The Stray Ferret can reveal that Harrogate Borough Council will spend more than £200,000 on the Stray’s restoration after the 2019 UCI Road World Championships.

The council confirmed it has set aside “revenue expenditure of £150,000 or more” this financial year for the work. That’s on top of the £51,000 it had already spent up to the end of January this year.

Lawnmowers are out on the Stray today with scarifying and re-seeding work starting this week. The restoration work is set to continue until autumn – a year on from when the championships started.

One thing that is unclear is who will foot the restoration bill. It could be Harrogate Borough Council and so ultimately the council taxpayers, Yorkshire 2019 Ltd which was set up to run the event, or their insurers.

The Stray in March this year

What has the council done to restore the Stray?

By the end of January, the council had spent £51,000 on repair work, re-seeding on the West Park section and installing protective netting.

As of February, it had repaired damaged verges, restored bedding, repaired and opened all footpaths, and installed netting around waterlogged and unsafe areas.

The council has not released details of its restoration work since then or exactly what the £150,000 will be spent on. When asked for an update on progress, a council spokesperson said:

“We are addressing the historical drainage issues in the top corner of West Park Stray as well as re-seeding work.”

As well as repairing the damage, the work could include addressing the long-standing problem of flooding on West Park Stray, particularly if future events are being considered. Although, the council has said it is not taking bookings for the Stray until 2021.

The Stray back in October after the championships. Photo: The Stray Defence Association

Last year’s UCI Road World Championships in Harrogate brought thousands of visitors onto the Stray. 

At the same time, heavy downpours arrived in Yorkshire. Anyone who knows Harrogate is familiar with the flooding along West Park which accompanies rainfall at least once a year. Add in heavy footfall and even heavier vehicles crossing the grass and the result was a quagmire, churning up the ground deep below the surface. 

For the event, the timing could not have been worse. The state of the ground forced the organisers to close the fan park several times during the week. On the final day, the weather was so bad that the route of the race had to be changed and the helicopters were grounded, leaving the only television footage beamed around the world to be some very soggy shots from a motorbike behind the participants. 

It was unsurprising, then, that the fan park was also closed a day ahead of schedule. Over the following days, the take-down of the event’s hub was much slower than planned because of the conditions – and the resulting damage to the Stray was gradually revealed. 

What has been less obvious is where responsibility lies for the repairs. The question of who pays for the Stray has remained unanswered, with HBC insisting it would be Yorkshire 2019 or its insurers.

Yet investigations by The Stray Ferret have today revealed a £150,000 expenditure proposed by the council – on top of the £51,000 already paid out since the event. It confirms, for now at least, the work will be paid for by the people of the Harrogate district.

The 200 acres dividing us

Both physically and metaphorically, the Stray represents Harrogate. It’s the stunning open space for which the town is known – and, at the same time, it divides us perhaps like nothing else. 

For many, it’s a valuable asset which must be protected at all costs. The damage done to it is unforgivable, not least because of the long-term impact it is having on our town – Harrogate in Bloom has declined to enter any competitions this year, young footballers and others can’t make use of the space, and the bright orange fencing is a constant reminder as people approach the town centre that this seven-month-old debate rumbles on. 

For others, it’s just a patch of grass. The argument at the time was that it would soon re-grow in the spring, and that those complaining about the damage done should find something more important to occupy their time. After all, Harrogate had been shown off around the world thanks to the huge international event it had just hosted.

Wide stretches of land remain grass-free

Fast-forward from September to April and it is evident that the grass is not going to re-grow on its own. Significant work is needed – to the tune of £200,000 as revealed today by The Stray Ferret, and perhaps even more than that, according to one groundworks expert. 

The question is not whether the event was worth the resulting damage – nor even whether it should have been foreseen. Rather, it’s whether sufficient provision was in place to protect taxpayers from having to fund the repairs. 

Today’s revelation about expenditure confirms that taxpayers’ money will be used to carry out the work. That means at least £150,000 will have to be found from elsewhere in the council budget – at a time when, as it admitted last week, it faces a shortfall of £10m because of coronavirus. 

With the warm weather helping to dry out the worst of the surface-level mud, now is the perfect time to begin repairing the damage, especially with such low footfall. But whether scarifying and re-seeding over the coming six months will return the Stray to its former glory – and whether there is any possibility of, or even appetite for, further events to come to Harrogate – remains to be seen. 

This column is written for The Stray Ferret by Susie Little co-founder of Covid Co-Operation, Harrogate 

News of a new virus emerging in China started filtering through during January, just as snippets in amongst the Brexit furore.  I don’t think anyone, here in the UK, could possibly have envisaged then where we would find ourselves, just a few weeks later.

Fast forward to mid-March and rumours were swirling about an imminent “lockdown”. Loo roll was as rare as hens’ teeth and I started thinking; initially about over-70s I knew who would be facing the prospect of three months housebound and how I could help them.  The natural extension to that were others I didn’t know, and others like me, who would surely want to help them.

So Covid Co-Operation, Harrogate on Facebook was born. Within 72 hours we had over 4,000 members and, now six weeks later, over 10,500.  The response has been extraordinary and, as the fifth week of “lockdown” ends, people’s kindness, generosity and willingness to step up still astounds every day.  Need Calpol?  No problem.  Broken thermometer?  Amy will drive across town with a new one for you.  Lost your job and need to feed your children?  A week’s worth of food and treats gathered and delivered in a matter of hours.

It became obvious to me, early on, that this will be a life-changing event in so many ways – I think we will see lasting, positive societal and corporate change.  I sense a shift in people’s priorities and values.  Through “lockdown” we’re being forced to live a far more simple life and certainly for my generation and those younger than me, this is the first time we’ve experienced shortages and being unable to buy what we want, when we want it.

I’ll be honest; the non-stop activity of the Group means I rarely have time to dwell on the horror; the sheer enormity of what it is we’re all living through.  Mentally, this works for me; I can’t change what’s happening but I can, along with the best team of admins ever created and over 10,000 Harrogatonians, make things a little easier for people who need it.

I’d like to think, in years to come, when we look back on this period in our lives, we will remember how our town and its people came together to look after one another in a way never seen before.

It’s a privilege to be part of it.

Covid Co-operation has picked six small local charities who help vulnerable groups and launched a Crowdfund project to support Harrogate Foodbank, IDAS, Hear to Help, Supporting Older People, Canaan Warehouse and SparkSupport.  So far it has raised £6,000 – a £1,000 for each charity.  

To donate:  https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/covid-co-operation-harrogate

The first patient has yet to be admitted to the NHS Nightingale hospital in Harrogate, as staff trained on site have returned to their usual workplaces or been redeployed in support roles in local NHS trusts.

Following the official opening at the Harrogate Convention Centre facility on Tuesday, the temporary facility remains on stand-by in case existing hospital beds are filled and more capacity is required.

The NHS Nightingale Yorkshire and the Humber is one of seven of its kind around the country, created in addition to 33,000 beds being freed up in existing hospitals, according to NHS England. Its 500 beds will only be used in the event of a surge in demand.

Following the three-week construction beginning in late March, staff began arriving on site on April 15 before the official opening took place on April 21.

The RAF Chinook brought senior NHS staff to visit Harrogate’s Nightingale hospital

On Thursday this week, senior NHS staff visited the Nightingale hospital in Harrogate after arriving on the Stray in a Chinook helicopter.

Now, both medical and support staff are working elsewhere until they are called back should the Nightingale hospital need to be opened to patients.

An NHS Nightingale Yorkshire and Humber spokesperson said:

“Staff training has been taking place so that we are ready to receive patients whenever the need arises. Until that time, and as was always planned to be the case, staff will remain with their current employers. For some non-clinical colleagues this will be through supporting local NHS trusts as part of our on-going work against Covid-19.”

The Briary Unit at Harrogate District Hospital has this week closed its doors for the final time as inpatient mental health services transfer to York. 

The hospital wing, which offered specialist inpatient care for people suffering with mental health problems, is now sitting empty, as services are provided in the newly-built Foss Park Hospital on the north side of the city. 

A spokesman for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, which is not responsible for mental health provision, said it was now considering how best to use the space.

Naomi Lonergan, director of operations for North Yorkshire and York at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys (TEWV) NHS Foundation Trust which runs mental health services for the Harrogate district, said: 

“Over the last few weeks our services have been transferring from the Briary Wing at Harrogate District Hospital as planned in phased approach. All services will have vacated by the end of this week and we have been working with services users, carers and partners to keep them updated on these changes.” 

The Briary Wing is now unoccupied

Alongside TEWV, the decision to close the Briary Unit last year was made by Harrogate and Rural District Clinical Commissioning Group (HaRD CCG), which has since been merged with two others to form North Yorkshire CCG. 

A spokesman for the new CCG said:

“Relocating the inpatient beds for Harrogate patients to York has released £500k which we are investing to expand and improve community mental health services which includes crisis. This is in line with one of our key principles which is to keep and treat people at home. The mental health transformation project is expected to reduce admissions, and when people do need to be admitted to reduce their length of stay.  

“We are conscious of the impact on families and carers and this was picked up as part of the engagement exercise. TEWV and the CCG are looking at volunteer drivers to help but also recognise that this is a difficult time.” 

Growing demand

With the full impact of the coronavirus crisis on mental health still to become clear, concerns have been raised that the new arrangements will not meet growing demand over the coming months. 

Cllr Geoff Webber, pictured left, who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge on North Yorkshire County Council, last year criticised the decision to close the Briary Unit, saying the district’s residents had “been screwed” by TEWV and HaRD CCG, which made the decision. 

This week he said: “My concern remains that when there is pressure on the facility in York – as I’m sure there will be with the fall out from the pandemic – then Harrogate patients will be come second in the queue and possibly referred to Middlesborough or even further away. Community-based services will be unable to cope in the current situation.” 

The CCG spokesman said their modelling suggested the 72 beds in York would be sufficient, especially with an increase in community-based services, but there was always the possibility that patients would have to be treated further afield. Meanwhile, services have been adapted during the coronavirus crisis.

Ms Lonergan said: 

“We continue to deliver our services. We have introduced phone and video contacts for community appointments, where it is appropriate, and this has worked well. During this time we are also trying to maintain a level of contact with all patients, supplemented by more frequent contact by volunteers or other staff where appropriate. In the community, where it is identified that people do require face-to-face support, Trust staff can still visit people at home and they are taking the necessary precautions when doing this.”  

She added that the crisis service, offering 24-hour support, was continuing to operate and directed people to the website for more information.

Read more: From building a new hospital to moving all services to York – how did we get here?

Are you or a family member affected by this story and want to share your concerns? Please get in touch  – contact@thestrayferret.co.uk  

When the decision was taken a year ago to close the Briary Wing and move inpatient mental health services to York, it marked the end of a long and intensely political debate about the future of adult mental health inpatient facilities in the Harrogate district.  

Plans had been well advanced for a 36-bed facility at Harrogate’s Cardale Park. Planning permission had been approved and work had begun when – a year ago – Harrogate and Rural District CCG and the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys (TEWV) NHS Foundation Trust (which runs mental health services) voted to halt the project and focus on sending patients to a new facility in York.   

The site at Cardale Park where the mental health inpatient unit was set to be built

Harrogate and Rural District CCG defended its decision at the time, arguing the move to York was to produce “the best possible care” and it wanted to invest more in community care to prevent people needing inpatient facilities – but the reality was the CCG had a £14m deficit and had to prioritise funds.  

To many politicians of all persuasions, it was another example of the long term chronic under-funding of mental health services. Conservative councillor Jim Clarke, the Head of North Yorkshire County Council’s Scrutiny of Health Committee, said at the time:  

“This is not a recent problem, this is the result of years, decades of underinvestment in mental health.”  

The Liberal Democrats, too, expressed concern that patients and their families would have to travel to York – county councillor Geoff Weber said Harrogate had been “screwed by the CCG and NHS”. 

This week, however, the CCG has reiterated its statement that the decision was not based on finance.

A spokesman said:

“The decision was made based on best practice in providing high quality mental health inpatient services and expanding the services locally available in the community. The decision to invest in community services and redeploy inpatient services to York was taken after extensive engagement.

“The solution adopted was the only option that maximised patient safety and experience, while remaining true to its commitment to providing care as close to home as possible.”

Decision came against a backdrop of health service debt and restructuring  

Since 2008 mental health services (both inpatient and community based services) in the Harrogate district have been operated by Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, a specialist mental health Trust. Clinical Commissioning Groups effectively “buy” services such as inpatient mental health beds from the Trust. 

The decision to close the Briary Wing and reject the Cardale Park option came at a time of change for the Harrogate District CCG.  In November last year NHS England agreed to merge Harrogate with two other CCGs: Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby, and Scarborough and Ryedale.   

The North Yorkshire CCG was formed on April 1st 2020 – in the height of the current coronavirus crisis – with a requirement to cut 20% from its admin budget.  

This new North Yorkshire CCG will now be responsible for “buying” mental health services from TEWV for the Harrogate district. The CCG though has a projected deficit of £18m for this coming year and has proposed a £72m savings programme over the next 5 years.

The Stray Ferret put a series of question to the CCG and got the following responses: 

Will the 72 beds in York be enough? If it is full, where will inpatients from our district be sent? 

“Through the modelling undertaken we are confident that there will be enough beds at the new unit, especially given the expectation that there will be a reduction in admissions and length of stay. However, as now, it is sometimes more clinically appropriate for patients to be placed elsewhere.”

Will the newly merged CCG make its administrative and managerial cost savings, including the proposed £72m? 

“The CCG is now operating under a partnership arrangement with TEWV for mental health and learning difficulties which also includes NYCC.  The partnership is committed to delivering the mental health investment standard which ensures that investment into mental health is protected but there is acknowledgement that services need to transform and innovate to deliver improvements and meet an increasing demand for services.

“The 20% reduction in running costs applies to all CCGs and this has been achieved through the recent merger to form the North Yorkshire CCG.”

What impact will the current pandemic have on all health services and what will be prioritised as a result?

“Under the North Yorkshire Mental Health and Learning Disability Partnership, we are working jointly with TEWV to agree how the funding available is used.”

This column is written for The Stray Ferret by Fiona Movley, Chairman of the Harrogate International Festivals 

With the most difficult challenges come some of the greatest opportunities.

As a charitable arts organisation with little public funding (less than 1% of turnover), the current situation calls for robust business thinking and some tough decision making.

Historically we have kept our team small, enabling us to be agile and react to change.  The team’s quick thinking has led to some imaginative changes including ‘remote Festival experiences’ via our website.  But it has meant that we have furloughed half of our staff; the remaining team working from home as they not only deliver remotely, but plan for the future and dismantle the summer programmes.

We were well ahead with reaction to Covid19. We made the difficult decision to hold back the launch of our Summer Season as major arts events were only just beginning to close down around the world. We knew early on that it was the only decision to take to safeguard the health and wellbeing of our audience and team.

Economic times are very tough but after much deliberation we decided against launching a public appeal for funds.  We will lose £850k of our income this year through cancelled events, sponsorship and fundraising as much of our income is generated from March to July. However, it is not the right time when we all have so many personal worries about health and jobs.  The time will come when your help and support will be vital to us as we move forward.

Today I appeal to you in a different way.  The support of the arts in Harrogate is vital to the future of the town.  We may have lost many events, with a knock-on effect for everyone, not least of all our local economy.  When we come back after this dreadful time, we will need your help to bring back to life the rich vibrancy that is Harrogate International Festivals.

Lives are changed for the better through arts organisations. We need the arts to help us rebuild and enrich our lives once more. Some of our work may in the future be delivered in a different way, we are all learning a great deal during this exceptional time, but when we come back in our full glory, we will need your help to spread the word to bring our audience back again.

Let’s cherish our arts organisations, nurture them, and protect them.

Find out more via HIF Player and HIF at Home, it is all free to access – www.harrogateinternationalfestivals.com

Workers at Stainburn Forest uncovered unexploded shells yesterday and called North Yorkshire Police for help.

Officers attended at around 4pm and located four mortar shells before calling in the Army’s EOD team.

The bomb squad inspected the shells and determined that they were inert, and then removed them.

A spokesperson for the police said:

“Police were called at 3.45pm on 23 April 2020 by the Forestry Commission, to report that suspected unexploded shells had been uncovered during work in the forest at Stainburn Moor, near Harrogate. Officers attended, located four mortar shells, and liaised with the Army’s EOD team. They determined that the shells were inert, and removed them.”

The Stray Ferret approached the Forestry Commission for a comment, but did not receive a reply by the time of writing.

Phoebe, 10 and Hermonie, 7, live across the road from the new Nightingale hospital in Harrogate. After watching all the work over the last three weeks and joining in on the weekly clap for our carers, they decided they wanted to do something in return.

The Smith sisters came up with the idea of designing t-shirts to help raise money for charity. They have called their venture KidSmith and all money raised will go to HELP Harrogate.

“Our designs are to celebrate how the community has come together to help those in need and we hope they will be a reminder of some of the good things that happened during this really hard time. We chose HELP Harrogate to try and help them continue to support older and vulnerable members of the local community during the Covid 19 crisis.”

Mum, Phillipa Smith told the Stray Ferret that she is very proud of the girls willingness and desire to try and help:

“It’s so lovely to see how excited they are when orders come in for something they have designed themselves. We’re all really pleased to support HELP Harrogate, they are a fantastic local charity on the ground every day helping our community at this awful time.”

Harrogate District Hospital has reported that two more of its patients who tested positive for coronavirus have died.

Both patients died on Thursday and it brings the hospital’s total up to 38. Their families have been informed.

It comes as a further 761 people with coronavirus died across the UK.

England recorded 587 deaths, Wales reported 110 deaths, and 64 patients died in Scotland. Northern Ireland has not yet released its figures.

The figures released only include those who have been tested and treated in hospital. Deaths elsewhere, such as in care homes, are not included.

Of the 587 patients who died in England’s hospitals, the patients were aged between 40 and 102 years old.

34 of the 587 patients, who were aged between 50 and 102 years old, had no known underlying health conditions.

A total of 58 patients have now been discharged home after being treated for coronavirus at Harrogate District Hospital.