Elderly residents in Harrogate have shared their memories of VE Day as the country prepares to mark its 75th anniversary tomorrow.

Continued Care’s staff have spoken to their elderly residents, who were young men and women when on May 8, 1945.

One woman who was 15-years-old at the time recalled how there was a huge street party on Albert Road, with every house flying Union Jack flags.

She described seeing tables laid out from one end of the street to the other, with enough room was dancing in the road and footpaths.

A loud speaker played records by Vera Lynn and other famous singers, and the tables “bulged with food” such as jellies, trifles, sandwiches and pies.

She said: “I don’t know where all the food came from; it was like magic. We hadn’t seen so much food for months! There were bananas, and one or two children didn’t know what to do with them. They didn’t know whether to eat the whole lot or to peel it!”

Aged 16 on VE Day, one man described a street party on Mayfield Terrace, where residents of each house brought food and joined in.

He added: “This lockdown now feels like it’s bringing the wartime back again. Everything was rationed then and you couldn’t get much to eat.”

Photo: VE Day 75

Another Harrogate resident, who was brought up in London and spent much of the war in bomb shelters, described how she would pick up shrapnel as she walked to school.

However, she added: “I always felt perfectly safe. It was very strange, really.”

Aged 17 on VE Day, she said she would be marking the 75th anniversary with her neighbour while observing social distancing rules.

She said: “My neighbour has said we are going out in the front to do a bit of celebrating. I said I would be quite happy to do that. I can sit on the porch – and I’m sure there will be a glass of wine somewhere!”

Continued Care’s director Samantha Harrison said: “For those of us who did not live through the Second World War and for whom VE Day is a moment in history, it’s easy to forget that it is still very real for the older generation. It’s a privilege to hear them recall their memories in such vivid detail, and we are proud to be caring for them today.”

Some landlords in the Harrogate district have criticised the borough council’s plan to give commercial tenants free rent during the coronavirus pandemic.

The authority made the decision back in March as part of its response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Businesses which rent from the council were given three months free rent and could also apply for emergency grants from the government.

While other authorities offered local companies in their area rent deferrals, the borough council decided to give businesses in the district a period of rent for free.

At the time, a joint statement from chief executive Wallace Sampson and council leader Richard Cooper said the council wanted to encourage others to offer support.

It said: “Our commercial tenants will be offered three months’ rent free and we’ll be doing all that we can to encourage other landlords in the district to consider what support they can offer their tenants.”

But some landlords in the district have described the decision as “unnecessary” and pointed to the fact that the authority has estimated a £15 million shortfall in its budget.

John Warren, a housing landlord in Ripon, said while some business will need help, the cost is going to eventually have an impact on the taxpayer. He said:

“My concern is as a council taxpayer.

“We have a council which is giving money away perhaps unnecessarily and no doubt in 12 months time council tax will be put up.

“I am sure they have done it for the best of reasons, but when times are hard you have to think of the greater good which is the council taxpayer.”

Mr Warren contacted The Stray Ferret and said he was unhappy after it was revealed that the borough council is expecting a shortfall of £15 million and may have to furlough some staff to address the funding gap.

Another landlord, who did not wish to be named, said: “It does not seem fair, it will screw the market.”

In response to an e-mail from Mr Warren, Councillor Margaret Atkinson, member for Fountains and Ripley, said the authority was doing all it can to support local business.

“The council has to do everything it can to help these businesses on the instructions of the government,” she said.

“The government has given Harrogate council over £40 million to issue grants of £10,000 to small businesses that meet – 1) They are in the Harrogate district, 2) They qualify for small business rate relief or rural rate relief and 3) the business occupies the property.

“They have already had over 2,000 applications.”

However, Mr Warren described Councillor Atkinson’s response to his concerns as “very unsatisfactory”.

Meanwhile, Councillor Pat Marsh, Leader of the Liberal Democrats group on the borough council, said she thought the decision was rushed.

“I think in hindsight it was maybe a decision which should have been tempered,” she said.

“For me, I think it was a bit of a rushed decision that I wish I had given more thought.”

Harrogate Borough Council has been approached for comment but had not responded at the time of publication.

Harrogate District Hospital has not reported any coronavirus deaths in the last two days, but there has been one confirmed for May 4, in the latest statistics released by NHS England.

Meanwhile, the hospital has announced it has now discharged 82 patients after treatment for coronavirus.

#thankyouNHS pic.twitter.com/JisKnaEobX

— Harrogate NHS FT (@HarrogateNHSFT) May 7, 2020

Hospitals across the North East and Yorkshire reported another 40 deaths in today’s figures, with 383 deaths across England.

Patients were aged between 28 and 100 years old. 41 of the 383 patients, who were aged between 28 and 96 years old, had no known underlying health conditions.

However, while the number of deaths at the hospital appears to be slowing down the number of deaths in care homes is rising according to weekly data from the Office for National Statistics.

Last week, the ONS data which included deaths up to April 17 revealed that there had been 22 deaths outside of hospitals.

This week, the data goes up to April 24 and now shows that there have been 39 deaths outside of hospitals.

In Harrogate, two people have died from coronavirus in their homes and two have died in “other communal establishments,” so the majority of deaths outside of hospitals were in care homes.

Art workshops, exercise classes and even beer-tasting will all be on offer this weekend as HG Community Lockdown Fest gets under way.

The event, masterminded by Harrogate women Rebecca Oliver and Catherine Wright, is designed to replace the weekend of activities cancelled because of the coronavirus lockdown. Rebecca said:

“All the things you take for granted on a bank holiday weekend – going to the coast, spending time with friends and seeing family – is all out of the window. We wanted to offer interesting things for people to do at home.”

Interacting in real life may not be possible, but the lockdown festival brings together dozens of local businesses to offer events online, which can be booked via its website.

There is no charge for the events, but people are being encouraged to make a donation – as much as they can afford – if they take part. The proceeds will be given to Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity (HHCC).

Among the activities include dance classes, a children’s puppet show, a clubbercise session and karate lessons. Artist Anita Bowerman (pictured above), Yorkshire Garden School and Born of the Forest will all run events themed around the great outdoors, while walking tour guide Harry Satloka will bring a mix of local scenery and history to people’s homes.

Harry Satloka will bring his walking tours online for the lockdown festival

Major Tom’s Social is running a live beer-tasting, with packs available to order and collect in advance, and Harrogate Library will be hosting story time for younger children. As well as holding a training session on Saturday afternoon, Harrogate Town AFC will be auctioning off signed shirts throughout the weekend to raise more money for HHCC.

The programme, which runs throughout the bank holiday weekend, also includes an opportunity to join the two-minute silence for VE Day at 11am on Friday, as well as the toast at 3pm. Rebecca added:

“We aren’t limited, space-wise, in terms of what we can do. Avoiding too many smaller things clashing but I don’t think it matters because a lot of it is going to be recorded, so you can always come back to things at another time.”

Harrogate Borough Council has estimated a budget shortfall of £15 million as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Wallace Sampson, chief executive of the borough council, told the first virtual meeting of the authority’s Cabinet that the shortfall was largely down to a loss of income during the lockdown period.

Mr Sampson said the authority may have to look to furlough some council staff in the future in order to address the shortfall.

It comes less than a fortnight since the authority predicted a gap of £10 million due to the outbreak.

As a result of the estimated funding gap, council officials have written to each department at the authority to ensure that any spending is only in essential areas until a recovery plan is produced.

Harrogate Borough Council offices.

Council bosses said the shortfall was largely down to a loss in income in areas such as car parking, leisure and the Harrogate Convention Centre.

Mr Sampson said the authority will have to look closely at how it recovers financially.

“The impact is quite significant,” he said.

“There is a need to look at how we are going to address that in the medium term.

“Whatever we do, we will have to make sure it is in accordance with government guidance.”

The authority has received £1.6 million in emergency financial support from government to help cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

Paul Foster, head of finance at the council, said the authority would continue to lobby government for further financial support.

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire County Council estimated last month that tackling coronavirus will leave the authority with a £65 million shortfall.

A group of Harrogate photographers has raised over £2,000 for the hospital with family portraits documenting life under coronavirus lockdown.

Stacey Evans set up The Doorstep Portrait Project just three weeks ago with five other photographers and she says it is really starting to take off.

They can cover families in Starbeck, Hookstone, Bilton, Jennyfields, Shaw Mills, Harlow Hill, Leeds Road, Goldsborough, and Knaresborough all in their daily exercise with social distancing at the forefront of their minds.

The Cooney Family.

It has been so popular that they have even had requests from as far away as Brighton, something they had to turn down.

“We are over the moon,” Stacey, who started photography as a hobby, told the Stray Ferret. “None of us could imagine it would take off so well.

“This started off with the idea of raising £500 but we have gone well above that now and hope to raise as much as we can for the hospital in Harrogate.

The Hunt family.

“I moved to Harrogate fairly recently so it has been a great way of getting to know my neighbours. It’s been so nice to talk to people and see their smiles.”

She says she got the idea from a photographer in America who got some negative publicity after breaking social distancing rules and trying to make a profit.

The Needle family.

Stacey wanted to turn it into something positive so she always keeps her distance and does not charge for the photos. Instead, they ask people to donate money to Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity to help those on the frontline.

At the time of writing The Doorstep Portrait Project has raised £2,280 for the hospital.

The Foster family.

Stacey J Evans Photography, Lianne Price Photography, Nicole Wilcox Photography, Sarah Warne Photography, Charlotte Hedgecock Photography & Rachael Fawcett Photography are all involved and bring their own styles to each photoshoot.

Local democracy is facing an unprecedented challenge as parish, district and county councils find ways to work and continue decision-making when they cannot meet in person.

The business of councils is being completed through powers delegated to officers or in online meetings – including this week’s cabinet meeting at Harrogate Borough Council.

The ceremonial roles of mayors and their deputies are usually handed over at annual meetings in May. The traditional ceremonies are not currently possible, but some new mayors are still taking up the reins across the Harrogate district.

Boroughbridge and Pateley Bridge both have new mayors after completing their official declarations remotely.

The incoming Boroughbridge mayor Coun Pat Taylor was sworn in from May 1st, taking over after Coun Geoff Haldenby concluded his two-year term of office. Town clerk John Nichols said:

“We have gone through the protocols and it has been done in accordance with our regulations. We just couldn’t get people together for our mayor-making ceremony. We may hold a retrospective event when we can.”

In Pateley Bridge, a Zoom meeting saw Coun Mike Holt complete his declarations online, with the official documents to be signed when social distancing measures allow. He takes over from Coun Chris Skaife and, although the council does not hold a ceremony, the usual service and civic reception could still take place later in the year.

Coun Eamon Parkin will remain Mayor of Ripon until the city council can meet again

In Ripon and Knaresborough, the current mayor will stay in post for now. Ripon City Council’s current mayor, Coun Eamon Parkin, will continue in his role until the council can meet to make a decision about how to proceed with a new mayor. City clerk Paula Benson said:

“The nature of the mayor’s role will change because there are no mayoral functions to attend. While he carries out a civic role, he is also the chairman of the council in law.

“The requirement to hold an annual meeting has been relaxed, so the current office holder can carry on. The council needs a chairman, so we’re following that piece of legislation, passed last month.”

Mrs Benson is carrying out routine work, such as giving responses to planning applications in line with Ripon City Plan, which has been adopted as its policy. However, decisions about future activities such as choosing a contractor to supply Christmas lights have been put on hold until meetings resume.

She said that, should socially-distanced meetings be resumed in the coming months, the council will have to consider how this might be done in a way that will still allow the public to attend safely.

‘It wouldn’t be fair’

In Knaresborough, Coun Christine Willoughby is expecting to continue her mayoral role for now and potentially for the full year, subject to a final decision by the town council.

“We aren’t able to hold an annual meeting and do a change-over. If we did it in a few months’ time, it wouldn’t be fair on the new mayor to do a short year.”

Coun Willoughby said the business of the council is carrying on, including negotiating a new Christmas lights contract and agreeing a grant for FEVA. The latter will support street entertainment in August, if social distancing guidance at the time allows.

Harrogate Borough Council, meanwhile, says it has not yet made a decision on how to proceed, with its planned mayor-making ceremony due to have taken place on May 18th. Coun Stuart Martin, who has held the role of mayor for the last year, said he expects a decision to be made next week after any change in government guidance over the weekend.

North Yorkshire County Council’s AGM has been postponed. The chairman, Coun Jim Clark of Harrogate Harlow division, and vice chairman Robert Heseltine of Skipton East, will continue in their roles until the meeting can be held either virtually or in person.

Harrogate District Hospital has not reported any coronavirus deaths for the second day in a row.

The last time the hospital reported a coronavirus death was on Monday, with the patient losing their life the day before.

As of last Thursday, Harrogate District Hospital has also released 70 patients after recovering from coronavirus.

Hospitals across the North East and Yorkshire reported another 51 deaths in today’s figures, with 331 deaths across England.

Patients were aged between 32 and 102 years old. 17 of the 331 patients, who were aged between 46 and 88 years old, had no known underlying health conditions.

However, while the number of deaths at the hospital appears to be slowing down the number of deaths in care homes is rising according to weekly data from the Office for National Statistics.

Last week, the ONS data which included deaths up to April 17 revealed that there had been 22 deaths outside of hospitals.

This week, the data goes up to April 24 and now shows that there have been 39 deaths outside of hospitals.

In Harrogate, two people have died from coronavirus in their homes and two have died in “other communal establishments,” so the majority of deaths outside of hospitals were in care homes.

A short queue of cars was waiting outside the Household Waste Recycling Centre on Penny Pot Lane in Harrogate this morning.

After North Yorkshire County Council announced yesterday afternoon that it was going to re-open some of its tips today, locals were ready to make use of the facility.

Traffic management was in place, forcing drivers to approach the site from the west only. Those arriving from the Harrogate side had to follow signposts to go along the A59 and down to join the queue on Penny Pot Lane.

NYCC said if the queue becomes too long, it will ask drivers to come back later in order to spread demand.

Diversion signs re-direct traffic arriving from the east

With 10 tips now open from 8.30am to 5pm, seven days a week across North Yorkshire, the county council said they are only to be used by people who cannot store their waste at home until lockdown is lifted. Commercial waste is not being accepted and nor are trailers, but charges are still being made for disposing of some non-commercial waste, including hardcore, rubble, plasterboard and tyres.

Coun Andrew Lee, NYCC’s executive member for Waste Management, said:

“Please consider others and go to the HWRC only if you are struggling. If you can store your waste at home, please do so. And please continue to try to minimise waste and where possible use your kerbside collection services rather than visiting a recycling centre. Ask yourself whether your trip to the centre is really an essential journey.

“As outlined in Government guidance, a visit to your local HWRC should only be considered essential if the waste materials cannot be stored at home without causing risk of injury or harm to health.

HWRCs on Wetherby Road in Harrogate and Dallamires Crescent in Ripon remain closed.

The planned commemorations may not be possible, but across the Harrogate district, communities are preparing to ensure that the 75th anniversary of VE Day is marked.

Bunting, music and afternoon tea will be the order of the day on Friday – all carried out in line with social distancing guidance.

Nationally, the Royal British Legion is encouraging people to join with a two-minute silence at 11am and a UK-wide sing-along of Vera Lynn’s We’ll Meet Again at 9pm.

Locally, towns and villages are organising acts of remembrance to be carried out together from a distance. Groups of neighbours are also planning socially-distanced street parties through the day.

Residents are being encouraged to decorate their homes to mark VE Day

North Yorkshire County Council chairman Jim Clark, who represents Harrogate Harlow division, said: “This anniversary was never just about looking back at something that happened 75 years ago, and the situation in which we find ourselves today makes that even more pertinent. 

“Then, as now, it is about community spirit. The theme of Holocaust Day this year was Stand Together. While we can’t do that physically, we can in spirit. We can stand together in remembrance and thanksgiving, against hatred and prejudice and for building stronger communities. 

“I encourage people in towns and villages across North Yorkshire to take time to reflect and to remember in their own way.” 

Harrogate

In the town centre, displays of vintage vehicles, a parade by the Army Foundation College and a Spitfire on show by the war memorial have all had to be cancelled, along with a concert at the Royal Hall. Instead, community groups are helping to make the day special for people at home.

Oatlands Community Group is encouraging people to raise a cup of tea at their doors or windows at 4pm to mark VE Day together. Other events and commemorations include:

• a photographic slideshow trail on Harrogate Library’s Facebook page
• afternoon tea for one being delivered to vulnerable people supported by Oatlands Community Centre, along with a postcard reproduction of a wartime scene drawn by schoolboy Will Robinson, printed on the back with the lyrics of We’ll Meet Again
• activity packs available to be downloaded free or can be delivered by post at a cost of £1.75 from MyLifePool community enterprise
• Yarn Etc on Knaresborough Road is encouraging people to make and keep knitted or crocheted bunting ready for a community project at a later date
• HG Community Lockdown Festival will be a weekend of events to bring people together virtually for activities and entertainment

Knaresborough

The Knaresborough Royal British Legion is encouraging people to mark the occasion from home. As well as joining local and national activities, they want people to share photographs on social media of how they have marked the day.

Branch vice-chair Dave Houlgate said: “As we face some of the most challenging times since the end of the Second World War, now more than ever it is important to unite in recognition of service to the nation, just as communities did 75 years ago.

“There are many parallels between the struggles of the Second World War and what we are going through today. We look to our Second World War generation to learn from their experiences.  The Legion continues its work to protect them from the threat we currently face.”

The branch’s planned refurbishment and re-dedication of the VE/VJ seat in the castle grounds will be rescheduled for VJ Day in August. Meanwhile, on Friday:

• Knaresborough Delivers will be bringing afternoon tea to households in the morning, supplied by local businesses including Six Poor Folk, McQueen’s Cafe, Number Thirteen and Hirst’s Bakery. (Pre-order by 2pm on Thursday.)
• 11am – two minutes’ silence 
• 4pm – town-wide clap for veterans  
• 4pm – sing-along to We’ll Meet Again

Ripon

Ripon Cathedral was preparing to host the county’s official commemorative service. Social distancing may have stopped the service from going ahead in the building, but it will proceed online.

The Dean of Ripon, the Very Rev John Dobson, will lead the service. The Archbishop of York, the Most Rev Rt Hon Dr John Sentamu, will speak, while the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, Mrs Jo Ropner, and Coun Jim Clark will also give readings. Dishforth Military Wives Choir and the Black Dyke Band will also take part, and assistant organist Tom Coxhead will conclude the service with William Walton’s Spitfire Prelude. Watch online via the cathedral’s website. 

Ripon library will showcase Newby Hall Archive on its Facebook page, in partnership with West Yorkshire Archive Service, along with newspaper articles from the time. Residents are also being encouraged to decorate their windows in red, white and blue, while Union flag bunting has been strung across Princess Road.

• 11am – broadcast on YouTube of virtual service from Ripon Cathedral
• 3pm – city-wide clap to mark the time when Winston Churchill announced the end of the war in Europe

Boroughbridge

A planned town-centre celebration, including a ceremony at the war memorial followed by community activities, has had to be called off. However, the united parish of Aldborough, Boroughbridge, Dunsforth, Minskip and Roecliffe are at the heart of the newly-planned commemorations.

• 10.30am – community singing in gardens (lyrics on the churches’ website)
• 10.50am – online prayers led by the Rev Karen Gardiner
• 11am – national anthem and blessing

Pateley Bridge

Residents are being encouraged to dress their windows in red, white and blue, while bunting is going up in Greenwood Avenue ready for the commemorations.

• 11am – The Last Post played through loud speakers across town, followed by a two-minute silence and Reveille
• 11.02am – playing of I Vow to Thee, My Country (lyrics on the St Cuthbert’s Church Facebook page)
• after – everyone is encouraged to enjoy picnics in their gardens