Harrogate school gets boost in bid to create outdoor classroom

A Harrogate primary school’s plans to create an outdoor classroom have been boosted by success in a national IKEA competition.

Coppice Valley Primary School on Knapping Hill is one of four UK winners of a sustainable schools’ competition.

To enter the IKEA-Let’s Go Zero competition, schools sent in videos showcasing the sustainability work pupils are doing and how an award would enhance it.

A student eco team at Coppice Valley made a video explaining the school’s current eco focus and how it had plans to build an outdoor classroom. The school has already achieved the Eco-schools green flag award and has a community garden.

Coppice Valley was today named as one of four winners alongside schools in London, Newcastle and Lisburn in Northern Ireland.

It has won IKEA furniture, including tables and chairs, worth £1,500 to be used in its new outdoor learning space.

Samantha Wright, pupil and family support leader at the school, said:

“It is amazing, the children are thrilled about winning and the new space. I am really proud of the kids and the school. The children are all very passionate about it.”

Coppice Valley Primary School in Harrogate.

Coppice Valley Primary School

Besides developing an outdoor classroom, Coppice Valley is also fundraising for a canopy to cover the area.

The outdoor space currently needs £600 in extra funding to create a wellness garden and one brave parent, Emilie May, will skydive from 10,000 feet on May 18 to raise funds. To find out more or donate click here.

The Let’s Go Zero’s campaign aims to make all 32,000 schools in the UK zero carbon by 2030.

Alex Green, head of Let’s Go Zero, which is a campaign to unite schools that want to become carbon zero, said:

 “These schools show clearly that they can inspire children to protect the environment, create beautiful learning spaces and provide students with vital new skills all at once.”

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Harrogate’s ex-Tourist Information Centre goes on the market

The search to find tenants for Harrogate‘s former Tourist Information Centre has begun.

‘To Let’ signs were put up on Friday outside the building on Crescent Road, which is part of the Victorian Royal Baths complex.

The rental asking price is £40,000 a year, according to the website of Align Chartered Surveyors, which is marketing the 2,394 square foot property on behalf of North Yorkshire Council.

The website also says the property has a rateable value of £23,500 and a £24,300 service charge, which includes maintenance, waste collection and cleaning costs.

It says:

“The site is one of the most famous attractions of the affluent town, a town whereby domestic visitors alone provide over £640m of investment each year.

“The building is grade two listed comprising Yorkshire stone masonry elevations under multi-pitch and gabled roof. The windows are double glazed with timber framing.”

The Stray Ferret reported in February the council had decided to relocate the Tourist Information Centre in the nearby Royal Pump Room Museum.

Harrogate’s new tourist information service consists of leaflets.

It said in a report the move would enable it to save costs and generate income from the Royal Baths, which has been dogged by low investment returns since the council paid £9.5 million for it in 2018.

The report said the number of visitors to the Tourist Information Centre fell from 135,000 pre-covid in 2019 to 68,000 last year, mainly due to people seeking information online.

It added it was “important to maintain access to the service to support tourism within the area and to provide services for those who are unable or prefer not to use digital services”.

The report said relocation would “improve the tourist information service” and have “minimal” impact on customers.

However, the service has been downgraded to just a desk with leaflets of mainly council services within the Royal Pump Room Museum, which has prompted concern among local businesses.

It means three of the five commercial unites within the Royal Baths are vacant.

Two are occupied by the JD Wetherspoon pub and the Royal Baths Chinese Restaurant but the former Viper Rooms nightclub and Potting Shed bar remain empty, even though the council said in February it had accepted an offer on the Viper Rooms.

 

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Rudding Park’s managing director Peter Banks to retire

The long standing Managing Director of Rudding Park Hotel, Peter Banks, is to retire after 28 years at the helm.

During this time, Rudding Park has grown from £2m to £28m turnover and has won more than 60 awards.

Mr Banks has also been a contributor to The Stray Ferret – writing about the challenges faced by the hospitality industry – particularly during the covid pandemic. 

Peter comments:

“There is no doubt, Rudding Park is my spiritual home and the owners, the Mackaness family and the Rudding Park team will remain lifelong friends. As such, I will not be a stranger as I will no doubt often be found on the golf course in a bid to reduce my handicap!”

Mr Banks plans to continue his career as an advisor, consultant and non-executive director within the hospitality industry.

 “I do of course recognise there is an element of irony, having previously described hospitality consultants as being like someone who visits the field of battle after the battle is over and bayonets the wounded!

“However, I thrive on a challenge and am looking forward to helping hoteliers across Europe ensure their properties are profitable, successful and sustainable using the wealth of experience; including the successes (and failures) I have amassed over the years.”

Simon Mackaness, owner of Rudding Park paid tribute:

“Peter and I have been on a roller coaster journey together and Peter has been totally responsible for creating a popular, successful and commercially viable resort. On a personal and professional level, words cannot express my thanks for all he has achieved during his 28 years with Rudding Park.”

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Friends of Pat Marsh recall ‘hard-working and warm’ Harrogate councillor

Friends of former Harrogate councillor Pat Marsh have paid tribute to a “hard-working, warm and conscientious” councillor and said her decades of public service should not be forgotten.

Ms Marsh resigned under a cloud in February following alleged antisemitic comments made on social media platform X related to the war in Gaza.

She was under suspension from the Liberal Democrats when she quit.
In a by-election on Thursday, April 11.

Lib Dem Andrew Timothy won her former North Yorkshire Council seat in the Stray, Hookstone and Woodlands division.

It marked the final chapter of Ms Marsh’s political career, which dates back to 1990 when she was first elected to Harrogate Borough Council as an independent for the Starbeck ward.

She became politicised during a battle to build a new Tesco supermarket near Stonefall cemetery in the late 1980s. It was one she was particularly proud of winning.

Long-time friend Cllr Philip Broadbank (Liberal Democrat, Fairfax and Starbeck) was three years below Ms Marsh at Woodlands Primary School and said she was always on the side of her residents.

Cllr Broadbank with Pat Marsh

He remembers evenings spent around the dinner table at the Marsh household plotting the campaign against the supermarket alongside her husband Reg Marsh, the Lib Dem councillor for Wedderburn who died in 2014.

Before they were both councillors, Reg was in the army and the family lived in Malaysia before returning to Harrogate.

Cllr Broadbank said:

“She was a fighter and was absolutely determined. She had strong opinions, was a very hard worker and was always prepared to advise.

“She wasn’t always successful but she never did anything for personal gain. There was nothing like that with Pat, she was straightforward and honest but was always pleasant to people.”

In the early 1990s, Ms Marsh allied with Cllr Arnold Warneken (Green, Ouseburn) in a coalition along with another Cllr David Rimmington.

Cllr Warneken said he looked up to her as a role model. He said:

“Pat Marsh showed us what a good councillor was. I got the benefit of that from following her for 30 years.

“She’s been a hard-working, warm and contentious councillor. People always spoke highly of her and she did a lot for the Harrogate district.”

Since 1990, Ms Marsh sat on the council’s planning committee and played a key role in how the Harrogate district has changed over the years.

She was sometimes on the end of criticism about the scale of housebuilding but as a non-car driver, she often tried to ensure that developments were served with proper bus routes.

The coalition helped the Lib Dems take control of the council in 1994 and ultimately led to council leader Phil Willis becoming the party’s first Harrogate and Knaresborough MP in 1997.

Ms Marsh joined her husband in the Lib Dems in 1996 and took charge of the leisure committee. She was instrumental in the move from Coppice Pool to the Hydro, which opened in 1999.

She was also involved in the battle to save the Sun Pavilion in Valley Gardens, worked to refurbish the Turkish baths, helped get Starbeck In Bloom off the ground and fought to improve safety outside schools in her ward.

Cllr Broadbank said Reg’s unexpected death in 2014 was a huge blow to the community as the couple were a popular double act on the doorstep.

He said:

“The pair of them were very hard-working. That’s partly why they kept getting re-elected. They were prepared to get stuck in.”

Ms Marsh became the leader of Harrogate Borough Council’s Lib Dem group in 2015 and regularly butted heads with Conservative council leader Richard Cooper.

With the demise of Harrogate Borough Council in 2022, Ms Marsh became an honorary alderwoman for the borough, a title bestowed on councillors with more than 20 years of service.

But she was almost blocked from receiving it due to disparaging comments she made about Andrew Jones MP and Mr Cooper while being secretly recorded. She eventually apologised.

Following Ms Marsh’s resignation, Cllr Warneken said she has been “hung out to dry” by her former colleagues in the Liberal Democrats.

She received no mention from her successor Andrew Timothy in his speech after winning the by-election.

However, both Ms Marsh’s friends hope she’s remembered more for her long tenure in Harrogate public life than how her political career ended.

Cllr Broadbank said:

“This isn’t how her life in local government was supposed to have finished.”

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Business Breakfast: Massage therapy business opens in Harrogate

A massage therapist has opened her new practice, Bodyworks by Corey, in Harrogate on Oakridge View this week.

Corey Lofthouse moved to Harrogate from the USA in 2022. Soon after moving she faced a challenging battle with Breast Cancer.

Her personal experience with pain management during surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy encouraged her to open the business.

Still undergoing treatment but heading for full recovery, her business is ready to go. Offering all forms of massage therapy including deep tissue, Swedish, Orthopaedic and Oncology her practice is home based.

Ms Lofthouse said:

“I was always fascinated with oncology massage and had planned to add it to my services anyway, but this just solidified it, and made it a huge priority for me. There is so much pain management during breast cancer care that just isn’t catered for during treatment. The nerve damage that occurred with lymph node removal meant that I had to re-learn how my skin understood touch.”

Private wealth company plant 250 trees to extend Harrogate forest

Titan Private Wealth volunteers at the White Forest

Fourteen volunteers from Titan Private Wealth and Titan Financial Planning have planted trees to extend the White Rose Forest, near Bilton in Harrogate.

They cleared spaces for saplings to be planted, staked the plants and put a mulch mat around the saplings.

The White Rose Forest is the community forest for North and West Yorkshire. It is the largest of England’s community forests.

Mark Puleikis, joint chief executive of Titan Private Wealth, said:

“Our staff really relished the opportunity to contribute to the local area and we hope to continue our partnership with the forest in the future.”

Firm donates £4,000 to Harrogate mental health charity

Robert Beaumont (left) fund-raiser for Wellspring, with Hussein Kahil of Pegasus

Pegasus World Holding, has donated £4,000 to Harrogate mental health charity Wellspring Therapy & Training.

Chief executive Ivan Zhou said:

“Wellspring provides private counselling at affordable rates, easing the overwhelming demand on the NHS’ mental health services, and providing hope for children, families and individuals who are struggling with mental ill health and distress.”

Nick Garrett, interim chief executive of Wellspring said:

“This much needed donation is also vital as it will help us improve peoples’ mental health. I can’t thank Ivan Zhou enough for his company’s generosity.”

Wellspring Therapy & Training, which is based in Starbeck, was founded in 2003. It provides affordable short and long-term counselling for the Harrogate and district community.

Tax consultants open new Harrogate office

PD Tax. Front L to R: Lucy Bagnall, Paul Davison, Charlotte Wardle. Back L to R: Laura Brennan, Lloyd Bean, Daniel Hill, Peter French

Leeds based PD Tax Consultants have opened a new Harrogate office at Royal House on Station Parade.

The company was founded by Paul Davison in 2013, with head of the Harrogate branch Lucy Bagnell joining in 2023.

Ms Bagnall said:

“This is an exciting step in the growth of PD Tax and I am looking forward to working with the business community of Harrogate.”

A company spokesperson added:

“Paul and Lucy have a wealth of expertise to call on. We are looking forward to working with entrepreneurs and businesses in Harrogate, but also supporting local accountants with their clients’ more complex tax needs if their in-house tax team needs additional one-off support.”

Live for Today opens new shop at Ripley Castle

Live for Today store at Ripley Castle

Outdoor activities business, Live For Today, have acquired a new shop at Ripley Castle.

The company is owned by Marc Wise and Dan Miller. The new Live For Today shop is now co-located with the Grindhus Coffee Shop.

The new store offers direct access to Ripley Castle’s grounds and includes a meeting space upstairs.

Designed to accommodate up to 15 people, the meeting space is set to be ready to book in the coming months, offering a place for corporate groups, educational outings, or private gatherings.

Izak Jackson, marketing manager for Live For Today said:

“This move signifies an evolution for Live For Today. Our new shop at Ripley Castle, while only a few doors down from the old one, offers a perfect backdrop for our adventurers to experience the thrill of the outdoors, grounded in the rich history and stunning landscapes of Yorkshire.”

New salon opens in Harrogate

Era Salon Harrogate

A new salon, Era Harrogate, has opened on Grange Avenue. Co-Owners Jenny Addyman and Kirstie Bowdin, both originally from Harrogate, have been in the industry for 10 years.

The salon will offer hair services from bridal, to extensions, to colour changes, colour maintenance and then trims right through to restyles. As well as nails, lashes, brows and facial waxing.

The unit has undergone a full refurbishment costing thousands. The site was a salon previously, meaning the team managed to “upcycle a few things”.

Ms Addyman and Ms Bowdin said in a joint statement:

“We opened in Harrogate as we both grew up, went to school and trained as hairdressers here and so this is where our families and clienteles are. But we knew we wanted more of a residential area to suit our already existing clients and to make parking less of a hassle. Our dream of opening a salon together from those younger years has stood the test of time. This just seemed like the perfect time to take the leap and go into business together.”

Owners of Era Harrogate Salon, Jenny Addyman and Kirstie Bowdin

Big Bamboo appoints PR director

Matt Reeder Big Bamboo PR director

Full-service marketing and communications agency, Big Bamboo, has appointed Matt Reeder as its new PR director.

Mr Reeder, a journalist with more than 30 years’ experience, takes the role having worked alongside the team as a PR consultant since November 2023.

Mr Reeder said:

“Having already experienced first-hand how extremely talented and dedicated the team of marketing experts are at Big Bamboo, the opportunity to join them was simply too good to turn down.”

Nicola Stamford, the company’s owner and founding director, said:

“Matt is a welcome addition to the team, having already demonstrated his PR capability to us since November last year. I have no doubt he will be an asset to us and our clients.”

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Landscape artist to hold Harrogate exhibition

Landscape artist Jason Hicklin’s work is to go on exhibition in Harrogate this month.

His new collection of etchings, which is inspired by Yorkshire’s heritage coast, will be on show at the Watermark Gallery on Royal Parade from April 12 – 27.

Hicklin is a Shropshire based landscape artist acclaimed for his ability to produce dramatic images capturing the feel of the weather and light and its effect on the landscape.

All of his work begins outdoors after stopping to sketch the views, from which he creates the etchings and his prints are then produced.

The works set to go on display are the final pieces produced from a three-walk trilogy along the Yorkshire coast, the Thames and the Pembrokeshire coast. Seven prints have been created from the etchings, some 1 x1.5 metres in size, which will get their premiere at the exhibition.

Hicklin, Stottle Bank Nook from Cradle Head 2024

Etching is a technique that uses acid to create a chemical action to produce incised lines in a metal printing plate which then hold applied ink to form the image from which prints are made.

Hicklin believes printmaking from etchings ‘democratises art’ by making works accessible to greater numbers of people, as even limited-edition prints are much more affordable than original paintings.

He said:

“That stretch of the Yorkshire coast is dramatic and has been shaped by the impact of the sea and storms over the centuries. It was a real pleasure to be able to spend three days walking the coast and taking in those views. It ended perfectly with a beer and a bag of chips on the beach at Filey.”

Liz Hawkes, owner of the Watermark Gallery, said:

“Jason is an outstanding artist producing works that are full of drama and impact. I am delighted that we are able to stage the premier of the works from his Yorkshire Walk, the final part of his Three Walks trilogy. They provide a new and stunning interpretation of coastal views that will be familiar to many people.”

Hicklin, Selwicks Bay 2024

For more information on the exhibition click here.

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Readers’ Letters: Bins weren’t overflowing when Harrogate Borough Council existed

Readers’ Letters is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. 

This letter follows an article about overflowing bins in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens. Many readers were upset about the state of the bins over the Easter bank holiday weekend.

The problem of overflowing waste bins in Harrogate is a recent problem.

We often commented on overflowing bins when visiting other towns, as it was so rare here. How lucky we were to have Harrogate Borough Council in charge, which took pride in this town.

But it all changed a year ago after our local council disappeared and we had North Yorkshire Council inflicted on us – a change that none of us voted for.

Anne Boodt, Harrogate

More grammatical errors on road signs in Harrogate

This letter is in response to a story about North Yorkshire Council eliminating apostrophes from road signs. The new format will be adopted when signs are replaced.

Regarding the missing apostrophe on St Mary’s Walk, there also should not be a full stop after St (as per one of the signs).

So, vigilantes looking to insert an apostrophe with their marker pens should also paint out the full stop.

Michael Clarke, Harrogate

Are we really planting trees as a tick box exercise?

This letter follows a story about 29,000 trees being planted in Masham to create new woodlands.

I am the last person on earth to criticise a tree planting initiative, as exemplified at Swinton Estate in Masham.

But what drives me to utter distraction is the wholly unnatural and mechanical way in which trees are planted in perfectly straight lines.

Are we seriously doing this as a box ticking exercise or trying to create new natural habitats?

Think about when these trees have matured. It will look ludicrously unnatural and probably end up serving as a sustainable source of wood or paper – NOT a habitat for wildlife or a place for people to enjoy the benefits of nature.

Trees do not grow in straight lines.

You might as well be part of a planting scheme along a motorway verge if that’s the approach you condone. Totally ignorant of natural habitats, but nonetheless giving oneself a pat on the back.

I am so frustrated by these examples of mass tree planting…

Mark Fuller, Harrogate

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

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Dene Park council houses remain empty

Five new Harrogate council houses hailed as the most energy efficient in North Yorkshire are still empty, it has emerged.

The homes were created last year on a former car park in Dene Park, in the Woodfield area of Bilton.

The three houses and two flats cost £1 million to build and came as part of a council scheme to turn redundant land into social housing.

Cllr Simon Myers,  North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for housing, said in a press release announcing the new homes in November that they were were “the most energy efficient we have developed”.

Five months on, a Stray Ferret reader said the homes still didn’t appear to have tenants. We contacted the council for an update,

Andrew Rowe, its assistant director for housing, said:

“We are putting finishing touches to the properties and working to satisfy planning conditions with a view to tenants moving in as soon as feasible.”

The houses all have air source heat pumps, solar panels, triple glazing and insulation. The largest house will produce 0.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, compared to an average home creating six tonnes.

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‘Van life’ – the lifestyle trend hitting the roads of Yorkshire and beyond

(Image: Denson Automotive)

“Having a camper van means that if people want to pop to Scarborough for fish and chips they can, or if they want to travel up to Scotland for three months, they can do that too.”

That’s the kind of freedom that owning a camper van represents to Linden Kitson, the managing director of Wetherby-based business Denson Automotive. And it seems that the public are in agreement; according to a report by Statista in 2022 the number of new motorhome registrations reached approximately 11,600.

Spurred on in part by the Covid-19 pandemic, people increasingly turned to the kind of nomadic, road-tripping lifestyle that vans can offer – a movement further fuelled by aspirational social media content.

In 2023 the #vanlife hashtag had been viewed more than 12 billion times on TikTok, and there was upwards of 15 million posts using the phrase on Instagram. Travel influencers have made profitable careers out of showing life on the road, including ‘tours’ of their camper van conversions.

So as a region, is Yorkshire reflective of the national trend?

Selling a lifestyle

The interior of one of the vans (Image: Denson Automotive)

When Linden established his business in January 2020, intentional or not, it was auspicious timing to capitalise on the van life phenomenon.

Indeed, Linden believes that Denson Automotive is fundamentally a ‘lifestyle company selling a concept’. When customers arrive at the workshop in Thorp Arch they’re taken to the ‘Dream Room’ to discuss the vision for their new home on wheels.

If they’re going completely custom-made, from counter colours to exterior wrap, every aspect is decided on before the team source the van and start to outfit it. While Denson does accept vans that people bring to be transformed, Linden explained that it’s very rare that people have found one beforehand, choosing instead to trust the team to pick something.

He said:

“It can be hard for the average customer to see the potential in a van, but we know what to look for. We take what people might think are rough and ready builders’ vans and make them into someone’s dream.

“There’s a massive market for budget-friendly camper vans; we feel like we’re really in that sweet spot.”

Linden and his team convert 10 vans a month and while many are straightforward jobs, there’s been a few surprising – and specific – requests.

“One of our jobs was turning a van into a replica of Nigel Mansell’s 1980 racing car. Another lady was really into astronomy and had a wolf and stars across the exterior.”

Before and after (Image: Denson Automotive)

Living the dream

Hand in hand with the idea of van life is the concept of digital nomads – another term for remote workers who can take their job on the road.

More than 72 per cent UK employees said they were planning on working remotely in a different country, so they can both earn money and travel freely, according to research from the Post Office.

Nine in ten respondents said they imagine digital nomadism becoming a key part of the future of work, with 50 per cent citing the reason as wanting to increase their work-life balance and it give them the opportunity to see the world whilst staying employed.

Camper vans can offer a chance at living this type of lifestyle – and according to Linden, his customer base is wide-ranging; from retired couples looking to take weekend breaks, to young people taking the plunge and hitting the road.

Camper vans can offer a chance at a digital nomad lifestyle (Image: Denson Automotive)

He added:

“We’re helping people to achieve a dream van and a life that they might not even know about beforehand.”

Not only is North Yorkshire is blessed with some of the country’s most spectacular scenery, but there’s a plethora of campsites – as well as legal, on-road parking spots – scattered amongst the national parks.

Popular spots around the Harrogate area include sites at Rudding Park, Knaresborough and Ripley but there’s a whole host of other locations across the North York Moors, the Dales and the Wolds – as well as the enduringly popular seaside spots.

In fact, many of the most well-known sites are often booked months in advance, especially during the summer and school holidays. So perhaps this year you’ll join the thousands of Brits hitting the roads of Yorkshire and beyond for a camper van holiday – and maybe you’ll even take the next step and join the van life movement for good.

Ferret fun facts

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