Local Harrogate News & Views around the district - Page 185 of 1037

Four-way lights on Harrogate’s Penny Pot Lane to last for two-weeks

Four-way traffic lights on Penny Pot Lane in Harrogate are set to remain in place for two weeks.

Northern Gas Networks put the lights in place today near to the Jubilee roundabout as part of gas works in the area.

It has caused lengthy delays for traffic heading in and around Harrogate today.

The works are part of a mains replacement project that has been completed in phases since earlier this year, and planned in collaboration with North Yorkshire Council.

It involves replacing the old metallic mains with new plastic pipe to ensure gas supply to the area of Harrogate.

Dave Smales, site manager at Northern Gas Networks, said:

“We introduced the four-way temporary lights today in order to protect our engineers due to the depth and location of the main under the road.

“Its location near the roundabout meant that instead of being able to work in the verge, we required a deep excavation with fencing protection in the carriageway.

“The lights will stay in position for two weeks and will then be removed before work moves to the other side of the roundabout.

“We don’t currently expect that section to require traffic management for us to complete, however we will have to assess the depth of the main once we’ve dug down.

“We’d like to apologise to customers and road users for any inconvenience experienced during these works, however they are essential to maintaining a safe and reliable gas supply to this part of the town.

“We’re working as safely and quickly as we can to complete this project as soon as possible.”

Angel on a tractor delivers meals on wheels in Harrogate

A local charity that provides meals and care to older people has rebranded its core service, with a dose of heavenly inspiration.

Harrogate Neighbours provides older people with a daily hot meal, preventing social isolation and enabling them to stay in their own homes where possible.

To mark National Meals on Wheels Week (October 30 to November 3), the service is now known as ‘Harrogate Neighbours Meals on Wheels Delivered by Angels‘. It is run by 50 volunteers known as ‘angels’, who deliver over 150 meals every day.

Sue Cawthray, chief executive of Harrogate Neighbours, said:

“Last year, we delivered meals by horse and carriage and the service-users loved it.

“We wanted to do something a little bit different this year, so we decided to deliver the meals on a vintage 1950s tractor by an angel, which evoked lovely memories for our clients.”

Demand for the service is growing, and the charity is calling for more volunteers to deliver even more meals.

New ‘angel’ Zac Evans said:

“It’s not about finding time – it’s making time to support the local community. Dressing up as an angel and delivering the meals by tractor was an amazing experience and something I certainly won’t forget!

“Being a volunteer and making the time makes a real difference to the service-users we get the chance to meet and have a chat with.”

Photo of Zac Evans, a volunteer for charity Harrogate Neighbours, delivering meals on wheels from a vintage 1950s tractor.

‘Angel’ Zac Evans making a delivery.

Now in its 11th year, Harrogate Neighbours relies on support from local authorities, businesses and the wider community, and Sue said more government funding was needed to support older and vulnerable people, who without the volunteers who run the service would not receive a nutritionally balanced, hot daily meal. She said:

“The future of meals on wheels looks bleak unless the government can do more to support this much-needed service.

“We are supporting an ageing population, and the service is a lifeline for older and vulnerable people living in our community. We are calling for the government to ensure funding is available to local councils to safeguard the service now and in the future.”

In addition to the domiciliary care and hot meal service it provides, the charity also operates two sites: Heath Lodge Community Haven, a residential care home, and The Cuttings, an extra care housing scheme.

Met Office issues another heavy rain warning for Harrogate district

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for rain in the Harrogate district for two days this week.

The weather alert is in place from Thursday (November 2) at 6am until Friday (November 3) at 6am.

It comes as Storm Ciarán is forecast to bring heavy rain to the UK this week.

The Met Office said the rain could cause disruption in the north of England, including flooding and delays and cancellations to public transport.

The warning comes as the district was hit by heavy rain on October 20 due to Storm Babet.

A further weather alert was issued for October 24 for heavy rain in the wake of the storm.

Harrogate’s Rachel Daly ranked 10th best player in world

Harrogate-born Rachel Daly finished 10th last night at the prestigious Ballon d’Or awards in Paris.

The Aston Villa striker was one of two England Lionesses to make the top 10. Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps was fifth.

Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmati, who helped her side defeat England in the World Cup final, was first.

Former Rossett School pupil Daly was top scorer in the Women’s Super League last season and named PFA Players’ Player of the Year.

She was also a member of the England side that won the 2022 European Championships.

Daly’s astonishing achievements have yet to impress North Yorkshire Council, which continues to ignore a petition by Killinghall Nomads Junior Football Club — the club where she started her career — calling for a civic honour. The Stray Ferret is supporting the appeal.

None of the four England players on the 30-strong shortlist were able to attend the ceremony because they are international duty. England play Belgium in the National League tonight.

The top 30 was decided by the votes of 100 journalists, who come from the countries which make up the top 100 of the FIFA rankings.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi beat Erling Haaland for the men’s award.

Harrogate Tea Rooms closes immediately

The Harrogate Tea Rooms in Westminster Arcade has closed with immediate effect.

Owners Carrie and Tony Wilkinson, who have run the business for 13 years, announced the news “with heavy hearts” on social media last night.

They said the day-to-day running costs were not translating into profit.

Their post said:

“We are as sad and shocked as some of you will be.

“Our tenancy with the new landlord was up for renewal, but with increased rent, energy and food costs, lower than ever footfall, our out-of-the-way location and possibly the ever increasing amount of new coffee shops near us, it has forced our decision to unfortunately not be able to move forward with the business.

“It is truly a challenging time for many small businesses.

“We have a massively supportive team of thousands of followers but it is the day to day running costs and effort that is just not translating into profit.

“Obviously that is not sustainable, so we have had to take the decision to walk away.”

They added they tried to sell the business “but there is currently no market for the many local tea rooms/cafes up for sale”.

The post thanked customers and added they will continue to make scones for delivery.

The Harrogate Tea Rooms was featured in The Harrogate Crime Series by Malcolm Hollingdrake.

Mr and Ms Wilkinson said DCI Cyril Bennett, one of the main characters, will live “in our hearts and memories”, and ‘will forever be drinking tea from a China cup”.

MPs Watch: HS2, Yorkshire Water and maiden speeches

Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In October, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that the northern leg of HS2 would be scrapped and Yorkshire Water unveiled a £7.8 billion investment plan.

Meanwhile, Keir Mather, Selby and Ainsty MP which includes south Harrogate, made his maiden speech in the House of Commons.

We Selby and Ainsty MP Keir Mather if they would like to highlight anything in particular, but did not receive a response.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found on Mr Jones:

On October 3, Mr Jones welcomed a £7.8 billion investment plan being submitted by Yorkshire Water.
On October 4, Mr Jones attended the Conservative Party conference and was present for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s speech.
Following the speech, Mr Jones said he was “disappointed” with the decision to scrap the northern leg of the HS2 project.
On October 5, he met with the owners of the former McColls store in Starbeck who are expected to unveil plans for the building this year.
On the same day, Mr Jones attended the opening of the Rachel Daly pitch at Killinghall Nomads JFC.
On October 18, Mr Jones called for a 138-home development on Water Lane in Knaresborough to be cancelled. He also raised the issue in the House of Commons on October 16.
On October 19, he hosted the Street Works UK awards in Parliament.
Mr Jones announced on the same day that he would be objecting to a planned asphalt plan at Allerton Park near Knaresborough.
On October 21, he visited Harrogate synagogue to discuss events in Israel and Gaza.
On October 28, he met with the Harrogate Imam to discuss events in Isreal and Gaza.

When we contacted Mr Jones for comment, his office sent a list of his engagements for September.

They included attending a roundtable with the British Dental Association and a Northern Powerhouse Partnership Transport Reception. He also with members of Zero Carbon Harrogate and met a local dentist to discuss NHS dentistry.

Others included visiting Yorkshire Cancer Research’s new facility at Hornbeam Park, chairing a meeting of the European Statutory Instruments Committee and meeting leaders from Luminate Education Group at a reception in the House of Commons.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

Mr Smith made no spoken contributions in the House of Commons in October.
On October 11, Mr Smith tweeted that he had met residents and North Yorkshire Council to discuss recent deaths on the A61 at South Stainley and to campaign for a lower speed limit.
On October 16, Mr Smith visited the Ripon Inn ahead of its opening.
Mr Smith posted on his website on October 22 that he had visited Sharow Church of England Primary School to meet with its headteacher and answer questions from pupils.
Mr Smith updated his website 11 times in October, which included posts promoting government initiatives and visits within his constituency.

When we contacted Mr Smith’s for comment, his office sent a roundup of his engagements for October.

Among them included visiting local schools and businesses in Skipton and Ripon, including Cundall Manor School.

Meanwhile, he also visited The Beer Engine in Skipton and met with Bentham resident, Viv Barclay, who will attempt to become the oldest woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

Keir Mather, Selby and Ainsty MP.

In Selby and Ainsty, which includes rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Mather:

Mr Mather posted 11 times on his Facebook page in October. None of the updates related to areas of his constituency which fall in Harrogate.
On October 16, Mr Mather made his maiden speech in the House of Commons.
On October 23, Mr Mather asked the minister for environment, Rebecca Pow, how she would be working with the Environment Agency to support people during Storm Babet.
He joined a debate on the sustainability of rural post offices in Westminster Hall on October 25.

Business Breakfast: ‘Invest in a garden shed where you can blow things up’, says Dragon

The Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting will take place on Thursday, November 30.

The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories.

Former Dragons’ Den star Piers Linney was the keynote speaker at the York & North Yorkshire Business Summit on Friday.

He told more than 200 attendees they needed to be audacious in embracing technology as part of devolution and argued that new technology such as artificial intelligence offered the chance to level up the workforce, making background and disabilities irrelevant. He said:

“Take some of the £750 million (devolution funding) and invest in a garden shed where you can blow things up. Play with the technology, see how it can augment all of us, play with education and then connect the talent to the technology. Invest in cutting edge and bleeding edge technology.

“Superpower and empower the people in your region.”

The summit was organised by York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (YNY LEP) in partnership with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), York & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).

Linney headed a roster of 13 regional business speakers at the event, which was held at the Radisson York Hotel and hosted by YNY LEP chair Helen Simpson. They shared their business vision for the region, ahead of devolution and an expected mayoral election in spring next year.

James Farrar, interim director of transition for the proposed York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, backed the call for businesses and innovators to be bold. He said:

“We need to crack on with devolution and make sure the process gets through parliament as soon as possible.

“We are not Birmingham, Manchester or Leeds. We must be York and North Yorkshire and we must recognise our assets. We must be bold and clear about where we see our competitive advantages. No sector can rest on its laurels.

“Let us know what infrastructure and support you need in place to invest and grow. Our job as a combined authority will be to put that in place – yours is to invest and grow.”

Kevin Hollinrake, Conservative MP for Malton and Thirsk, addressed the summit by video and told delegates that devolution was a great opportunity for the region. He said:

“First and foremost it must be about economic development. That drives everything else. It’s right that we try to make York and North Yorkshire the best place in the UK to do business.”

Menopause Matters event

A day-long event this month will feature expert speakers tackling various aspects of the menopause.

Menopause Matters: What You Need to Know, In and Outside the Workplace will be presented by Wetherby-based Hartlaw LLP in collaboration with the Harrogate & District Law Society.

The event, which will take place on Friday, November 17 at Bowcliffe Hall near Wetherby, is intended to “shed light on the implications, challenges, and nuances surrounding menopause, both within professional settings and in personal lives”.

The speakers include: Dr Laura Reid, a GP and menopause specialist; Sally Leech, training director of Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace; Vicky Richardson MSc PGDip PGCE BA, a core nutritional therapist; Emma Tailby, a highly specialist women’s health physiotherapist and founder/owner of Emma Claire Physiotherapy; and Claire Morley-Jones, managing director of HR180.

Tickets cost £85 per person and include refreshments and lunch, as well as a goodie bag to take away. The proceeds will go to Daisy Network, the charity for women with POI (premature ovarian insufficiency, commonly referred to as early menopause) and Harrogate & District Law Society.

‘Lone wolf terrorist’ plotted to blow up RAF Menwith Hill, trial hears

A would-be “lone wolf terrorist” plotted to blow up part of a hospital and an RAF base near Harrogate, a court heard today.

Mohammad Farooq, 28, a clinical support worker, downloaded material from extremist Jihadi groups and online guides on how to make a bomb, then set his sights on RAF Menwith Hill and St James Hospital, a jury was told.

Prosecutor Jonathan Sandiford KC, prosecuting at Sheffield Crown Court, said that Farooq’s “Plan A” was to target the RAF and radar base and when that didn’t come off, he turned his attention to the hospital in Leeds where he worked at the time and was said to harbour a grudge against certain colleagues, namely nurses.

Farooq’s initial plan was to target the US spy base at Menwith Hill but he also planned to blow up part of the hospital and go on a terrorist spree with a firearm, a homemade bomb and a kitchen knife, with the aim of “killing as many people as possible”.

Mr Sandiford said:

“By January 2023, we say that the defendant had become a self-radicalised lone-wolf terrorist who had made preparations to commit a murderous terrorist attack in Yorkshire.”

At about 5am on January 20, Farooq was arrested outside the Gledhow Wing of St James Hospital.

Mr Sandiford said:

“The defendant was in possession of a viable improvised explosive device assembled from a pressure cooker and containing 9.9 kilos of low explosive.

“He had with him, either on his person or in a bag from his car parked nearby, two knives, black tape and a blank-firing imitation firearm.

“The crown’s case is that he had gone to that hospital to commit a terrorist attack (and) seek his own martyrdom by detonating the explosive device and using bladed weapons to kill as many people as possible.

“The crown says it is likely he intended to use the imitation firearm to induce the police with (what would inevitably be) a response to such an incident to give him a martyrdom that he believed would bring him the seven blessings of the martyr and direct entry into Jannah, or Paradise.”

He said it was only “two pieces of good fortune” that averted a major terrorist atrocity and the potential loss of many lives.

Mr Sandiford added:

“The defendant’s first plan of attack at St James Hospital was to send a bomb threat, that there was a bomb inside the hospital, with the intent of causing an evacuation while he was waiting in his car in his car park – waiting to detonate the improvised explosive device and then attack any survivors with the bladed weapons.

“He sent that bomb threat by text message when he was outside the hospital in his car. The first piece of good fortune is that the person he sent it to was another nurse at the hospital.

“She was off duty at home, watching TV, and didn’t see or act upon the message for over an hour. And so, there is the defendant, sat outside waiting for an evacuation that did not occur.”

When people inside the hospital were finally evacuated, it was only a “part-evacuation”, with people being moved within the hospital, not into the car park where Farooq had been waiting.

Mr Sandiford said:

“When the evacuation happened, the defendant drove away.”

He returned to St James a short time later with a new plan of attack which was to carry the weapons including the homemade bomb into the Costa Coffee cafe inside the hospital wing, wait for a change of shift so that it would be full of nurses, “then detonate it, killing as many of them as possible”.

However, “luck intervened again” when a patient having a cigarette outside the entrance bumped into Farooq and “noticed that something appeared to be amiss with the defendant”.

Police were called to the scene and arrested the alleged terror plotter. He was said to be “co-operative and frank” with officers, telling them that the patient had “talked him down”.

Plan to bomb RAF Menwith Hill

The pressure-cooker bomb was made safe by a military bomb-disposal team as police began to run checks on Farooq’s movements prior to the alleged planned attack.

Analysis of his iPhone and his movements in his Seat Ibiza showed that he had also targeted RAF Menwith Hill.

Mr Sandiford added:

“They found he had become self-radicalised by accessing extremist material and propaganda online containing material published by Islamic State and Al Qaeda.”

Farooq had viewed and downloaded extremist documents and videos on TikTok and lectures by radical preacher Anwar al-Awlaki, the Yemeni imam and leading Al Qaeda figure who was killed in an American drone strike in 2011.

He also obtained bomb-making instructions from Inspire, a magazine published by Al Qaeda to “encourage lone-wolf terrorist attacks against the west”, particularly the US and UK.

Mr Sandiford said the bomb guide, said to be written by a man referred to as the “Al Qaeda Chef”, was clearly aimed at an “American audience”.

He added:

“The defendant identified RAF Menwith Hill, the US base in North Yorkshire, as a target for a terror attack.

“The reason for that was because RAF Menwith Hill had been designated as a target for lone-wolf terrorists by Islamic State because it was believed that the base had been used to co-ordinate drone strikes against terrorists in Syria and Iraq.”

Using cell-site technology, police discovered that Farooq had made at least two visits to the RAF base between January 10 and the day of his arrest on January 20.

Farooq, who appeared for the first day of his trial today, later admitted that he had the explosive device with him when he went to the air base but claimed he had just gone there “for a drive”.

The internet history on his phone also showed he had been following guidance from another Al Qaeda publication called ‘Safety and Security Guidelines for Lone Wolf Mujahideen and small cells’.

The terror guide recommended that the would-be Mujahideen, or Jihadi solider, should have a ‘Plan A’ and a ‘Plan B’ when planning a terrorist atrocity.

He also “obtained instructions for the preparation and manufacture…of five deadly toxins as nerve agents”, namely Ricin, Sarin, VX, Tabun and Tetrodoxin.

In addition to downloading bomb-making instructions, Farooq bought a blank-firing imitation firearm and carried out internet research on how to convert it into a weapon capable of firing live ammunition.

Sheffield Crown Court.

On the ‘Open Source Jihad’ page of Al Qaeda’s terrorist magazine, there was a “map or plan” of RAF Menwith Hill, with an “arrow or flag pointing to Harrogate to the east”.

In the ‘Notes’ section of Farooq’s mobile phone, police found a series of notes in which the alleged would-be terrorist wrote that he “felt alone”.

The notes suggested that Farooq had a “very low sense of self-esteem”, said Mr Sandiford.

In the notes, Farooq said he had “a lot of demons” and was “tired, exhausted and mentally drained”.

He also wrote:

“I’m hoping there’s a little light in the daily struggles I’m facing. To me, love is a (daily struggle) because I’ve never (found it)”.

Mr Sandiford added:

“The crown says that the defendant certainly found a purpose (in life) in what he was planning to do in January of this year.”

He said that Farooq had downloaded an image of a lion with the caption ‘If you want to be strong, plan how to fight alone’, which Mr Sandiford said may have been a veiled reference to “the lone Mujahideen”.

Farooq, of Hetton Road, Roundhay, has already admitted possessing an explosive substance in suspicious circumstances, possessing an improvised explosive device and pyrotechnic fuses.

He has also pleaded guilty to possessing a document likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism and having an imitation firearm with criminal intent, namely a Gediz 9mm PAK semi-automatic pistol, and possession of the same imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

However, he denies plotting or engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts and the prosecution must prove intent to cause injury to people and property.

The trial continues.

Firefighters use breathing apparatus to tackle Knaresborough house blaze

Firefighters using breathing apparatus tackled a fire at a home in Knaresborough this afternoon.

Crews from Knaresborough, Harrogate and Wetherby were called to Park Grove at 4.17pm.

According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident log, fire started in a ceiling fan in the bathroom.

The report added firefighters used a hose reel and breathing apparatus to extinguish the fire.

Today’s incident log also said firefighters were called to an electrical fire in Marton-cum-Grafton, near Boroughbridge, this afternoon.

Crews from Harrogate and Knaresborough attended an industrial premises in the village at 2.15pm.

They responded to a report of a smell of smoke in an industrial premises. The fire suppression system had also activated.

The report added:

“Due to low oxygen levels in the room where the fire took place – the server room – fire crews used breathing apparatus and a thermal camera to investigate.

“They found that a small electrical fire had occurred, but this had been extinguished by the installed fire suppression system.”

Starbeck library celebrates £6,000 refurbishment of children’s area

Starbeck Community Library celebrated a £6,000 refurbishment of the children’s section on Saturday.

The building faced closure in 2017 when North Yorkshire County Council withdrew funding from smaller libraries.

Thanks to the support of volunteers, it has continued to operate but needed to find new revenue streams to upgrade facilities.

This year the library secured a £6,000 grant from the National Lottery Community Fund’s Awards for All programme. Starbeck Post Office boosted the total by £500.

The income enabled Starbeck-based Amara Jane Furnishing to refurbish the children’s area.

The refurbished children’s area.

Tina Harper, a volunteer who looks after the children’s area, said local people had indicated the “faded and jaded” area was most in need of improvement.

The funding has paid for a new rug, sofa and shelving and enabled the section to be brightened up.

Julia Moseley, one of the volunteers that helped save the library when it faced closure, cut a ribbon to mark the refurbishment at Saturday’s celebration.

You can find out more about the library here.

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Menopause Matters event

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Plan to bomb RAF Menwith Hill

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