A primary school in Harrogate has been rated ‘good’ by Ofsted.

St Robert’s Catholic Primary School was described by inspectors as a “welcoming, inclusive and diverse community”.

It was St Robert’s first Ofsted inspection for 14 years.

Read more

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• Harrogate’s Grove Road remains a ‘good’ school, says Ofsted
• Moorside Primary School in Ripon rated ‘good’ by Ofsted

The report said:

“The Catholic values of the school are a central feature of its work.

“These values are reflected in the acts of kindness that pupils carry out in the school and in the community.”

The report says “everyone is valued” and “teachers and support staff care passionately about each child”.

The school was assessed as ‘good’ in all areas except early years provision, which was graded as ‘requires improvement’.

Inspectors said:

“In recent years, a large proportion of children have not developed the literacy, communication and language skills needed to make them ready for Year 1.”

St Robert’s Catholic Primary School in Harrogate.

Headteacher Jill Collins said:

“The report recognised that the school’s curriculum is increasingly ambitious and the school gives it careful thought.

“Education is an ever-changing journey on which we are privileged to accompany the children in our care.

“As a school, we are continually adapting to this landscape in order to provide children with opportunities to be the best they can be.

“We are grateful to the whole school community for their continued support in helping to make St Robert’s a place for children to be happy, resilient and forgiving learners.”

The 300-pupil school converted to become an academy school in 2021. It is now part of the Bishop Wheeler Catholic Academy Trust.

When its predecessor school, of the same name, was last inspected by Ofsted in May 2009, it was judged to be outstanding overall.

Parents interested in enrolling their child can email admin@st-roberts.n-yorks.sch.uk .

The Liberal Democrats candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough has handed in a petition calling for urgent repairs to Harrogate District Hospital.

A report this year said a survey of the hospital estate found 2,500 panels made of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

Twelve 12 high-risk panels had been identified and some theatres and corridors had been made safe with props. The report said further propping of panels that were in danger of collapsing might be needed.

The hospital has bid for £20 million funding to undertake repairs and Tom Gordon’s petition urges the government to provide this sum.

Mr Gordon, who handed the petition to the Department for Health and Social Care, said it was “particularly alarming is that there is no guarantee that the funding bid will be successful”.

He said:

“The potential consequences of failing to address this issue promptly are grave, as these panels are prone to crumbling and collapsing, thereby pose a safety risk to all those within the hospital premises.

“This Conservative government has utterly broken our NHS. It can’t even keep the roof over patients’ heads safe, let alone run a health service that gets people the treatment that they deserve on time.”

Mr Gordon said his petition had attracted “hundreds” of signatures but did not reveal the precise figure.

Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey has also spoken out about Harrogate District Hospital’s need for repairs during prime minister’s questions.

Mr Gordon is aiming to be the first Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough since Phil Willis, who served from 1997 to 2010.

Andrew Jones has held the seat for the Conservatives since then.

Read more

• Harrogate hospital £20m RAAC repairs a ‘critical building safety issue’, says MP
• Government urged to ‘come clean’ on North Yorkshire RAAC schools
• Harrogate hospital ‘crumbly concrete’ to cost £20m to eradicate

Tim Forber,  the current deputy chief constable of South Yorkshire Police, has been named as the preferred candidate to become the next chief constable of North Yorkshire Police.

Zoë Metcalfe, the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for York and North Yorkshire, today announced she had identified Mr Forber to succeed Lisa Winward, who is retiring from the £154,000-a-year role at the end of March next year.

The appointment has been mired in controversy because Ms Metcalfe’s role will be abolished shortly after the candidate she hired is appointed.

The commissioner’s role will be taken over by whoever is elected Mayor of York and North Yorkshire in May 2024.

It means the new mayor will inherit a chief constable they didn’t appoint.

Lisa Winward will retire on March 31.

Ms Metcalfe rejected advice to delay the appointment by North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel, which scrutinises her performance.

The Conservative commissioner has also complained about Tory mayoral candidate Keane Duncan, who she claimed used “inappropriate language” to influence her chief constable recruitment. An investigation found no wrongdoing.

Today Ms Metcalfe’s office issued a statement which said Mr Forber had been selected “following a robust recruitment process” that ended yesterday.

The two-day process on December 11 and 12 involved a presentation to local internal and external stakeholders, a media exercise and a panel interview. It also included candidates having to design a presentation based on the results of an online survey conducted by Ms Metcalfe.

‘The right qualities’

Mr Forber joined South Yorkshire Police as assistant chief constable in December 2016 and was promoted to deputy chief constable in June 2021.

Ms Metcalfe will now put Mr Forber to the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel on January 11.

Ms Metcalfe said:

“His depth of experience and commitment to collaboration and local neighbourhood policing across  rural and urban areas was clear from the interview process.

“I have every confidence he has the right qualities to drive forward North Yorkshire Police to be an outstanding service and to keep people safe and feeling safe.”

Mr Forber said:

“I am hugely honoured to be selected as the preferred candidate to be the next chief constable of North Yorkshire Police. I am looking forward to working tirelessly on behalf of the communities of York and North Yorkshire to ensure they have an outstanding police service. “

Read more:

• Police commissioner Zoe Metcalfe rejects appointing interim chief constable
• Commissioner complains over Tory mayoral candidate ‘inappropriate language’ claim
• North Yorkshire chief constable announces retirement

A retired Harrogate GP who treated patients for three decades has died at the age of 95.

Dr Christopher Watson began working at Moss Healthcare Harrogate in 1959.

The practice, which has sites on King’s Road and Jennyfields in Harrogate and in Killinghall, said in a social media post yesterday that he died on December 6.

Dr Nick Taylor, a senior partner at Moss Healthcare, said:

“Dr Chris Watson served as a GP at Moss for over 30 years; it is with sadness that we announce his death at the age of 95.

“Many of our older patients will remember his kindness and family orientation, he was a wonderful family doctor”

Dr Watson’s funeral will be held at 2.45pm on 19 December, at St Mark’s Church on Leeds Road.

Read more:

• Harrogate village doctors’ surgery to close
• Beatles poster at Harrogate’s Royal Hall fetches £3,000 at auction

Excellence deserves to be recognised and celebrated. The 2024 Stray Ferret Business Awards is the event to put your business, people or great initiative in the spotlight!

Make the most of your efforts by reading our top 10 tips for writing your submission for success.

Entries close on January 19, 2024.

The owners of a Harrogate-based care equipment specialist have announced plans to move its offices away from the town.

Vivid Care said its decision to move away from Linkside House on Forest Lane Head to new premises at Thorp Arch, near Wetherby, is part of a strategic change of direction for the family-run business.

Vivid Care supplies specialist seating, care beds, falls response devices and mobility equipment, and is part of the CoreCare Group. It will be moving its Harrogate showroom to an appointment-only showroom at Thorp Arch at the end of the year. Vivid Care’s employees will join colleagues at the new site from CoreCare Group sister companies, including Innova Care Concepts, Dependall Logistics, and Aquadapt Home Installations.

The current retail showroom in Harrogate will close on December 21, and the new appointment-only showroom will open at Rofta House, Thorp Arch on January 2, with retail sales continuing online.

Formerly Yorkshire Care Equipment, Vivid Care has 50 years of experience in supporting the NHS and care organisations to provide independence and enhance the lives of those with care needs. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the team worked closely with colleagues at sister company Innova Care Concepts to help the NHS with the setup of the Nightingale Hospitals.

Managing director Tristan Hulbert said:

“It’s the right time to enact the next stage of our strategic plan to move our offices to be in our group headquarters in Wetherby.

“As part of this move, the head office building is undergoing new investments with a refurbished office, new video conferencing facilities, a redesigned canteen, and a new state-of-the-art showroom.

“It will allow us to continue our growth in supporting our NHS, reduce our carbon footprint, and promote further collaboration across the CoreCare Group as a whole.

“We’d like to thank all our loyal Harrogate customers for their custom over the past 27 years, and look forward to welcoming them by prebooked appointment to our new space in Wetherby in the new year.”

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A US colonel has been cleared of causing serious injury by careless driving following a horrific road crash in which two Harrogate schoolboys were badly injured.

Benjamin Oakes, 46, was in a white Vauxhall Astra which pulled out of a junction at the end of the driveway outside Ashville College and collided with the back end of a Ford Ranger pick-up truck, York Magistrates’ Court heard.

The Ford Ranger, driven by Sam Goodall, had swerved in an attempt to avoid the Astra, which clipped the back of his vehicle.

It caused the truck to spin and career across the road, where it mounted a pavement on the opposite side of Yew Tree Lane into the path of two teenagers who were walking along the footpath.

The truck struck both boys and ploughed through a wall at the edge of the college grounds.

Prosecutor Louise Berry said that at least one of the boys, who were both 15 at the time, was “buried under the debris” and both were seriously included. One of them suffered a horrific leg injury after the truck went “three-quarters way through the wall”.

Months in hospital

Giving evidence, one of the boys, who can’t be named for legal reasons, said:

“We got hit through the wall. I think I got knocked out for a bit. We were in the bushes. I just heard (his friend) scream.”

The boy said the truck hit him and he went onto its bonnet before hitting the wall. He said a large piece of wall landed on his left leg.

The teenager, now 16, said he looked over to his friend who saw his own badly injured leg and started screaming and saying he was going to die.

The boys spent 18 weeks and 22 weeks in hospital respectively. One of them needed extensive operations following the collision at about 8.30am on February 2.

Ms Berry said it was the Crown’s case that Mr Oakes, of Tewit Well Avenue, Harrogate, had caused the accident because he hadn’t checked that the way was clear before pulling out of the junction.

She said Mr Oakes’ Astra had been “edging” out of the junction before pulling out completely into the path of the Ford Ranger.

Benjamin Oakes

Mr Oakes, chief of the space policy division for the US joint chiefs of staff at the Pentagon, was charged with two counts of causing serious injury by careless driving but denied the allegations.

Yesterday, following a two-day trial, district judge Adrian Lower found the US military chief not guilty of both charges.

Read more:

• Accused in Harrogate schoolboy crash didn’t check road was clear, court hears
• Accused in Harrogate schoolboy crash is US chief of space policy

A female motorist who witnessed the collision described Mr Oakes’ driving in the moments before the crash as “aggressive and inpatient”.

She said he appeared to be “in a rush to leave the junction” before the collision with the pick-up driven by Mr Goodall, who said that following the crash Mr Oakes told him: “I didn’t see you.”

She said she thought the Astra had pulled out “a bit too early…and that’s what caused him to hit the back of the truck”. She added:

“I felt like the truck just appeared out of nowhere in the opposite lane to me.”

She then looked to her right and saw the two schoolboys walking along the footpath. She said:

“The truck was in the wall, so I knew it had gone into (the boys).

“I thought at the time that the truck was going really quick. I got out of the car…and saw that the Astra was damaged as well. I think we were all in shock.”

‘No conclusive evidence’

Peter Minnikin, Mr Oakes’ lawyer, said that neither his client, the female motorist nor the injured boys had seen the truck as it approached the “blind” junction and suggested it could have been travelling too fast.

District judge Adrian Lower said he had “no doubt that this was a traumatic, extremely painful experience for (the two schoolboys)” but that he had to consider the case dispassionately.

He noted that it was “extremely difficult” for motorists to turn right at the “blind” junction, partly due to a pillar or old gatepost at the end of the driveway.

He said there was “no conclusive evidence” that the truck had been travelling too fast or above the speed limit.

Mr Lower, who noted that Mr Oakes had been driving in the UK without incident for four years, said there was every possibility that the truck wasn’t visible to any of the motorists or witnesses even after Mr Oakes had pulled out of the junction.

He said that for those reasons he couldn’t be satisfied that Mr Oakes’ driving was careless or fell below the standard of a competent driver.

Mr Lower found Mr Oakes not guilty on both counts and made an order for the defendant’s costs to be paid from public funds.

An original poster for The Beatles when they played at the Royal Hall in Harrogate has fetched £3,000 at auction.

The Fab Four performed their only Harrogate gig on March 8, 1963 — just as they were on the cusp of superstardom.

They were supported by two local Harrogate bands, The Apaches and The Mustangs.

One of the members of The Apaches kept this poster, and it was purchased in the 1980s by the vendor from a picture framer in Harrogate.

It sold for £3,000 at Tennants Auctioneers’ toys, models and collectables sale on Friday last week (December 8).

A copy of The Beatles White Album, autographed by Paul McCartney, also sold for £1,800.

The album was purchased by the vendor in 1968 from Wilson’s in Norwich, but he was able to get it signed by his musical hero in 2001 visited the University of East Anglia where he worked.

Tennants Auctioneers, in Leyburn, North Yorkshire, holds over 80 sales a year.

Were you one of the lucky ones who went to this concert and can remember it? Send us your memories on contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

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Andrew Jones MP has accused Liberal Democrats of covertly following him after his car was photographed in Harrogate without valid MOT.

Mr Jones has written to Lib Dem leader Ed Davey claiming the Harrogate and Knaresborough party has “gone off the rails” and is a “rogue political organisation”.

He has also contacted the police because of concerns of a breach of the nationwide security programme Operation Badger, which was set up to protect MPs in the wake of the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016.

The Lib Dems have described his claims as “unsubstantiated” and called his attack “bizarre”.

Mr Jones’ intervention comes after the Stray Ferret published an article last month showing his car parked in Starbeck without valid MOT.

We were sent the photo from a person calling themselves Mrs T Neale, Lady Blueberry Blower of Ripon Town.

The Conservative MP said at the time he was “embarrassed by my oversight” but his letter to Mr Davey, seen by the Stray Ferret, says it “appears I may have been followed to a remembrance event” and this was “a covert act”.

It adds it was part of a pattern of behaviour.

The letter says:

“We can disagree on policy. That is normal in politics. But none of these things have been about policy. When the police have had to be involved I am sure you recognise that something has gone very wrong with standards.

“Your Liberal Democrat association in Harrogate and Knaresborough is a rogue political organisation.

“It is operating in an underhand and dishonest way. This is not merely a problem with one individual at one time. It is a systemic issue where within the organisation the norms of political discourse have been supplanted by attacks on the individual, anonymous briefings, campaigns to plant messages about me surreptitiously on social media and even the attempted weaponising of a person who most believe had severe mental health problems.”

Read more:

• Andrew Jones ‘embarrassed’ after car spotted without valid MOT
• Campaigners step-up fight against Allerton asphalt plant
• Labour designates Harrogate and Knaresborough ‘non-battleground’ seat

Mr Jones’ letter said he first met the Lib Dems chief whip in 2013 about local political opponents “publishing lies about my expenses” and thought at the time “this behaviour was a one-off act of silliness – maybe even a mistake”.

But he said he had now concluded that subsequent actions indicate it can’t be anything other than “locally inspired by the Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrat association which has simply gone off the rails”.

The letter adds:

“These actions span a period of 10 years so it is clear that the behaviour is ingrained into their ways of working.

“Quite simply, this is a political organisation that has gone rogue.”

The letter was copied to Daniel Greenberg, the parliamentary commissioner for standards.

A spokesperson for the Harrogate Liberal Democrats said in response to Mr Jones’ claims:

“If Mr. Jones feels strongly about these unsubstantiated claims, then we would point him to our party’s independent complaints process.

“This is a bizarre letter, and surely it would be far better to have an MP focused on the issues which matter to local people, including a lack of NHS dentist appointments and a hospital with a crumbling roof.”

One of the best-known butchers in the Harrogate area died on Monday, more than 50 years after founding his family business. 

Ian Audsley, 84, was a well-known figure both in food retail circles and in his local area in the south of Harrogate. 

Mr Audsley launched his business in 1970, and his shop on St Winifred’s Avenue West, JE Audsley Family Butcher, long ago widened its customer base far beyond the Saints area of the town. Now run by his son, John, it continues to command loyalty among many of its clientele. 

A notice issued by his family said: 

“His commitment and passion have shaped the character of our establishment, and his unwavering dedication has made it a cherished part of the lives of countless individuals. 

“Ian’s impact extends far beyond the business he founded; it encompasses the relationships he nurtured, the moments he shared, and the lives he touched. His genuine kindness, infectious spirit, and commitment to community service have left an indelible mark on all who had the privilege of knowing him.”

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North Yorkshire Council has rejected requests to reduce the speed limit on some main roads outside schools in Harrogate to 20mph.

A report due before Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for highways, will recommend creating a 20mph zone outside schools in the Pannal Ash and Oatlands area of the town.

The council announced plans for the “landmark” zone in September following a safety campaign by residents, councillors and schools.

The proposed area for the new zones included seven Harrogate schools. These are Harrogate Grammar School, Rossett Acre Primary School, Rossett School, Ashville College, St Aidan’s Church of England High School, Oatlands Junior School and Oatlands Infants School.

It included roads such as Arthurs Avenue, Oatlands Drive, Yew Tree Lane and Cromwell Road.

But it now appears main routes Leeds Road, Wetherby Road, Otley Road, Hookstone Road, Hookstone Drive, York Place and Leadhall Lane will not be included in the plan.

A map of the 20mph areas in Pannal and Oatlands. Picture: NYC.

Neil Renton, headteacher at Harrogate Grammar School, told the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee in September he hoped Otley Road — where students enter the school — could be reduced to 20mph.

Read more:

• Harrogate Grammar School head says 20mph zone should include Otley Road
• Headteachers unite to support 20mph speed limit near Harrogate schools

But the report due before Cllr Duncan on December 18 says the main roads were identified as either “strategic distributor” or “main distributor” roads.

It added:

“Practically given the recognised role in the strategic network and their function to carry high volumes of traffic between primary destinations it is not considered appropriate to implement physical traffic calming features and an associated speed reduction to 20mph.”

Meanwhile, the council said Leadhall Lane “does not have identified destination points such as schools, shops or sports centre” and a 20mph limit would be “difficult to achieve”.

‘Incredibly disappointed’

Christopher Harrison, headteacher at Oatlands Infant School, said he was “incredibly disappointed” by the plans.

The school caters for pupils between the ages of four and seven.

Mr Harrison said he hoped the council would reconsider its proposals and reduce the speed limit on Hookstone Road from 30mph to 20mph.

He said:

“As headteacher of Oatlands Infant School, I am incredibly disappointed by the decision to keep Hookstone Road at 30mph. 

“We have a healthy, active school community who love to walk, cycle and scooter to school alongside Hookstone Road on a daily basis. 

“We worry that the current speed limit of 30mph is not safe enough for our children, and that a reduction to 20mph would enable more families to travel to school in safety. We hope that North Yorkshire Council reconsider this decision with our youngest, most vulnerable members of our community in mind.”

Otley Road

Hazel Peacock, of the Oatlands Road Safety and Active Travel Campaign, said the plans did not go far enough and urged the council to include the roads in the proposals.

She said:

“For the safety and well-being of the 9,000 school children and the wider community in Oatlands and Pannal Ash we urge North Yorkshire Council to reconsider the inclusion of Hookstone Road, Hookstone Drive, Leadhall Lane, part of Leeds Rd (A61), Otley Rd (B6162), Wetherby Road (A661) and York Place (A6040) as 20mph in the Harrogate (south and west) 20mph Speed Limit review to be considered by Cllr Keane Duncan, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for highways and transportation and mayoral candidate, on Monday 18th December.

“Without the inclusion of Hookstone Road, Hookstone Drive, Otley Road and part of Wetherby Road specifically only five of the nine schools in the zone will be fully covered with 20mph roads immediately surrounding them; leaving St John Fishers Catholic High School and Willow Tree Primary School on 30mph roads and a combination of 30mph and 20mph in the case of Harrogate Grammar School and Oatlands Infant School.

“Considering people hit by a vehicle at 20mph are around five times less likely to be killed than at 30mph (Transport for London data) and that 16 children are killed or seriously injured in road crashes every week on their way to or from school (Public Health England), it is clear why the inclusion of these roads as 20mph matters.

“We hope Cllr Duncan will include them to prioritise the safety and well-being of the school children and members of the community as has been done on ‘main roads’ by other local authorities, in many including nearby Otley, Leeds, Nottingham, Manchester, Glasgow, London, rural villages in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.”

The scheme is estimated to cost the council £200,000.

The authority has recommended proceeding to consultation on traffic regulation orders for the areas proposed to be reduced to 20mph.

A decision will be made on the recommendation at next week’s meeting.