This year’s Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal is to raise £30,000 for a much-needed minibus for Dementia Forward in the Harrogate district. 

The appeal is kindly sponsored by Vida Healthcare.

Please give generously to support local people and their families living with dementia. Let’s not forget those that need help this Christmas.

Today, Flora spoke to a couple who go to the wellbeing café.

Before Pauline Brown’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, she was a volunteer at Dementia Forward’s wellbeing café. Now she and her husband John, who is her carer, attend the café for a different reason.

Pauline tells us her story.

“People didn’t believe me when I was diagnosed. I was talking the way I am now, and people needed convincing.”

Pauline began volunteering at the wellbeing café – which takes place every Tuesday – 10 years ago. She spent eight years supporting those living with dementia and their carers.

“I loved volunteering.

“I just enjoyed helping people and chatting to them – I liked feeling needed.”

However, the couple began to see symptoms of dementia around four years ago and received her diagnosis two years ago. Pauline said:

“Nobody told me I couldn’t volunteer anymore, but I didn’t think it was right.”

Luckily, the couple knew just where to go following the diagnosis and Pauline swapped her volunteer badge for a game of snakes and ladders. She added:

“I love playing games here – snakes and ladders, dominoes, Jenga.

“You just meet people and chat things over – you need to get out of the house.”

John, who also volunteered at the café for three years, said being surrounded by people who understand each other has helped them both.

“We have a laugh.

“We talk to people who are in similar circumstances who pass on their own stories and experiences.”

Pauline and John lean on each other for support, but every type of dementia comes with its own set of challenges. He said:

“You’ve got to be a team – we care for each other.

“I have a few problems myself, but I would never swap them for Alzheimer’s.

The wellbeing café has provided a lifeline for the Browns and hundreds of other families across the Harrogate district.

John added:

“Unless you’ve been involved with someone with dementia – when you’re slowly losing someone – you can’t appreciate these services.

“Help people when they need help – it’s a family.”

The Dementia Forward team eases the pain as much as it can – but can only continue to do so with the help of charitable donations.

Every donation to our campaign will go directly to Dementia Forward, helping us hit our £30,000 target to buy the charity a new minibus and bettering the lives of those living with dementia and the people around them.

Dementia Forward’s current bus is old and urgently needs to be replaced. The charity would seriously struggle to afford a new one, which is why they need your help to keep this vital service going.

Without it, many people living with dementia wouldn’t be able to access the help and support they need. 

Please click here to donate whatever you can – you never know when you, your family or your friend may be in need of Dementia Forward’s help too.

Thank you.

The NHS found that one in 11 people over the age of 65 in the UK are living with dementia. If you need urgent help or have a dementia-related enquiry, call 0330 057 8592 to speak to a helpline adviser.

One of the Harrogate district’s oldest primary schools is celebrating 50 years on its current site with a special carol service. 

Richard Taylor School was founded as Bilton Endowed School by Richard and Francis Taylor in 1785 and moved to its present location on Bilton Lane in 1973, changing its name in the process. 

To mark that event, the Church of England school will be holding a number of events, starting with a carol service at St John’s Church in Bilton on December 11. 

Andrew Symonds, headteacher of Richard Taylor School, told the Stray Ferret: 

“A lot of children have been educated here over the last half-century – we even have some pupils whose grandchildren went to Bilton Endowed School – and we’re hoping that as many of them as possible will come back and help us celebrate, as well as former parents, staff and governors. 

“St John’s is quite a large church, but we hope to fill it. We’ll be singing a lot of the old songs they used to sing when they were here, and there’ll be refreshments afterwards, with a warm and open welcome to all.” 

He said there were also plans to hold a musical concert in the spring term of 2024, as well as photographic exhibition that will include images lent by ex-pupils. He said: 

“We hope as many people as possible who have been a part of Richard Taylor School will come forward with their photos. There’s a lot of celebrate, and we’re sure there are a lot of ex-students who want to help us celebrate it.” 

Richard Taylor School’s 50th anniversary carol service will be held at St John’s Church at 6.30pm on Monday, December 11.

Read more:

• Richard Taylor school in Bilton receives ‘good’ Ofsted rating
• Bilton’s Richard Taylor Funclub gets glowing Ofsted report
• Bilton’s iron bridge mural suffers worst graffiti attack yet

After more than a year of silence, Harrogate Spring Water has revived plans to expand its bottling plant on the edge of town.

Expansion would enable the company, which sells just over 100 million litres of bottled water a year, to grow and would create 50 jobs.

But to achieve this, it would fell 450 trees alongside the company’s headquarters on Harlow Moor Road to create extra space.

Felling trees is always an emotive subject. The fact that they were planted by schoolchildren concerned about climate change and the land will be used to produce more plastic bottles further heightens feelings.

Views on both sides will be aired this week.

Today (Sunday, November 26), the campaign group Save Rotary Wood – Again is holding a meeting at the Friends Meeting House in Harrogate to consider its next moves.

On Thursday, November 30, Harrogate Spring Water, which is part of French multinational Danone, will hold a public consultation event at the Crown Hotel in Harrogate.

Protestors are unlikely to accept the loss of trees quietly.

The most prominent activist, Sarah Gibbs, stood for hours in a tree costume outside Harrogate Borough Council’s headquarters as part of the protests the last time the issue came before councillors in January 2021.

Activist Sarah Gibbs

On that occasion, councillors rejected Harrogate Spring Water’s expansion plans after a debate that made national headlines and saw ex-Countryfile presenter Julia Bradbury join campaigners in opposing the move.

The company’s message this time is clear — it has listened and is engaging more and doing more to mitigate the loss of trees.

Last time, the woodland offered as compensation wasn’t accessible to the public.

This time, it has a contractual agreement with a landowner to buy a two-acre site and plant 1,200 trees if the application is approved. The site would be open to anyone.

Richard Hall, managing director of Harrogate Spring Water, said it also has an agreement with a local charity “that doesn’t want to be named” to plant another 1,500 trees in a “local and accessible site”.

This means the trees lost will be replaced either on a 3 to 1 ratio or 6 to 1 ratio and result in an increase in biodiversity levels, says the company.

The latest plans for the site.

It took Harrogate Spring Water more than a year since an online consultation last year to publicise its latest proposals.

Asked why it took so long, Mr Hall said it had listened to feedback then considered options and negotiated over the land —  which he says “multiple people own it through a family”. Finally, it worked up the plans.

He added:

“Agreements regarding land do take quite a lot of time.”

He won’t reveal the sum but says the value of the land, on which saplings would be planted, is a “significant part of the investment”.

Mr Hall said:

“We are starting to show we are listening to the community and responding to what the community says.”

He cites talks with Pinewoods Conservation Group as further evidence of this.

“We have had detailed discussions about the type of path, the route, the usage, how the paths would join up with other footpaths, That’s the sort of detail we are wanting to discuss with the community.”

Harrogate Spring Water’s headquarters on Harlow Moor Road.

Harrogate Spring Water made a loss during covid but has recovered strongly and is eager to expand.

It already has outline planning permission, which means the principle of development has been established. It is now preparing a reserved matters planning application, which would agree the details.

Mr Hall hopes the application will go before councillors in February. Even if it is approved, work is unlikely to start for two or three years. But he says it will be good for the company and the town.

“We are a local business that is building the name of Harrogate.

“We think we are an asset to the community but also want to be seen as responsible.

“There was some concern about the trees being lost. And we think we’ve addressed that.”

Read more:

• Harrogate Spring Water reveals plans for 1,200-tree community woodland
• Harrogate Spring Water ‘reviewing plans’ to expand bottling plant ahead of new application

But some people will never believe the loss of a 25-year-old woodland can ever be mitigated, or trust a multinational that employs 100,000 people worldwide, including 80 at Harrogate.

What will the company do if people take direct action if the trees are due to be felled?

“There will always be some objectors and we will have to see at the time what the nature of that objection is.”

After a lengthy hiatus, the debate is about to ramp up again.

Harrogate Civic Society and Zero Carbon Harrogate have brought together a range of community groups to tackle the planning void left by the demise of Harrogate Borough Council.

At a meeting this month, the groups discussed the development of a Neighbourhood Plan, which would lay out a shared vision for the development and growth of Harrogate. 

In a report on the meeting, Harrogate Civic Society member Paul Hatherley said the town needed a “strong and deliverable vision”. He said: 

“The challenge is to get an acceptable vision for the town, promoted through the local planning framework. The current reality is Harrogate Borough Council has been abolished and replaced by a new, countywide local authority – North Yorkshire Council.

“The new authority has already started the process of replacing our adopted Harrogate Borough Council Local Plan with a new, countywide local plan. But will this new plan include a vision supported by the Harrogate town community and will its planning policy shape the town the way we want it to be shaped? 

“We could rely on a town council for Harrogate, but this may not be formed for at least two more years.” 

In addition to Harrogate Civic Society and Zero Carbon Harrogate, attendees at the meeting included Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents’ Association, Independent Harrogate, Knox Community Association, Duchy Residents’ Association and the Stray Defence Association, as well as Pat Marsh, the Liberal Democrat councillor who represents the Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone division on North Yorkshire Council, and Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrats’ parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

In places where there is no parish or town council, such as Harrogate, government guidelines stipulate that a forum of 31 people must be designated to take a Neighbourhood Plan forward. A meeting in mid- to late-January will seek to create such a forum.

Mr Hatherley added: 

“I am pleased to report everyone at the meeting supported exploring the issue further and inviting a wider group of individuals and organisations – particularly businesses – to a follow-up meeting.”

The presentation given at the meeting is available on the Harrogate Civic Society website. 

Read more:

• Plans submitted to convert Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens to private road
• Council criticised for making ‘nonsense’ of Harrogate planning committees
• ‘No more new houses’: Harrogate residents and councillors call on council to remove sites from Local Plan

The Pitcher and Piano in Harrogate has been taken over by the company that used to run the town’s Viper Rooms nightclub.

The bar, on the hospitality-rich John Street, will be known as The Harlow from Monday.

Paul Kinsey, who owns Harewood Group, announced the news today.

Mr Kinsey said in a statement:

“We are pleased to announce that from Monday, November 27 we have taken over the former Pitcher and Piano on John Street in Harrogate. In the short term it will be renamed The Harlow.

“We aim to immediately introduce live music and DJ Christmas party nights and create a great night out to complement our existing high quality food and drink service.”

John Street is a popular night spot.

He said the company was recruiting staff and management to add to the team it had inherited.

Mr Kinsey added:

“Then In the new year an exciting new concept will be introduced which we think our customers will love as much as we do.

“This is the start of our relationship with major pub companies taking over some of their sites and introducing the high quality management and entertainment that are our trademarks.”

Harewood Group owned the Viper Rooms, which closed in December last year.

Mr Kinsey lives near Harrogate and has continued to keep his eye on the market for opportunities.

The Stray Ferret reported in September that  the search was on to find a ‘self employed pub partner’ to take on the Pitcher & Piano.

Read more:

• Harrogate’s Pitcher & Piano to change name and management
• Harrogate’s former Viper Rooms building still empty despite interest

About 35 volunteers with wellies and spades planted thousands of crocuses on the Stray at West Park in Harrogate this week.

Some 40,000 crocus bulbs have been added to the Stray over the last couple of years.

The perennials, which flower in late winter and spring, have become synonymous with the 200 acres of parkland around Harrogate. It is believed there are between six and eight million of the flowers on the Stray.

This week’s effort focused on the Otley Road section, which has not been covered in recent planting schemes.

Organised by North Yorkshire Council, which manages the Stray, people from Bilton Conservation Group, Harrogate manufacturer Belzona Polymerics, the charity Open Country and individual volunteers took part in this week’s planting.

This week’s planting.

Crocuses flowering in spring this year on West Park Stray.

Read more:

• Stunning crocus displays in Harrogate thanks to planting by volunteers
• Harrogate village doctors’ surgery to close

An events company has offered to pay one Harrogate resident to scope out the town’s nightlife hotspots.

Bath-based events company, StagWeb, which launched in 2002, has announced a UK-wide scheme to discover the best places for soon-to-be grooms and their friends.

The successful applicant will receive £100 plus expenses, including entry into bars and clubs, in return for a short report on the the best (and worst) venues in town.

Jon Stainer, creative director at StagWeb, said:

“Whilst we visit all of our destinations ourselves, you can’t beat the insider knowledge of someone living there.

“That’s why we’re looking for someone in each of the 35 UK destinations we offer to head out on a scouting mission for us and collect some stag-do intel.”

The person will also be required to document the night-out with a video and pictures of their experience, and is welcome to bring friends along.

Read more:

• Plans submitted to convert Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens to private road
• ‘Absolutely sickening’: 20 Christmas trees stolen in Knaresborough

Mr Stainer said the chosen party-goer would be required to try some of the local venues already recommended by the company, but they will be asked to “scope out new joints” to find the best stag-friendly venues in Harrogate.

He added:

“We want someone who’s outgoing and confident in front of the camera to vlog their experience, so we can refine our options and give our groups the best advice possible.

“We want the full night out experience but, as with all our groups, we recommend they drink responsibly. Don’t forget, they’ve got some vlogging to do and we’ll need the footage to be usable.”

StagWeb said the successful candidate will have a love for partying and feel confident in front of a camera.

You can apply here.

National retailer Mandarin Stone will open its doors in Harrogate today.

The company, which sells a wide range natural stone, porcelain and decorative tiles, has taken over the former Lynx Menswear unit on West Park.

The Harrogate showroom will become the 15th of its kind and the most northerly Mandarin Stone site.

Regional director Katharine Hughes said Harrogate was a “beautiful and luxurious area” and this played a part in choosing to open a store in the town.

She added:

“We open showrooms in areas where the customers are very discerning. That’s why we offer a broad base of price points.

“Someone might just have a kitchen splash-back, or they might be building a brand-new property and they have hundreds of metres to find. We like to think we cater to that.”

(L) Katharine Hughes, Clare Cruise and two members of the Mandarin Stone team.

The family-run business, which is based in Monmouth, was founded more than 30 years ago.

Director Carl Ryan said the company’s “knowledge, passion and enthusiasm” for the industry set it apart in the market.

“I feel blessed and privileged to be part of a team on West Park.

“We’re just so excited to open now.”

Inside the Harrogate store.

Mandarin Stone Harrogate will be open Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5.30pm, and on Sunday from 11am to 4pm.

Read more:

• Harrogate village doctors’ surgery to close
• Plans submitted to convert Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens to private road

Moss Healthcare Harrogate has announced it is to close its Killinghall practice.

Dr Nick Taylor, a senior partner at the company, wrote to patients today informing them of the news.

He said the landlord had decided not to renew the lease and the surgery will close in October next year.

The letter said:

“Moss Healthcare Harrogate is sorry to advise our patients that the branch site operating on Ripon Road in Killinghall will have to close in October 2024, when the current lease on the premises terminates, as the landlord has recently advised there is no option to renew the lease.

“We are currently working with the local NHS integrated care board, who commission health care services, and other partners to identify options for ensuring seamless future care to all our patients.

“We will keep patients informed as we work through this process.”

The Killinghall practice is one of three operated by Moss Healthcare Harrogate, which also has sites on King’s Road in Harrogate and in Jennyfields.

Villagers — especially those who find it difficult to travel — have long feared its demise.

In May this year Moss Healthcare Harrogate announced the surgery would temporarily close in the afternoons due to “staffing issues”.

The site has a sizeable car park in the middle of a village where parking is at a premium. It is next to the Greyhounds Inn, which has been closed for several years.

Read more:

• ‘Staff issues’ forces Killinghall surgery to reduce hours
• Chatsworth House dental patients in Harrogate to be offered alternative NHS provision

Plans have been submitted to close Crescent Gardens in Harrogate to public traffic.

Harrogate-based property developer Impala Estates bought the former Harrogate Borough Council headquarters alongside the road for £4 million in 2020.

It received planning permission in May last year to turn the building into offices, a roof garden restaurant and gym, and to create a two-storey extension. Work has yet to begin.

The company has now applied for permission to install bollards and planters to convert the public highway into a private road.

If approved, the road would be maintained by Impala Estates for access to the Crescent Gardens development and associated car parking bays.

The area affected would include the Crescent Gardens road and footpath from its intersection with Swan Road to its intersection with Montpellier Road.

According to planning documents submitted to North Yorkshire Council, the application site “excludes the off-carriageway parking bays to the south of the Crescent Gardens roadway with the exception of a small section (essentially two parking bays) located directly between the Crescent Gardens building main entrance and the path opposite into the Crescent Gardens park”.

Planters and retractable bollards, similar to those temporarily installed on Beech Grove in Harrogate, would be installed at either end of Crescent Gardens to prevent public vehicles passing.

The documents add:

“The former Harrogate Borough Council agreed to dispose of the land underlying the Crescent Gardens roadway on the basis that it would be stopped up, with the roadway becoming privately owned and associated with the Crescent Gardens development.

“It is also understood that the local highway authority has no objection in principle to the Crescent Gardens roadway being stopped up.”

An impression of how the redeveloped site would look.

James Hartley, director of Impala, told the Stray Ferret,

“The road was discussed at the time of the sale and has been approved by the council at committee.  As part of the process, we have been working with the Department for Transport on the stopping up order and North Yorkshire Council on the submitted planning application.

“The changes to the road will assist in the construction of Crescent Gardens along with providing the building with a well-managed and enhanced setting once the works have been undertaken. This will link the building better with the gardens opposite, achieving a clear public benefit.”

Asked if the company’s plans for the redevelopment of Crescent Gardens had changed, or if a starting date was known, Mr Hartley said:

“Nothing has changed with the broader redevelopment, we are working hard with our design team to develop out the design allowing it to go out to tender.”

Read more:

• Still no timeframe on refurbishment of Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens
• Harrogate Spring Water to hold consultation event on expansion next week