Harrogate fitness centre responds to craze for new sport

A health and fitness centre in Harrogate has had plans approved to build more padel courts and changing facilities due to increased demand for the sport.

Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre on Hookstone Wood Road offers a range of different facilities including a gym, squash courts, studios and therapy rooms. However, its padel courts are seeing particularly high demand.

The only courts of their kind in the region, they see people travel from Hull, Liverpool and Manchester to play. Padel, a racket sport described as being a mix between squash and tennis, is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK.

Since reopening the courts on July 4, the Harrogate centre has seen an increased demand from people wanting to use the facilities. The courts are currently booked from 7am until 10pm, seven days a week, until the end of August.

grass which courts will be built on

Planning approval has been granted for a new glass-enclosed padel court.

Plans to build another glass-enclosed court along with changing rooms and toilets have recently been approved. The addition will be funded by the centre, the Lawn Tennis Association and Sport England.

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James Gaston, general manager at Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre, told the Stray Ferret that people of all ages come down to exercise:

“The whole point is to try and encourage people to play sports and make exercising cheap for communities. We try and make it so there’s something for everybody here from young people to older people. It’s like a big family.”

outside the sports centre

The sports centre also has a cafe which serves healthy food and drink.

Leo Campagna, a member at the club who is nearly 80 and plays squash most days of the week, told the Stray Ferret:

“I am nearly 80 and people my age have difficulty keeping fit. When you stop exercising you start to stiffen up and so you have to keep going. I am so glad to be able to play squash again. I come nearly every day of the week.”

No positive coronavirus patients at Harrogate hospital

Harrogate District Hospital has reported no positive coronavirus patients for the first time since the pandemic began.

In more good news, it was also revealed today that no coronavirus deaths have been reported at the hospital for 15 days.

This means the death toll at the hospital remains at 82. 

Well done to each and every one of #teamHDFT. pic.twitter.com/zimIENBlfF

— Harrogate NHS FT (@HarrogateNHSFT) July 30, 2020

It is the second-longest time the hospital has not reported any coronavirus deaths since the pandemic began.

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Nationally, 12 more patients who tested positive for the virus have died in hospital. None were in the north east and Yorkshire region.

NHS England said those patients who died were aged between 40 and 96 and all had known underlying health conditions.

It takes the death toll in England’s hospitals to 29,329.

Harrogate Town to show play-off final on big screen

Harrogate Town has offered a limited number of fans the chance to watch Sunday’s play-off final with fellow supporters at The CNG Stadium.

The club will show the match against Notts County on a 25 square metre TV overlooking the pitch at Wetherby Road.

Tickets are £35 per bubble. Each bubble can consist of up to six people and the tickets must be collected in advance.

Anyone attending needs to wear trainers. People can either bring their own seating or sit on the artificial grass.

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One person per bubble will then be able to collect their ticket from the club office from 11am to 3pm tomorrow and Saturday and 11am to 1pm on Sunday.

Alternatively, tickets can be collected from the courtyard outside the Victoria Shopping Centre on Saturday from 10am to 4pm

With coronavirus restrictions in place, fans will not be able to travel to Wembley to watch the game so the screening will be the closest fans will be able to get.

Saint Michael’s Hospice receives royal support for helpline service

A Harrogate charity which has been providing a helpline for NHS and care workers has been given a grant to extend its support to “blue light” emergency services.

Just ‘B’, one of the services offered by Saint Michael’s Hospice, has been providing support for people working on the frontline since April. The service provides bereavement, trauma and emotional wellbeing support to key workers, alongside national charity Hospice UK.

The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has granted nearly £1.8 million to charities to support the frontline community. The money will allow Saint Michael’s to extend its support to all emergency service workers for a further two years.

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Tony Collins, the Chief Executive of Saint Michael’s Hospice said:

“We are delighted to be able to extend this service to support our colleagues in the NHS, social care sector and emergency services. We know that they have been dealing with some of the most challenging situations imaginable.”

two ladies holding Just B signs

Just ‘B’ is made up of a team or trained and qualified volunteers and staff.

Speaking about the new grant, The Duchess of Cambridge said:

“Over recent months we have all been in awe of the incredible work that frontline staff and emergency responders have been doing in response to COVID-19, but we know that for many of them, their families, and for thousands of others across the UK, the pandemic will have a lasting impact on their mental health.”

The helpline is available to all ages and lines are open between 8am-8pm, seven days a week.

95 homes at Granby Farm will destroy ‘green corridor’

A residents group has told the Stray Ferret that 95 homes proposed for Granby Farm near Harrogate High School will destroy a vital “green corridor” that connects the Stray to the countryside.

Richborough Estates has submitted plans for 95 homes to be built on the land that is designated for development within Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan.

In a site assessment produced by HBC when formulating the Local Plan, the council said because the site “is an important part of the green infrastructure network” of Harrogate, any development on the site should maintain 50% open fields — yet plans submitted propose only 25% is kept green.

Gary Walker, from Granby Residents Association, said HBC should refuse the plans on this basis to “create a legacy” for the town.

He said:

“We believe a green corridor needs to be maintained. We don’t feel the current plans address that objective. There’s an opportunity for the council to create a legacy for the town by providing an access route for the Stray through to Nidd Gorge that could be enjoyed by the people of Harrogate.

 

“People are totally opposed to the proposals. We accept the field will be developed, however we are extremely disappointed the proposal on the table doesn’t meet the council’s recommendation for green space. The council could miss a big opportunity to create a green corridor and help the environment and wildlife.”

Richborough proposes 38 homes will be affordable and 57 will be sold at market rate. All the market rate properties would be either four or five-bedroom houses.

The public consultation for the plans will end on August 14.

The Stray Ferret asked Richborough to comment but it had not replied at the time of publication.

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There are several developments in the Kingsley area of Harrogate — which could see over 650 homes eventually built.

Richborough is also the developer for a separate application for 155 homes on Kingsley Road.

Last month it was told by HBC to “go away and rework” its proposals due to overdevelopment. Updated plans will go before HBC’s planning committee next week.

Disability Action Yorkshire’s furniture warehouse to re-open next week

Disability Action Yorkshire’s second-hand furniture warehouse in Harrogate is to reopen on Tuesday.

The warehouse, in Hornbeam Park, sells office and home furniture as well as ornaments, books, DVDs, clothes, games and jigsaws.

The location has been a favourite haunt for TV prop buyers, with items acquired appearing in programmes such as Shameless, EastEnders and Birds of a Feather.

The enterprise not only generates income for Disability Action Yorkshire but also provides retail and customer experience skills for young disabled people.

The warehouse will be open for sales from 10am to 2pm Monday to Fridays. It will also be open for donations from 2pm to 3pm Monday to Friday.

Customers will be required to wear face coverings and observe social distancing measures.

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Jackie Snape, chief executive of Disability Action Yorkshire, said:

“Since we were forced to close the operation down, we have lost more than £12,000 in revenue – money which would otherwise be used to fund our services to disabled people.”

“We have introduced a one-way system around the warehouse for customers, and there will be regular cleaning, quarantining of all donations, and fogging at the end of every day.

“And whilst we won’t initially be able to collect or deliver items, we will be reviewing this later in the month.”

Harrogate Town manager: ‘Promotion can put us on the footballing map’

Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver has said promotion to the English Football League on Sunday would make Harrogate known for football as well as tea shops.

Town play Notts County at Wembley on Sunday with the winner playing in League Two next season.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret, Weaver said playing in the EFL for the first time in the club’s history would be a major boost to Harrogate.

He said:

“It would put us right on the footballing map. We often get the mickey taken out of us saying we’re a town full of tea shops but hopefully we’ll be known for the brand of football and the style we play and that’s the aim of getting in the football league.

Weaver hailed the “amazing” performance of his team last Saturday for beating a physical Boreham Wood side 1-0 in the play-off semi-final at the CNG Stadium.

After not playing since March, the players looked sharp, which Weaver expects to continue into the final.

He said:

“It was amazing that they put on a show after such a long absence. I couldn’t have been prouder of everyone’s attitude.”

Weaver has managed Town for over 500 games — and it will be a sweet occasion to lead his team out on Sunday at the famous Wembley Stadium, despite Town fans being unable to attend due to social distancing restrictions.

He said:

“I’m sure they will be watching and listening where they can but we’ll have them at the forefront of our minds. It’s painful them not being there but we’ll have to focus our minds on the day and do our best for the supporters and make them proud back home.”

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A key strength of Town’s squad over the past few years has been its stability: the majority of the team that won promotion to the National League in 2018 are still present and Weaver said if they do get promoted he won’t be making wholesale changes.

He said:

“Either way we won’t rip up what we’ve got. I think we’ll be very competitive should we be lucky and good enough to win on Sunday.

“We’d be looking at boosting the size of squad so we’d probably need two or three players. Defensively we only have four in the squad right now.”

If the game ends 0-0 on Sunday, Town will be faced with a penalty shootout for the first time since 2012 when they were knocked out of the F.A Cup second round by Hastings.

Fortunately, the squad had a penalties expert on hand to come and give them advice before the Boreham Wood game — England manager and Harrogate local Gareth Southgate.

Weaver said:

“I’ve known him for a few years and thought it might be nice for him to talk about his experiences for 40 or 50 minutes. He’s a really nice guy and talked about how they dealt with penalties in the last England tournament.”

Harrogate Town vs Notts County kicks off at 3pm on Sunday and will be shown live on BT Sport.

Travel agents in Harrogate advise against holidays in Spain

Travel agents in Harrogate are advising people not to go to Spain in July or August.

Following a spike in the number of covid cases in Spain, the government announced UK citizens returning from the country would have to quarantine for 14 days.

This has prompted Langford Travel Services in Harrogate to urge people not to go to Spain this summer but instead book for next year on a low deposit.

Michael Langford, who owns the business, told the Stray Ferret:

“As a travel agent I am advising people not to go in July and August. You’ll be worried before you’ve booked it, once you’ve booked it and once you’re in the destination.”

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Peter Cookson, managing director of Spear Travels, Boroughbridge told the Stray Ferret:

“We are not selling any holidays to anywhere in mainland Spain or its islands because of the new Foreign & Commonwealth Office advice, the fact that most flights have been cancelled and no one can take the risk on their travel insurance.”

Outside Number One Travel

Number One Travel says it is up to customers to decide whether to go to Spain.

However, Keith Butterfield, owner of Number One Travel in Harrogate said it was for customers to decide whether to go to Spain.

“It is very much dependent on the client. If they didn’t have to worry about going into quarantine then it’s their decision to go and we wouldn’t stop them booking. We would talk through the rules and make sure they were aware of the regulations.”

Harrogate Convention Centre: £46.8m renovation moves a step closer

A £46.8 million renovation of Harrogate’s Convention Centre moved a step closer this evening.

Paula Lorimer, director of the centre, told the meeting the investment was necessary for the success of the district.

A full council meeting next week will now have the final say on whether to spend £1.1 million on detailed designs, a feasibility study and full economic impact assessment of the benefits of renovation.

Ms Lorimer said:

“We need this redevelopment not only to drive more conferences, but for the district and the community.

“We run school events, remembrance events, entertainment, orchestras and community groups.

“We do a great deal to support the community and the revenue we provide goes back into the council.

“What comes into us ripples out into the district. We need a successful HCC.”

Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre.

A confidential cabinet report leaked to the Stray Ferret warned the centre “will not survive” unless councillors approved the project.

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While the move to invest in the centre has been welcomed by local businesses and borough councillors, others have criticised the decision.

Eamon Parkin, Mayor of Ripon, said the investment would not benefit people in the city and twas a waste of money.

In an exclusive interview with the Stray Ferret, Phil Willis, former MP for Harrogate, called on “amateur councillors” to step back from involvement in the centre.

 

No coronavirus deaths at Harrogate hospital for two weeks

Harrogate District Hospital has not reported any coronavirus deaths for the last two weeks.

It is the second-longest time the hospital has not reported any coronavirus deaths since the pandemic began, highlighting how the number of deaths has slowed in recent weeks.

The hospital has so far reported 82 coronavirus deaths and released 141 people after treatment for covid.

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Care homes figures for the Harrogate district, released yesterday, showed the number of deaths since the start of the pandemic remains at 104.

NHS England figures today showed that a further 14 people who had tested positive for coronavirus have died, including three in the North East and Yorkshire. They were aged between 55 and 90, and all but two had known underlying health conditions.