The retaining wall on Briggate in Knaresborough has been added to the long list of road and bridge repairs recommended for approval by members of North Yorkshire Council environment executive.

The work has been budgeted at £150,000 and is one of nearly 1,000 schemes across the county included in the £45.8 million highways capital programme 2024/25. 

The programme includes 225 schemes in the Harrogate district, ranging from the resurfacing of York Place in the heart of Harrogate to patching work right on the district boundary near Angram reservoir at the top end of Nidderdale. 

The cost of the schemes ranges from various road surface patching works in the Jennyfields area of Harrogate at £362 each, to the resurfacing of Ripon’s Market Place at £330,000. 

The schemes also include work on the bridge over Scot Beck at Thornthwaite, and further work on the landslip on the A59 to Skipton, both costed at £100,000. 

The other scheme in our district that has been added to the list is the resurfacing work on Lancaster Park Road in Harrogate, budgeted at £170,000. 

Schemes worth £3.27 million have been deferred to future years from the 2023/24 annual programme. Those in the Harrogate district include drainage projects at Darley and Beckwithshaw (budgeted at £10,000 and £48,000 respectively) and construction work on Oak Beck Bridge in Harrogate, which has a budget of £1.5 million – by far the most expensive of all the schemes across the whole county. 

The Highways Capital Programme covers the whole of North Yorkshire – which consists of Richmondshire, Hambleton, Scarborough, Ryedale, Craven, Harrogate and Selby areas – and is based on a funding settlement of £40.07 million from the Department of Transport. 

The council’s environment executive recommended that the corporate director for environment approve the programme, in consultation with environment executive member for highways and transportation.

The list of schemes is available here.

Read more:

• No 12: The Great Wall of Briggate saga in Knaresborough
• Decision day approaches for £630,000 Ripon city centre resurfacing scheme
• ‘Unforeseen circumstances’ delay Oak Beck Bridge replacement — again

This article is sponsored by Ashville College Sixth Form.

We understand that choosing a Sixth Form can bring excitement and nerves in equal measure. To any young person, Sixth Form is a time of enrichment, commitment and increasing independence as they move closer to adulthood. They may even have heard from people close to them that Sixth Form was the best time of their school lives. It is not a decision to take lightly.

Ashville College’s Sixth Form Taster Day on Thursday, January 18 is designed to give Year 11s a taste of Sixth Form academic and social life, and to hopefully help them decide if we will be a good fit, both for them as individuals and in paving the way for their future plans.

Here are six things your child will discover on our Taster Day. If they don’t, we are not doing it right!

High-quality teaching

By attending pre-selected sessions, your child will gain first-hand experience of our range of more than 25 A Levels plus BTEC and Cambridge Technical qualifications and start to get acquainted with our teachers, who are specialists in their chosen disciplines.

What it feels like to be a Sixth Former

The feeling may be a little artificial as they haven’t officially started yet, but a Taster Day is as close to the real thing as possible. They can wear suits, experience the school environment, have exclusive use of the dedicated Sixth Form Centre, and taste the food!

A sense of confidence that we will help them get into their preferred university

In 2023, 94 per cent of the summer 2023 cohort of Upper Sixth pupils were awarded places at their preferred universities in the UK and around the world, based on their A Level results. Teachers work tirelessly to deliver the best possible academic outcomes for each pupil.

They will be known as individuals

We work with every young person to get to know them and help them realise their potential, whether that is in their chosen fields of study or their co-curricular pursuits.

There’s more to gain than exam results

Sixth Form can be synonymous with A Levels, but they’re only part of the story. At Ashville, ‘Future Ready’ provides experiences and skills that aim to assist our young people well into the future, and our strong Co-curricular Programme enables them to continue to pursue existing interests and discover new ones, aiding personal growth as well as mental and physical wellbeing.

It’s not just about work!

By spending time with the Ashville community, attendees will learn that we as a College believe that the Sixth Form days are about more than studying and exams, and that pupils learn best when they are happy.

So much awaits beyond the Ashville classroom, from the friendships they will make to the incredible trips and end-of-year parties. Sadly, our Taster Day can’t convey all the special moments ahead of them; they will have to join us to discover those!

Sign your child up now for an enjoyable, valuable and eye-opening day.

We look forward to meeting them. Click or Tap here to register now. 

Jewellery thieves have struck twice in a matter of days at separate homes in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Police issued appeals today for two incidents that happened in the run-up to Christmas.

In the first one, jewellery worth thousands of pounds was stolen from a home at Spacey Houses, Pannal, while the victims were away for the weekend.

They returned to discover they had been broken into and lost items of sentimental as well as high financial value. The items include a vintage Cortebert Champagne watch, an 18-carat gold engagement ring and a gold-plated Omega watch.

The force said in a statement the theft occurred between 4pm on Friday, December 15 and 6.30pm on Sunday, December 17, adding:

“Enquiries are still ongoing to identify the suspect. Police are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

“In particular, officers are appealing for information about items that were taken from the property, and urging people to get in touch if they are offered them.”

Police said the following items were stolen:

A vintage Courtebert champaign dial watch with gold-plated batons and chrome case with grand prix engraving on the back.

A vintage Omega wrist watch with yellow gold case with personalised engraving on the back.

A vintage Titus Geneve chronograph watch with gold casing.

A gold-plated Omega watch which is a C Master model made before the 1960s.

A Rolex made watch which is branded Ingersol on the dial but says ‘Rolex Watch Company’ on the back of the case.

An engagement ring. It is a Lily Arkwright Macey oval in 18-carat yellow gold with shoulder-set diamonds and a 1.2 carrot diamond on the top.

Anyone with information can email Benjamin.Ambler2@northyorkshire.police.uk or dial 101 and ask for PC 216 Ambler. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Quote reference number 12230239018.

Victims ‘devastated’ by loss of wedding jewellery

Police said the victims of the second burglary had been left “devastated” by the loss of gold wedding jewellery.

Thieves broke into a home in the Woodlands Walk area of Harrogate and stole wedding and baby jewellery during the week beginning December 18.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said:

“Anyone who’s had wedding jewellery or other deeply sentimental items stolen will understand how heartbreaking this type of crime is.”

“This has had a significant impact on the victims and we are appealing to anybody who may have recently seen or bought items in the photographs.

“We are also appealing to anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity in the area during this time to come forward and provide details, which may prove essential in the investigation of this incident.”

A selection of the stolen items are photographed above and in the main image, but a number more were taken by the burglars.

Anyone with information can email PC Hawley on joseph.hawley@northyorkshire.police.uk or dial the force on 101. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Quote reference number 12230241333.

Read more:

• Police called after window smashed at Harrogate home
• Jail for Harrogate man who supplied drugs on electric scooter
• Harrogate woman jailed for chasing supermarket staff with drug needle

Police were called after a downstairs toilet window of a Harrogate home was smashed during the early hours of this morning (Wednesday, December 27).

North Yorkshire Police said the incident, which happened at a house on Harewood Road in the Jennyfields area, took place been 1.30am and 6am.

It was reported to police at about 6am. A force spokesperson said:

“No entry was gained to the property and nothing was reported stolen.”

Police officers and the crime scene investigation unit were still at the scene just before midday today.

The spokesperson said no arrests have been made in connection with the case.

Read more:

• LIVE: River Nidd bursts its banks at Knaresborough
• Police seek two men after TK Maxx theft in Harrogate

In this article, which is part of a series on the 12 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2023, we look at how the River Nidd rose up the political agenda this year.

National concerns about rivers were magnified locally in a year of intense focus on the River Nidd.

The state of the Nidd has become a major issue in recent years amid reports of bathers falling ill with sickness and diarrhoea and wider pollution concerns.

It led anglers, academics, conservationists and members of the public to set up Nidd Action Group to campaign for long-term improvements on the river, which is a tributary of the River Ouse that flows through Pateley Bridge, Birstwith and Knaresborough before meeting the Ouse at Nun Monkton..

The group bookended 2023 with two public meetings in Knaresborough. In between there was unprecedented activity that included water sampling and a campaign to achieve bathing water status.

The need to act was starkly highlighted in May when Professor Peter Hammond, a mathematician who analyses data on sewage discharges, published research showing the equivalent of 317 Olympic pools of raw sewage was discharged into the River Nidd at four sewage treatment works at Pateley Bridge, Harrogate, Darley and Kirk Hammerton in 2020.

The following month Knaresborough Lions, which organises the town’s joyfully insane annual bed race, issued a warning urging participants to “keep your head above water”.

Bed race competitors were told to keep their heads above water.

During summer, scores of volunteers monitored usage of the Nidd at Knaresborough Lido as part of the bathing water campaign led by Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Water quality has become a highly charged and politicised issue and not everyone welcomed Mr Jones’ campaign.

Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough, made rivers one of his main campaigning issues in 2023. He said local waterways were “being pumped full of raw disgusting sewage” under the Tories’ watch and accused water firms of awarding bosses “insulting pay-outs” after it was revealed Yorkshire Water paid £2.09 million to four executives in the year ending March 2023.

Mr Jones said he was taking a pragmatic approach to tackling an important local issue that is as much about farming and ancient sewers as government policies.

He even called for a parliamentary debate on the subject in January, when he told MPs:

“Rainwater run-off from farmland, which can include animal waste and pesticides, is a big factor affecting the quality of our waterways. It is a complex issue, and local farmers produce some of the highest quality food in our country, so can we have a debate to explore how the government can support farmers in mitigating this issue?”

Mr Jones’ bathing water campaign focused on Knaresborough, where leisure use of the Nidd is at its highest. There is an large wild swimming group, Lido bathers and boating on Waterside, as well as angling and riverside holiday homes.

If the bid, which the government is expected to adjudicate on in spring, is approved then agencies will be required to take measures to clean the Lido that should impact a much wider stretch of the river.

Andrew Jones (left) with the owner of Knaresborough Lido.

Besides the bathing water bid, action group volunteers organised two rounds of water sampling along the entire length of the Nidd in August and October to establish scientific data on water quality.

The results confirmed high levels of the faecal bacteria E.coli. in much of the river. Tributaries in the middle and lower Nidd catchment, including Ripley Beck, Oak Beck and Crimple Beck, had the highest concentrations of E.coli, with Bilton Beck the worst.

Nidd Action Group volunteers learning to take water samples.

Sampling at Bilton

The results were discussed at the action group’s December meeting, at which some of the early fervour to tackle pollution had given way to a more hard-headed and strategic long-term approach.

The presence of Yorkshire Water at the meeting may have surprised some, but many felt the company was an integral part of whatever plans are drawn up.

Professor Jonathan Gray of the Wild Trout Trust told the meeting the creation of channels that took the river off its natural flood plain “with hindsight was not a good idea” and spoke about the need to reverse this.

Nidd Action Group’s meeting in March.

David Clayden said there had been some initial “naivety” about what could be achieved and both he and James McKay, a Knaresborough resident and academic who has been at the forefront of analysing the water samples, agreed a lot has been achieved in 2023 — but it will take time for this to filter down to actual measures that improve water quality.

Megan Godden, the wild swimming representative on the action group, said people entering the Nidd should avoid swallowing water at all costs and consider avoiding it for a couple of days after heavy rainfall when e.coli levels are at their highest. But she was optimistic action could eventually make a difference.

Maddy Wright, a PHD student at Leeds University, said

“E.coli is the most problematic factor and exists in levels that could pose significant risks”, adding she hoped bathing water status would lead to data about the state of the river being published so “people can see and they will know the risks before they go bathing”.

The clean-up campaign was boosted in November when Yorkshire Water agreed to pay £1 million for polluting Hookstone Beck in Harrogate in 2016.

Half of the sum was awarded to the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust, which will use what is now known as the iNidd project to clean-up the River Nidd. The name is similar to the iWharfe campaign on the River Wharfe.

Charlotte Simons, a senior project manager at the trust, said:

“The sad thing is we have the money because something went wrong. But we have been given a lump sum that can lead to long-term improvements on the River Nidd.”

River quality is a murky business.

Read more:

• Harrogate and Knaresborough MP submits River Nidd bathing water status bid
• River Nidd clean-up campaign boosted by £500,000 from Yorkshire Water
• Harrogate Lib Dems criticise Yorkshire Water £2m executive payments
• River Nidd sampling reveals high levels of faecal bacteria

In this article, which is part of a series on the 12 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2023, we look back at an eventful year for politics in the Harrogate district.

The Harrogate district was a political battleground for much of the last 12 months.

From parliamentary by-elections to council party alliances being formed, the theatre of politics was never far from the headlines.

Perhaps the biggest story of the 2023 was the shaking of the political landscape in Selby and Ainsty.

The constituency, which includes Green Hammerton, Spofforth and Follifoot, found itself at the centre of the national picture as the Tories looked to keep a grip on what once was a safe seat.

The count held at Selby Leisure Centre was the culmination of the downfall of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. 

The count held at Selby Leisure Centre.

Nigel Adams, a key ally of Johnson and Selby and Ainsty MP, resigned with immediate affect in June amid a flurry of resignations at the time, including former culture secretary Nadine Dorries.

Fast forward to July and the Tories were hoping to hang onto the seat.

Standing in the party’s way was 25-year-old former public affairs adviser for the Confederation of British Industry, Keir Mather.

Mr Mather did the unthinkable and overturned a 20,137 Conservative majority to win.

Political alliances

Away from the national picture, the local political scene was also offering its own drama.

The balance of power at North Yorkshire Council was finely poised in July this year, with the ruling Conservative group having precisely half the 90 seats on the council.

The defection of Cllr Mike Jordan left the Tories looking elsewhere to shore up their grip on the authority.

The party looked to Ripon.

Cllr Andrew Williams had been elected to North Yorkshire Council in the May elections as a Ripon Independent.

Cllr Williams and two other unaffiliated independents agreed an alliance with the Tories in what Cllr Carl Les, leader of the council, said would “secure the stable and sustainable governance” of the authority.

However, the move was not without controversy. In the wake of the news, Liberal Democrat councillor, Barbara Brodigan, criticised Cllr William’s decision and described him as a “Tory puppet”.

He hit back and said:

“There needs to be stability and governance on the council. With a £30 million budget shortfall to resolve and local government reorganisation in its infancy, the last thing that’s needed is complete chaos in the council chamber.

“That would suit the the Lib Dems fine, but it doesn’t do anything for local residents. I haven’t agreed to do anything else. The only commitment I’ve made is to join a group for the stable governance of North Yorkshire.”

Andrew Jones and Tom Gordon.

Elsewhere, with the prospect of a general election on the horizon, the race to become Harrogate and Knaresborough’s next MP heated up this year.

Tom Gordon threw his hat in the ring for the Liberal Democrats, while Conservative Andrew Jones is hoping to win his fifth election in the constituency.

While further candidates have yet to come forward, Labour appears to have gone cold on its prospects of winning the seat.

This month, it was revealed that the national party had designated it as a “non-battleground” constituency.

The Lib Dems proclaimed this to mean that Harrogate and Knaresborough is now a two-horse race.

2024 will be another battleground year for politics.

Read more:

• Labour overturns huge Tory majority to win Selby and Ainsty by-election
• Harrogate heavyweights out in force at Selby by-election

North Yorkshire Council is set to spend £500,000 on an extension to a blue recycling bin roll out in Harrogate.

The move comes the former Harrogate Borough Council launched a trial of the bins to 12,000 residents in May 2022.

The bin, which are the same size as refuse wheelie bins (240 litre deep), replaced multiple recycling boxes.

A trial was launched shortly after the Stray Ferret highlighted concerns by residents about the amount of recycling left out for collection being blown across streets. It prompted many people to call for the introduction of the more stable bins.

Now, North Yorkshire Council is expected to procure a further 18,000 of the blue bins to be distributed to residents up until April 2024.

A spokesperson for the authority said:

“This is part of our ongoing project to roll out wheeled bins to residents, where required.

“When the seven waste collection authorities came together as part of the new North Yorkshire Council from April 1, 2023, multiple live procurement processes with varying end dates were in place for the supply of waste and recycling containers.

“In 2022/23, the former Harrogate Borough Council conducted a trial of replacing the multiple 55ltr boxes that 12,000 residents had to a 240ltr blue lidded wheeled bin. This was a success with positive feedback from residents, reduced manual handling for collection crews, and a reduction of litter in the trailed areas following windy conditions.”

Read more:

• Video contradicts Harrogate council’s claim about wheelie bins and recycling
• Harrogate council to trial recycling wheelie bins

The move comes after the borough council launched a trial in Knaresborough in May 2022.

Blue-lidded wheelie bin replaced the black box and will be used for glass bottles and jars, tin cans and foil, food and drink cartons, plastic bottles and tubs.

However, blue bags for recycling all paper, card and cardboard continued to be used. These were be replaced with heavy-duty bags for properties that don’t have them.

The authority is also set to procure 1,500 black general waste bins and 732 brown garden waste bins, which will both be used for replacement and new properties.

Harrogate Town are set for a Boxing Day clash with Accrington Stanley.

Town go into the game hoping for three points in their pursuit to solidify their place in EFL League Two.

The game represents the first of a busy Christmas schedule for Harrogate, with Tranmere Rovers visiting the EnviroVent Stadium on Friday and a trip to Morecambe on New Year’s Day.

Harrogate will be hoping to make it three wins from three after beating Grimsby Town 2-1 at Blundell Park on Saturday.

Goals from Liam Gibson and Abraham Odoh sealed three points for Town which leaves them 14th in League Two.

Following the match, Simon Weaver, Town manager, said the win had given the team confidence going into the Boxing Day fixture.

He said:

“There’s a lot to look forward to.

“We’ve said lets make it three wins on the bounce. We’re back at home and it’s hard opposition again.

“But this has given us another level of confidence against a team that have been unbeaten in seven and we’ve won the game. It’s good for team spirit.”

Meanwhile, play-off chasing Accrington Stanley go into the game off the back of a 2-1 win at home to Walsall on Saturday.

Stanley sit eighth in the table, one point off the play-off places.

Read more:

• Harrogate Town striker Luke Armstrong to join Carlisle United
• New Harrogate Town stand to double away capacity
• Season high crowd watch Harrogate fightback against Wrexham

Thank you for reading and supporting The Stray Ferret. We wish you a very Merry Christmas! 

Our Christmas message this year comes from the Bishop of Ripon, the Rt Revd Anna Eltringham. 

On behalf of the whole team at The Stray Ferret we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy, peaceful 2024. 

In my last church, when I was a new vicar, I soon learnt there were a few lines in the Christmas Eve Nativity play which I must NEVER contemplate removing.  From the start of the play every single year, the Christmas tree lights would be un-lit and my colleague would explain, again, that one of the first things we needed to do was get the Christmas tree lights working. ‘We must all clap our hands’, she said, which we all did obediently.  ‘Clap harder!’ she’d cry ‘It’s not working…!’ until, as if by magic, the lights would blink into their beautiful, bright display.  ‘Well done everyone.  You know what they say, don’t you?’ – and here comes the punchline – ‘Many hands make lights work!’

I was reminded of those words when I visited the local Re-use and Re-cycling Centre in Ripon recently.  Never have I met such helpful and kind Refuse and Recycling Operatives.  The other day as I said thank you one said ‘That’s ok love – you know what they say… many hands make light work.’ Which they do.

Life is good when people care for each other, are kind and helpful, and pull together in good times and bad.  Sadly, in the world at large and in our local neighbourhoods, it can often feel like we see more that is far from friendly.  Social media makes things worse because it’s all too easy to be very unpleasant about individuals or groups, because we’ll hopefully never meet them in person.

The story of Jesus’ birth is set against a back drop of hatred. King Herod was determined to track down Jesus and snuff out the light he brought into the world.  However, as Mary, Joseph, Inn-keeper, Shepherds, Magi and animals gathered around the baby, some say we observe the first ever church.  A diverse group brought together by God’s love, gentleness and hope in the face of Jesus.

Like trying to make the church’s Christmas tree lights work, we need to work hard and intentionally to be kind, help each other and build up community.  I think, when we do, we see something of God’s light and love, gentleness and hope.  That can happen anywhere, but churches are a place where we can step into it somewhere and I encourage you to step inside your local church to experience it yourself, this Christmas.

Because I have one more ‘thank you’ and that is to all ministers and local volunteers, who work so hard to create beautiful Christmas services and events.  Thank you for making a space where we can glimpse the light and love, gentleness and hope of Christ with and through one another.

Peace on earth!  Goodwill to all!  And may you have a very Happy and Blessed Christmas!

Please give generously to the Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal