Sneak peek at Italian restaurant opening in Harrogate

A new Italian restaurant is opening in Harrogate tomorrow to serve up fresh pasta and speciality wines.

Pranzo Italian, at 31-33 Cold Bath Road, is the second restaurant from chef Marco Greco. He opened his first in Ilkley two and a half years ago.

Marco cooking up a mafalde with four-hour braised beef shin ragu.

This new Harrogate restaurant will be open every day from 12pm to 10pm except on Sundays when it will close at 6pm.

Although it has meat, fish and vegetarian options, Pranzo Harrogate does not have a large menu. It believes in serving a few dishes it can perfect.

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As the restaurant has a large kitchen space downstairs, the chefs will be able to make fresh pasta each and every day.

Marco Greco, on the eve of Pranzo Harrogate’s opening, told the Stray Ferret:

“I have been looking for a new place for about a year. I know it is not the best time to open a new business, it was a bit crazy. But we are already fully booked for the opening night so it is looking good and I think it will be worth it.”

Pranzo Harrogate is the new Italian restaurant on Cold Bath Road.

Pranzo Ilkley is rated as the number two restaurant in the town on TripAdvisor.

Mr Greco has Italian heritage, learned to cook with his grandmother and followed in the footsteps of his dad who also opened an Italian restaurant.

He worked in his dad’s restaurant as soon as he left school and always dreamed of opening his own place.

Pranzo Harrogate has space for 30 people inside the restaurant and a further 20 outside under current covid restrictions.

It has employed 10 staff and intends to recruit more in the future.

Harrogate and Knaresborough pedestrianisation extended

North Yorkshire County Council is extending temporary pedestrianisation measures in Harrogate and Knaresborough until next year.

Parking suspensions and road closures have become a familiar sight and the council confirmed today they will remain until at least January 31.

To improve the look of the scheme, traffic cones on Albert Street and James Street in Harrogate will make way for planters.

The planters will be funded by Harrogate Borough Council through the government’s £50m reopening high streets safely fund.

The two councils hope the move will reassure the public it is safe to shop in the towns.

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However, some business owners on James Street have warned of empty shops to come if the county council persisted with pedestrianisation.

The county council said in response it had listened to those views and will keep the measures under review.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, the executive member for access at the county council, said:

“We are committed to supporting the county’s recovery while ensuring people can visit shops safely and buy local. We hope that these measures are making shoppers feel confident to visit our high streets as we approach the Christmas shopping period.”

Cllr Phil Ireland, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for carbon reduction and sustainability, said:

“Feedback from both businesses and visitors alike has been positive and I’m glad these measures have encouraged people back to the high street that it so desperately needs.”

Parking spaces between Princes Square and West Park on the A61 in Harrogate will be reopened, it was also announced.

The full list of measures in Harrogate:

The full list of measures in Knaresborough:

What is the situation in the Harrogate district on free school meals?

The Stray Ferret has received lots of messages about free school meals after last night’s vote in the House of Commons.

A Labour motion to extend provision of £15-a-week food vouchers to 1.4m disadvantaged children in England during holidays until Easter 2021 was voted down.

Opposition motions rarely succeed — only one has done so since 1978. They are designed to raise issues governments would prefer to ignore but the high profile support of footballer Marcus Rashford and the sensitivity of the issue generated considerable interest.

Many comments to the Stray Ferret were critical of Harrogate district Conservative MPs Andrew Jones, Julian Smith, and Nigel Adams, who all voted against the motion.

The Harrogate district is below the national average for children receiving school meals, but nevertheless almost 1 in 10 children receive them.

1,932 free meals in district

A Freedom of Information request in 2019 to North Yorkshire County Council revealed that in May 2019, 1,932 children in the Harrogate district received free school meals, which represented 8.2% of all pupils.

Last year, the county average was 10.2% and the national average was 14.1%.

However, the number of children receiving free school meals in the district had risen from October 2018, when it was 7.7% of pupils.

To qualify for free school meals a parent must apply to North Yorkshire County Council with evidence that they are receiving a benefit, such as Child Tax Credit, Income Support, or Universal Credit.

Several Conservative MPs issued a joint tweet last night defending what the government is doing for low-income families.

It said:

“We’re supporting pupils in need: Free school meals for 1.4 million children from low income families, £9 billion extra put into the welfare system to help and £63m to help councils support families in need.”

A spokesperson from Harrogate District Food Bank, a charity that supports community action, told the Stray Ferret it expected to see Harrogate families using its food bank during half-term next week.

The spokesperson said:

“”From past experiences, families in Harrogate seem to scrape through the holiday and then come to the food bank the week or two after, but we shall just wait and see if that is the case.”

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Yesterday’s motion was voted down by 322 to 261, with five Conservative MPs voting against the government.

The Stray Ferret contacted Andrew Jones, Julian Smith and Nigel Adams but did not receive a response at the time of publication.

Harrogate district braced for ‘huge rise’ in winter fuel poverty

An organisation that combats fuel poverty in North Yorkshire has warned it expects a “huge rise” in referrals this winter, especially in the Harrogate district.

Warm and Well, which is a partnership project between public, private and voluntary sector organisations to reduce the the number of cold deaths, said referrals increased by 196% between July and the end of September compared to last year.

The Harrogate district was responsible for 28% of these referrals in what are usually the quietest months for Warm and Well, which believes the surge in referrals reflects the financial impact of the pandemic.

The organisation said in a statement it “expects a huge rise in referrals this winter as the financial effects of the coronavirus take hold across the region”.

Julia Priestnall, project coordinator for Warm and Well in North Yorkshire, said:

“Our specialist advisers are working very hard to reach out to vulnerable people who are really struggling across the region. As the furlough comes to an end and the inevitable rise in redundancies there is a perfect storm of fuel poverty gathering.

“We have managed to help families in rural areas with properties that are ‘off the grid’ heat their homes when they have had no one else to turn to.”

Julia Priestnall

Project coordinator Julia Priestnall

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Warm and Well, which is managed by Citizens Advice Mid-North Yorkshire and funded by North Yorkshire County Council, helps people deal with energy debt, switching suppliers or applying for emergency energy support.

Its #GearUpForWinter campaign focuses on fuel poverty within rural areas.

The organisation has visited parts of the Yorkshire Dales to help people keep their home warm during the colder season.

To refer yourself of someone you know to Warm and Well in North Yorkshire, click here.

Harrogate couple open town centre jewellery shop

A couple from Harrogate with an online jewellery business are to open their first physical store in the town’s Victoria Shopping Centre this weekend.

Sam McDermid and Neil Thompson set up Infinity & Co in 2014 selling jewellery gifts.

On Sunday they will open a shop under the same name in the former vaping store Tobacco Not Included in the shopping centre.

Ms McDermid said:

“We are absolutely delighted to be opening our first store in my hometown of Harrogate.

“I started my career in retail and it has always been a dream of mine to open my own shop.”

Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce has helped Victoria Shopping Centre to promote retail space for local organisations needing a boost during the pandemic.

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James White, Victoria Shopping Centre manager, said he was “thrilled” to welcome Infinity & Co, adding:

“We are very keen to play our part in the recovery of the retail and hospitality sector in Harrogate.

“We would love to hear from anyone who feels we might be able to help them, especially if they are interested in taking on a pop-up store or window display.”

Infinity & Co is giving away a pair of earrings worth £45 with every purchase during its first week.

Why is Harrogate the ‘best place to work from home’?

Harrogate was named as the best place to work from home in a survey published yesterday.

Fast broadband, green space and low crime rates were among the factors that earned the town top spot — but who knows better than the people who live here? So we headed to the Stray to ask Harrogate residents if they agreed with the finding.

Covid has forced many people to work from home and a fifth of people said they wanted to do it more often when the pandemic is over.

Harrogate district to mark Remembrance Day at home this year

Harrogate district organisations are urging people to commemorate Remembrance Day at home this year after covid restrictions forced traditional annual services and parades to be cancelled.

The Poppy Appeal, organised by the Royal British Legion, will continue to go ahead but collections and activities have been disrupted by social distancing requirements.

Remembrance Sunday activities on November 8 have also been affected, forcing local branches of the Royal British Legion and other groups involved to adapt.

The Knaresborough branch of the Royal British Legion is asking residents to hold their own two-minute silences at home as the church service and parade through the town will not go ahead.

David Houlgate, vice-chair of the branch, said:

“Arrangements are being made to lay wreaths safely but townsfolk are discouraged this year from attending at the war memorial.

“We are having to limit the number of collection boxes we can distribute this year to 20% of our usual number of boxes.”

Despite the limitations, the branch is asking people to continue to support the Poppy Appeal, as funds help servicemen and women, veterans and their families.

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The service at Harrogate war memorial has also been cancelled. The Harrogate Mayor, councillor Stuart Martin, said:

“I urge people across the district to observe the national two minutes silence with your family and show your support for the armed forces community by displaying a poppy in your window.”

Stonefall Remembrance 2019

The annual remembrance service at Stonefall Cemetery has been cancelled. Credit: Guy Wilson

The annual service at Harrogate’s Stonefall Cemetery, organised by Harrogate Brigantes Rotary Club, has also been cancelled.

A private wreath laying and blessing ceremony has been organised instead.

At least 13 wreaths will be laid on behalf of British and Commonwealth forces. Event co-ordinator Guy Wilson said:

“While this year we cannot meet together to remember those who gave their lives for us and the freedoms we now enjoy, we nevertheless recognise that the act of remembrance is important and will see that it is done with proper respect. Over 1,000 lives given for us lie in Stonefall. We will be there to honour them all on November 8.”

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which maintains Stonefall, has launched a tool that allows people to find out about the lives of local servicemen and woman who died in battle.

Barry Murphy, CWGC’s director general, said:

“This year has been like no other, and sadly this will have an impact on the usual traditions around Remembrance Sunday.”

Dr Lincoln Sargaent, director of public health at North Yorkshire County Council, said it was working with local safety advisory groups and the police to ensure the day is recognised with public health in mind. He said:

“Where an event is planned well and follows the covid-safe rules and the government advice, we have no objections.

“Some events will have already taken the initiative to modify or cancel and we follow the organisers’ better judgement on these matters.”

D-Day looms for Coach and Horses

Concerns have been raised about late night noise at the Coach and Horses in Harrogate ahead of a key decision on the pub’s future.

Samantha Nelson, daughter of previous landlord John Nelson, has applied for a licence to sell alcohol from 10am to midnight seven days a week.

Ms Nelson has also applied to serve late night refreshments from 11pm to 12.30am every day of the week.

Harrogate Borough Council’s licensing sub-committee will consider her requests on Thursday next week.

The council revoked her father’s licence in July after council officers claimed Mr Nelson showed a “blatant disregard” for coronavirus social distancing rules. This decision is due to be appealed at York magistrates court.

A report for the licensing sub-committee says the council has received two letters in support and two opposed to Ms Nelson’s application.

One in favour describes the Coach & Horses as “Harrogate’s best pub”.

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Another says: “The last thing the town needs is another permanent pub closure with an unsightly empty building on a major thoroughfare or, even worse, a convenience store opened in its place.”

The same person describes Ms Nelson as “a very capable person” and says “responsibility for past indiscretions should not be visited upon the applicant”.

Those opposed mainly express concerns about “excessive noise” for local residents. One suggests restricting the opening hours until 11pm.

Lawyer Paddy Whur, acting on behalf of Ms Nelson, told the council the hours applied for replicated those of the previous licence and that late night refreshments allowed for the sale of hot drinks: Mr Whur added:

“Mr Nelson is now to retire from the business and have no business interest or management control at the premises. Samantha Nelson will run the premises after a significant re-investment in them.”

 

Harrogate shops raise money with ‘Giraffle’ for food bank

A group of independent Harrogate shops have joined forces to raise money for the town’s Trussell Trust food bank by organising a “Giraffle” .

Watermark Gallery, on Royal Parade, came up with the idea and worked with children’s illustrator Jane Ray to get it up and running.

Jane created a five-feet tall paper mache giraffe based on the main character of a book called “Zeraffa Girraffa” in 2014.

Just as the character of that book travelled far to her new home in Paris, Zeraffa is travelling around the Harrogate district in October and November.

So far she has been seen in the windows of Catherine Smith Vintage, Bespoke Eyewear and Westmorland Sheepskins.

The next stop will be the Little Ripon Bookshop. When her tour comes to an end, Zeraffa will be raffled off to one lucky winner. The tickets will be drawn on December 18.

Tickets to enter the raffle are £5 and are available from Watermark Gallery. A total of 100 tickets have been sold so far and another 100 are on sale.

Liz Hawkes, owner of the Watermark Gallery, hopes that the “Giraffle” will raise £1,000 for charity. She said:

“Zeraffa was a real talking point in the window of our gallery, and we had countless enquiries about buying her. I think people saw her as a ray of sunshine during a somewhat challenging time.

“This gave us the idea of creating an ongoing artwork initiative to unite local independent retailers as well as raising money for a great local cause.”

Cannabis driver disqualified after skidding into skid risk sign

A drug driver who skidded into a skid risk road sign has been handed a year-long driving ban.

Harry Franklin Waudby, 20, of Wetherby, lost control of his car and crashed in front of a police vehicle in Tockwith in June.

The officers just happened to be passing when they saw the crash and stopped to help.

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Nobody was seriously hurt in the incident but Waudby tested positive for cannabis.

At a hearing at Harrogate Magistrates’ Court, he pleaded guilty to drug driving .

As well as the 12 month driving disqualification, the magistrates fined Waudby £233 and told him to pay £85 in court costs.

Speaking after the sentencing, traffic constable Michael Rowan said:

“As traffic officers we frequently deal with drug drivers and it’s an incredibly selfish and dangerous offence. Anyone who does it is a hazard to themselves as well as innocent road users, and we endeavour to catch as many as possible.”