“It’s local, it’s interesting, it’s current and it’s presented by people we know and trust. But it’s more than that. It is a radio station that supports local events and charities. It’s a station that supports the community and the community repays this by supporting the station.”
Members of the community showed their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement this afternoon in Harrogate.
Unlike other protests seen around the world, in Harrogate it took the form of a five-minute silence, maintaining social distancing.
Individuals and families gathered near Harrogate’s war memorial at 3pm this afternoon. Once gathered, each took a knee and fell silent for five minutes from 3.15pm. The protest ended with applause at 3.30pm.
Organisers Bill Rigby and Shan Oakes said:
“We, the residents of the Harrogate district, want to express our great sadness at the murder of George Floyd, and our solidarity with black and other oppressed groups in communities worldwide.”
Dozens of home-made posters and banners were on display
Protestors spread along West Park after the area around the war memorial became full
Individuals and groups of family members joined the protests
People of all ages gathered to protest, kneeling in silence for five minutes
A distressing milestone was reached this afternoon with two further deaths recorded at Harrogate District Hospital of patients who tested positive for covid-19 – bringing the total number of deaths in the hospital to 70 since the pandemic started. Both patient’s deaths were reported yesterday.
A further 72 people, who tested positive for the coronavirus have died in hospital in England. 17 were in the Yorkshire and North East region. The total figure for UK deaths stands at 40,465.
Related Articles:
- Clock ticking on NHS Nightingale Hospital contract in Harrogate
- Strayside Sunday: Why aren’t we being told about the future of the NHS Nightingale?
Patients were aged between 45 and 96 years old and all had known underlying health conditions.
On Thursday, the hospital reported that it had discharged 118 patients who tested positive for coronavirus – an increase of nine on the previous week.
Strayside Sunday: Harrogate needs to know about NHS Nightingale’s futureStrayside Sunday is our weekly political column written by Paul Baverstock, former Director of Communications for the Conservative Party:
In the days after Boris Johnson introduced lockdown on March 24th, I wrote in the Yorkshire Post and Stray Ferret in praise of the Prime Minister’s leadership and in praise of the substance and effectiveness of government communication at the time. 11 weeks later the PM’S moral leadership is under threat and the Government’s initial clarity of communication has been lost.
This week, hot on the heels of the credibility-sapping Cummings affair, the government has asked for, and succeeded in bringing, all members from every constituency in the land back to parliament. Observing social distancing requirements, it took MPs 90 minutes to make their way through the queue to vote for a measure that disenfranchises any MP with an underlying health condition, or who is isolated for family reasons. This cannot be sustainable.
As parliament will soon be rehoused to make way for the pending multi-billion renovation of the Palace of Westminster, the Government should have grasped the opportunity for a continued virtual parliament, embracing technology in circumstances that make it both possible and advisable: Saving money for the taxpayer; repatriating MP’s to spend more time in their constituencies; closer and more accountable to the people they represent. Little wonder that Harrogate and Ripon’s own ‘virtual’ MPs, Andrew Jones and Julian Smith, both voted to return to Westminster.
Now that both MPs are back in the capital, perhaps they could ask ministers for urgent clarification about the future of Harrogate’s Nightingale Hospital, thankfully under-utilised for covid cases, which, from Friday past, was being used to provide CT scans for non-covid patients. In the “Before Times” Harrogate relied greatly on the income from conferences and attendees.
The NHS’s contract to use the Convention Centre ends on June 30th. Given the centrality of the centre to Harrogate’s economic future we need urgent information from the council about the plans for it. It may well be that the Department of Health and Social Care is hedging specialist beds capacity against a covid ‘second wave’ spike. It might just be that a decision is pending. Either way, any plan to get the town’s economy back on its feet needs the Convention Centre convening again, not least to generate some proportion of the £57m economic benefit it claimed to bring to the town in 2017/18. Even the public acknowledgement of uncertainty by Harrogate Borough Councillors Cooper and Swift is better communication than saying nothing at all and signals to the local business community that they need to make contingent plans for a much straitened economic future.
No political column this week can fail to mention the killing of George Floyd. As of writing, the charge against Minneapolis policemen, Derek Chauvin, has been elevated to second-degree murder and the other three officers face counts of aiding and abetting murder. Mr Floyd’s death was caught on video and, thanks to social media ‘shares,’ has now been seen by millions around the globe.
On Tuesday, activists asked us all to post a “Blackout Tuesday” black disc in place of our social media profile pictures and asked that we spend our time understanding how to combat the innate and institutionalised racism that the organisers say we are all guilty of, because we were born into white privilege. While it is undeniable that the good and, let’s face it, mostly white burghers of genteel Harrogate cannot in any way appreciate the lived experience of an urban black Minnesotan, to extrapolate from that to a blanket charge of racism is wrong headed and dangerous.
Which is a clue for those of you who’ve asked why I won’t participate in discussion on social media. A battle of ideas fought on social media can’t possibly have the space, tolerance and reasoned discourse needed if we are to bottom out loaded subjects like race and make progress toward real equality together.
I don’t believe it is possible or even wise to attempt to substantiate reason and complexity in 280 characters or, as Twitter says ‘less’ (when of course it should say ‘fewer’). Titbits of virtue signalling, local bores, selfie whores, moaners and the ‘let’s all pile on kicking of those who made mistakes years ago, in contexts long forgotten’, are not of interest and gladden neither heart nor soul.
I celebrate the power of social media to reveal acts of criminal violence such as the killing of George Floyd but I also denigrate its dumbing down and silencing of real public discourse.
Some things are as simple as black and white; it’s just that most things are not. Things in the public realm are and should be difficult. Reaching agreement and achieving compromise asks the best of us, while, IMHO (sigh), social media amplifies the worst.
That’s my Strayside Sunday.
No further coronavirus deaths at Harrogate District HospitalHarrogate District Hospital has reported no further coronavirus deaths, keeping the total number of deaths at the hospital to 68.
A further 75 people in England, who tested positive for the coronavirus have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals to 27,359.
Read more:
- Nearly 1,000 Harrogate hospital staff absent in April due to coronavirus
- Clock ticking to the end of NHS Nightingale contract in Harrogate
This week the hospital reported that it had discharged 118 patients who tested positive for coronavirus – an increase of nine on the previous week.
Patients who’s deaths were reported today were aged between 43 and 100 and all had known underlying health conditions.
Harrogate district girlguides spread a little sunshine during lockdownVolunteers across the district have been maintaining girlguiding during lockdown with a Sunflower Challenge.
Created as a way to keep in touch with local girlguides, the sunflower challenge involves making a sunflower out of whatever materials you can find, from house hold objects to paints and crayons. These sunflowers are then shared on facebook and have also been made into a video on YouTube.
Sunflower created by a girlguide from 4th Bilton Brownies
The Sunflower Challenge aims to spread happiness and fun to girlguiding members during lockdown. Over 1,000 girls across the County and the UK have taken part in the challenge with numbers growing daily.
County Commisioner for Girlguiding North Yorkshire West said:
“Our volunteers are so committed to encouraging, inspiring and building confidence in our members right through the Girlguiding sections, from Rainbows at age 5 up to our teenage Rangers, while having fun at the same time!
Their continued dedication to Guiding for all our members during this time is something we’re very proud of.”
Read more:
As well as creating their own sunflowers, girlguides are also given a sunflower seed in order to grow their own, with the ultimate challenge being to grow the biggest sunflower.
Sunflower drawn by Megan, young leader at the 28
Mia aged 7 who is a rainbow said:
“The Sunflower Challenge has been really fun. I’ve planted my seed and looked after it. I’ve been watching it grow and hope it might be the tallest!”
Members of all ages have taken part in the challenge with volunteers varying widely form students, stay at home mums and adults who work.
If you would like to take part in the challenge, more details can be found on the Girlguiding North Yorkshire West website: http://www.girlguidingnyw.org.uk/sunflower-challenge
COLUMN: Businesses still face months of change and challenge
This column is written for The Stray Ferret by Jacqui Hall, non-executive director for CNG, a commercial based gas supplier in Harrogate, and regional chair of the CBI Yorkshire and Humber district:
Coronavirus and its impact has crept into every part of our lives. The world of business looks a very different place to what it did just a few months ago, and as it starts to reopen and begin its road to recovery, it will not look how we knew it.
The economy was hit hard by the necessary shutdown at the end of March, and recent data suggests the full impact of that difficult decision is still yet to come. Temporary closures and reduced operations have led to financial concerns with many business having faced or facing reduced income.
As businesses start to reopen, the Government has released some guidance on how to do so. The CBI has worked closely with the TUC and the Government to deliver a plan that works for employers and employees. All this builds on the good proactive plans many firms have developed during lockdown. Excellent employee engagement, fast workplace innovation and transparency have helped many companies support livelihoods. The financial support has been a lifeline for businesses and as the economy restarts and situations continue to change this is ever adapting to become more individual sector specific.
But even with all this support – the battle is not necessarily over yet. Businesses still face months of change and challenge as they navigate through the recovery phase, operational costs are higher, overheads are increasing and most businesses are having to operate at a reduced capacity in order to adhere to government guidelines.
Most businesses look extremely different to what they did prior to lockdown, with many of their operating models changing completely. We’ve seen B2B businesses move to B2C, restaurants become takeaways and innovators stimulating new technology adaption or bringing technologies already in place to the forefront of their businesses. As we move toward the ‘new normal’ these business are now faced with a new challenge – do they revert back to old ways or continue with the new model they’ve adopted? Customer habits and needs are changing and it is hard to predict where the next six months will go.
It’s not all doom and gloom though, it is an opportunity for businesses to adapt and change – there is an appetite for them to learn from others, adopt new strategies and build back better.
At CBI we are committed to this effort to ensure Yorkshire and every region across the UK is positioned to bounce back from this crisis as quickly as possible whilst making investments in skills, infrastructure and technology needed to sustain inclusive growth.
It’s not going to be easy, but it is just as important now than ever that we pull together – this is a long road, but one we aren’t on alone.
Read More:
- Top Yorkshire hotelier warns of “carnage” in the hospitality industry
- Harrogate deep clean starts on Monday 8th June
Local artists invite you on an armchair tour of their studios
Each year artists from across the county open their studio doors to the public for two weekends in June. Despite the arrival of coronavirus, North Yorkshire Open Studios have remained optimistic and are instead bringing this exciting event online this weekend.
Artists across Ripon and Harrogate who were set to invite people into their studios have instead created films of their artwork and techniques in order to stream online.
Harriette Rymer painting in her studio in Harrogate.
These films will be made available from this weekend and will continue next weekend with the full schedule available on North Yorkshire Open Studios Website. The films are shared every 20 minutes on their Facebook page.
Debbie Loane, committee member and painter at North Yorkshire Open Studios has noticed the importance of keeping this event running:
“Many artists plan their calendar around this event and for some it represents a substantial proportion of their annual income, so to lose this event overnight would have been a huge blow to many of the participating artists.
For these artists, who derive their living from creative practice, it was important not to postpone until next year…since lockdown the appetite for buying art online has been strong and I am feeling very optimistic.”
Read More:
Jo York – Brimham Rocks
Harrogate based artist Anna Whitehouse noticed that the appetite for art has been particularly strong since lockdown, telling The Stray Ferret,
“Lockdown has turned out to be a positive time for artists, people are finding ways to reach out more. Even though it feels quiet there are lots of people in their studios being very productive.
A lot of our artists have never really delved online. It’s making the best of a bad situation.”
From textiles and painting to metalworking and printmaking, this event allows for the appreciation of creative processes as well as the chance to get to know local artists.
This event celebrates work created from all corners of the county, covering coastal spots to scenic national parks as well as picturesque villages and vibrant market towns.
Find all the information you need across North Yorkshire Open Studios website and facebook page.
One more coronavirus death at Harrogate District Hospital
Harrogate District Hospital has reported one more coronavirus death, taking its total number of deaths up to 68.
This latest death at Harrogate hospital happened on June 3. It was announced as the NHS reports 123 in hospitals across England.
The hospital in Harrogate has discharged 118 patients who tested positive for coronavirus – an increase of nine on last week.
Read more:
- Nearly 1,000 Harrogate hospital staff absent in April due to coronavirus
- Clock ticking to the end of NHS Nightingale contract in Harrogate
It also comes as the number of people who have died in the UK in all settings has now passed 40,000.
Over 2000 sign petition to save Stray FM in a weekOver 2000 people have signed a petition to try and save local radio station Stray FM in just one week.
The campaign, launched by Liberal Democrats, calls for Bauer Media to reverse its decision to replace Stray FM with a national station.
Stray FM, a 26-year-old station based in Harrogate, is set to be replaced by Greatest Hits Radio with three hours a day of regional presenting covering Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
Liberal Democrat spokesperson Judith Rogerson told The Stray Ferret:
“We understand that it’s not an easy challenge to get a private company to reverse a decision once it’s been made, but seeing the community rally together like this and seeing all the words of appreciation is incredibly heartening. Local journalism is about so much more than large profits — we sincerely hope that this petition shows Bauer just how much ‘Proper Local Radio’ means to our area.”
Read more on this story
Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has also written to Bauer Media to seek assurances over Stray FM’s future.
In a post on his website, he said he was “disappointed” that Bauer Media’s “winning formula is set to change.”
To view or sign the petition, click here.
Woodfield Community Primary School in Harrogate reflects on its first week back after re-opening to limited year groups on Tuesday.
Woodfield Primary has remained open throughout the lockdown for the children of key workers. However, all pupils in nursery, reception, and year 1 are now also able to go back to school.
Jo Marwood, headteacher at the school, spoke to the Stray Ferret about how they have found the first week back:
It’s definitely not the normal… We have about 25% of our children back. We are focusing on the ‘bubble’ element. We have no more than 10 in each group and we keep the bubbles completely seperate. They have seperate start and finish times, break times and we have two metres between each desk in the classroms. We are staggering the return of pupils, so year 6 pupils will start to come back from next week.
There are government guidelines for schools to adhere too but there is no set “uniform” approach.” This means not all schools have re-opened, and the ones that are may all be taking a slightly different approach.
No school is the same… It depends on the size of the building, how many pupils you have and also how you interpret the guidelines. We are doing absolutely everything we can to ensure the safety of our pupils and staff. I dont think at the moment we could have all of the children back… We just don’t have the staff or the rooms.
Despite the gradual re-opening of schools within the borough, it is up to individual parents to decide if they feel it is safe to send their children back.
