Signs have been put up in the Valley Gardens telling people not to sit on benches in order to protect themselves from coronavirus.

They have been placed on benches in the gardens by Harrogate Borough Council, asking people not to rest while taking their daily exercise.

Richard Meyrick, who spotted the first signs going up yesterday, said he was concerned about the impact on elderly people living nearby.

“I am in my 70s and have certain medical conditions which prevent me walking too far without a short sit down before I can carry on,” he said.

“There are many other people in my situation and we love our exercise in the gardens. The council’s action will have the effect of stopping older people taking exercise if there is nowhere to sit.

“All the benches are in the open air and you can sit at least two metres from anyone on the next bench, so I do not see the problem.”

The new signs have been placed on every bench in the Valley Gardens

The sign says:

“You are much safer resting at home after exercising. To protect yourself and others from the coronavirus please don’t sit down and rest on the benches or in the park. Help keep everyone safe.”

Mr Meyrick said he walks daily in the Valley Gardens and has never seen anyone failing to follow the social distancing guidelines. Most of those using benches are older, while younger couples and dog walkers tend not to stop, he said.

“I’m not sure if it’s somebody being heavy-handed and not thinking it through,” he said. “I spoke to a few older people who also had to sit down. When you get older, you do have to sit more often. I can’t see what the problem is.”

A spokesman for Harrogate Borough Council said:

“We chose to put up signs rather than – as has happened in other places – tape up the benches and physically prevent people from using them. We recognise there may be a legitimate reason why someone might need sit down for a few minutes, but we have a duty to discourage people from gathering or using our parks and open spaces for anything other than exercise as per the government’s clear instructions.”

However, Mr Meyrick said people were likely to feel self-conscious sitting on a bench with a sign on it, even if there was a legitimate reason. He added:

“The notice says don’t sit on this bench or any other place in the park. If you sit on one of those, it’s going to be like if you weren’t socially distancing. People are going to feel guilty.”

Former Ripon Grammar School student Ella Borchard (pictured above) has volunteered to join the NHS front line at Harrogate Hospital in its battle so save the lives of people stricken by coronavirus.

The 21-year-old, who is a nursing student at Sheffield Hallam University, is well-equipped to care for COVID-19 patients as she has received extensive training in the oxygen therapy, mental wellbeing and use of PPE.

Academics at the university have provided online lectures and training sessions about end of life care and COVID-19 policies and procedures, including simulations with mannequins.

Ella, who will be working under supervision from the nursing staff on the Wensleydale Ward at Harrogate Hospital, took up her place at Sheffield Hallam after studying biology, chemistry and Spanish at Ripon Grammar.

Looking forward to using her caring skills in a real-life situation, she said:

“Every day will bring so many issues to overcome, but it will give me lots of experience of nursing in an unusual situation, while having a defined support network. I do feel very excited to be a part of history.”

At university, the nursing students prepared for situations they might find themselves in and discussed how to look after themselves.

Ella pointed out:

“The training gives us some of the skills and information we need to tackle something like this, but I have spent nearly three years preparing for my future career as a nurse and working during the pandemic is only part of what I have trained to do. Further down the line I would like to take my master’s degree in advances nursing so that I can manage patients’ complete clinical care, from diagnosis to care planning and discharge.”

An enthusiastic supporter of Ripon Youth Theatre Ella, like her mother Jo, is a member of Ripon Amateur Operatic Society, taking part in many performances.

Ella in costume for a Ripon Amateur Operatic Society performance

Mrs Borchard, a primary school teacher and herself a former student of Ripon Grammar School, told the Stray Ferret:

“I am so proud of Ella, she is wonderful, caring daughter, with lots of energy, drive, focus and attention to detail.

“Whatever she does, she strives to do it to the best of her ability – whether dancing in an operatic society show, or putting her professional skills into practice at the height of this world pandemic  crisis.”

The 99-year-old war veteran who has raised over £27 million pounds for the NHS, appeared via video link to officially open the new Nightingale hospital in Harrogate today.

Capt Tom Moore, a Yorkshireman himself,  raised the money by completing 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday later this month.

During the opening ceremony, Capt Tom Moore said there was ‘no better place than Yorkshire’, he went on to thank all of the NHS staff  for working with ‘such determination during such a difficult time.’

It has taken just under 3 weeks to convert the Harrogate Convention Centre into the NHS Nightingale hospital Yorkshire and the Humber.

A virtual ceremony was held to open the 500-bed facility at Harrogate Convention Centre.

The Nightingale Yorkshire and the Humber was officially opened this afternoon, a facility the health secretary acknowledged “nobody would have ever wanted.”

Matt Hancock delivered a recorded message for the official opening of the 500-bed Harrogate Convention Centre turned field hospital and said he hopes it is never full.

“But the fact you have been able to make this happen in such a short period of time is a testament to your capabilities, determination and your teamwork. And the most important thing about NHS Nightingale in Harrogate is it is a message to everybody across Yorkshire, across the country, that whatever happens we will strain every sinew to make sure the NHS is there for anyone who needs it.”

One of seven of its kind around the country, NHS Nightingale Yorkshire and the Humber has been constructed in less than three weeks in a rapid feat of construction and engineering.

Veteran fundraiser Captain Tom Moore thanked the NHS for doing “such a magnificent job” as he opened the hospital as the guest of honour.

The audience at the Harrogate Convention Centre gave Captain Tom, who will turn 100 later this month, a standing ovation as they wished him a happy birthday.

Sitting with his daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, at his home in Bedfordshire, he said: “I’m absolutely in awe of what has happened.

“If you think all the kindness of the people in this country and throughout the world, who have given so much money to the fund to help our National Health Service, which you have got to agree is one of the best services that there is in the world. All the doctors and nurses in the NHS, they do a brilliant job in very difficult conditions and every day they’re putting themselves in harm’s way night and morning.”

Asked about his native Yorkshire, Captain Tom said: “I believe that there’s no place better than Yorkshire. There never has been and all the people who are missing coming to Yorkshire, they’re missing an awful lot of marvellous things and people, because the Yorkshire people have a sense of humour and kindness that not many people have, to the extent that we have.”

Health secretary Matt Hancock.

The audience were asked to stand and applaud as a banner wishing Captain Tom a happy 100th birthday was held up on the stage and the veteran’s number one version of You’ll Never Walk Alone with Michael Ball was played on the screen.

The extra capacity at the Harrogate hospital adds to other Nightingale hospitals being opened in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Glasgow.

Steve Russell Hospital Chief Executive.

Steve Russell, chief executive of the new hospital, called the project an “extraordinary achievement” and a “vital insurance policy which we hope will not be needed”.

He also encouraged people to keep following social distancing rules, and added: “Our doctors, nurses, therapists and other health and social care staff across Yorkshire and the Humber are working incredibly hard to make sure people get the care they need during what is the single greatest challenge in the history of the NHS, but they can’t do it alone.”

The Nightingale hospital being created at Harrogate Convention Centre will be officially opened today, with three high profile names set to take part in the ceremony.

Captain Tom Moore, the veteran who has raised more than £27m for NHS Charities Together, will join Health Secretary Matt Hancock and NHS chief executive Simon Stevens via video link this afternoon.

One of seven of its kind around the country, NHS Nightingale Yorkshire and the Humber has been constructed in less than three weeks and will offer 500 beds for coronavirus patients should existing local services be unable to meet demand.

NHS England says it has already freed up 33,000 additional beds and, in an unprecedented deal, has access to 8,000 beds through the independent healthcare sector. As a result, it says, capacity still exists in hospitals but Nightingale hospitals will be ready to take patients if needed.

Staff pose for photos at the official opening of the NHS Nightingale hospital in Harrogate

Steve Russell, chief executive of NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and The Humber, and of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This new NHS Nightingale Hospital – like the others across the country – is an extraordinary achievement, and provides local people and staff with the reassurance that there will be additional beds available if they are required. It is a vital insurance policy, which we hope will not be needed.

“Our doctors, nurses, therapists and other health and social care staff across Yorkshire and the Humber are working incredibly hard to make sure people get the care they need during what is the single greatest challenge in the history of the NHS, but they can’t do it alone. The most important thing remains for the public to continue to follow expert advice and stay at home – reducing the number of people who get the virus, and therefore the need for NHS treatment.”

The huge effort by NHS staff, members of the armed forces and the team at Harrogate Convention Centre was praised by Mr Hancock. He said:

 “I have been incredibly impressed by the sheer dedication, professionalism and altruism of everyone involved in setting up NHS Nightingale Yorkshire and The Humber – from the NHS clinical staff and engineers to the construction workers and military planners.

“It’s an honour to be asked to open this hospital alongside Captain Tom Moore. During this worrying and difficult time for our whole country his phenomenal achievement has reminded us of our common bonds and served to further unite us. My heartfelt thanks also goes out to all the staff who will be working on the ground, providing extra capacity for patients if local hospitals need it.”

More:

• Video: A rapid feat of construction and engineering
• Video: Celebrities praise NHS workers at Harrogate’s Nightingale hospital

The transformation of the Harrogate Convention Centre into a 500-bed surge hospital has been a real feat of engineering and cooperation.

Work started on the NHS Nightingale Yorkshire and the Humber three weeks ago and required 13 miles of copper, 15,000m² of vinyl, 18,000m² of hygienic walls, 1,000 pieces of IT equipment, 100 miles of cables and more than seven million litres of oxygen.

It also needed more than 600 people working together from the NHS, BAM Construction and the Armed Forces – with more than 30,000 hours of labour.

Just a small fraction of the piping involved

When the work began the director of the HCC Paula Lorimer said she had to bring back security, cleaning and stewarding teams to help the construction team:

“It’s a vast site and very detailed engineering drawings have had to be got out. We had to teach the Royal Engineers their way around the building so they can put in the complex facilities that are needed.”

Harrogate’s Nightingale Hospital will officially open today with the help of guest of honour Captain Tom Moore.

The NHS Nightingale Yorkshire and the Humber has been set up at Harrogate Convention Centre in less than three weeks.

NHS and army staff have been working alongside BAM Construction “around the clock” to get the 500-bed facility up and running. Eight of the convention centre’s halls will be used to accommodate level three critical care beds for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Tributes have been paid to those behind the project in two videos – one featuring a host of celebrities, the other people with links to the town.

Captain Tom Moore will be guest of honour at the official opening of Harrogate’s Nightingale Hospital.

Originally from Keighley, war veteran Captain Tom Moore – who hit headlines after walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday to raise more than £27m for NHS Charities Together – will be part of the ceremony via video link from his home.

The seven Nightingale hospitals around the country offer extra capacity on top of the 33,000 additional beds freed up across NHS hospitals – the equivalent of building 50 district general hospitals – and up to 8,000 beds made available through an unprecedented deal with the independent sector.

In a statement released on the eve of the opening, Harrogate’s Liberal Democrat spokesperson Judith Rogerson said: “I know everyone in Harrogate will be honoured to welcome Captain Tom Moore to town for the opening of our local Nightingale Hospital tomorrow. His outstanding achievement raising so much money for the NHS has been a real morale boost for the whole country at this difficult time.

“However, we can’t ignore the fact that significant fundraising is taking place to meet funding shortfalls in our much loved NHS. I don’t for a second want to detract from Captain Tom’s achievement. But as well as recognising his heroic efforts, politicians everywhere should be considering how we can all work together to secure a better future for health and care services, so that our key workers will always have the resources that they need to look after us.”

Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of the Lib Dems on Harrogate Borough Council, added: “Captain Tom Moore’s heroic, epic fundraising efforts have shown that we all do value the NHS. Just valuing is really not enough, we must take a lead from Captain Moore and raise money for this precious, irreplaceable service.

“These horrific times have shown what an irreplaceable service the NHS is, staffed by people who are fantastic. We do need to ensure that all frontline/key workers can do their job safely with the right tools for the job. Just as Captain Tom would not have been sent to the frontline without at least a helmet and a gun then our frontline staff have to be given the right tools in their fight against coronavirus.”

The Stray Ferret has tried to establish what role locally the district’s two MPs have played in the weeks since lockdown began – with little success.   

The House of Commons has been in recess since March 25th and is due to resume tomorrow, so neither has been required to be in Westminster.

A month ago at the start of lockdown the Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP, Andrew Jones, announced he was launching a scheme to match people who were self-isolating with someone who could help them. He sent out 9,000 emails to constituents asking them if they needed support or if they could provide help – saying his team would help match them.  

Andrew Jones MP

Mr Jones has since kept a low profile about this work– with no detail on how his scheme is progressing or how he is supporting his constituency. Last week the Stray Ferret reported on how care homes are crying out for support from their local MPs to help them source PPE. We asked Mr Jones at the time if he wished to make a comment but he declined.  

In the absence of information, The Stray Ferret today contacted a number of the local volunteer networks and business organisations.  They told us Mr Jones has had no involvement in their work which some said had disappointed them. 

It’s a similar picture in Ripon:

Julian Smith MP

Julian Smith, conservative MP for Ripon and Skipton too has remained silent about his work locally. The Stray Ferret has tried to contact him on the telephone and has sent four emails to his office since March 18th, in which  we have sought his views on issues affecting his largely rural community.  Mr Smith has not responded. We have contacted coronavirus volunteer groups in the area and they said he has not been in touch. 

The Stray Ferret has looked into the work of other conservative MPs in Yorkshire by way of a comparison- a number have communicated more often and appear to be more openly involved in the issues their constituents are facing.

The Stray Ferret asked the district’s MPs these questions again earlier today:  

To Mr Jones:

• How has your volunteer scheme progressed?  How many isolated vulnerable people has your team connected with support?  
• What role have you played or support have you offered in the creation of the Nightingale Hospital at the HCC?

To both MPs:

• What role have you played in helping care homes and other medical facilities source PPE?  
• How many constituents have been in touch with you concerned about how they are going to financially survive the crisis and what have you been able to do for them?  
• How can you support local businesses as an economic recession looms?

Neither MP has responded to our questions.

When the Nightingale Hospital opens tomorrow at the HCC, it’s likely Mr Jones will be present to thank those involved. What’s less clear is what work our elected MPs have done to support their constituents in the past month.  

Since the outbreak of coronavirus in the UK, both MPs covering the Harrogate district have kept a low profile on social media and via their websites on work that they are doing in their constituency to help in the coronavirus crisis.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has tweeted or shared other people’s tweets 16 times in the last month and posted 4 times on his website. His four website posts:

• encouraged people to work together through the crisis on March 17th.
• announced he was setting up a ‘volunteer army’ to bring people together and support vulnerable people on March 18th.  No further details on how this progressed.
• gave a View from Westminster, reflecting on the crisis but with no details of what he has been doing
• welcomed news that Captain Tom Moore will be guest of honour at the opening of the Nightingale hospital

In addition, media reports show he:

• asked a question of Home Secretary Priti Patel about the government’s response to county lines drugs gangs on March 23rd
• released a statement about liaising with the foreign office in support of local people who were stranded abroad as the coronavirus crisis began
• signed a letter in late March by Julian Sturdy, MP for York Outer, calling for the rejection of an appeal by a developer wanting to build 516 houses at Askham Bog, south-west of York

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon, has posted once on Facebook in the last month and has not added any news to his website since January. However, he has a page with links to government advice and support on coronavirus, and has tweeted just over 100 times since March 20th.

In addition, he is quoted in media reports about encouraging people to stay at home over the Easter weekend.

Neither MP responded to a request for details of their activities.

The Stray Ferret looked at other conservative MPs in the surrounding area for comparison:

Kevin Hollinrake, MP for Malton

• has posted on Facebook 35 times, Twitter more than 200 times, and 24 articles on his website since the crisis began
• runs constituency video support conferences for any business owner to join and ask questions
• has shared details on his website of what he’s doing to support care homes, businesses and the wider community

Above is one of his online business surgeries, posted to his Facebook page.

Andrew Percy, MP for Brigg and Goole

• Has posted 19 times on Facebook- including updates on planning issues affected by coronavirus and posted links to useful info on government website.
• Written 9 blog posts/news articles for this website.

Mr Percy says he has been working with councillors to organise a support network and on April 14th formed the Brigg&Goole and Isle of Axholme Constituency Support Group

“I just wanted to assure residents that my team and I remain fully on hand to support residents at this time and we are receiving hundreds of emails, calls and facebook direct messages everyday. Whether it is constituents trapped overseas, questions about the lockdown guidelines or helping people struggling with employment, shopping or business concerns my team and I are doing what we can to help and will do throughout. I am also in close contact with the local hospitals and have been assisting them on a range of issues too. It you need our help we are available via Facebook, email or the office phones on 01405 767969 or 01652 650094.”

Andrea Jenkyns, MP for Morley and Outwood

• posted more than 30 times on Facebook and more than 100 times on Twitter
• a section on her website dedicated to getting a pool of volunteers together and another signposting to advice and support

Harrogate District Hospital has not reported any new coronavirus-related deaths and the nationwide figure is the lowest it has been for a fortnight.

The hospital has so far reported 32 deaths since the start of the pandemic. Whereas, there have been 1,870 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the North East and Yorkshire region.

It comes as Harrogate hospital announced that its first patient had been discharged after treatment for coronavirus on a ventilator.

Patient Karl then shared a video from home and used the opportunity to thank the staff at the hospital. He said that they saved his life and urged them to stay safe.

https://www.facebook.com/HarrogateDistrictNHS/videos/231823624719693/?__xts__[0]=68.ARBZG6TV3jYQ5jXumIB3zG14zYuzuSYVrnQ3XdK15Ci_YuUmTs3Sovi7BD5GDwROZLY1q176-GBESyWGJT_gh7gfBfZ4X2avSulD7xQKBn9dLLjU3NHzSCMJDCc-b-fFPShQ9Shl4d1-6G5bcavKeCMtT-aXK3T0as26I-ZQCUPGNRkmlNvgrgF69Z_B6fulLPo7L00Io9mTUCDIx9ndfOinG28IhnB2FZMRmUmaCfCyrkUemyYFtwjmZnpVx0RB7s9rCb–qKJ67kiDkph58lbANwwONzwDk835yGsgcMjDRc6rSCvExS_EQx50tGKVm1gP-I1mLUnGq1vX6nbMHmzNz8nYkQ5TVhocGTpE&__tn__=-R

Another 450 people have died in hospitals in the UK after contracting coronavirus. English hospitals made up 429 of those deaths but it is the lowest nationwide figure for two weeks.

Scotland reported 12 deaths and Wales reported nine deaths but Northern Ireland has not yet reported its deaths for today.

The UK has reported 16,552 deaths so far. These figures do not account for deaths outside the hospital of people who were not tested but died of suspected coronavirus.