Remembrance Day: A guide to services in the Harrogate district

Remembrance services will take place across the Harrogate district to honour the fallen.

We’ve collated a list of the services across the district that are being held.

You can email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk if you know of others to add.

Ripon

Thursday, November 9.

Ripon Community Poppy Project will hold a concert of remembrance at Ripon Cathedral.

Ripon City Band, The Dishforth Military Wives Choir and Brackenfield School will all perform.

The event will begin at 7pm and tickets cost £13.50.

Sunday, November 12.

A service will be held in Ripon Spa Gardens from 10.45am. It will include two minutes’ silence and the laying of wreaths, followed by the usual parade.

A civic service of remembrance will then be held in Ripon Cathedral from 11.40am – 1pm.

The Right Reverend Anna Eltringham, Bishop of Ripon, will lead the service.

Harrogate

St Peter’s Church — Friday, November 10

The Festival of Remembrance will be held at St Peter’s Church, on Cambridge Road, as part of the Cenotaph Centenary.

The Harrogate Band and The Fishers Singers will perform at the event, which will be led by Harry Satloka of Harrogate’s Free Walking Tours.

There will also be presentations and poetry, as well as a remembrance service.

Tickets cost £10 and all proceeds will go to the Royal British Legion.

It begins at 8pm.

St Wilfrid’s Church — Saturday, November 11

A two-minute silence will held be at 11am at St Wilfrid’s Church on Duchy Road.

This will be followed by a talk on the men named on the church’s WWI memorials, as well as an exhibition in their honour which is on display.

Email bookings@stwilfrid.org to reserve a place.

Town centre – Sunday, November 12

The annual Harrogate Remembrance Day parade and service will be held at the cenotaph war memorial.

People can arrive from 10am. The service will begin at around 10.50am, followed by the two-minute silence at 11am.

After that, the Reveille and wreath laying will commence.

The Kohima Epitaph will be read before the march-past begins.

St Peter’s Church — Sunday, November 12

A Remembrance service with a choir will be held at St Peter’s Church, on Cambridge Road, just after the cenotaph service.

It will begin at approximately 11.15am.

Starbeck – Sunday, November 12

A two-minute silence will be observed at 11am at the war memorial on Starbeck High Street. Wreaths will be laid.

Later, at 3pm, the Starbeck Remembrance Ceremony will take place at the cenotaph on Starbeck High Street.

It will be led by the Harrogate branch of the Royal British Legion, with a parade by local uniformed organisations.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones will attend the service, and readings will be led by the church and pupils of Starbeck Primary Academy.

Stonefall Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery – Sunday, November 12

A service starting at 1pm will include prayers, music from the Harrogate Band, a short talk by Reverend David Hoskins and a two-minute silence. Also, wreaths will be laid by community leaders and representatives of British and allied forces, and students from Ashville College and Harrogate’s Army Foundation College will lay flowers on each grave.

West Park Church — Sunday, November 12

A service will be held at the church, including an act of remembrance, from 10.30am.

It will be led by Reverend David Hughes.

Another service will be held at 3.30pm to mark the end of the More Than a Name on a Memorial exhibition.

Knaresborough

Sunday, November 12

The commemorations will begin with a service at St John’s Church from 9.30am.

A parade from the church to the war memorial in the castle grounds will follow.

There will be a two-minute silence at 11am, followed by a service of remembrance at the memorial.

Nidderdale and Pateley Bridge

Saturday, November 11.

The annual Armistice Day service and parade takes place at the war memorial from 10am.  Those attending will include a representative of the lord-lieutenant’s office, a platoon of troops from the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, local dignitaries and community organisations and schools etc.

It is organised by the Nidderdale branch of the Royal British Legion and The Church in The Dale.

Sunday, November 12
10am Joint Service of Remembrance at Holy Trinity, Dacre Banks with a collection for the Royal British Legion.

11am Act of Remembrance at Summerbridge War Memorial, followed by refreshments at Summerbridge Methodist Church.

2pm Remembrance Concert and Service at Darley Memorial Hall

6pm The Royal British Legion Service of Remembrance at St Mary the Virgin, Greenhow Hill. Led by the Reverend Darryl Hall, there will be a two-minute silence, a sermon by Jane Spooner and music from Nidd Chorale.

Boroughbridge

Sunday, November 12.

A remembrance service and parade will be held at St James’s Church in Boroughbridge.

It will begin at 10am.

Masham

Friday, November 10. 

A remembrance service will be held for locals and pupils of Masham School at St Mary’s Church from 10.45am.

Read more:

 

Harrogate prepares for milestone Remembrance Day service

Large crowds are expected in Harrogate town centre on Sunday for the annual Remembrance Day service and parade.

The event is always a major occasion, with road closures and large crowds gathering around the war memorial to pay their respects and observe a two-minute silence.

But this year’s activities will be especially poignant as it coincides with the 100th anniversary of the town’s war memorial, which was unveiled by Henry Lascelles, the 6th Earl of Harewood, on September 1, 1923.

It cost £12,000 and contains the names of 1,163 men and women who died in two world wars.

Sunday also marks the end of the Cenotaph Centenary — a programme of events since the start of September commemorating the centenary.

You Must Remember This, which is being held tonight at the West Park United Reformed Church, will feature military-themed music by three choirs.

Attention will then turn to Sunday’s Remembrance Day activities.

Service at the war memorial

Crowds are invited to gather at the war memorial from 10am.

The service will commence at 10.50am, followed by the two-minute silence at 11am.

Wreaths will be laid, the Kohima epitaph will be read the and the reveille will play.

The memorial was built in 1923.

Road closures

North Yorkshire Council has said the following roads will be closed on Sunday from 8:30am to 1pm to facilitate the parade and service:

Cheltenham Crescent, Oxford Street, Union Street, Parliament Street, Albert Street, Prospect Place, James Street, John Street, Princes Street, Cambridge Crescent, and Cambridge Road.

Only one lane will be open on West Park during the parade.

A full list of services across the district is available here.

Read more:

 

Harrogate nursery staff ‘adore the job they do’, says Ofsted

Kindercare nursery on Pannal Ash Road in Harrogate, has been rated ‘good’ by Ofsted.

The findings were published in a report yesterday following an inspection in October.

Government inspectors rated the nursery, which was registered in 1993, as ‘good’ in all four categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.

However, the assessment did see the grading fall from a previous ‘outstanding’ in 2018.

The report said “children enjoy their time at the nursery” and found staff provide a “safe and well-resourced” learning environment. It added:

“Children and babies are keen to explore and have a go at the wide range of activities on offer.

“They like trying tricky activities, such as catching falling leaves and taking turns to build ‘wobbly’ towers of bricks.”

Inspectors said the behaviour and attitudes at the nursery, which has 86 pupils, are “very good”.

The report also described the 20 members of staff as “wonderfully positive role models”, adding:

“They treat children with respect and are consistently kind and calm in their manner.

“Staff use sensitive and age-appropriate methods for managing unwanted behaviour.

“They frequently praise children for being kind and helpful. This helps to support children’s confidence and self-esteem.”

The manager was described as “knowledgeable, proactive and enthusiastic”. She seeks and receives good support from senior managers and reflects on staff training and wellbeing needs, the report added.

Inspectors also praised the “fun and warmth” shown by staff to babies, and noted they “clearly adore the job they do”.

They said:

“The special educational needs coordinator has a clear understanding of her role and responsibilities.

“Staff work with partner agencies to ensure that children’s individual needs are identified and well met. This makes sure that children have a consistent approach towards their care and learning.”

Safeguarding was found to be “effective”.

Read more:

Areas of improvement

However, the inspectors did say not all staff interactions with children “fully support them to make the best possible progress”. They added:

“Some staff do not give children sufficient time to deepen their ideas, solve problems, predict outcomes and find different ways of doing things for themselves.”

The report also found:

“At times, staff do not ensure that the outdoor learning environment has a rich range of play experiences to further support children’s development. This limits children to build on their growing physical skills.”

Ofsted said to improve, staff should “strengthen the already good teaching” to improve the children’s focus, as well as make full use of the outdoor space “to help to keep children engaged in their play”.

The Stray Ferret contacted Kindercare for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

The nursery is owned by Busy Bees Ltd, which has more than 390 nurseries across the UK and Ireland.

Developers silent over planned Harrogate Starbucks

Developers behind a former Leon restaurant in Harrogate which was due to become a Starbucks have remained silent on the scheme.

North Yorkshire Council approved plans to change the signage around the Wetherby Road site to Starbucks branding in August but the building remains closed.

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

Leon, which opened 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.

The Stray Ferret asked EG Group for an update on the project and whether it had confirmed an opening date, but received no response by the time of publication.

We also asked Starbucks whether it had a potential launch date for the new store.

In response, a spokesperson for the company said:

“I’m afraid we don’t comment on pieces of planning application.”

Currently, the building has been empty for seven months and has been stripped of its Leon branding and signage.

The coffee brand has only one existing presence in the Harrogate district, on Cambridge Street in the town centre.

Read more:

 

Firefighters called to two-vehicle collision near Harrogate

Harrogate firefighters and colleagues from Moortown in Leeds were called a two-vehicle collision in North Rigton last night.

The incident, which happened at 7pm, took place on Harrogate Road.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident log said:

“Two males were able to self-extricate from their vehicles prior to fire brigade arrival.

“Both men were left in the hands of the ambulance.”

It added the men had sustained “unknown” injuries.

No further details have been revealed.

Read more:

The Harrogate crew was also called to the St Patrick’s Way area of the town following reports of young people starting a fire in a recreational ground.

The log said staff at the nearby ambulance station reported the incident, which happened at 1.11am this morning.

It added:

“[The] crew extinguishes a fire measuring one square metre using a hose reel.”

 

20mph speed limit proposed for Harrogate’s Woodfield Road

North Yorkshire Council has proposed new road safety measures for Woodfield Road in the Bilton area of Harrogate.

The project, funded through the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s AJ1 project road safety fund, will see the introduction of traffic calming measures, including speed cushions and a 20mph speed limit.

Cllr Paul Haslam, a Conservative who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge, told the Stray Ferret the measures were being taken “for the safety of children” ahead of the former Woodfield Road Community Primary School re-opening.

There school, which closed at the end of last year, is due to reopen as a secondary school for 80 autistic children in September 2024.

The former Woodfield Road Community Primary.

Cllr Haslam secured a £20,000 budget for the road safety project and a spokesperson for the council said “the cost will be within the £20,000 fund”, with exact costs “still to come from contractors”.

The council hopes the project will be completed before April 2024.

The scheme follows another major road safety package unveiled by the council in September to create an extensive 20mph zone in the Pannal Ash and Oatlands area of the town.

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.

Read more:

 

Harrogate Lib Dems criticise Yorkshire Water £2m executive payments

Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats have criticised Yorkshire Water after it paid senior executives £2 million in bonuses last year.

Companies House documents show the water firm paid a total of £2.09 million to four executives in the year ending March 2023.

The move comes as Yorkshire Water has faced criticism this year for pumping sewage into local rivers.

Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said the water industry had become a “gravy train”.

He added that chief executives of water companies should be banned from taking bonuses.

Mr Gordon said:

“Our local waterways are being pumped full of raw disgusting sewage, all whilst the water firm hand themselves insulting pay-outs. The whole thing stinks. These salaries and perks have reached eye-watering levels, yet Conservative ministers refuse to act. 

“I was shocked that there was literally no mention of sewage in the King’s Speech.

“It is time to rip up Yorkshire Water so it no longer puts profit before the environment. The firm is clearly not working how it should and is not listening to local concerns on sewage discharges. 

“This country’s water industry has become a gravy train where sewage and money flows freely. This is a scandal and happening on this government’s watch.”

In response, a Yorkshire Water spokesperson said: 

“The pay of our directors is set by a remuneration committee, which is independent from our executives, and is comparable within the industry.

“Any incentive payments are strongly linked to company performance and align with best practice and regulatory guidance.”

Read more:

The comments come as Yorkshire Water recently submitted a £7.8 billion proposal to Ofwat as part of investment plans for 2025 to 2030.

The company’s plan includes £3.1 billion to improve resilience in the water network, £4.3 billion to protect river and coastal water quality and investment in customer service and financial support for customers.

However, it would mean average bills would rise from £438.12 in 2024/25 (£36.51 per month) to £518.76 in 2025/26 (£43.23 per month) with increases each year thereafter.

Mr Gordon previously described the move as “utterly scandalous”. 

However, Andrew Jones, Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said the plan was a step up for Yorkshire Water and would help to “strengthen” plans for a bathing water application for the River Nidd.

Business Breakfast: LNER orders cleaner new trains

Are you already thinking of how to reward your employees this Christmas? Why not choose the Harrogate Gift Card?

The Harrogate Gift Card can be spent in over 100 businesses in Harrogate town centre including retail, hospitality and leisure, whilst keeping the spend locked into the local economy.

Complete a corporate bulk order of over £250 and receive 15% discount from November 1 to 15 with the code ‘HGT15’.

London North Eastern Railway (LNER), the train operator that runs services between Harrogate, Leeds and York, has named Spanish company CAF as the successful bidder to deliver a fleet of 10 new tri-mode trains.  

The trains will be able to operate in electric, battery or diesel mode, and can help cut emissions and particulates, and lower maintenance and operating costs. 

Battery power reduces the need to use diesel traction in areas such as the Harrogate district, where overhead powerlines are not available. It also reduces noise and vibration pollution, resulting in less disruption for people living near the tracks. 

David Horne, managing director at LNER, said:  

“Successfully delivering this new fleet is an integral part of LNER’s business plan. Our focus is ensuring we create a fleet that truly matches the needs of all our customers, with clear targets on setting new standards for comfort, accessibility, and exceptional customer service.” 

The new trains will be added to LNER’s fleet of 65 Azuma trains and will keep the company on track to reduce its emissions by 67 per cent by 2035 and be net zero by 2045.

LNER operates services between London and Edinburgh on the east coast mainline, as well as connected routes to Inverness, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Middlesbrough, Bradford, Skipton, Harrogate, Hull and Lincoln.

Airport cruises towards net zero

The Harrogate district’s local airport has been awarded a five-star rating by the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark.

Leeds Bradford Airport achieved a score of 95% – its highest to date – increasing its rating by 79% since taking part for the first time in 2018.

An independent organisation, GRESB provides validated environmental, social and governance data for property and infrastructure businesses globally. To achieve a rating, businesses must complete an online assessment by providing raw monitoring data, as well as submitting evidence, in the form of certificates, policies and procedures.

Tracey Stevenson, sustainability manager at Leeds Bradford Airport, said:

“We are so proud to have seen an improvement to our GRESB score again this year. To rank second out of 10 UK airports is just a testament to how hard we strive year after year to keep improving.

“We see GRESB as a really valuable tool which not only allows us to benchmark our practises against other businesses but to uncover ways that we can improve processes to make the airport a great place for our colleagues and customers.”

Since 2018, LBA has improved energy efficiency both inside the terminal and out on the airfield, reduced the carbon emissions it produces directly by 67%. All electricity currently supplied to the airport is from 100% renewables.

Read more:

 

Harrogate bar staff to be trained to prevent attacks on women

Harrogate hospitality workers are to receive training on how to make women feel safer in the town centre at night.

Zoë Metcalfe, the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, announced today her office had been awarded up to £309,911 from the Home Office’s safer streets fund to improve safety for women and girls.

It will fund various initiatives, including vulnerability and spiking awareness training for staff employed in the nighttime economy in Harrogate.

The training aims to make women feel safer at night and tackle violence against women and girls.

The funding will also provide free video doorbells for repeat victims of domestic abuse and stalking.

The commissioner’s office has also secured up to £689,607 from the Home Office to prevent neighbourhood crime, most of which will be spent on security upgrades at homes and farms in and around Scarborough and York.

Ms Metcalfe said:

“Preventing burglary, tackling rural crime and improving safety for women and girls are priority areas within my police and crime plan and violence against women and girls strategy and these initiatives will have a real, tangible impact on how safe people feel both in and outside their homes.”

Read more:

 

Lib Dem candidate calls on government to foot £20m Harrogate hospital concrete bill

The man who hopes to be Harrogate and Knaresborough‘s next Liberal Democrat MP has launched a campaign calling on the government to foot the bill for essential repairs at Harrogate District Hospital.

Tom Gordon, the Lib Dems’ parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has written to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay MP, to highlight his concerns about the construction panels at the hospital made of RAAC.

RAAC – reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete – made headlines nationally recently after it was found to be a substandard component of many schools and hospitals built between the 1950s and 1990s.

Health officials estimated in September it will cost £20 million to eradicate “crumbly concrete” from Harrogate District Hospital, which was built in the 1970s.

A survey of hospital properties found 2,500 RAAC panels, and added that remedial works have been completed on 12 “high-risk” panels, with some theatres and corridors in the hospital made safe with props. The report said that further propping might be needed of panels that were in danger of collapsing.

Mr Gordon said:

“Every member of our community relies upon our local hospital, or knows someone that does. It is simply not acceptable that people are receiving care, or trying to work, in an environment where temporary props are require to stop crumbling concrete collapsing above their heads. This is scandalous.

“It beggars belief, the local NHS trust are having to bid for this money from NHS England and there is no guarantee they will get it. Where does this leave our patients, doctors and nurses if the bid is unsuccessful?

“Ensuring that our local hospital is fit for the future is a priority to me and many residents I’ve spoken with. People are outraged.

“The government must act and release the funds to fix this crumbling concrete crisis at our local district hospital at once.”

Residents can add their name to Mr Gordon’s letter to the Secretary of State online.

Read more: