The closure of the St George Hotel is symptomatic of the huge challenges facing the hospitality industry, according to the leader of the group representing the largest hotels in the Harrogate district.

Peter Banks, chairman of Harrogate Hospitality and Tourism Association, told The Stray Ferret: “They will be the first of many in the country. It’s going to be carnage. The high street will be changed for good.”

With Harrogate Convention Centre still set up as a Nightingale hospital and remaining on stand-by for an indefinite period, Mr Banks, who is general manager at Rudding Park, said there is a large question mark hanging over the viability of the industry in the district.

“What about all the bedrooms that go hand-in-hand with the convention centre? If it’s a hospital for a year, all of those big shows won’t be going on and all their attendees and delegates will not be staying in the hotel bedrooms.

“Only about three per cent of the bedrooms I sell are related to the convention centre, but there are other hotels that are much more like 30, 40, 50 per cent. Where’s that business going to come from?”

Sitting opposite the convention centre, the St George was likely to have been more affected than most by it being out of use for events. But Mr Banks said being part of a business which also operated coach tours put it at greater risk than many of the district’s other hotels.

Peter Banks, chairman of Harorgate Hospitality and Tourism Association

While quarantine restrictions are in place for overseas travel, Harrogate is likely to get a boost from UK tourists. However, Mr Banks said HHTA’s thoughts haven’t yet turned to how the district can capitalise on this and market itself effectively:

“Right now, everybody is just trying to work out how the hell we’re going to operate. We’re that far away from creating any marketing plans. If you can’t work out how people are going to go to the loo safely, it might be putting the cart before the horse.”

Weight of responsibility

He criticised the guidance from the government as “about as clear as mud”, saying they had left businesses to try to work out how to operate safely without straightforward rules. Hotel owners, he said, felt an enormous weight of responsibility to protect staff and visitors from the risk of catching Covid-19 and were constantly re-writing their plans as government guidance changed.

For example, he said reducing the number of staff in hotel kitchens means overhauling menus – and putting those menus onto apps instead of passing them between staff and customers. Even simple things like passing in corridors and using toilets will have to be considered and controlled. He added:

“My hotel manager said it’s going to be like re-opening a new hotel. It’s going to be like opening a new hotel on Mars. The rules are going to be entirely different and we’re going to have to change things day by day while we work out how it works.”

Peter Banks says re-opening Rudding Park will be ‘like opening a new hotel on Mars’

Mr Banks said he expects most of the hotels in Harrogate to be large enough to sustain themselves through the current turmoil. For restaurants, however, he said even if they are able to reopen in the coming weeks, social distancing may make it impossible for them to break even, let alone make a profit.

“The furlough scheme has been a life-saver, but frankly all it’s doing is kicking the can down the road. We’re all going to have to cope without the support of the government at some point. It’s delaying the inevitable when a lot of smaller businesses will not be able to make a profit.

“If they have to get 70 per cent occupancy to break even in restaurants, what’s the point? They just won’t open.

The hospitality industry is extremely worried. Everyone is getting ready to open in July at some point but everyone is worried about what it’s going to look like.”

Short-term ‘bounce’

As well as the hotel receptionists, cleaners, kitchen porters, accountants and others who lose their jobs when a hotel closes, Mr Banks said there is a ripple effect to others such as food suppliers. Even the move to cashless systems to reduce the risk of infection will result in job losses, as cashing up is no longer needed and couriers won’t be required to take money to the bank.

The result could be further redundancies being made across all industries, leaving people with less cash in their pockets. While Mr Banks said he expects a short-term “bounce” for many hotels and restaurants soon after reopening, he said the winter could be very quiet as people run out of money they have saved during lockdown, or more job losses hit across the UK.

However, he sounded a note of optimism for the Harrogate district.

“Harrogate is an awful lot more fortunate than a lot of other places. We have a great natural resource, a really beautiful built environment, unlike so many other places. We will be less affected than others.”

Stray FM is set to come off the air after owner Bauer Media announced it was making it part of a national network.

The station, which has covered the district since 1994, will become Greatest Hits Radio.

While there will be a regional drivetime show for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, most of the schedule is set to be the same as the rest of the national Bauer group. It is not known whether any of the current presenters will be transferred to the regional or national shows, but Bauer said it would use “nationally known presenters”.

The company, which bought out former Stray FM owner UKRD last March, has vowed to provide news, travel, weather and other local information, but has not yet revealed how this will be delivered.

The Stray Ferret understands Stray FM will continue to broadcast from its Hornbeam Park station until September. Bauer said some staff roles have been put into consultation for redundancy, and freelance contracts are being reviewed.

While it has not confirmed how many jobs could be lost, industry publication RadioToday has estimated that only 40 of the current 200 presenters across the UK will be needed – and that’s without taking into consideration the journalists, engineers, admin, management, sales and other staff currently working at its 56 stations.

Dee Ford CBE, Bauer’s group managing director for radio, said:

“Audiences love and trust radio. Expanding the Hits Radio Brand Network will ensure listeners to these acquired stations benefit from multi-platform digital distribution meaning they can continue to broadcast in an increasingly competitive, digital and voice-activated world.

“This ensures the provision of local news and information, traffic and travel as well as access for advertisers to highly valued audiences.”

The death of the patient who tested positive for coronavirus at Harrogate District Hospital was recorded on Bank Holiday Monday. It bring the total number of hospital deaths in the district to 64.

A further 183 people, who tested positive for the coronavirus have died in England, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 26,049- 24 were in the North East and Yorkshire region.

Yesterday figures released showed Harrogate’s care homes have reported 60 coronavirus deaths since the start of the pandemic.

It was an increase from last week’s figures of nine more deaths in the town’s care homes.

The latest numbers from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for the care home deaths are from the week ending May 15.

A smart performance by Ripon Grammar School singer and trumpet player Eva Scullion, has won her a coveted place at the Junior Royal College of Music in Manchester.

Because of the coronavirus crisis, Eva, who is 15 and a year 10 student at the school, had her audition filmed on a smartphone by her mother Beki.

The lockdown and social distancing restrictions, meant that auditions in Manchester could not go ahead and Eva was asked to submit a video featuring her performing and talking about why she wants to study at the college.

She has achieved Grade 8 in voice and grade 6 in trumpet and said she finds music a way of expressing her emotions,  especially when singing and added:

“I really enjoy exploring the different moods in songs and how you can be a completely different person than in real life.”

Ripon Grammar School director of music, Michael Barker, said he was proud that Eva and pointed out:

“She is an excellent all-round musician in theory, performance and composition and a stalwart member of our RGS music groups. She has a promising musical future.”

In Harrogate, Ellie Schaiper, a sixth former from Ashville College has won a coveted place at the National Youth Theatre.

The NYT has a long list of  A-lister alumni that includes Dame Helen Mirren, Daniel Craig, Rosamund Pike, Sir Daniel Day-Lewis, Colin Firth and Sir Ben Kingsley.

Ellie Schaiper said:

“Normally those accepted would take this course in London, however, once again due to the virus, this year’s intake course will be done via ‘Zoom’. After the summer intake course, I should have the opportunity to audition for productions within the company as well as their Rep Company, in addition to masterclasses and talks with industry professionals.”

Ashville Drama student Ellie Schaiper

Karl Boyd, Ashville College’s Head of Drama, said:

“I’m absolutely thrilled for Ellie. Being selected to join the National Youth Theatre is a wonderful achievement, and one that will hopefully open many doors for her as she explores a career in the world of acting.

“She worked incredibly hard for the audition and this, combined with her natural talent, has paid off.”

 

Harrogate Borough Council has been given £141,177 from the government to help reopen high streets in town centres in the district safely.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced yesterday that non-essential shops, such as clothes stores and electronic outlets, will reopen from June 15 and urged people to spend money to help the economy “bounce back”.

Now, councils across the country have been handed money from a £50 million pot to help with measures to make shopping areas safe and will be able to spend the funding from June 1.

The money is designed to fund measures such as new signs, temporary barriers, street markings and marketing campaigns to reassure people that High Streets are safe.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged people to spend money to help the economy when non-essential stores reopen from June 15.

It comes as North Yorkshire County Council has already put out temporary bollards in town centres across the district to widen pavements to help social distancing. The authority’s highways chief was forced to defend the measures after criticism from some traders and on social media.

The funding is expected be among the last from the European Union Regional Development Fund which is allocated to the UK Government and handed to councils. The EU fund will finish at the end of this year.

High Streets Minister Simon Clarke MP said:

“As we begin to slowly return to normality, the re-opening our high streets will be key to kick-starting our economic recovery.

“Levelling up the regions and supporting our high streets has always been central to the mission of this government.

“Many businesses have already introduced creative ways of trading such as contactless collection or taking orders by instant messaging and shows that they are ready for the challenges ahead.

“That’s why we are providing an extra £50 million for councils to support a range of safety measures that will help get these businesses back on track and ensure that people can enjoy their time visiting their local high street safely again.”

Harrogate Borough Council has been approached for comment on what it intends to spend the funding on.

Harrogate District Hospital is moving some of its consultations online to help patients during the coronavirus pandemic.

The hospital said it is trialling the technology across a number of departments where it is appropriate and it could stay in place after coronavirus.

However, the hospital said that it can make arrangements for face to face appointments if necessary, with referrals reviewed as soon as they are received.

Those patients with a high clinical need will be seen as soon as possible and suspected cancer referrals will be given the highest priority.

Patients are directly advised if they are eligible for video consultation and they can then choose if they wish to use the service.

Clinical Lead Nurse for Cardiology, Emma Edgar, said:

“Recently, a cardiology patient contacted me as he had a recurrence of his heart rhythm problem. I made an appointment for him in my clinic and we had a video consultation during which I was able to assess the problem and come up with a treatment plan.”

Clinical Informatics Lead at the Trust Dr Matt Shepherd said:

“We are all currently having to adapt to new ways of working and it is important that we make use of every opportunity to support our patients. Our priority is always to give the best quality care and we are pleased to be able to offer this as an option to our patients, where appropriate.”

A volunteer group in Harrogate has made over 2,000 scrubs for Harrogate District Hospital.

From the sewers to the delivery drivers, the Stray Ferret has created this video to say thank you to the Harrogate Scrubbers.

Read more about their final delivery of scrubs to the hospital here.

Harrogate scrubbers made their final trip to Harrogate district hospital today to deliver homemade scrubs.

The group, which was set up just 6 weeks ago, has of 830 volunteers which have provided the town’s hospital with over 2,000 scrubs, 260 gowns, 550 scrub hats and 1,000 scrub bags.

Fran Taylor, the founder of Harrogate Scrubbers, told the Stray Ferret that it had been really humbling:

This started 6 weeks ago… it was about people wanting to help the NHS and I think we really have achieved that. It has also really helped people’s mental health as those that are stuck in the house isolating or on furlough have been able to have a focus and help others at the same time.

Charlotte Gannaway is a nurse at Harrogate Hospital. She was there today to receive the final load of scrubs:

“At the start we had a shortage of scrubs, but we now have enough to go round all the staff. Its made us a lot more comfortable at work, especially when we are working long hours.

We have come together as a team and we are definitely seeing a good number of patients getting discharged”.

Harrogate’s care homes have reported 60 coronavirus deaths since the start of the pandemic.

It is an increase from last week’s figures of nine more deaths in the town’s care homes.

The latest numbers from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) are from the week ending May 15.

More NHS recent data from Bank Holiday Monday has revealed that there have been 62 deaths at Harrogate District Hospital.

With a lag between care home deaths and hospitals of ten days, it could mean that there could end up being more deaths in the town’s care homes compared to the hospital.

North Yorkshire County Council recently said it was stepping up its support to care homes for the 235 care homes in its area.

The council will support struggling care homes with staffing, PPE, infection control, safe hospital discharge, and more.

A majority of residents in the Harrogate district have said they are “appalled” and “furious” at the behaviour of the Prime Minister’s chief adviser who made a 500 mile round trip to County Durham during lockdown to isolate.

Across social media and e-mails to The Stray Ferret, people have been reacting to the news. Though most objected to the adviser’s behaviour, some have defended Dominic Cummings’ actions and said those who want him to resign are doing so for political reasons.

Mr Cummings found himself in the middle of a political storm over the Bank Holiday Weekend over his decision, but he said he believed he acted reasonably and did not regret it.

Harrogate MP, Andrew Jones, has reportedly joined other backbenchers and called for Mr Cummings to resign, but there is still no word on whether Ripon MP, Julian Smith, has joined the call.

Neither MP has responded to The Stray Ferret’s request for a comment.

Harrogate MP, Andrew Jones, has reportedly called for Mr Cummings to step down. But Julian Smith, MP for Ripon, has yet to comment.

On social media, the majority of comments from the district’s residents revealed they were unimpressed with Mr Cummings and some have e-mailed their local MP to voice their concerns.

Racheal Bowen said on Facebook: “I am furious and emailed Andrew Jones yesterday to voice my opinion. Stay home. Protect the NHS. Save Lives. Unless you are Dominic Cummings and then just do what you want and the NHS will pick up the pieces. Disgraceful behaviour from Cummings and all those in government who are supporting him.”

Susan Halliday said: “I am appalled at his arrogance. I have not seen my seven grandchildren for eight weeks and have followed the rules to the letter but now I’m not sure if I’ll pop and see them all and not feel guilty. I’m thinking the rest of the country may feel the same.”

No doubt Cummings should go. Don’t care if he resigns or is sacked, just as long as he goes.

— Marc Smith (@marcxsmith) May 25, 2020

But some have criticised the response to the story and said those who want Mr Cummings to step down are politically motivated.

Sue Stott said on Facebook: “I find it hard to comprehend the levels of hate that so-called respectable people are showing for this man & his family. What is this country turning into when all we can do is criticise and harass others.”

Cheryl Allan said: “I couldn’t care less. There are loads of people who have been out meeting other people and no one gives a damn. But if you’re in the public eye everyone goes mad about it.”

Most people wanting Cummings to be sacked are doing it for political reasons. #Gameplay

— Harrogate Stuff (@harrogate_stuff) May 25, 2020