Review: Unhomely: Three Tales of Terror at Harrogate Theatre

Lauren Crisp is a book editor, writer and keen follower of arts and culture. Born and raised in Harrogate, Lauren recently moved back to North Yorkshire after a stint in London, where she regularly reviewed theatre – everything from big West End shows to small fringe productions. She is now eager to explore the culture on offer in and around her home town.  You can contact Lauren on laurencrispwriter@gmail.com. 

Adam Z. Robinson, writer, performer and founding member of theatre company, The Book of Darkness and Light, loves a spooky tale.

And that is what we are promised with Unhomely: Three Tales of Terror, each thread, as the play’s title suggests, loosely based around the idea of home and its hidden horrors. Here, home is anything but homely.

It is a house, crumbling, Gothic-like, engulfed by a smoke-machine-induced fog, that provides the production’s backdrop, along with a ghostly score and dim lighting. As the play opens, we are given a choice: to stay, or to leave now, before it is too late…

Mirroring the play’s structure is its cast of three: writer Robinson himself narrates, and is joined by two players, Amy Helena and Brian Duffy, who perform using a combination of British Sign Language and Visual Vernacular, a physical theatre technique combining gestures, bodily expression and mime as a narrative tool.

Each cast member plays a myriad of characters, all the while ensuring clarity of delivery. Each tale feels distinct from the other, each presented and told in a slightly different way, and there is, at the play’s core, a real sense of classic storytelling. A multifaceted approach to this age-old practice injects a novel, attention-grabbing feel.

Yet, this spooky play isn’t altogether that spooky, marred, for me, by being too long. Each segment feels like a novella rather than a short story, and by the end, I felt like I’d endured a chunky, under-edited tome.

It also had a touch of the predictable about it, lacking the body and depth to make this a terrifying tale unlike anything we’ve ever seen or heard before.

The play’s storytelling is where its true potential lies, and in its ability to weave together inclusive narrative approaches. With some refinement, I’m sure it could deliver on its spooky promise to chill and thrill.  

Unhomely: Three Tales of Terror is at Harrogate Theatre until Saturday, April 13.

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Council eliminates apostrophes from Harrogate district road signs

North Yorkshire Council is to abolish apostrophes on road signs.

The news comes after a Harrogate resident, who wished to remain anonymous, contacted the Stray Ferret to complain about a grammatical error on the new St Mary’s Walk sign in the town.

He said the sign was “spelled incorrectly with no apostrophe”, adding it had been placed opposite another St Mary’s Walk sign, which is grammatically correct.

The Stray Ferret put the resident’s concerns to the council. A spokesperson said in response:

“Regarding grammar, the council, along with many others across the country, has opted to eliminate the apostrophe from street signs.”

The new format will be “adopted when road signs are replaced”, they added.

The resident responded to the council’s move:

“I do not feel I have been consulted about the council deciding to use poor English language and the council has not responded to me when I raised the issue.”

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St Mary’s Walk is not the only Harrogate road to fall victim to grammatical errors. St Winifred’s Road, on the south side of the town, also has contradictory spellings on signs.

The signs reflect the change of format, meaning the older one includes an apostrophe and another does not.

The contradicting signs. Pic: Google Maps.

A similar initiative back in 2014 which proved less than popular.

The Guardian reported in 2014 that Cambridge City Council’s decision to abolish apostrophes led to a backlash from “self-declared defenders of grammar” who used marker pens to fill in missing apostrophes on road signs.

Work set to begin on Mojo bar extension in Harrogate

Work to extend the bar at Mojo in Harrogate is to begin in the next fortnight.

Voodoo Doll Limited, which trades as Mojo, plans to convert commercial office space on the first floor into a seating area. The extension will add an additional 2,000 sq ft to the bar area.

Construction work is due to begin on the venue on Parliament Street on April 22 and is expected to be complete by the end of May. although, Voodoo Doll Limited told the Stray Ferret it would “prefer not to commit to a specific date at this time”.

Plans were first submitted in September and were approved by North Yorkshire Council in January. In documents submitted to the council, the company said the move would help to cope with demand at the bar.

It said:

“The proposed extended customer floor space seeks to address demand and reflects the success of the business in Harrogate and as such will positively contribute to the character and vitality of the town centre.”

Company director Martin Greenhow said:

“We at Mojo are thrilled to announce our plans to expand our Harrogate site. In response to the popularity of our existing Shuffleboard and beer pong tables, we’ve decided to introduce some exciting new features. While we’re keeping the final details under wraps for now, you can expect to see the very best in competitive socialising coming soon to Harrogate.”

Drawings of the first floor extension, coloured in red

Mojo was established in 1996 in Leeds and has since opened bars in Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield. The Harrogate bar opened in 2018 and is now a prominent part of the town’s night scene.

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Silence on Harrogate Starbucks opening date

The new Starbucks site in Harrogate looks ready to open its doors and begin brewing, but its planned opening date is still unknown.

The coffee shop is set to open in the former Leon site on Wetherby Road. The unit was previously a Mediterranean fast-food restaurant and has been transformed into a drive-through coffee shop.

The Stray Ferret first reported that the site would become a Starbucks last August, when North Yorkshire Council granted planning permission to change the branding on the unit.

Photo of the newly installed signage at the new Starbucks drive-through coffee shop on Wetherby Road in Harrogate.

Permission was given for a total of 20 signs to be installed. Just over half of which would be illuminated, including totem signs, menus and directional signs around the drive-through.

Starbucks advertised for new staff  in December and in January the new signage was installed. The only Starbucks in Harrogate is currently on Cambridge Street in the town centre.

Today, the company told the Stray Ferret:

“We look forward to bringing the Starbucks experience to customers in Harrogate in the near future and will be in touch once we have more specific plans to share.”

The move comes as Leon, which opened at the site last June, closed its doors on April 2 with the loss of around 20 jobs.

It was operated by Blackburn-based EG Group, which also runs Starbucks franchises as well as brands including KFC and Greggs.

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Harrogate dad to cycle equivalent of Everest to raise money for blood cancer research

A Harrogate man, whose wife died just 36 hours after being diagnosed with leukaemia, is cycling the equivalent of Mount Everest to fund vital research.

James Badger, who lives in Kettlesing, last year marked the first anniversary of his wife Phillipa’s death by cycling 1,600km from Lands End to John O’Groats.

He raised £200,000 towards his £300,000 target, which is funding a research project into Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML).

Mr Badger’s late wife was diagnosed with AML at the age of 42 and died less than two days later – leaving him and their three children behind.

Now, to mark the second anniversary of Phillipa’s death, Mr Badger and two friends will climb the equivalent of the world’s tallest mountain on a bike.

Instead of flying to Nepal, Mr Badger will cycle up and down Lackon Bank in Birstwith 90 times to cover the 8,900m distance.

The 1km hill, which runs past Phillipa’s grave at St James’ Church, has a 16% gradient at the start and averages around a 10% gradient as it continues.

Mr Badger said:

“To mark the second anniversary, I wanted to do something a bit different. Whereas our Lands End to John O’Groats challenge was very tough, it was spread over eight days and a lot of people have tackled that ride.

“Climbing the equivalent in height of Mount Everest in one day is something that not so many people have done. It is also closer to home and we’re hoping lots of people will come out and support us on the day.

“This is quite an extreme thing to attempt and is going to definitely be a harder challenge than last year. But for me it is also very personal, as we will be cycling past Philippa’s grave at St James’ Church in Birstwith 90 times before finally reaching the highest point on earth.”

Photo of Philippa Badger with her children. Philippa died at the age of 42 just 36 hours after being diagnosed with leukaemia.

Philippa Badger died within just 36 hours of being diagnosed with leukaemia, leaving behind her husband James and three young children.

The three-year research project into AML began at Cardiff University in January. Mr Badger is hopeful he can raise the final £100,000 to complete the project.

He also said:

“Through the work of BloodCancerUK, survival rates for childhood leukaemia have improved from just 10 per cent in the 1960s and 70s to almost 85 per cent.

“Research can make a real difference and AML has not had the same level of funding and research that childhood leukaemia has had, which is why it is so important for us to fund this research project.”

Mr Badger told the Stray Ferret he is feeling “very motivated for the ride” and said passing his wife’s grave on every lap will keep him going. He added:

“It will be a much harder challenge than cycling from Land’s End to John o’Groats, physically and mentally, keeping going for 20 hours will be very tough, but with support of friends and family I am confident I’ll make it to the top!

“Training is going ok, but this is something I’m not sure I can ever fully prepare for!”

Mr Badger will take on the ‘Rise to the Stars’ challenge on Saturday, May 4.

He, along with friends Richard Baldwin and Adam Ellis, will start their challenge at 4am and hope to complete the ride by 11pm.

Mr Badger’s three children will support him during the challenge, and he welcomes anyone to watch them throughout the day.

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Voters head to the polls for Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election

Voters head to the polls this morning as a by-election is held in Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone division on North Yorkshire Council.

Five candidates will contest the seat, which became available after former councillor Pat Marsh resigned in February after she posted anti-semitic comments on social media.

Voting will take place from 7am to 10pm with the election count taking place in the evening after the close of polling.

Polling stations will be open in St Aelred’s Church Hall, Woodlands Methodist Church and Oatlands Community Centre.

The candidates are:

Voters attending a polling station will need to bring photo ID to be able to vote.

This could include a UK or Northern Ireland photocard driving licence, full or provisional; a UK passport or a passport issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Isle of Man, or any of the Channel Islands; and some concessionary travel passes, such as an older person’s bus pass or blue badge.

Voters will be able to use expired ID if they are still recognisable from the photo.

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Police seek man after alcohol theft in Harrogate

North Yorkshire Police has issued a CCTV image of a man it wants to talk to after alcohol was stolen in Harrogate.

According to a statement issued last night, £76 worth of alcohol was taken from Marks & Spencer Simply Food on Beech Avenue.

It happened at about 5.50pm on Saturday, March 23.

Anyone who can identify the man or has any other information about the incident can email Brendon.Frith@northyorkshire.police.uk.

Alternatively, you can call 101, select option 2 and ask for Brendon Frith or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website.

Quote reference number 12240051837.

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Subscription is coming‘Wet weather not tree felling caused A59 to crack’, council says

Highways bosses have issued assurances the extended closure of the A59 for a further three months was caused by one of the wettest winters in a century, rather than the felling of hundreds of trees beside the route.

North Yorkshire Council’s director of environmental services, Karl Battersby, said while the authority’s contractors had cut down medium height silver birches close to the road as part of the £68.9m project to change its route at landslip-hit Kex Gill, the authority did not believe the trees removal was linked to the road cracking.

Mr Battersby was responding to concerns raised by councillors, just two weeks after the authority caused dismay by announcing the key east-west route would not reopen before the end of June to complete £750,000 of repairs.

The road between Skipton and Blubberhouses has been closed since February 2, leading to heavy congestion on the diversion route through Otley and Ilkley and some businesses losing thousands of pounds of trade every week.

Glusburn, Cross Hills and Sutton-in-Craven division councillor, Philip Barratt, told a meeting of the council’s transport and environment scrutiny committee the road closure was causing major problems in Ilkley and Otley, creating mile-long queues of traffic at peak times.

He said:

“I can’t stress how important it is that this route is solved as soon as possible. It’s a real blight on these communities.”

The A59 at Kex Gill.

The A59 will not reopen before the end of June.

The meeting heard claims the felling of some 20,000 trees had destabilised the route, but it is understood council officials believe the figure contractors cut down to be closer to 850.

Mr Battersby said the council had employed environmental consultants to examine the site’s geology and the authority had concluded the removal of the trees had not had a “detrimental effect in terms of water tables”.

He told councillors removing the trees had been unavoidable due to the location of the road.

Mr Battersby said:

“We’ve put in a 1.3km haul road to support the construction of the new road from crushed stone and we actually think that’s had a positive effect in terms of stabilising the land in that location.

“We have no evidence to say the works that they’ve done have caused this. We have had ten-mile landslips over fairly recent periods, and we think it’s largely the very wet weather that has accelerated what has already been happening and caused us that problem.”

Mr Battersby said the council was aware the roadworks were causing significant disruption for businesses and residents, but it had taken longer than expected to start repairing the large crack.

He said:

“It’s unavoidable unfortunately. For safety issues we just could not allow the road to remain open. We looked at traffic lights.

“The continual wet weather and the continual worsening of the carriageway has meant we’ve had to do some further work to make sure we got the right engineering solution to fix this.”

He said the council was looking at extended day working and weekend working to limit the road closure, but said another crack had opened up on the A59 and engineers were examining whether they could secure the road there with metal rods to avert a further closure.

Mr Battersby said:

“What all this underlines is how important it is to relocate the road. It’s the right thing to do, but clearly it’s a major engineering project.”

Nevertheless, Cllr Melanie Davis said she believed felling the trees had affected “the whole landscape” and even with a scheme in place to replace the trees, regrowing them would take several decades.

She said:

“It will affect the air quality, it affects how the soil is held together by the roots.

“If somebody wants to cut down trees then they’ve got to have a really damn good excuse as to why they do, no matter where because they are all valuable.”

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£1.3m to be spent resurfacing pothole-ridden roads in Harrogate district

Anyone who has driven around the Harrogate district recently will have noted the poor state of the roads, with a prolonged spell of wet weather making the pothole problem worse.

But there are now hopes the situation could finally improve for road users after the government announced that £1.3m previously allocated for the rail scheme HS2 will be spent resurfacing roads in the area including in Knaresborough, Boroughbridge and Ripon.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak scrapped the northern leg of HS2 last year and pledged to use money intended for the scheme on improving transport in the north.

Today the Department for Transport has revealed which local authorities across Yorkshire will benefit from the latest tranche of funding for road resurfacing, which it says will result in £991 million in reallocated HS2 funding for the region.

Roads in the Harrogate district that will be resurfaced are below along with how much each set of works will cost:

Councils across Yorkshire will now be required to submit quarterly reports from June, announcing work which has taken place over three months.

The government says it means residents will be able to scrutinise the progress of the works as these reports will be published online.

Transport secretary Mark Harper said:

“We’re on the side of drivers, which is why this Government is getting on with delivering our plan to invest £991 million in Yorkshire and the Humber as part of the biggest-ever funding increase for local road improvements, made possible by reallocated HS2 funding.

“Alongside this unprecedented funding, which is already being used to improve local roads, we’re making sure residents can hold their local authority to account and see for themselves how the investment will be spent to improve local roads for years to come.”

Meanwhile, it was announced last month that North Yorkshire Council will receive £3.5m from HS2 to put on extra buses across 20 different routes.

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