Business Q&A: Mona Norman, Fogal & Barnes

This is the latest in a regular series of Business Q&A features published weekly.    

This week, we spoke to Mona Norman, managing director of Fogal & Barnes Fine Jewellers on Cambridge Street in Harrogate. 

Tell us in fewer than 30 words what your firm does. 

Our boutique on Harrogate‘s main shopping street specialises in engagement, wedding and eternity rings, although we’re also increasingly seen as experts in coloured gems, such as sapphires, rubies and emeralds.

What does it require to be successful in business? 

Fantastic customer service. With the internet now you can buy whatever you want online, so why would people come to me? It’s because we come across a bit more approachable and we offer a personal consultation – 90% of the jewellery we sell is bespoke.

That’s partly why we’ve been shortlisted for Bridal Jewellery Retailer of the Year at the UK Jewellery Awards in London in June.

What drives you to do what you do every day? 

I absolutely love what I do – I eat, breathe and sleep it. I’m so passionate about what we do: making dreams come true. When you see a young girl put on an engagement ring that’s all she’s ever wanted, it’s wonderful – and very emotional. I love our little shop.

What has been the toughest issue your company has had to deal with over the last 12 months? 

The cost-of-living crisis. People are taking longer to take decisions to treat themselves. But we stay positive, and we’re confident that things will change. They always do.

Which other local firms do you most admire and why? 

I love the camaraderie between all the jewellers in Harrogate, like Ogdens and I’Ansons. We all do something a little different from each other, and we all try to help each other.

Photo of Mona Norman, managing director of Fogal & Barnes Fine Jewellers of Harrogate, showing off some of the rings she sells.

Who are the most inspiring local leaders? 

My lovely husband, Richard Norman. He does so much for the community and inspires me every day. Giving back to the community is really important to us.

What could be done locally to boost business? 

Harrogate used to be well known for its independent shops, but the other day a visitor to the town said to me, ‘Do you know, yours is the only independent business on the high street?’. The sad thing is that she was right.

We need to chop up some of these big units in the centre of town so that smaller businesses can afford to rent them. After all, why would someone visit Harrogate if there are only big chains here?

There are a few pockets of independent businesses around Harrogate, which is great, but if we don’t use them, we’ll lose them.

Best and worst things about running a business from Harrogate? 

The best thing is all the greenery. We have a beautiful town, and I love living and working here.

The worst thing is that it’s not busy enough. York gets a lot more footfall, and I know it’s a bigger place, but Harrogate’s got a lot to offer too, and we need to emulate York’s success and encourage more out-of-towners to visit.

What are your business plans for the future? 

I work on a five- to 10-year plan. I was going to open more branches, but I changed my mind, so we’re going to keep on doing what we’re doing, in Harrogate. I’m never going to stop working – I just want us to be better and stronger.

What do you like to do on your time off? 

That’s funny – do I get time off?! When I get home, I love to put on Netflix and cook. My favourite meals to make are Middle Eastern, Italian… anything really. I love trying out anything new.

That said, my work is my hobby!

Best place to eat and drink locally?

I love Starling because it’s so laid back and relaxed – and Richard loves the selection of beers. The Little Ale House has a lovely vibe too.

To eat, I love Papa’s on Prince’s Square. It’s a hidden gem with fabulous food and really nice red wine, and it’s not expensive.

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Harrogate Town post £2.5 million loss

Harrogate Town lost £2.5 million last year — more than double the amount it lost the previous year.

The club’s financial statement for the year ended June 30, 2023 appeared on the Companies House website today.

The 12-page statement does not include a copy of the profit and loss account, which it says “the directors of the company have elected not to include”.

But it reveals the club made a loss of £2,475,345 compared with £1,168,631 in 2022.

It also highlights the club’s ongoing dependence on chairman Irving Weaver, who owns 86% of shares.

It says despite the £2.5 million loss and net current liabilities of £2.7 million, the directors have prepared cash flow forecasts “which indicate that, taking account of reasonably possible downsides, the company will have sufficient funds, through funding from its controlling shareholder, R I Weaver, to meets its liabilities as they fall due for that period”.

It adds:

“Those forecasts are dependent on R I Weaver not seeking repayment of the amounts currently owed to him, which at 30 June 2023 amounted to £2,458,074, and providing additional financial support during that period.

“R I Weaver has indicated his intention to continue to make available such funds as are needed by the company, and that he does not intend to seek repayment of the amounts due for the period covered by the forecasts.”

The financial statement added that no interest had been charged on the £2.5 million owed to Mr Weaver — and that the club owed him £4.4 million in 2022.

The statement also revealed the club employed on average 66 staff in 2023, compared with 55 in 2022 — an increase of 20%.

Simon Weaver, Irving’s son, has steered Town to within four points of a League Two play-off place this season with five matches to go.

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Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election preview: Gilly Charters, Green Party

Green Party candidate for the Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election, Gilly Charters, points to the controversial planning approval of Wetherby Road’s Leon drive-thru, soon-to-be Starbucks, as an example of where things have gone wrong in the division.

Critics say the site, which opened as a Leon in 2022 after the government overturned the council’s decision to refuse it, has increased congestion, contributed to rubbish being tossed out of car windows and has taken business away from cafes in town.

It’s a car-led development that Ms Charters wants to see less of. She favours improving active travel infrastructure so it’s safer and more environmentally friendly to get around whilst improving air quality.

She says streets like Oatlands Drive and Hookstone Road in Harrogate should become a more pleasant place where people can cycle to work, go to school, or meet friends without fearing they’ll be knocked over by a car.

Then there are the potholes, which can make riding your bike in Harrogate akin to navigating a ski slalom.

She said:

“People feel happier with active transport. The potholes are just ludicrous too and it means some people don’t want to be on bikes. It’s a real concern. I’d like to see much slower speeds outside schools. Children and elderly people deserve to be looked after.”

Ms Charters has lived in Harrogate since 1981, including 20 years on Hookstone Drive, but now lives just outside the division.

She was a teacher at King James’s School in Knaresborough for 25 years and now works part-time supporting boys who are struggling with mainstream education.

She’s been spirited by the success of fellow Green Party councillors in North Yorkshire including Arnold Warneken in Ouseburn. He’s been a strong voice in favour of active travel and green policies in Harrogate and the county since he was elected in 2022.

Ms Charters believes that it shows that the Greens are now a trusted electoral force in North Yorkshire.

With the council in the early stages of formulating its Local Plan that will map out where housebuilding can take place across Harrogate for the next few decades, Ms Charters hopes to encourage greener housebuilding, which she said has been a missed opportunity in previous years.

She said:

“People throughout Harrogate are aware of the amount of house building going on. Really good insulation, solar panels and heat pumps have been missed time and time again.

“If we want fuel security, we have to look at these things. If we let builders build on green land, they have to do their bit.”

The by-election will take place on Thursday, April 11. For more information visit the council’s website.

A full list of candidates is below:

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Harrogate to host three-day electric vehicles event

Harrogate is to host a three-day event promoting electric vehicles and green energy next month.

Everything Electric North will take place from May 24 to 26 at the Yorkshire Event Centre at the Great Yorkshire Showground.

The event aims to encourage greater use of electric cars.

According to North Yorkshire Council. there are currently 133 electric vehicle charging units in Harrogate, 74 of which are in the town itself.

Expert panels will debate whether electric vehicle charging at work and destinations should be standard practice and whether you really need a driveway to own an electric car.

Last year’s Everything Electric North event in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Council’s electric vehicle infrastructure officer will feature on the panel.

The council’s electric vehicle infrastructure rollout strategy is part of the North Yorkshire Local Transport Plan.

Barrie Mason, the council’s assistant director for highways and transport, said:

“More and more people are turning to electric vehicles as ways of driving down the cost of motoring and helping the environment and North Yorkshire is no exception.

“Harrogate, in particular, has shown a steady month-on-month increase in the number of charging sessions since the EV infrastructure became live at the beginning of last year.

“Our aim is to encourage more people to make the move to electric vehicles and our infrastructure rollout is an important part of convincing people across the county that there is a dependable, viable alternative to petrol and diesel.”

According to the council, in 2023 there were almost 11,000 charging sessions recorded, with a further 3,520 up to the end of February.

This means that 340,770 miles were travelled by electric vehicles which used these facilities last year, with a further 123,475 miles covered up to the end of last month.  In total, this has saved more than 175 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

This is the second consecutive year that Everything Electric North will be held at the Yorkshire Event Centre, and its 15th exhibition around the world.

Event chief executive Dan Caesar said:

“The venue and location received a huge thumbs-up from our audience.

“We display electric vehicles of all shapes and sizes from micro-mobility options like bikes and boards, up to trucks and tractors, but the centrepiece is an array of hundreds of electric cars and thousands of test drives.”

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Village idiot visits Harrogate

A YouTuber who plans to visit all 10,474 civil parishes in England is turning his attention to Harrogate.

Andy Smith, who calls himself The Village Idiot, has visited more than 1,000 parishes since he started in 2020. He expects it will take him 30 or 40 years to complete his challenge.

Mr Smith uploads a video after each trip and last Friday he published a 14-minute account of his trip to Kirk Deighton. His escapades have attracted 9,300 subscribers.

He also visited North Deighton, Little Ribston, Spofforth with Stockeld, Follifoot, Plompton, Goldsborough and Flaxby on the same two-day trip, and will upload videos about each one on forthcoming Fridays.

Mr Smith said:

“The idea is to create a visual record of every single village and small town in the country, with some historical bits and quirky features thrown in to the mix.

“I’ve already been featured in national newspapers, the most notable being the Guardian. I’ve also appeared on Channel 4 on Steph’s Packed Lunch.”

Former teacher Mr Smith, who lives in Rotherham, said he usually spent two days a week on the road with his GoPro camera.

He plans to tick off all 139 parishes in the Harrogate district in the weeks ahead and upload the videos over time on to his YouTube site. He said:

“I plan to visit Sicklinghall, Pannal and Burn Bridge next and then move on towards Ripon.

“Before I came to Harrogate I didn’t know much about it. But I like going back. Every time I arrive I think it’s so clean and tidy and welcoming.”

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How North Yorkshire is coping with increased SEND demand

A “dire situation” and “under pressure” – those are just two phrases used to describe North Yorkshire’s special educational needs services.

Over the last year, North Yorkshire Council has received more than 1,200 applications for support from parents with SEND children.

The figure is a significant increase on last year and has left council staff under pressure and parents frustrated.

Meanwhile, to compound matters further, the authority has a lack of places in special educational needs schools.

The Stray Ferret has covered the matter extensively with interviews with families with SEND children and the political fallout from the increased demand.

In this article, we look at how the council is coping with the matter and what it means for parents in the Harrogate district.

Thousands of requests

The demand on council services for SEND children was laid bare this month.

A report before councillors on Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee on March 14 showed a significant increase in the number of education health and care plans submitted to the council.

The plans detail a child’s needs and are given to schools to consider ahead of a potential admission.

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The council received 1,275 request for EHC plans in 2023 – a rise of 30% on the previous year.

Of that number, 600 were either awaiting assessment, had yet to be issued or were still being finalised.

Amanda Newbold, assistant director for education and skills at North Yorkshire Council, told councillors that part of the problem was a lack of educational psychologists to help deal with requests.

The council has since hired part time and trainee psychologists and sought agency staff to help address the backlog in plans.

Ms Newbold said:

“Where we have identified issues, we are doing everything possible to rectify that. It is an issue that we are aware of and it’s an issue that we are not happy about.”

‘Dire situation’

The council says its recruitment will help to tackle the timeliness in issuing plans to parents.

However, Emily Mitchell, who is co-founder of SenKind, a support group for parents of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in North Yorkshire, said the demand remains troubling.

Ms Mitchell, who lives in Harrogate and whose daughter Elsie is non-verbal and autistic, told the Stray Ferret that the upward trend in ECH plans had happened year on year but felt little had been done to address it.

She said:

“Year after year, we’ve witnessed this upward trend, yet little has changed to address the pressing needs of SEN children and their families in North Yorkshire.

“The situation is dire. The demand for specialist school places far exceeds availability, leaving countless children without the tailored support they require to thrive academically and socially.”

Emily Mitchell with her daughter Elsie.

Emily Mitchell with her daughter Elsie.

Ms Mitchell, who had her own struggles with getting Elsie into an appropriate school in Harrogate last year, said more needed to be done on a local and national level to tackle growing demand for EHC plans.

She said:

“The influx of EHCP requests underscores the urgent need for action at both local and national levels.

“While some measures have been introduced to address these challenges, they fall short of providing the comprehensive support needed to alleviate the strain on SEN families, especially in North Yorkshire.

“It’s time for meaningful action to ensure that every child, regardless of their abilities, has access to the support and resources they need to succeed.”

Number one financial challenge

The matter over increased demand in North Yorkshire reached the House of Commons in January.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP, Andrew Jones, said that senior council officers told him that special educational needs was the biggest financial challenge for them.

Speaking in parliament, he said recent changes to the Children and Families Act 2014 were believed to have led to 1,000 extra claims for financial assistance in North Yorkshire alone last year.

Andrew Jones

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

Mr Jones said:

“I have met with several families in my constituency whose children have education, health and care plans, yet they still experience difficulties finding special educational needs and disabilities support.

“I have taken up their cases with senior council officers, who tell me that SEND is the number one financial challenge for the council.

“In North Yorkshire alone, the council believes 1,000 cases last year were attributable to changes made by that Act.”

Aside from hiring staff to tackle its backlog, North Yorkshire Council has sought to increase places in specialist schools for pupils.

The authority agreed proposals to create a facility at the former Woodfield Community Primary School in Bilton in August 2023, which is expected to cost £3.5 million to establish.

Recently, it advertised for an academy sponsor for the site with a target open date of April 2025.

Meanwhile, it is also planning to provide additional special school places at Springwater School in Starbeck from September 2025.

The move would help to create additional capacity for 45 pupils at the school.

The project is expected to be funded through £3.1 million from its High Needs Provision Capital Allocation provided by government.

For the council, it hopes its measures will help to tackle demand for SEND pupils. However, parents appear yet to be convinced.

Meet the team – Tamsin O’Brien, founder

For the past few weeks, we’ve been introducing you to the team behind The Stray Ferret.

This week we’re featuring Tamsin O’Brien, the founder of the organisation.

Tamsin is the founder of the Stray Ferret and has spent three decades working as a journalist and in the media.

She began her career in 1990, working as a reporter for BBC Radio Berkshire. In the following thirty years she’s seen a huge transformation in technology. 

She said:

“When I started working each radio journalist had a German recording machine called a Uher. It was big and very heavy. It recorded on reel to reel.

“It seems incredible now looking back on it. I’d get back to the newsroom and cut the tape up and put it around my neck before sticking it together to make a clip or radio package. It seems like centuries ago, rather than decades.” 

After moving into TV news, Tamsin then went on to run parts of England for the BBC as Head of BBC Yorkshire and then BBC North West in Manchester.  

After twenty years in the BBC she returned to North Yorkshire to live in Harrogate where she has stayed ever since. But she missed journalism and in 2020 decided to set up The Stray Ferret.  

She explained:

“I felt this area was really underserved for quality local journalism. Local newspaper circulation was falling and journalism posts were being cut.

“There was an opportunity to provide a completely new digital news service  – I did not expect Covid to come along and change everything but it did and the rest is history.

“Whilst we made no money in the first 18 months, we did get a huge readership. I think everyone got a little more digital during Covid.”

Outside work Tamsin loves to travel, stay fit and enjoys a long walk in the Dales, followed by a pub lunch.  

Her passion though is journalism and she is a self-confessed news junkie.  

“I love the business of news and I am very interested in politics. Journalism play a vital role in a democracy.

“There’s now an even greater need for responsible, sourced journalism as we face the challenges of AI and deep fake technology.

“The Stray Ferret is for everyone – we are making it better and our aim is to maintain the quality. You never know when you need a journalist. We are here so get in touch.”

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Major changes announced to bus routes in Harrogate district

Two new bus routes are set to be introduced in Harrogate this weekend.

The Harrogate Bus Company said in a press release the services would provide ‘new and improved links for housing developments and business parks’.

The company, which is part of French form Transdev, said it has partnered with North Yorkshire Council to bring the new 4, which will link King Edwin Park and the Harrogate West Business Park off Penny Pot Lane in Killinghall to the town centre.

It will also serve Skipton Road and Ripon Road.

The new route, which is being funded by the King Edwin Park housing developer, will run hourly from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday.

In addition, the 6 and X6 will merge to provide an all-day service to Harrogate’s Pannal Ash, RHS Harlow Carr and Beckwith Knowle.

It will operate every 30 minutes, Monday to Saturday, and hourly on Sundays. Extra buses will run every 20 minutes during peak times.

Harrogate Bus Company said it will operate as the current route, but extending to Beckwith Knowle, where there is a business park.

The firm added:

“The route will change on Otley Road and in Pannal Ash so we pick up on the opposite side of the road – this follows customer requests.”

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Changes to existing routes

Along with the new routes, the Harrogate Bus Company also announced it would be making changes to existing routes. Some of the details at this stage are vague.

These include:

1 Harrogate – Knaresborough: There will be a full timetable change from Monday to Saturday. Buses will still run every 10 minutes.

2 Harrogate – Bilton: Changes will be made to buses at peak times on weekdays.

3 Harrogate – Jennyfield: Changes will be made to buses at peak times on weekdays.

8 Harrogate – Knaresborough – Wetherby: This route will be taken over by 21 Transport on behalf of the council. The firm said Transdev tickets will no longer be valid on this route.

21 Knaresborough – Boroughbridge: Changes ‘to improve reliability’ will be introduced.

24 Harrogate – Pateley Bridge: Changes ‘to improve reliability’ will be introduced.

36 Leeds – Harrogate – Ripon: Changes ‘to improve reliability’ will be introduced.

S1 Ripley – Rossett School: A new school bus will serve pupils from Ripley to Harrogate Grammar School and Rossett School. It added people in Jennyfields who currently use the 620H should switch to the S1.

S2 and S6 Bilton – Rossett School: The S2 and S6 will merge into a single route, which will follow the route of the regular 2 bus around Bilton. A large double decker bus will be provided which is sufficient for all customers, it added.

S8 Woodlands – Rossett School: Changes ‘to improve reliability’ will be introduced.

620H Dacre – Rossett School: This route will be taken over by another operator on behalf of the council. Harrogate Bus Company said it does not know which firm will take over, but added it will no longer serve Jennyfields. It advised residents to use the S1 instead.

727H Jennyfield – Harrogate Grammar School

The Harrogate Bus Company, which has not released any further information on the changes, said timetables will be available ‘soon’.

The changes will come into effect on Sunday, April 7.

North Yorkshire Council ‘still feels detached’ one year on, says peer

North Yorkshire Council still feels “detached” from its residents one-year on from its launch, says a House of Lords peer.

The authority replaced the now defunct Harrogate Borough Council in April 2023 with the promise of making savings.

One year on from its launch, the Stray Ferret has looked at whether people feel the council has improved governance in the county.

Among those we spoke to was Lord Wallace of Saltaire, a Liberal Democrat peer, who was highly critical of the move 12 months ago.

At the time, Lord Saltaire told the House of Lords that local democracy in North Yorkshire had been “destroyed” by devolution and described the introduction of a unitary authority as an “incoherent mess”.

He also criticised the number of councillors to residents, which he said made constituents feel detached from their local council.

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The Stray Ferret asked Lord Saltaire if he still stood by his criticisms 12 months on from the council’s launch.

He said he felt that people feel detached from their local authority and that councillors could not cope with the number of constituents within their divisions.

Lord Saltaire added that a district and county council model still worked, despite being criticised as “inefficient”.

He said:

“We still have county councils and district councils in some places. That in some ways is less efficient, but it does at least give people a connection.

“People do not feel any connection with their local authority.”

Taxi drivers ‘pulling their hair out’

Since its launch the changes in governance in the Harrogate district have been far reaching. Among the most controversial has been taxi licensing.

Under the authority’s harmonisation agenda, the zone which taxis could operate in was widened to county-wide. Previously, cabbies could only trade within the Harrogate district.

However, the council overhauled its licensing policy so that taxis can now operate anywhere in North Yorkshire.

In theory, the move would allow drivers to pick up business across the county.

Photo of Ripon taxi driver Richard Fieldman

Richard Fieldman, who runs his taxi in Ripon.

The council argued that the move would provide “flexibility to operate across the county, encouraging environmental efficiencies and creating a wider distribution of wheelchair-accessible vehicles”.

But, Richard Fieldman, who has operated his cab in Ripon for three decades, said he did not feel the move had improved the trade.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“I cant comment on what is going on in other areas

“But the drivers in Harrogate are pulling their hair out. They [the council] do not want to know. We have been told that they are on the verge of sending out a new consultation.

“I have encouraged all the drivers to respond to that consultation.”

The Stray Ferret has approached North Yorkshire Council for a response and asked how it feels governance has been improved in the county.

Council a ‘watershed’ for public services

At the time of its launch, Cllr Carl Les, the Conservative leader of the council, said the move was a “watershed” for how public services could be delivered to the county’s residents.

Meanwhile, Richard Flinton, chief executive of the authority, said in March last year that “millions” would be saved from the new council.

He said:

“Millions of pounds in savings that will be made by streamlining operations and the delivery of services could not have come at a more important time.

“We are faced with major financial pressures and the new council will need to drive the transformation of services at pace, taking every opportunity to support green economic growth and working with communities and partners to ensure the money of North Yorkshire’s taxpayers is used most effectively.

“Public services could have been placed under even greater pressure without the move to bring together eight councils into one organisation to create the new North Yorkshire Council.

“There is still a lot of work to do to ensure we are able to take full advantage of the opportunities available to bring the most cost-effective way of delivering services for North Yorkshire’s taxpayers, but I am confident that this can be achieved with the experience, expertise and talent we will have available in the new council.”

Robbie Williams and The Killers tributes among line-up for Harrogate food festival

The Harrogate Food and Drink Festival has announced the music line-up for this year’s event.

The festival, which takes place on the Stray, is set to offer a range of world foods stalls, including Japanese, Italian and British cuisine, as well as independent bars and an ale house.

But food and drink are not all people have to look forward to, as the festival has just revealed the entertainment for the weekend.

Among those set to perform are The Killaz UK, a tribute act for The Killers, saxophonist Will Forrester and Liam Gray as Robbie Williams.

The event will feature a range of musical genres, including acoustic singers, punk-rock bands and blues groups.

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People can also expect live cooking demonstrations, children’s entertainment, comedians and a funfair at the festival.

The Harrogate Food and Drink Festival will take place on June 29 and 30.