Super Saturday boost for Harrogate BID levy payers

Harrogate BID has given a Super Saturday boost to its levy payers with a match-funded grant of up to £750.

It means that the business can spend up to £750 on signage, barriers, and screens or any other equipment and get a matched contribution towards the cost.

Read more:

All levy-paying businesses within the Harrogate BID area are eligible to receive the grant. But it does not include PPE equipment or employee costs.

Harrogate BID Interim Manager Simon Kent said:

“We are acutely aware that many businesses have had to incur costs to enable them to comply with legislation in order for them to reopen safely. To assist with this financial burden, we have set aside £20,000 to provide match-funding.”

The BID gets its funds from levy payers in the town. This will mean that levy payers will get some of that cash back to support their specific needs to reopen.

Last month, Harrogate BID produced packs of social distancing floor stickers and window posters for. It also bought outdoor tables and chairs for pubs, cafes, bars and restaurants.

WATCH: Harrogate bars and restaurants prepare for Super Saturday

Bars and restaurants across the district are in full swing as they prepare for “Super Saturday.”

July 4 is a big day for the hospitality industry. After over 3 months of closure, they now have the green light to re-open their doors to the public.

The Stray Ferret has been speaking to some bars and restaurants in Harrogate as they prepare for what they say will be a “historic” day.

Manahatta, a buzzy bar and diner in the centre of town. Stephanie Welch who is the General Manager said no matter how much training they did it is still new for everyone:

” We are hoping the track and trace system will make people aware that we can get in contact with them and we do have their details, so hopefully that will make them consider how they are behaving, but once people have had a drink it will be hard… We still want to be that party place and try to maintain the atmosphere we had before, but people just have to follow what we are asking them to do, it’s for everyone’s safety. We will have the same style of music but it will just be quieter and we won’t have a DJ for now.”

Manahatta will be taking all orders from the bar, where there will be a glass screen between the customer and member of staff, they will also be running at a reduced capacity.

Despite a sense of relief after a very worrying few months for the hospitality industry, there appears to be a sense of nervousness across the district as restaurant owners prepare to work in a way they never have before.

Daniele Bovo, who owns Al Bivio, an Italian restaurant in Hornbeam Park told the Stray Ferret that it is almost like “starting from scratch.”

“We’re excited but anxious… We are running at around 50 % capacity so it will be quieter to start with. We are trying to keep away from tables as much as possible, without being impersonal. So we won’t be topping up wine glasses etc… We hope that over time things will start to return to how they used to be.”

Owners should take the contact details of one member of each party. This includes a name and a phone number. Their time of arrival and how long they stay for should also be noted. This should then be kept on file for 21 days.  People can refuse to give information, but owners can choose not to serve them.

 

 

 

 

 

How Harrogate cafés will cope with track and trace

A number of cafés in Harrogate have come up with different ways to take customer details as part of the track and trace system.

The track and trace system involves making a record of staff and customer details so they can be contacted if they have come into contact with someone who tests positive for the virus.

Restaurants, bars and cafés have been advised by the government to collect details of those customers who dine in. Customers can choose whether to give their information but are encouraged to do so to help track the spread.

outside LMDC

Outside LMDC Espresso Bar on John Street.

Read more:

LMDC Espresso Bar on John Street in Harrogate will take the name and contact number of one member of each party as they order and the details will be kept for 21 days, then destroyed.

Similarly, Slingsby’s on Tower Street will be taking the details of everyone who sits in the café. Andrew Ford, the owner of Slingsby’s told The Stray Ferret that it will be difficult because he can’t make people do it. He said:

“We will put books and pencils on every table and every guest will be asked to put their name, contact number and the date they were in. Every day I will take them off and file them. Pens will be wiped with sanitiser after every use.”

Outside Slingsby's

Slingsby’s are getting ready to reopen table service tomorrow.

However Phil and Helen Dolby, owners of Bean and Bud on Commercial Street argue that most of their customers don’t stay for more than 15 minutes. They said:

“I think out of respect for the customers it is a dilemma and it is the one think we haven’t settled on.”

Harrogate hospital reaches 13 days without coronavirus deaths

For the last 13 days, Harrogate District Hospital has not recorded any coronavirus deaths.

It is, once again, the longest time since lockdown that the hospital has gone without reporting that at least one of their patients with COVID-19 has died.

So far, the hospital has reported 80 coronavirus deaths. The last coronavirus death happened on June 18.

Read more:

A further 38 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in England’s hospitals, taking the total up to 28,832.

Patients were aged between 33 and 96 years old. Two patients, aged 50 and 69, had no known underlying health conditions.

Harrogate breweries prepare for pubs re-opening

Breweries in Harrogate and Knaresborough are reporting healthy sales ahead of pubs reopening tomorrow, but the long-term landscape remains uncertain.

When lockdown began, drinkers agonised at reports of breweries and pubs having to pour gallons of unwanted beer down the sink. However, Robert Millichamp, head brewer at Daleside Brewery, told the Stray Ferret they managed to bottle most of their stock as demand for drinking at home soared.

He said even though pubs have been shut for three months, “people haven’t been drinking less”.

Daleside is now sold out of bottled beers and is trying to meet a big local demand for cask ales. But Robert said beyond this weekend it’s hard to predict how busy pubs will be.

He said:

“We’ve no idea but we’ve brewed as much as we can with the ingredients we’ve got. We need to replenish the stock after running out very quickly in the last three days.

“After that, we’re going to have to be reactive. Within a few weeks we’ll hopefully find some stability.”

Daleside also sells its beer around the world and they’ve seen steady demand from Sweden during lockdown, one of the only countries in Europe where pubs didn’t close.

Read more:

In Knaresborough, Aron McMahon from Turning Point Brew Co, told the Stray Ferret he is looking forward to supplying beer and lager to local pubs again. Their stock is sold in several independent bars in Harrogate and Knaresborough including Major Toms Social, Blind Jacks and the Old Bell Tavern.

He said:

“They’ve all bought beer which is great but not many [of the pubs we supply] are opening on Saturday, which is probably quite sensible.”

Aron said one of their 4% beers takes around two weeks to brew, which posed a challenge as the government only gave the green light for pubs to reopen two weeks ago. He said Turning Point began pre-emptively brewing ahead of the announcement to ensure they’d have beer to sell.

Turning Point also has a tap room and Aron is looking forward to welcoming drinkers back from July 11.

“When people get a beer and chat among their groups then people will enjoy themselves despite the measures we’ve put in place.”

Harrogate Brewing Co is also gearing up for pubs reopening in Harrogate and Knaresborough. A typical barrel of beer has 164 litres but owner Matthew Joyce told the Stray Ferret they have been delivering smaller 20-litre boxes of beer to pubs who are unsure of how much footfall there will be.

He said:

“Some pubs requested them as they were conscious over whether people would come to the pub.

“They didn’t want to crack open a full cask and then tip it because they only have about five or 10 people coming to the pub. That seems unlikely and I think the pubs will be very busy.”

Mass testing reveals higher coronavirus cases in Harrogate district

The number of coronavirus cases in the Harrogate district has doubled overnight after the way in which they were recorded changed.

It was a big shift in numbers as a result of the government adding data from its mass testing programme. Previously it had just included tests in NHS laboratories.

That means that the total cases in the Harrogate district jumped from 325 yesterday to 694 today – an increase of 113%.

Not only that but the rate of coronavirus cases in the district also rose sharply to 432. The rate accounts for population sizes in areas to give a more accurate reading.

The count for each area is divided by the total population and multiplied by 100,000.

Coronavirus cases in North Yorkshire as a whole, in the same period, rose from 1,356 to 2,504.

Read more:

With the attention turning to more local lockdowns this data will play an important role in the decisions of officials.

Looking at the Harrogate district in comparison with other areas it is by no means the worst affected area but it is also not completely out of the woods.

Nearby places like Bradford and Barnsley have much higher rates than the Harrogate district. Find the government’s coronavirus map by clicking or tapping here.

North Yorkshire’s Director of Public Health, Dr Lincoln Sargeant, said:

“This reporting change does increase the figures and may make it look as though there has been a big rise in infection rates. This is not the case. It is linked solely to a change in reporting. New cases in North Yorkshire continue to decline, but we must not be complacent. We all need to play our part to maintain this progress.

“People should stay two metres apart, if possible, or at least one metre and if it is just one metre they should take additional precautions. You should also wash your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds with soap and water. Everyone in North Yorkshire can play their part in helping us return to normality safely by taking these simple steps.”

Parliament Street and Kings Road could be partly pedestrianised

Parliament Street and Kings Road in Harrogate could be partly pedestrianised to encourage social distancing when bars and restaurants reopen.

However, The Stray Ferret understands this is unlikely to be put in place this weekend.

North Yorkshire County Council said it is working with Harrogate BID, Harrogate Borough Council and local businesses to allocate pavement space to bars and restaurants, which would make part of the roads off-limits to cars.

David Bowe, corporate director for business and environmental services at NYCC, said they will only close roads “if there is a clear demand”.

He said:

“We are prepared to close roads in order to support economic recovery but it has to be on the basis of demand and need. If there is a road that we can practically close, even for part of a day, without adversely affecting access, we will be happy to work to achieve that, provided a business definitely wants to use the space.

James Street, Albert Street and parts of Royal Parade currently have cones placed in the road to widen pavements. However, they have been controversial and North Yorkshire County Council has taken them down on West Park after pressure from businesses.

Two streets that could be partly pedestrianised are Parliament Street and Kings Road.

Read more:

Jim Mossman, co-founder of the Cold Bath Brewing Co on Kings Road, told The Stray Ferret he had been in discussions with North Yorkshire County Council about road space being re-allocated.

He said:

“If we can create an al fresco type experience in Harrogate then it will help save jobs and businesses in the town.”

Michael Baravelli, general manager at Gino D’Acampo on Parliament Street also said pedestrianisation would help trade at the restaurant.

He said:

“We are working alongside North Yorkshire County Council with the idea and suggestion of putting extra seating outside to give us more street presence. In these summer days, it will help us immensely.”

“We want to get it right” – district pubs delay reopening

A number of pubs in Harrogate and Knaresborough have taken the decision to not open their doors on Saturday, despite being given the green light to reopen.

This decision comes as many pub owners argue that it is too soon to reopen. They would rather “watch what everyone else does” this weekend. Many pubs said they were too small to open or not financially stable enough.

Blind Jacks in Knaresborough is one pub which has taken the decision not to open on Super Saturday. Owners Christian and Alice Ogley told The Stray Ferret that they do not want to rush into anything.

They said:

“We have ever precaution in place in order to keep it as safe as possible, but we have one chance to get this right from the beginning. We want to make sure we are completely ready.”

Read more: 

North Bar in Harrogate has been running a pop-up beer shop during lockdown but realised that reopening fully on 4 July was going to be a difficult task.

Outside North Bar

North Bar in Harrogate

Debra Przychodna, general manager of North Bar told The Stray Ferret:

“We decided to delay our reopening because we want to avoid risk, people are going to get very excited this weekend. We have had so much support from customers and we are really looking forward to when we can finally reopen.”

Similarly Hales Bar on Crescent Road in Harrogate has taken the decision not to open due to the size and layout of the bar. Manager Amanda Wilkson hopes to reopen next weekend but only from Thursday to Sunday.

No coronavirus deaths for 12 days at Harrogate hospital

Harrogate District Hospital has not reported any coronavirus deaths for 12 days in a row.

That news comes after the hospital discharged one more patient – taking its total of recoveries up to 136.

So far, the hospital has reported 80 coronavirus deaths. The last coronavirus death happened on June 18.

Read more:

A further 35 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in England’s hospitals, taking the total up to 28,794.

Patients were aged between 54 and 92 years old. Two patients, aged 54 and 84, had no known underlying health conditions.

Free walking tours in Harrogate back for smaller groups

A free walking tour of Harrogate is making a comeback next week for much smaller groups.

Free Walking Tour Harrogate will be back from Wednesday, July 8, for groups of around six to eight people.

Harry Satloka had been taking people on a leisurely stroll around the town for the last couple of years until coronavirus hit.

It meant that he needed to stop his regular tour but Harry moved online with videos about Knaresborough Castle and the history of sweets.

Read more:

Harry Satloka told The Stray Ferret:

“I can’t wait to be back, it’s been a long time. I had to do a recce last week to make sure I could remember the usual route. I was wary about coming back but seeing the latest government advice I think that now is the right time.”

As well as limiting the size of groups, Harry will sterilise anything before handing it out and he will also have them stored online.

To find out availability for the free tours visit the Free Walking Tour Harrogate website.