the meteors harder to see.”

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Meteors, more commonly known as shooting stars, are formed as debris falls from the tail of a comet. Since July 14, earth has been ploughing through particles left behind from the Swift-Tuttle comet, which turn into bright falling specks.

As Perseid meteors are so bright, Tristan said if the skies remain clear they will be visible from most gardens, although a better location would be somewhere dark with little light pollution. Tristan’s personal favourite spot to shoot is in Crimple Valley.

He said:

“If I’m feeling more adventurous I’ll head out to Nidderdale for much darker skies.”

The shower can be seen across the whole of the UK and is expected to continue until August 24. More information can be found on the Royal Museums Greenwich website.

Harrogate out-of-work benefits claims rise slightly

There has been a slight rise in the number of people claiming out-of-work benefits in the Harrogate district.

In July, there were 3,885 people claiming out-of-work benefits, up slightly from 3,740 in June. Of those, 2,235 were men and 1,650 were women.

The figures were published today by the Office for National Statistics and are accurate up to July 9. They reveal that 4.1% of the district’s population were claiming out-of-work benefits, a decrease from 3.9% in June.

Harrogate is below the UK figure of 6.4% for people claiming the benefits, which includes Job Seekers’ Allowance and Universal Credit.

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The figures have remained stable over the past couple of months but with the government’s furlough scheme winding down ahead of it closing completely in October, the long-term outlook for jobs in the Harrogate district remains uncertain.

According to Harrogate & Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, 15,200 people have had their jobs protected in the district through the furlough scheme since it began.

Last week, a study undertaken by the County Councils Network suggested that more than 50% of all jobs in Harrogate are “at risk” due to the economic impact of coronavirus.

Harrogate A level students anxiously await results day

The Stray Ferret has been out speaking to A-level students ahead of their big day on Thursday.

With A-level exams cancelled, students’ futures are in the hands of predicted grades and a process of standardisation. This uncertainty has led to heightened nerves across the district.

On Thursday, August, 13 students will find out their grades and, for some, whether they have got into the university of their choice.

But even the process of finding out their results will be a different experience to usual.

India Shenton, a student at St Aidan’s sixth form, told the Stray Ferret:

“We are being emailed our results on the day… I would have preferred to have sat the exams and then gone in to find out the results with all my friends as it’s all part of it, isn’t it?… But there’s nothing we can do about it.

“I am quite nervous, I feel like If I had been able to sit the exams then at least then I would have an idea of how they had gone.”

Georgina Bygrave, a student at King James sixth form, said:

“We are getting an email in the morning with our grades. It’s sad but I get that it’s the safest way. I personally don’t think it’s very accurate as if we had been told ages ago that we weren’t going to sit the exams we would have tried harder in school…

“Everyone knows exams are important so you put all your effort in, whereas with homework you might just do it the night before and then you might get a rubbish grade for it, not thinking it’s going to impact your actual A level result.”

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Zac Hall, a student at Harrogate Grammar School, said:

“We will be getting an email at 8am to our school email with the results. I’m not feeling great about it as I didn’t do very well in my mocks, but I was just planning on revising harder closer to the time. I guess it wasn’t the best mindset to have, but it is what it is.

“I am having a year out anyway, so I could always resit the year and try a bit harder. It was the same with my GCSEs – I didn’t do well in the mocks but then when the actual GCSEs came I did pretty well… Hopefully it might be a reflection of that, but who knows?… I’ll find out on Thursday.”

Schools and colleges were asked to predict the grades pupils would have achieved in each subject if they had sat the exams. These predictions were sent to the exam boards along with the order of who they think will do best.

The exam boards put together the information, taking into account data for previous years, to make adjustments to the predictions. The aim was to make sure the results were fair and consistent and in line with results from previous years.

There have been concerns about the results already issued in Scotland, with many pupils receiving lower grades than they had expected. The Scottish government has apologised for the problems.

Coronavirus drive-through testing in Harrogate today

A coronavirus mobile testing centre is running today at the Harrogate Old Education Offices on Ainsty Road.

The Department for Health and Social Care will be helping people with tests at the site, which must be booked before arrival.

North Yorkshire County Council is urging all essential workers to get a test, as well as anyone with coronavirus symptoms as listed on the NHS website.

The drive-through will be in Harrogate at the same location on Friday, August 14. More than 200 slots are available in Harrogate this week.

Tests can be booked from 8pm the night before on the Gov.UK website.

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Harrogate restaurant hosts Humpit pop up

Humpit, the hummus and pitta chain, is opening a pop-up in one of Harrogate’s independent restaurants this week.

Farmhouse restaurant, on Station Parade, will host Humpit’s newest pop-up takeaway bar. From Thursday, August 13, the stall will open Thursday to Saturday from 11.30am to 3pm to catch the lunchtime trade.

The two business owners struck up the partnership after realising over lockdown they were neighbours. The closing of restaurants for three months was difficult for both and this pop-up has come as an opportunity to rebuild their customer bases.

Jonathan Phillips, co-owner of Humpit, said:

“Businesses need to help each other in the current economy, and we’d always wanted to come to Harrogate. We’re two companies working together collaboratively to support each other which is super important right now. Currently we just have to keep going – if there is another lockdown, we just have to work through it.

“Its a real no-brainer for us. I was worried about us at some point, and at the beginning of lockdown it was nerve-wracking, but now we’re ready to move forward and projects like this are exciting.”

HUMPIT filled wrap

Humpit have six outlets on university campuses across the country, which have all had to remain closed.

Both food outlets cater for all, but focus on vegan dishes. Humpit is currently the largest vegan chain in the UK.

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Jordan Aspinall, owner of Farmhouse, hopes this venture alongside the popular Eat Out to Help Out scheme will cover the losses lockdown caused. He said:

“It just makes perfect sense. We have always been open to pop-ups like this and Jonathan just came along and it happened to work. I can’t see why it would be a problem unless my sales drastically decline but I’m happy for it to keep going for as long as it can.

“We were on the edge over lockdown, so I have absolutely nothing to lose having Humpit here – I actually think it could bring trade to us.”

Engineers tackle major pipe burst on Otley Road in Harrogate

Water was gushing down Otley Road in Harrogate this morning after a pipe burst near the junction with Pannal Ash Drive.

Flowing downhill, the water reached past Harrogate Grammar School, as well as down Cold Bath Road where it was running into driveways and towards garages.

On Otley Road, sandbags had been placed at the door to a flat above So! Bar and Eats to stop the water running into the property.

Sandbags outside So! Bar and Eats on Otley Road to prevent water entering the property

Sandbags outside So! Bar and Eats on Otley Road to prevent water entering the property

Engineers from Yorkshire Water were on the scene before 8am to repair the leak. A stop-go traffic control system was put in place and there was no sign of queuing.

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Yorkshire Water engineers on site to repair a leak on Otley Road in Harrogate

Yorkshire Water engineers on site to repair a leak on Otley Road in Harrogate

Some households nearby have been warned to expect low water pressure until the problem is fixed. A spokesman for Yorkshire Water said:

“A burst pipe on Otley Road was reported to us shortly after 6am, which caused some disruption to water supply for nearby properties. Our teams currently on site have isolated the leak, are restoring supply to customers and will be working to repair the burst pipe as soon as possible.”

#HG2 #OtleyRoad We are now onsite for repair. Unplanned interruptions are normally completed within 4-6hrs and we will tweet when the issue is resolved. Thanks for you patience. pic.twitter.com/jUEks1LhSw

— Yorkshire Water Help (@YWHelp) August 11, 2020

Harrogate Climate Coalition faces fresh criticism

Another member of Harrogate’s Climate Coalition has spoken out against the group, saying it needs to be “more than a talking shop”.

Arnold Warneken from the Harrogate Green Party said he has written to Cllr Phil Ireland, who chairs the coalition, calling on Harrogate Borough Council to take “decisive action” in response to the climate emergency.

The Harrogate Climate Coalition was formed at the beginning of this year after HBC rejected calls to declare a climate emergency in 2019. It brings together councillors as well as green groups and local businesses — with the aim of working together in the name of sustainability and helping the environment.

However, since it was formed it has faced criticism, with members frustrated over progress in tackling climate change. In June, campaigner Malcolm Margolis resigned from the coalition’s sustainable transport subgroup because of a “lack of action”.

Mr Warneken said the coalition needs to “transform the way it operates and act with a real sense of urgency”.

He said:

“The coalition needs to be able to make policy recommendations to the council.

“Now is the time for Harrogate to be brave and forward thinking – for example, where are the sites for Park & Ride, where is the commitment for all council houses to be Passivhaus standard – it’s not enough just to say that these policies will be ‘considered’ or ‘encouraged’.

“The Climate Coalition has an important role to play in firstly guiding the council to declare a climate emergency, and then to strengthen the council’s commitment to achieve district-wide carbon-neutral status.

“I want the coalition to become a change-maker, not just a talking-shop!”.

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Cllr Phil Ireland, cabinet member for carbon reduction and sustainability, told the Stray Ferret that the council has implemented a range of measures to improve the environment which he said is saving “hundreds of tonnes” of CO2 every year.

These include a carbon reduction strategy, a low emission car club and improvements to Harrogate rail and bus stations.

He also said Harrogate Borough Council’s move to the civic centre at Knapping Mount, which includes solar panels, green roofs and passive heating, is improving the authority’s carbon footprint.

He added:

“The Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition, a partnership of businesses, public sector organisations and voluntary groups, not only supports these measures but has a joint aim of reducing carbon reduction activities throughout the Harrogate district.

“The most effective projects for achieving our ambitious targets are not going to happen overnight and the vast majority of members of the climate coalition understand this and are committed to working hard to we implement the right measures in the best way possible.

“This requires collective action and we will happily work with anyone and any group that is working to reduce carbon emissions to achieve net zero.”

Terminal cancer diagnosis inspires Harrogate art teacher

An art teacher from Harrogate who has a terminal cancer diagnosis will use her last exhibition to raise money for the staff who tried to save her life.

Sharon Tinayre Carrick is well-known as a teacher at Rosset Adult Learning centre, where she gets students to use art to improve their wellbeing.

The bowel cancer diagnosis doctors gave her last year meant that she had no work to do so needed something to occupy her time. Sharon found that she needed to practice what she had taught.

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Months of treatment did not work for Sharon and resulted in her body rejecting anything the doctors at the Sir Robert Ogden Macmillian Centre would try to treat her with.

Mrs Carrick, who signs her work by her middle name Tinayre, used her experience with cancer and her bucket list and 50th birthday trip to Venice as inspiration.

Gallopers by Tinayre

The “Was I really there!” is a mixture of different mediums from the start of her cancer diagnosis leading up to Sharon’s trip to Venice.

Art in the Mill in Knaresborough will host the exhibition from August 28 to September 11. All profits will go towards the Sir Robert Ogden Macmillian Centre.

Sharon Carrick told the Stray Ferret while on treatment at St Michael’s Hospice:

“We had planned to hold the exhibition earlier in the year but had to postpone because of coronavirus, so that was really tough. My terminal diagnosis came on the same day that I got the date for my new exhibition. I hope that I can make it to the show.”

Yorkshire Water launches affordable scheme for young farmers

Yorkshire Water has announced a starter scheme to get young farm workers renting land.

The project is titled Beyond Nature. Plots will be rented out to young farmers and anyone under 40 with an interest in farm ownership.

In the European Union, only 11% of farms are run by those under 40. The largest barriers for young farmers who want to run their own farm is expense and how often land becomes available.

The first farm announced in the scheme is Scow Hall Farm, located behind Swinsty reservoir in Washburn Valley.

Lisa Harrowsmith, lead surveyor at Yorkshire Water, said:

“After the first five-year lease, we will let the farm to another young farmer, therefore creating a cycle of opportunity for the next generation of farmers. Once the tenancy is up, we will assist that farmer with finding new opportunities on a permanent holding or elsewhere within the agricultural industry.”

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Yorkshire Water’s intention is to give young farmers the tools to create sustainable farms on their 70,000 acres of land. Mentorship, training and business advice will be provided.

Ellie Britton, 22, who was brought up on her parents farm in Ripon, said:

“My dad has a farm with his brother and they both have sons. Their options are to either continue working together or split up into pairs to buy a farm. Farmers often keep farms and hand them down for generations. If they do come up they are unattainably expensive or need a lot of renovation work. I think the Yorkshire Water scheme is a good idea to get people going with experience.”

Applications for Scow Hall Farm will open in late August. More information can be found on the Yorkshire Water website or via their social media pages.

Residents mobilise against Whinney Lane developments

Almost 50 Pannal Ash residents met last night at the Squinting Cat pub to “mobilise” against hundreds of new houses proposed for Whinney Lane.

It was organised by Whinney Lane resident Mike Newall who wanted the event to be a “wake-up call” for locals who he said will face years of disruption.

The developer Stonebridge is currently building 130 homes at Castle Hill Farm on Whinney Lane and last month plans were submitted by Banks Group for 270 homes and a new primary school on the fields opposite the Stonebridge development.

Pannal Ash residents meeting at the Squinting Cat pub last night.

Mr Newall spoke to give locals information about each development and advice for submitting objections to Harrogate Borough Council.

Whinney Lane is now closed for seven months due to the construction of two site access points for the Castle Hill Farm housing development as well as a new roundabout.

The lengthy closure has proved controversial and the manager of the Squinting Cat pub told the Stray Ferret that it “could kill” the business.

Mr Newall told the Stray Ferret that developers are “riding roughshod” over the area.

He said:

“All of a sudden people are realising that if we’re not careful it will be urban expansion. It will be a complete belt around Harrogate that is expanding into urban sprawl.

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While the latest set of plans from Banks Group is at a site allocated for development in Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan, Mr Newall is hopeful that because it is on Special Landscape Area (SLA) land, development could be delayed.

Since HBC adopted its long-awaited Local Plan in March, the planning committee has begun to refuse developments on sites that sit within the plan.

Last week, councillors refused 149 new homes on Kingsley Road near Harrogate High School because they said it would make already clogged roads in the area even worse.

Mr Newall added:

“People are suddenly waking up to the fact that they have a big housing development behind them and they will be staring straight into someone’s bathroom. That’s what’s stirred up this current group.”